Final Fantasy XVI

[Lex]

EDIT 2nd June 2022 - New Trailer

TRAILER:

The rumours have been flying for a while - we all know it's coming at some point, and it's being discussed elsewhere so I thought it was high time this thread came to be.

Playstation have an event on Wednesday and the next FF is rumoured to make an apperance.

Here's what we know so far:


Source: https://www.resetera.com/threads/square-enix-projects-ot-please-be-exciting.62421/

That may not be XVI, but it probably is.

Other insider info says this at the moment (speculative until confirmed):







Discuss what you'd like to see from FFXVI in this thread.

These are my feelings at the moment (per discussion in the Playstation 5 thread):

eah we're overdue for a traditional fantasy setting really (if we ignore XIV, which we actually can't in this case given YoshiP's potential involvement).

What I'd personally like to see from FFXVI is a similar approach that was taken with IX - it was a love letter to the series so far but it was entirely new at the same time. So basically what you said Prism, but I'm not sure what form it would take. I'm really excited for a brand new Final Fantasy, honestly. The last "original" mainline game (with its own mythos etc) was technically XIII, given that XV was previously Versus and part of fabula nova crystallis, so on and so forth. This is the first time in well over a decade we're looking at a truly fresh mainline FF. Madness.

 

[Odysseus]

Good idea.
I'll just repeat what I said in the PS5 thread then. I'd like a game with a setting more in-line with older final fantasies, since the games post VII have skewed more modern to futuristic. Scifi has always been a part of the franchise so I still expect machines and technology, but I'd like it to be more fantastically oriented, more like VI or IX. I know XIV exists and that has a more fantastic setting, but I don't have the patience for an MMO so I kinda missed the boat there. I'd also like character designs less like what Square has been doing lately, because I'm kind of tired of having generically attractive "Square Enix Face" people, I'd like them to tone down the realism a bit though I know it's unlikely.

 

[Lex]

There is also this thread on ResetEra, specifically about the rumour that XVI will be showcased on Wednesday. There are threadmarks on ResetEra (top right-ish) with insider commentary.

https://www.resetera.com/threads/ru...dmarks-for-various-insider-commentary.285365/

EDIT: I've updated the OP with more (verified) insider info.

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

What I'd personally like to see from FFXVI is a similar approach that was taken with IX - it was a love letter to the series so far but it was entirely new at the same time.

That is in large part what XIV has been (and XV as well), so would YoshiP want to do that all over again?

 

[Lex]

That is in large part what XIV has been (XV as well), so would YoshiP want to do that all over again?

This is what I'm saying though, I don't know how much XIV "counts". It's one of the best FF's ever to be sure, but it still exists as an MMO and I can't look at the FF franchise without considering the MMO's a kind of invisible link in the chain. The single player RPG experience is what FF really is - to me at least. As a person who has logged literally thousands of hours in XIV and will continue to do so

I don't think YoshiP will approach this as a passion project, and I'm actually not sure how much creative input he'll even have. He's denied being the director already, he's simply in charge of division 3. I could see someone else taking the reigns creatively, with him as a kind of managing director in the same way as he was when he originally took over XIV. If YoshiP is indeed at the helm of XVI, I think he'll take into account that not all FF fans are MMO fans (indeed, a great many are not), and look at it the same way most of us are.

I'm on board regardless though. There's nobody who's earned the players trust more than YoshiP. The dude can make shit work.

 

[Lex]

I'm quoting you both here because this is where the discussion should continue

Maybe it would be better if it was something different entirely, like really out of left field. The thing I'm the most afraid of is that it might just feels like "more final fantasy" without having enough identity of it's own.

Yes, exactly. Above all else, I just want to be surprised.

I submit for TLS consideration: space exploration Final Fantasy. Seriously. That could be epic.

 

[Odysseus]

As a resident "I don't have the time or interest for an MMO" I think square would be a little silly to limit themselves based on XIV, since a large part of their audience has no interest in that game, but I also don't want XVI to be as much of a Final Fantasy circle jerk as XIV is anyway lol. I'd rather it not rely too much on nostalgia.

I submit for TLS consideration: space exploration Final Fantasy. Seriously. That could be epic.

That's be a new direction for the series at least. I wonder how they could work the fantasy in to space travel though.

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

Unlike most of you, I don't mind if they keep with the modern-ish settings in the vein of VII, VIII and XV (they can always use lore-based justifications for location variety), but I do hope if they ever again go as full-throttle future tech as XIII was they at least take time to ease us into understanding the setting better than was the case there. It was just too much that was too alien coming at us too fast -- with no regard for how disorienting it was, and no decent opportunities to ever get to know the locales or feel at home in them.

I think more so than the precise technology systems or Kardashev-esque placement of the setting, I'm more curious about seeing different real-world cultural influences incorporated. FF has done modern-ish European, U.S., and Japanese settings now; Middle Ages-style European, Mediterranean, and South Pacific settings; and whatever the hell XIII was. What else could we see that might be interesting?

 

[Lulcielid]

As far as setting and aesthetic I'd like XVI keep straying away from anything resembling "classic" fantasy (medieval-ish setting with knight, mages, etc). I'm fed up with that association with "fantasy".

 

[ForceStealer]

X's approach of non-European fantasy was pretty cool, that Southeast Asia vibe, but still primarily "medieval+magitek" in terms of tech.

 

[Obsidian Fire]

I do know that Yoshida has said that he would like to explore FF's more traditional roots. Which is... rather obvious from how FFXIV works. I believe he has said in interviews that if he ever got to make a mainline FF game that it would be a more "traditional medieval fantasy" setting. Which I'm more than fine with.

The last "traditional medieval fantasy" setting we got in an FF game was FFXII. And even that was more advanced than usual for the setting (leaned into medevial steampunk a lot). Regardless, FFXII was released nearly fifteen years ago. It's definetly been long enough since the last "traditional fantasy" game in the franchise and a new one would feel well... new for once. Particularly if it could get made with a minimum amount of development team drama.

 

[Ghost X]

Gimme a good story, FFXVI

 

[Claymore]

I'm personally against a stock medieval fantasy setting simply because I don't believe that SE won't fall into comfortable tropes with warring Kingdoms, a sword-wielding hero, and some demon pulling the strings behind the scenes. I feel like any other setting might push them to do something at least vaguely interesting with the lore and story.

I just really want to be wowed by a FF again, to be absorbed by the beauty or ugliness of its world and discuss it, not because of vague plot threads that are never fully fleshed out or tied up, but because of a strong story that really hits you emotionally. Emotional stories are the ones that will stay with you. I want to be surprised. I want there to be twists. I want to be excited.

And don't give me a sword-wielding main hero!

 

[Wol]

I adore modern/futuristic settings but considering FFVIIR will cover that side in the future (and that we already had an entire trilogy of sci-fi titles and years of waiting for a modern one) , FFXVI should be medieval to counter-balance it.

Give me Dark Fantasy Souls anytime

 

[Ite]

If so it will be debatably the first proper new FF announcement in TLS history.

 

[Obsidian Fire]

I'm personally against a stock medieval fantasy setting simply because I don't believe that SE won't fall into comfortable tropes with warring Kingdoms, a sword-wielding hero, and some demon pulling the strings behind the scenes. I feel like any other setting might push them to do something at least vaguely interesting with the lore and story.

I feel like we did get a "different setting" with FFXIII and FFXV and neither of them did anything interesting with it. We still had sword-wielding heroes (both games), we still had warring kingdoms (XV), we still had some demon pulling strings behind the scenes (both games). FFXIII had interesting lore, but it never really managed to do anything interesting with it in the story. In fact, I'd say FFXIII's "interesting lore" was more of a problem than an asset since the game never took enough time to explain any of it well in the actual story and a lot of people were confused as a result. So, I don't think the modern/futuristic settings have a better track record than the traditional medieval ones do.

I just really want to be wowed by a FF again, to be absorbed by the beauty or ugliness of its world and discuss it, not because of vague plot threads that are never fully fleshed out or tied up, but because of a strong story that really hits you emotionally. Emotional stories are the ones that will stay with you. I want to be surprised. I want there to be twists. I want to be excited.

And none of this has anything to do with the setting of the game. The characters and the conflict they are involved in is what makes this work. Ironically, the MMOs seem have a lot better thought out characters and conflicts than a lot of the recent main-line FFs do. Or at least, ones I actually feel strongly about. There's... reasons I say Shadowbringers is the best story-telling that has come out of a FF game in the last... fifteen to twenty years, and it definitely wasn't the setting that made it so good.

And don't give me a sword-wielding main hero!

If they want a modern combat system, they probably will. Swords are a lot easier to make work for that than anything else is. Also, all the FF game main protagonists use swords, daggers or gunblades. For whatever reason, the dev team really likes bladed weapons....

 

[Claymore]

And none of this has anything to do with the setting of the game. The characters and the conflict they are involved in is what makes this work. Ironically, the MMOs seem have a lot better thought out characters and conflicts than a lot of the recent main-line FFs do. Or at least, ones I actually feel strongly about. There's... reasons I say Shadowbringers is the best story-telling that has come out of a FF game in the last... fifteen to twenty years, and it definitely wasn't the setting that made it so good.

Hard disagree. The setting has a massive impact on the style and types of stories that are told within that world.

If they want a modern combat system, they probably will. Swords are a lot easier to make work for that than anything else is. Also, all the FF game main protagonists use swords, daggers or gunblades. For whatever reason, the dev team really likes bladed weapons....

Then I'm out. If it's another generic as hell protagonist with a sword, then I'm done with FF if that's the only formula they will work with.

 

[Theozilla]

Then I'm out. If it's another generic as hell protagonist with a sword, then I'm done with FF if that's the only formula they will work with.

The main protagonist being a sword wielder seems like a strange thing to be a deal breaker, as except for FFIX with Zidane, every single numbered single-player lead FF protagonist has used a sword of some form as their main weapon. Even Firion, Onion Knight/Luneth, Bartz, Terra, and Vaan had swords as their main/default weapon.
I don’t think being a sword wielder automatically predisposes a character as being generic.

 

[Claymore]

The main protagonist being a sword wielder seems like a strange thing to be a deal breaker, as except for FFIX with Zidane, every single numbered single-player lead FF protagonist has used a sword of some form as their main weapon. Even Firion, Onion Knight/Luneth, Bartz, Terra, and Vaan had swords as their main/default weapon.
I don’t think being a sword wielder automatically predisposes a character as being generic.

It's a symptom of a much larger problem with the inability to shake up the formula and do something interesting and exciting.

 

[Tetsujin]

As far as setting and aesthetic I'd like XVI keep straying away from anything resembling "classic" fantasy (medieval-ish setting with knight, mages, etc). I'm fed up with that association with "fantasy".

This is where I'm at. I always point to FFX as a setting I didn't know I wanted until I saw it. I want them to surprise me.

The whole traditional European gothic medieval castles+knights+traditional scaley dragons is visually super boring to me. I'm playing XIV: Heavensward right now and I'm already sick of Ishgard because of that reason

I'm just not interested in the "I read/watched Lord of the Rings when I was 12 and now it's the only fantasy setting I can imagine"-look.

 

[Theozilla]

It's a symptom of a much larger problem with the inability to shake up the formula and do something interesting and exciting.

Okay but the FF tradition/standard of the main lead using a sword doesn’t preclude the FF franchise from doing something interesting and exciting. The franchise’s history is a testament to that.

 

[Claymore]

Okay but the FF tradition/standard of the main lead using a sword doesn’t preclude the FF franchise from doing something interesting and exciting. The franchise’s history is a testament to that.

Which is exactly why another sword-wielder will preclude, to me, that nothing is going to change. It is going to be the exact same story repackaged differently. To me personally, that is an immediate red flag.

 

[Wol]

It's a symptom of a much larger problem with the inability to shake up the formula and do something interesting and exciting.

While its not a deal-breaker for me either, its true that it wouldn't hurt to change that cliche. I guess its too engraved in the collective consensus that possessing a sword means you are the leader. And since we always want to impersonate the leader, they keep giving them swords.

 

[Lestat]

I honestly wouldn't mind if they tried to adapt to the plotlines of the movil game ffbe.
It's a decent enough plot and could easily be padded out in proper graphics.

 

[Claymore]

While its not a deal-breaker for me either, its true that it wouldn't hurt to change that cliche. I guess its too engraved in the collective consensus that possessing a sword means you are the leader. And since we always want to impersonate the leader, they keep giving them swords.

Yeah, I'm just tired of it. And I'm not just talking about FF here, I'm including the fantasy genre as a whole. If it's a fantasy setting, 85% of the time (I'm pulling that number out of my ass but you get the point) the main character has a sword. In a book. In a TV series. In a game. And it almost always leads to generic fights and the same old tropes.

I'm over it.