Final Fantasy XVI: A new opus influenced by Game of Thrones

In 1987, publisher Square Enix was on the verge of bankruptcy. Doing everything, he offers himself a last lap, a last stand, a final fantasy that will even give its name to this game. A huge success that will not only save him, but will continue him for many years. The most powerful video game license to ever enter the pantheon of pop culture. And it’s not the more than 170 million copies sold, all games combined – including spin offs – that belies this enormous success.

Released in 2016 and developed under the auspices of Hajime Tabata, Final Fantasy XV was characterized by a chaotic and painful development. Selling 5 million copies worldwide within 24 hours of launch, it will reach 8.9 million in October 2019. After the steampunk world of the sensational remake of Final Fantasy VII released in 2020 and the more “realistic” FF XV, the place is now on High fantasy With the 16th opus, which was released on the shelves on June 22.

Here’s the trailer…

Influenced by Game of Thrones

Its development was entrusted to game director Hiroshi Takai. It’s not just anyone: it was he who literally saved the MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV from disaster, took over all the development of the game from top to bottom and allowed the title, in the endto become an absolute success.

The development team decided to set their story in an adult medieval fantasy world, drawing inspiration mainly from Game of Thrones. “At the time we started developing the game, Game of Thrones season 4 was starting to air” Producer Naoki Yoshida told the site about it Game informer.

We saw how well the series was doing and it was being watched by more and more people, not only the older generation but also the younger generation. So we bought the Blu-Ray box set of seasons 1, 2, 3 and 4. And getting everyone on the team to watch the show so the developers know that this is the coolest thing in the world, this is what people like, and people like this kind of fantasy.”

This FF XVI actually stands out from the previous installments in its violence. Murder, betrayal and blackmail will be on the menu. also sex; However, the item is treated very modestly; Japan obliges. We’re a long way from the treatment used by CD Projekt Red Witcher. Here we are looking more at the manga SeinenLike Berserk, if we had to compare the world closely.

The story, which unfolds over forty hours, takes place on a continent called Valistea. Divided into six kingdoms, each has a “Mother Crystal” that supplies the people of Valistea with aether, allowing them to manipulate various types of magic. Among them are summons called Primordials; Colossal creatures called “Emissaries” inhabiting the bodies of mere mortals.

Consumed by ambition, power, and a thirst for conquest, these kingdoms are torn apart by endless wars that follow each other for control of this powerful resource. And, to add to the woes of the world, a strange evil, the Black Plague, is sweeping across the continent, killing all forms of life and sterilizing the earth forever.

It is against this decidedly apocalyptic background that the player controls the fate of Clive Rossfield, the guardian of the Archduchess Rosalia, through three periods of his life: adolescence, twenty years and thirty years.

A choice that will not be unanimous

If there’s one constant in the license that can’t be taken away, it’s that willingness, every episode, to bring in new blood and take risks, even if it means breaking unanimity and even the purists. Step out of FF XV’s open-world endeavors: 16th returns to much tighter locales.

To be honest, we were very scared for the first ten hours of the game, with the strong impression that it was taking place in areas with more corridors. No or very little research. It gets better later on when the character has a mount with which he can walk through the spaces of Valistea.

This FF XVI also became an Action RPG; The role-playing dimension is reduced to its simplest expression in the management of his inventory: three objects that can be worn simultaneously and at will, a belt, a bracelet and, of course, the character’s sword. These elements, of course, will change during the course of the adventure, can be produced and become more and more powerful. But we are a long way from the (relative) complexity of the past.

No more tactical pause in fights and that good old ATB bar. Led by Ryota Suzuki, who was responsible for the absolutely insane battles of the excellent Devil May Cry 5 At Capcom, the encounters in Final Fantasy XVI are real-time, ultra-nervous, even if the camera sometimes does its job, and it’s hard to find your way through fights when well-stocked enemies are falling apart. This is definitely one of the strengths of the game.

That said, if Clive is regularly accompanied by one or two characters – including the dog, the beloved Talgore – on his travels, the player will never be able to control the other characters who simply deliver him to battles, so autonomously. It is still possible to control the dog’s behavior, but, to be honest, due to the frenzy of the fight, we immediately let him rage like a big one at his enemies.

But there is more. In addition, clashes up Among the first to come at key moments in history, with an apocalyptic crossover between Attack on Titan, Dragon Ball Z and. Wrath of AsuraThe game was released in 2012, featuring gruesome encounters led by a fallen deity obsessed with revenge.

Often spectacularly staged, endowed with a sense of omnipotence, they sometimes linger a bit, like the confrontation you’ll have against the Titan Emissary, which clearly says one of the best characters in the game, a very charismatic one.

Jagged writing

What about the story itself? It blows hot and cold, rather lukewarm. The Game of Thrones aspect of the conflict between the kingdoms itself turns out to be really interesting, to the point where we had the brilliant idea of ​​creating a chronology in the game.

With a touch of the touchpad, all the information about the main concepts of the game, the rivalry between the great houses and their history, biographies of the characters, past and present conflicts, etc. . Willingness to be didactic is most welcome and much appreciated. However, we regret that this dimension is evacuated two-thirds of the way through the game, which then leads to a more magic-oriented narrative.

The story sometimes suffers from naive and clumsy writing. He is also very talkative, according to his many Cut Scenes. The secondary quests are sometimes without any interest, while others clearly give more depth to the motives and aspirations of its characters.

But he still manages to weave a web of what turns out to be quite a sight, of genuine darkness, to culminate in a final act that is both epic and very moving. Paradoxically, despite its flaws, we were always surprised that we didn’t want to let go of control until we learned the outcome of Clive Rossfield’s morbid fate. Final Fantasy XVI, the game is certainly perfect, but, in the endvery cute.