Final Fantasy 16 - What We Know So Far

Sony kicked off the Sept. 16 PlayStation 5 Showcase with a surprising but not unwelcome announcement: Square Enix is developing the next entry in the "Final Fantasy" franchise, "Final Fantasy 16." No news on when the next chapter of "Final Fantasy 7 Remake" will drop, but an honest to Ultima sequel.

However, the unveiling went at a breakneck pace, so you probably didn't catch everything. Some important nuggets of information might have passed you by. Who will serve as the game's protagonist? What story beats can you look forward to? When will the game release? All important questions, none of which are immediately obvious.

If you want to know everything there is to know currently about "Final Fantasy 16," keep reading. 

There are a few different trailers for "Final Fantasy 16." First up is the Awakening trailer. The video offers up a smorgasbord of information, as it includes cutscenes, gameplay, and enough name drops and dialogue to piece together a rough story outline. Additionally, the trailer depicts content "captured on PC emulating the PS5 experience," so it might not necessarily provide a one-to-one approximation of the final result.

Instead of featuring a bright and colorful world, "Final Fantasy 16" appears to present a more realistic and brutal take on medieval settings, reminiscent of "Game of Thrones" or "The Witcher 3." However, the game still incorporates series mainstays such as the Malboro, crystals, and summons.

The Awakening trailer indicates the game will include a fast-paced action combat system, similar to "Final Fantasy 15." The gameplay segments show the protagonist facing off against classic Final Fantasy monsters. The Dominance trailer, revealed during the June 2022 State of Play livestream, gives a closer look at some classic Summons from the series' history. Judging from the pair of trailers, this game is going to packed to the gills with giant battles.

Final Fantasy 16 does not have a solid launch date. However, it is not all bad news. At the very least, Square Enix has given fans a pretty good window of when to expect the game to arrive.

While "Final Fantasy 16" premiered during the PS5 Showcase event, it will not launch exclusively on that console. According to the reveal, Final Fantasy 16 will release on PC and the PS5. Unfortunately, that implies Xbox Series X owners will be left out in the cold.

According to the Dominance trailer, fans are going to have to wait a little bit longer before they can join the fight. It's easy to gloss over in between all of the wild action in the trailer, but the preview's final moments reveal that "Final Fantasy 16" will finally be summoned to store shelves Summer 2023.

Even though "Final Fantasy 16" will have a large cast of characters, two are of particular note at this stage: Joshua and the protagonist, currently referred to as "Joshua's Shield."

Going by the trailer, Final Fantasy 16 will revolve around "Dominants," special people who have the power to control "Eikons," which are traditional summons. Shiva has a Dominant, Titan has a Dominant, and Joshua and "Joshua's Shield" are Dominants. Moreover, Joshua and "Joshua's Shield" seem to control Ifrit and the Phoenix, respectively.

While the Awakening trailer features numerous other characters, none of them are given names, so you will have to wait to learn more about them and the parts they will play in "Final Fantasy 16."

The trailer doesn't explicitly explain Final Fantasy 16's plot, but it provides enough information for some well-informed guesses.

Apparently, the game will take place during a war between two kingdoms, both of which have access to legions of standard soldiers and magic-wielding, Eikon-summoning Dominants. These Dominants draw their power from "Mothercrystals," which also safeguard their respective kingdoms from something called "the Blight." Each kingdom aims to force their opponent into a no-win scenario by stealing the opposing land's Mothercrystal, thereby cutting them off from their Eikons and anti-Blight magic.

"Final Fantasy 16" seems to put players in the shoes of the guardian of a prince of one of those kingdoms, who must protect him from assassination attempts. However, things don't exactly go as planned, and a near-successful assassination awakens the prince's Dominant powers, which is a problem for some reason. Add in strained loyalties within the kingdom, and the game's plot starts to resemble a cross between "Dragon Age: Origins" and George R.R. Martin's "Song of Ice and Fire" book series.