Square Enix’s Naoki “Yoshi-P” Yoshida has been making the rounds promoting Final Fantasy XVI, and an interview with Game Informer teased the arrival of a new trailer for the game. Fans won’t want to hold their breath yet, though, as the next full FFXVIÂ trailer won’t arrive until Fall 2022. In the meantime, the interview revealed more about the game as it enters its last year of development.
According to Yoshida, the third FFXVI trailer will focus more on the game’s world of Valisthea, as well as the overall storyline. He said he plans on “showing what the story is going to be like, what the narrative is going to be like, and how that’s going to fit into the world.”
The interview also covered new tidbits regarding the game’s battle system and the involvement of its Eikons (Final Fantasy summons). Yoshida spoke about Final Fantasy XVI‘s heavier emphasis on real-time action and the involvement of Battle Director Ryota Suzuki. Suzuki joined Square Enix in 2019 after a stint at Capcom working on games like Devil May Cry 5 and Dragon’s Dogma.Â
Suzuki’s influence played a key role in crafting the FFXVI combat system, as much of the team at the time had little experience in making action games. Final Fantasy XVI‘s combat system allows players to cycle through powerful attacks and abilities to pull off combos in real-time. These abilities are based on the Eikons. Yoshida brought up one example from the FFXVI “Dominance” trailer. In it, Clive used a Garuda ability to suspend an enemy in the air, then used a Titan-derived ability to smash the enemy into the ground. These combinations will be customizable and allow players to vary Clive’s playstyle.
The Eikons will do more than just power Clive’s abilities, though. Yoshida spoke about battles between two full-size Eikons. Each battle will be unique and involve bespoke mechanics and framing. One battle “will be reminiscent of a 3D shooter,” and another will be “more like a pro wrestling match.” The UI will also change for each battle. The team tried to get away with having almost no on-screen UI, but some information was required to make it playable. The current design resembles the life bars used in fighting games.
Final Fantasy XVI is in development for the PlayStation 5 and is scheduled for a Summer 2023 release. A third FFXVI trailer will arrive in Fall 2022.
