In Final Fantasy XVI, you can command the dog (and a whole lot more)

To not be outdone by Tears of the Kingdom in the summertime online game blockbuster hype technology class, Remaining Fantasy XVI received its personal State of Play, showcasing over 20 minutes of gameplay.

Remaining Fantasy XVI is a wonderful recreation, each inside the cutscenes and gameplay. The fight appeared slick and thrilling. Clive flipped, dipped, and parried with a satisfying flourish, completely consistent with the builders’ acknowledged purpose of constructing Remaining Fantasy XVI really feel like a “high-speed rollercoaster.” The presentation went into element on a number of the smaller actions Clive can stand up to when he’s not saving the world or doing no matter it’s Clive does, as we’re not fairly certain what his motivation is but. Realizing the standard cadence of Remaining Fantasy tales, it’ll begin out small, like “head to the village” and finally finish with “kill god.” There are hunts he can full and what seems to be to be a wealth of sidequests. We haven’t seen any mini-games but, however right here’s hoping a model of Remaining Fantasy’s best card recreation, Triple Triad, will seem in some form or type.

An enormous focus of the presentation was on the Eikon battles. As you progress by way of the sport, Clive will encounter Eikons (that are akin to the summons of earlier video games) he can battle to win their powers. Every battle is completely different, with some, just like the one towards Garuda, being brutal 1v1 beatdowns. However different fights, just like the one between Pheonix and Bahamut, are extra harking back to the aerial fight in Panzer Dragoon.

The gameplay showcase is just about consistent with what I performed throughout my hands-on expertise earlier this yr. I like that we got the chance to see extra of Valisthea, contemplating my demo was principally contained inside a darkish fort at evening. Marvel at and exploration of a wonderful panorama was one of many defining components of Remaining Fantasy XV, and it’s good to see that whereas the sport is tonally completely different (excessive fantasy vs. techno fantasy), the group at Sq. Enix is sticking with what works.

As in earlier Remaining Fantasy video games, Clive will sometimes be joined by different celebration members. You received’t be capable of management your human companions, the sport’s AI will deal with that. However your trustworthy hound Torgal is all yours to command, capable of battle enemies and heal you.

I used to be, nonetheless, a bit disillusioned that we didn’t get a greater glimpse on the individuals of Valisthea. Sport director Naoki Yoshida has mentioned some disappointing issues concerning variety and this recreation, hinting that when gamers have the prospect to “see for themselves,” these considerations may be considerably addressed. It seems to be like we’ll nonetheless have to attend.

However greater than seeing gameplay or chocobos and even moogles (which I used to be glad to see within the presentation), I used to be most hyped to listen to Masayoshi Soken’s soundtrack, and I used to be not disillusioned. We heard a spread of music from mellow acoustic guitar tracks to hype-as-hell orchestral themes punctuated by a refrain shouting unintelligible phrases reminding me of probably the greatest items of Remaining Fantasy music in existence, “Liberi Fatali.” General, it was a enjoyable presentation, and I can not look forward to the complete recreation. Between this and Zelda, my summer season is stacked.

Remaining Fantasy XVI launches on PlayStation 5 on June twenty second.