FF16 will be more action focused according to producer

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/final-fantasy-16-will-be-more-action-oriented-but-not-at-the-expense-of-its-story/1100-6487880/

Final Fantasy XVI producer Naoki Yoshida appeared this week on the Tokyo FM radio show One Morning, where he briefly talked about the development of the upcoming game. Much like Final Fantasy XV and Final Fantasy VII Remake, the latest chapter in Square Enix's long-running RPG series will be more "action-oriented," but not at the expense of its story.

"Final Fantasy XVI is quite action-oriented. It's a Final Fantasy featuring story and action," Yoshida said during the radio show as translated by Gematsu. "We really want players to enjoy the story, so we're preparing a mode for players who want to focus on story. Since we have quite the substantial support actions, we're of course preparing something easy to operate and smooth to play."

As for the actual storyline, Yoshida hinted at a tale of hardship that adults could relate to, as he felt that certain challenges could only be understood by an older generation that had experienced "the good and bad of reality."

"I'm from the generation that has been playing the Final Fantasy series from the first game in real-time. I'm almost in my 50s," Yoshida said. "I believe there are certain hardships that are experienced when becoming an adult, so I want to make the main theme of this game something that those who grew up playing Final Fantasy and understand reality can still enjoy, get something out of, and think about."

Development on Final Fantasy XVI appears to be going smoothly, as its reveal at last year's PlayStation 5 showcase had plenty of gameplay footage to show off. In a new recruitment page for Final Fantasy XVI, Square Enix mentioned that basic development and scenario production had already wrapped up, with the team seeking new recruits to work on specific set-pieces using large-scale resources.

Final Fantasy XVI will once again launch exclusively on PS5 thanks to a timed-exclusivity deal between Sony and Square Enix. A PC release was briefly listed during the reveal trailer but it was removed shortly after.

Thoughts, SW? Are you excited for this next iteration of Final Fantasy? I really loved the trailer, and I love the action oriented gameplay of FF7 Remake, so I'm all on in this one. Plus, it's a PS5 exclusive 😎 I also find it interesting that it will be something geared towards long time gamers/fans.

Well... the combat IS made by the DMC combat designer from what I hear.

Between that and FF14's producer being on board, I expect this to probably be the best FF game made in a long time. And yes, that includes Shadowbringers, so yeah, I am hyped.

@Maroxad: if it can have a story even half good as Shadowbringer, FF16 will be placed amongs the best FF story. I am hyped as well.

Hopefully the combat is better than FF15's. That combat system was total garbage.

I hope it's good, FF13 and 15 was shyt. FF7R was really good though

I have a question for the Final Fantasy fans here. Are you guys happy that the series is no longer turn based anymore or do you wish that it would go back to it?

@AcidTango:

Not much of a fan anymore, but used to be big into the series.

I liked the direction XII was heading. Was pretty much the classic ATB system, just neither slow nor (completely) braindead about it. Expanding on that would be great.

Enjoyed the classics a lot, but generally you'd only turn your brain on for the occasional boss fight.

Always thought SE was trash with action based systems, but curious about 16 as the action looks like it could be good.

If the games are gonna have a lot of combat (and they always do) I just want it to be good. Don't care what kind of combat system it is anymore.

they should probably do both type of games switc h once in awhile i don't like mixing them up into one game

Sounds like a lot of barf, listen to some of the shit he's saying like...get something out of and think about.

Jesus, give people something fun to play,no one wants to walk away from a game and think about it in some deep meaningful way...oh **** its for cows, well shit he's bang on the money 🤣🤣🤣

Why even call it Final Fantasy at this point? Oh wait... never mind, we all know why.

@WitIsWisdom: I always get upset when they announce a new one after being completely convinced the last one was the final game. 😋

@AcidTango: Used to love FF pre XIII. After they shied away from the turn based combat, I lost all interest. I mean, I still played them. But 13 was awful and 15 was pretty meh, so I'm not hopeful with 16. Square peaked with FF6 then stagnated for a while, then went downhill from there.

Day one. It's a PS5 exclusive so expect a lot of lem salt ITT.

@NathanDrakeSwag: let me guess, IP Daily pretends to not care about FF?

@ConanTheStoner: IIRC, they hired one of the DMC devs for 16, so they may get the action part right at least.

I personally already crossed that border of fussing about combat, all I need is that magical world of FF. There is plenty of excellent jrpg with turn based combat and Square tbh is still doing a decent job with its turn based rpgs like Bravely Default which started as FF spin off and I am Setsuna a callback to chrono trigger.

Xantu less interested according to representative.

Call me crusty old grump but if I want to play FF then I want to play FF

Same. I thought it was an interesting blend of ATB/Turn-based/Action; a more refined format of FFXI.

Honestly, I feel a bit disappointed by the fact that they've been going further and further in the direction of hack-n-slash / Kingdom Hearts-esque combat. Not that I necessarily "hate" it, .. it just kind of feels like Final Fantasy really has lost it's identity in a way. More so treading away from what made it "special" in a sense.

@jasonofa36: Peaked with 6? Oh, you're one of those. 7,8,and 10 are some of the biggest installments in the series.

@Sagemode87:They were more popular, not necessarily better. 6 > 12 > 7 > 9 >>>> 8. 8 and its junction system is T.R.A.S.H.

Yeah, 6 being tops isn't some wild take lol. Find it much easier to go back to than the PS1 titles.

Last Final Fantasy game I liked had turn based combat. If I wanted an action game, that's not the series I would be looking into.

lol.. You know.. ironically, and you might already know the story, it was named Final Fantasy because they truly believed it would be the last game they would make due to financial problems.

That was back in 1987 and they made it their goal after the first game to have each game for the most part unrelated so people could pick up and play the games in any order and feel like it truly is a first and final fantasy to make it more accessible for their fans.

I give them that much, and I highly respect the franchise... I just wish they would take it back to their roots a bit and/or at least give the option of whether people want a hack n slash or traditional play experience. Yeah.. I know that would be a lot of extra work, but it's not like it hasn't been done with other RPG's or games from other franchises.

Keep moving forward I guess though... ironically that's kind of the story of the franchise and probably why it still exists.

Oh well, I have games like Bravely Default 2 to keep me busy while I wait for other DQ games and Octopath type experiences... damn it all to hell I really want a new Breath of Fire too...

I’ve put in 15hrs into FF XV and really tried to like it but it’s just such a mindless brain dead game, polluted with repetitive fetch quests, and cringey millennial themes. I don’t think the new one will excite me tbh.

Not in the least Bit interested. On the bright Side, a real Final Fantasy Game is getting ready to come out with Bravely Default II so I'm good.

FF 15 is fucking boring shit, i hope they raise their standard more

I honestly want the old style combat/battles my favourite FF games where all turn based

Lol. I love the combat in Final Fantasy 7 Remake! But like you said, if I want traditional, I'll go the DQ route. Or even Persona, which does old school in a modern way.

Thanks for answering my question guys. I appreciate it.

If you want to know my opinion about it, I feel that it is very odd that the FF isn't doing turn based anymore. I'm not saying that FF 16 will be a bad game but to make the main series action rather than what it originally was is making the series losing its identity. But that's just my opinion.

What I really want is FF V and VI both get a proper remake in the future and is turn based.

@SolidGame_basic: But the art in DQ is soooooo bad.

Dont want a huge combo focused system like DMC. A lil action is fine but dont turn this into Bayo.

Also that Marlboro looked great

This. DMC combat + Shadowbringer writing is a recipe for success. This is what modern FF needs to become relevant again (besides remakes).

As for FF going in an ARPG direction, it looks like Square Enix is now making Dragon Quest for traditional JRPG fans and FF for modern ARPG fans. For fans who don't like modern FF much, they can always try out DQ instead, which provides more of the traditional JRPG experience that modern FF has largely abandoned.

I feel turn based or at least traditional turn based is dated and shouldn't be on any main FF game, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't evolve it ... i haven't played FFVII remake but (and i know this is very unpopular) i really like how FFXIII mixed the turn based combat with real time action and i wouldn't mind if some other game tries this idea again.

@AcidTango:I am in a wierd position. Not really a fan of the mainline games, but I do like 14, and the spinoffs such as tactics and Bravely Default.

I am glad ATB is gone. So far Square Enix (as well as their predecessors) havent had the best track record with ARPGs. But this decision to include the DMC combat director, SE might have a good ARPG battle system on their hands.

@Jag85: I really hope they brought Natsuko Ishikawa on board, she is by far SE's best writer (Shadowbringers and Dark Knight Questlines). Yoshi P. can handle the pacing: Heavensward and Shadowbringers had such good pacing (yes... pacing in an MMO). And hopefully add a bunch of fun, non-combat focused stuff.

I thought FFXIII combat was a lot of fun, at least once you have all the characters and abilities. It still retained the stategic thinking that makes FF combat fun. Same with FF12. I love the gambit system. Instead of issuing commands during battle you set up your gambits for a big fight (plus it allows for automation which I LOVE).

Personally I really liked the turn-based combat of the old-school FF games and I would prefer something towards that end of the spectrum. FF7R had enjoyable combat, but a lot of times it felt frantic and I wasn't always 100% targeting the enemy I wanted to.

I def don't regard the release of an FF game as highly as I used to after FF15. I found the combat in that game kind of boring.

I may have to eventually play the FF7 remake, but I'm just so damn stubborn and don't traditionally like those types of games... maybe nostalgia would help me through it or it would truly shock me like so many others have said before. Either way when it comes to games like that I prefer what the namesake pretends to represent. I still don't forgive SOCOM4 for being a non SOCOM type experience... if they would have named it something else it wouldn't have been a bad start to a new franchise, I just don't like when games franchises get changed so much and they retain the name. I mean.. I understand why they do, but I just don't like it. grumble grumble and all that.. something about kids getting off my lawn :P

I'm trying to decide between FF7, FF8 and FF9 on the Xbox Marketplace. Been looking online, which one has the best combat system? Combat system is all I care about. What I've gathered from reading online is that FF8 combat is terrible because of the junction system, FF9 is too slow paced and FF7 seems to be the best of the 3.

Also, FFXV has been sitting in my backlog. How bad is the combat? I don't wanna play it if it has bad combat, I'll just sell it.

Nostalgia is a big factor for me and FF7R. Just getting to see the locations in Midgar get so much detail was worth it. It really makes it feel alive, which the original couldn't really do in it's epic scope. Same thing goes for giving the supporting characters more backstory and motivation. Also... the music is phenomenal.

Just keep in mind the word 'Remake' is misleading. It is very much a reimagining that also considers the fact the FF7 exists.

The game is not without flaws, but I really appreciate the new context in which I can view the original game, whilst also being exited for what is still unknown and yet to happen.

Yeah, I need to get to that point and get over my own stubbornness. Perhaps I would enjoy the game, and yes I would go into it reminding myself over and over that just because certain things feel familiar doesn't mean it will be a similar experience.

I'm sure one of these days I'll give it a chance... and like all things I'll give is a fair chance. Perhaps what is holding me back is the fear that I may actually like it.. lmao. That's not the reason, but I'm hoping when the day comes I see the vision and don't feel as though it's just a cash in using the namesake which although I fear I have also seen many people that I trust more that the average Joe saying it isn't that at all.

While I love all three games 9 is easily my favorite. I would go 9,8,7 personally, but whichever you decide on I hope you enjoy. Quite honestly you can't really go wrong with any of those 3 choices in my opinion.

@WitIsWisdom: haha yeah you can add me as someone who says FF7R is not just a cash-in (like most other stuff Squeenix releases containing the word 'remaster')

Haven’t really been impressed with a FF game since 13, found that pretty good.

Did enjoy ff7r though, so hopefully they can capture some of that magic instead of the turd that was FF15...

Routinely 6 is ranked the best by veteran FF players who played most of the games.

If you're a fan of FF7, revisiting the story, world and characters are worth it for that alone. As for the combat, I loved it, but if you like traditional FF gameplay, there's a good chance you won't like it.

Squaresoft and Enix both had a pretty good track record for ARPGs back in the '90s. Squaresoft's Mana series and Enix's Soul Blazer series had well-designed ARPG combat systems for their time. But the difference was that they were 2D. They haven't had a good track record when it comes to 3D ARPGs, which is a different ball park.

It's rumoured that she might be involved, but it's not been confirmed. But considering how much it looks like FFXIV, it's quite likely they'd have quite a few key members from the FFXIV team on board. FFXVI is looking like an offline successor to FFXIV Online... much like how FFXII was an offline successor to FFXI Online. FFXII benefited greatly from the FFXI MMO influence, so FFXVI should benefit in a similar manner.

Playing through Dragon Quest 11 reinforced to me just how much better the older Final Fantasy games were before they drifted toward being ARPGs. I feel like Final Fantasy would be better and more popular if it just went to being a straight up action game. Have weapons and abilities that get upgraded as the game goes on, sure, and give the ability to set your AI party's approach to combat, but get rid of the level system. Sort of like what From did with Sekiro.

@SolidGame_basic: Damn dude living rent free in your mind, kinda cramped though.

For me FF peaked at 8 and went downhill after that, and i don't need to guess that the only reason you're shilling it is because Sony threw a wad of cash their way for exclusivity.

Isn't funny how Sony is a Japanese company that doesn't make Japanese games only western games for those who don't like using 2 hands when they game 🤣🤣🤣

I've always enjoyed both types. Even before FFVII (my first FF) I played text-based games, learning games, but also enjoyed games like Sonic and Crash Bandicoot. As long as the payoff is worth it I don't mind slow tedious battles or puzzles. I don't look as one style better than the other just depends if the systems are well-balanced enough to keep me engaged.

I think the FF game with the most engaging system is Lightning Returns. One character but you had 3 separate ATB gauges and yet still required timing with guards and still had importance of positioning. Felt like a 2D fighting game.