New Final Fantasy XVI Producer Interviews Discuss Eikons, Dominants, Action & More

June 21, 2022June 24, 2022 Orpheus Joshua

Square Enix has shared a new interview with Naoki Yoshida, the producer for the upcoming and highly anticipated Final Fantasy XVI. He describes this game as akin to his experience with the first Final Fantasy, as “playing the lead in an epic motion picture.” Every facet of gameplay alongside the storytelling will be seamlessly connected, leading to a genuinely breathtaking time.

The reasoning for this title’s action-oriented approach and more classical fantasy setting was to “appeal to as wide a range of gamers as possible.” Yoshida also remarks that it’s impossible to please everyone, though, so it can be assumed that this collective design decision was made for XVI to be as feasibly welcoming as possible.

Adding on to that point, there will be a “comprehensive support system in place for players who aren’t too confident with action games.” Further, they wanted to push the limits of what Final Fantasy could be and “expand the range of possibilities for the developers who pick up the reins of the series after [them].”

Eikons and Dominants are discussed next, with the former being described as horrific weapons in the real world, just in the form of Summons. On the other hand, Dominants are chosen humans who house an Eikon under specific rules and can even transform into them. They are at the core of the game, hence why there are segments where they are fully playable. Additionally, the plot’s premise is that Mothercrystals throughout the world of Valisthea have begun to lose aether, leading to war for nations to obtain each other’s crystals.

Lastly, the composer, Masayoshi Soken, known for his work on Final Fantasy XIV, was brought up in correlation to his work with XVI. Simply put, he understands how to adequately provide audio for Final Fantasy titles and that his compositional style is reminiscent of the father of Final Fantasy, Nobuo Uematsu.

You can read the full interview via Square Enix Blog.

Additionally, Game Informer shared its own interview with Yoshida. The following primary points were made:

Eikon bouts will be different each time; Pro Wrestling Match, 3D Shooter, etc

New trailer arriving Fall 2022, with lore and story focus

IGN had an interview as well, with the following primary points being made:

Clive will have 1 or 2 more companions for combat and banter, though they’ll be AI driven

“[Final Fantasy 16] is its own entity, separate from [Final Fantasy XIV] and the other games in the series, so you won’t find as many ‘tributes’ as you will in [Final Fantasy 14].”
It will not be open world, with a “focus on an independent area-based game design that can give players a better feel of a truly global scale.”

PlayStation shared its own interview:

Game is fully playable from beginning to end, though voiceovers in several languages are remaining
Bahamut is a big part of the story and is Yoshida’s favorite FF summon is Bahamut

Japanese publication 4Gamer has shared its own interview.

4Gamer: As the quality of graphics improves, do you often hear comments like “this looks like a live-action at this point!?”

Yoshida: Back in the day, games often were inaccurate from their real-life counterparts, because of the lack of graphical power. (he exemplifies how when a cushion deforms when someone sits on it) But now, with the current generation consoles, we have reached a point where so many physics need to be calculated and considered, or else it would look too unnatural. Not only textures but also the representation of the reflections of the surfaces on the characters’ clothing.[…]My objective with FF16 was to make a game that would shock the younger generation and excite the adults who have experienced the sweet and sour sides of society at the same time, and make them think: “Reality certainly has its hard aspects, but I’m going to try my best to be like Clive.” As a result, the artwork, themes, and language became heavier. This is why FF16 has a dark fantasy-like atmosphere.

Yoshida: At first, when I thought about what we should offer to the players, there was a sort of “fork”, because there are two types of fantasy stories: on one side, you have the exhilarating fantasy stories that completely throw the rules of reality off the window, and on the other side, you got the fantasy stories that are based on reality and overcome the limitations in a more traditional manner.Most of my team at the Creative Business Unit III are more experienced in the latter, because although Final Fantasy is…well, a fantasy story. If it deviates too much from reality, it would be too much of a wild tale. In a sense, the “make it how you’d like it” approach that makes it unique to the FF series may have come into play here. (bitter laughs).

Washington Post has shared its own interview. Thanks to @xenosaga7 on Twitter for sharing it:

“The Kingdom Hearts team at Square Enix has been especially helpful in contributing to those real-time combat and boss battles,” Yoshida said. “It can be said that the battles in ‘FFXVI’ are in some ways a culmination of the company’s past experiences.”

Japanese publication Game Watch has shared its own interview:

Interviewer: This time, I noticed that Ryota Suzuki, who’s known for his work in Devil May Cry, was added to the team as a combat director. Did his inclusion in the team impact the development?
Yoshida: It did, and a lot. With the exception of the Kingdom Hearts team, Square Enix’s teams in general, including the Creative Business Unit III…when it comes to action games, it’s not generally our forte, so it was a huge help to have Ryota-san join the team.

GameSpot has shared its own interview: