Clash of the Eikons.
A lot hinges onFinal Fantasy 16.
I was ecstatic to go hands on with the game but I had questions.
Would the fanboy in me be satisfied?
Can Yoshida and CBU 3 deliver a strong single-player Final Fantasy game?
What does the future of the franchise look like?
I returned from the preview with the biggest grin on my face.
Don’t worry,I won’t be discussing story spoilers at all.
Playing Final Fantasy 16 is a rush.
Afterwards I played a separate Eikon battle that literally took the game to colossal heights.
Clive’s moveset is fast with weighty attacks.
Plus there are plenty more RPG intricacies to come.
The fluidity of combat and its array of interlinking options is impressive.
Then there are Eikon abilities that can be cycled through like weapon sets - or even Jobs.
Points can also be reversed and spent elsewhere if you’re keen to experiment.
Lastly, resources collected after battle can be used in crafting, though this system wasn’t shown.
It’s a bit finicky, but thankfully Torgal’s moves can beautomated using the game’s accessibility options.
And yes, you might pet him.
Combat is tense, requiring precision to dodge and attack before unleashing a fierce barrage of spells and abilities.
But the Eikon battles transcend to a higher level.
I played a fight between Ifrit and Garuda that Yoshida described as a wrestling match.
It certainly showed the titanic heft of these summonable creatures and served as a suitable climax to the demo.
And then it escalated once more.
And I’m in control - at least for the most part.
As the battle swoops into cinematics, it does dissolve into an interactive cutscene with button prompts.
It’s just all so seamless.
Exploration, battles, and cinematics (all in-game) flow effortlessly from one to the next.
And it’s delivered beautifully too.
Cold dark castle corridors are warmly lit by flaming torches; a storm rages, ripping apart the ground.
And when battle strikes, the effects are electrifying.
I’m also a big fan of the cast and their performances.
Yoshida also promised the story will be complete, with a beginning, middle and end.
From what I’ve played Final Fantasy 16 is surely set to deliver.
What I want to see next are the quieter moments.
Peacefully riding a chocobo around that sumptuous world.
Tender moments from Clive so we can empathise with him as the protagonist.
If this demo showed the peaks, what’s in the valleys?
I’m excited to explore further and find out.
Oh, and for music fans, this time the iconic battle fanfare has lyrics sung by a choir.
