Cor, I just watched it again and it’s looking a bit good, innit? Final Fantasy games have always been technical showcases for the cutting edge in years past, but I don’t know, somehow it hasn’t quite felt like that in recent years. Maybe because it’s been so long between entries. By the time Final Fantasy 16 comes out next June, it will be seven years since the release of boys-stag-do-roadtrip Final Fantasy 15, and 14 years since Lightning and pals appeared in Final Fantasy 13. Still, if the trailer’s anything to go by, Final Fantasy 16 really does look like the series is back on top form. Just look at all those fire effects! Lovely stuff.
At long last, we also get a glimpse of protagonist Clive’s party mates in this trailer, including a very good dog. Mostly, though, I’m just excited to see how its big summons feel in the hands. Known as Eikons in this version of Final Fantasy, Clive and other characters will be able to transform into these enormous creatures at various points in the game and do big, bombastic battles with them.
Of course, Final Fantasy 16’s dev team came under fire recently when quizzed about the game’s apparent lack of diversity in its cast. They said lots of wrong things, and it doesn’t look like this latest trailer will do anything to assuage those fears, either. A real shame, but at least it did confirm ride-able chocobos again. That’s got to count for something, if only slightly.
So yes, we’ve likely got an even bigger wait on our hands before we can finally get to grips with Final Fantasy 16, but I’m excited to see how it fares on PlayStation next June.
For more of the latest news and trailers, check out our Game Awards 2022 hub. We also live-blogged the show as it happened right here.
