The community manager Irina Moritz was able to play the second demo of Final Fantasy XVI, which focused on the story and game world of the RPG. Many of her concerns were alleviated or even eliminated.
I have to be honest: Although I am a long-time FF fan, I initially approached FFXVI with some skepticism. The team behind the game is solid, the gameplay material looked good, and at first glance, there was nothing to complain about.
But you know how it is: You don’t want to get your hopes up too much, as it could ultimately be disappointing. That’s why I remained cautious despite all my optimism towards FFXVI.
This was also because the focus during the presentation was long on the combat system. It was prominently featured in trailers, and the first demo was 100% a combat demo. At some point, it became a bit too much for me.
I have nothing against the combat system itself, unlike the fans of turn-based combat. However, I eventually asked myself, “Where are the RPG elements in your RPG?” What about quests and crafting? What do the areas look like? And most importantly for me: What will the story of the game be like?
As a long-time Final Fantasy enthusiast, the story is crucial for whether I like the games or not. The success of FFXVI hinges on it, and the developers are very aware of this. With the second demo, they answered precisely these questions.
When you don’t want to put down the controller
The setting of the second demo was a flashback from the protagonist Clive’s past. As the firstborn son of the Duke of Rosaria, he was supposed to inherit the power of the Phoenix but did not. Instead, his younger brother Joshua inherited the ability to transform into the firebird. Clive, on the other hand, is now being trained as his protector.
In the flashback, you follow the events that triggered the main story of FFXVI. The demo showed how Clive became a mercenary and was separated from his loved ones. And the story really made me eager for more.
I was so immersed in the story that I actually lost track of time. The plot is directly engaging from the start and features several plot twists. It mainly revolves around the “Dominants”, people like Joshua, who hold the power of summons within them.
These characters are introduced right from the start, and it is dramatically demonstrated what kind of destruction they are capable of in their Eikon form. They can wipe out entire armies single-handedly, leading to some bloody scenes in FFXVI.
Overall, the game does not shy away from adult content such as violence and even sex. In our interview, the devs told us that the development team didn’t want to force a dark tone on FFXVI. Rather, it is the result of wanting to depict reality.
In a war, terrible things happen, and you see them live and in color while playing FFXVI. One of my quiet fears was that the devs were just inserting blood and murder to appear “dark”.
However, the story segments in the demo definitely did not come across that way. The brutal scenes had their justification and did not feel like they were just thrown in for shock value.
In the end, I absolutely wanted to know what happens next and even considered whether I could bribe the dear employees of Square Enix to let me play a little longer. Or alternatively, how many of them it would take to tear me away from the controller. But I digress.
“Luckily, this is not an open world”
I must honestly tell you: I can no longer stand huge open-world games. After a flood of such games in recent years, I have become saturated. Accordingly, I was damn happy to hear that FFXVI will not have an open world.
According to director Yoshida, the world should be structured similarly to the new God of War: Ragnarök. There will be a hub from which new areas are unlocked and explored. Part of this could also be seen in the second demo.
This was a welcome change from the tight and linear fortress that you fought through in the first demo. You were able to visit a nice open area, slay monsters, collect resources, and complete a quest that couldn’t have been more boring.
However, I still enjoyed traversing the area and kept thinking to myself while exploring, “Thank goodness this is not an open world.” It was almost refreshing not to be overwhelmed by tons of icons on the map in a big game. However, some concerns remain:
- The side quest presented in the demo was “Run from A to B”. Even though such quests have their place, I still strongly hope that FFXVI has more to offer. Depth and ongoing quest lines like in Ghost of Tsushima would be great.
- Side content has generally not been particularly highlighted so far. In interviews, director Yoshida mentioned hunting rare monsters (like in FFXII), but that sounded a bit shallow.
- The interesting discoveries on open maps were rather limited in the demo. There were some ruins and treasure chests here and there, but they didn’t reveal anything terribly interesting. Hopefully, this will change in the finished game.
- The battles of the Eikons are still a concern for me. Even during the fight between Phoenix and Ifrit, it was hard to see what was going on. It was chaotic, very dark, and poorly visible. Very unfortunate because Eikon battles are meant to provide a spectacular feeling – if you can see something.
By the way, my colleagues from GameStar and GamePro have written very detailed reports about FFXVI:
- Final Fantasy 16 is going to be very different, and that won’t please all fans
- Final Fantasy 16 played: How well does the transition to a dark action RPG work?
Does FFXVI address the issues of FFXIV?
But where would we be if I didn’t mention the MMORPG FFXIV in an article about Final Fantasy XVI? It is no secret that both FFXIV and FFXVI are developed by the Creative Business Division III. In the first demo of FF16, which was presented in February, I was able to discover countless parallels between the two games.
This caused both excitement and some concern for me. If the teams were to adopt the positive aspects of FFXIV, such as the spectacular Eikon battles, what about the negatives?
Even though the story of FFXIV is often praised, it is not without weaknesses and problems. The creative director for the story of FFXVI, Kazutoyo Maehiro, was already responsible for the Heavensward expansion. My concern was that the development team might carry these problems into the new game as well. However, I was pleasantly surprised that the second demo addressed exactly this.
One of the major criticisms of FFXIV is that it starts very slowly. The storyline at the beginning is generic, not particularly engaging, and takes time to gain momentum. This is definitely not the case in FFXVI. It didn’t take 20 minutes before I thought, “Okay, this is really exciting.”
- The central characters are introduced elegantly, making me immediately ponder their backgrounds and motivations. I just wanted to know more about them.
- Subtle plot points are scattered everywhere from the start, hinting that there is more than meets the eye, which piqued my curiosity.
- Despite the quick start, the initial situation of the game is clearly explained. You learn who the characters are, how they relate to one another, and what the backgrounds are that led to the current situation you are in. It didn’t feel like a lesson or a lore dump that overwhelms you at the start.
In short: you don’t have to wait endlessly for it to get exciting. I know it sounds trivial, but that is the experience you have in FFXIV. The peaks of the story are absolutely fantastic, but during the quieter parts, especially at the beginning, it can drag on like an old rubber band.
After the first demo, I was cautiously optimistic, but after the second, my expectations were raised even further. I now expect a top-notch and very emotional story from FFXVI with many intrigues that is compactly packaged and has no fillers.
So, FFXVI team, please impress me. I know you can do it.
In the meantime, there has been a change in leadership at Square Enix:
New CEO of Square Enix plays Final Fantasy XIV: “My wife gets annoyed when I run the wrong way”
