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Final Fantasy 16 is set to incorporate party members into its combat system, despite the recent trailers primarily spotlighting the protagonist, Clive. This has led fans to speculate about the involvement of other characters in battles, a speculation that producer Naoki Yoshida confirmed to IGN. He disclosed that although the party members will be present, they will be AI-controlled.
“In our latest trailer, we didn’t wish to overwhelm users, thus we concentrated solely on Clive’s battles. Nevertheless, for a significant portion of his journey, Clive will be accompanied by one or more companions. These companions will not only engage in battles but also exchange banter with Clive. However, to enable players to focus exclusively on controlling Clive, the party members will be AI-driven,” Yoshida stated.
He further elaborated to Games Radar: “Clive possesses a vast array of unique abilities in his fully customizable arsenal. Our intention was for players to master and customize these abilities to the extent that they can employ them fluidly and stylishly.”
“However, distributing battle controls among multiple party members could potentially hinder the action or simply make things more complex. That is the reason we decided that it would be preferable for players to focus solely on controlling Clive.”
The game will showcase an action battle system courtesy of battle director Ryota Suzuki, who has worked on Devil May Cry 5, Dragon’s Dogma, and Marvel Vs. Capcom. The aim is to attract new fans, while Yoshida assures that long-time fans will not be alienated.
“Naturally, we are aware that there are numerous players who may not be proficient in action games – action games might not be their strong suit,” Yoshida informed Games Radar. “But those fans need not be concerned, as we have been developing systems and in-game features that will offer assistance to those players.”
Suzuki has made a significant contribution to the game’s feel, ensuring a good pace and fluidity.
“Our development team had minimal experience in creating action games, and in the initial stages of development, we faced considerable challenges. That is why bringing in Suzuki-san proved to be an immense help,” Yoshida said.
“By bringing in this highly talented veteran, Ryota Suzuki, he was able to整合 everything we had and build upon it using his extensive experience from past titles. Whether it pertains to the overall battle system or the animation trees – Clive has numerous diverse abilities, and being able to seamlessly string all these abilities together without any stress and make it appear truly natural was made possible with his assistance. His contribution has been substantial, and without him, we would not have been able to achieve this.”
Another crucial aspect of combat in the game will be the Eikon Summons. Clive will have a number of abilities from the Eikons that he can utilize in combat. For instance, a Garuda ability enables Clive to lift enemies into the air, which he can follow up with a Titan ground pound. Moreover, as the recent trailer demonstrated, Eikons can also be summoned to confront one another.
“This battle system has enabled us to create a multitude of highly unique battles, and we have a variety of different battle types,” Yoshida told Games Radar.
“Whether it is Clive against smaller enemies, Clive against larger bosses, Clive against Eikons, or even Clive transforming into an Eikon and engaging in Eikon versus Eikon battles; these battles feel fresh and distinctive, without being repetitive. Many of our Eikon versus Eikon battles were designed to be one-off encounters, specifically created for that particular instance – and this system is not employed elsewhere. Consequently, with each playthrough, you will encounter something that feels novel and refreshing.”
Yoshida further explained to Game Informer: “For example, perhaps in one Eikon versus Eikon battle, if you have Eikon A versus Eikon B, that battle will bear resemblance to a 3D shooter. Whereas in another Eikon versus a different Eikon, it is more akin to a pro wrestling match, and then perhaps even a third where one Eikon versus another Eikon transforms an entire area into a battlefield. Once again, we did not reuse these systems, and each Eikon versus Eikon battle is unique and will vary with each encounter.”
Yoshida also confirmed that Final Fantasy 16 will not be an open-world game.
The game is slated for release in summer 2023.
