Many of today’s questions and answers also in the interviews Final Fantasy XVI revolved around the Espers and the action-oriented combat system. They were also the themes that were most present in the game’s final trailer. However, there are a few things that deserve a closer look.
We’ve already presented you the new information from today’s interviews in a collective article, but we’ve also delved deeper into the issue of the party in Final Fantasy XVI. And now it’s about the supposed open world. IGN paid the most attention to this question.
There, Naoki Yoshida confirmed that Final Fantasy XVI will not feature a classic open world. There will be an area-based design instead, and the easiest comparison here seems to be Pokémon Legends: Arceus. However, Naoki Yoshida also says it took a lot of inspiration from triple-A open-world RPGs.
“We have found in our extensive customer survey that many of the younger generation of gamers have never played Final Fantasy or have no interest in the series. To create a game that will delight not only our regular fans but also this new generation, we have played many games ourselves and that is why you will find in [Final Fantasy XVI] inspiration from today’s triple-A open-world RPGs,” says Yoshida.
history around the world
However, a story like the one in Final Fantasy XVI, which spans multiple continents and realms, is arguably incompatible with an open world. “However, to provide a story that spans the globe and beyond, we chose to avoid an open-world design that would limit us to a single open-world space,” says Yoshida.
Instead, they focused on an “independent, area-based game design” that “can give players a better sense of a truly ‘global’ dimension.” That there are still huge landscapes and certainly cities in the game for players to explore, as the latest official screenshots showed.
After the release of the “State of Play” trailer, which was only limited to action and espers, Square Enix showed a few photos without comment which include areas waiting for you. A battlefield, silent forests, an oriental city.
Square Enix plans to release the next trailer in the fall, which Naoki Yoshida says is already in the works. Then we should see more of the world, Yoshida promised today.
Artwork: Final Fantasy XVI, Square Enix
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