Final Fantasy XVI received a new trailer on June 2nd with a confirmed release in the summer of 2023 on PlayStation 5. XVI is panning out to be one of the most anticipated Final Fantasy games in a while with many believing it is a redemption for the series.
While its predecessor, XV received many positive reviews in the past it was generally looked at more unfavorably by long-time fans. Final Fantasy XV approached the game much differently than its predecessors, but in some ways, it was too ambitious and fell short. Here are some improvements that XVI can make based on the previous Final Fantasy installment.
Quests
The quests in XV are fairly boring. There isn’t really any reason to want to play the quests unless a player is trying to achieve certain material or money.
By expanding into a more traditional fantasy world, XVI has the opportunity to borrow more classic fantasy elements found in many games like Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt or Elden Ring. Quests should lead players into dangerous dungeons where they might face a powerful enemy or have to solve a thought-provoking puzzle. Quests should be enticing and make players want to keep playing, even after beating the game.
Main Characters
There are many admirable traits about XV‘s cast, but ultimately the all-men cast could have been better. Even Noctis, who serves as a very weak protagonist throughout most of the game should have been far more compelling than he was.
What XVI can do to improve is make the main character, Clive Rosfield have a clear motive from the beginning and continuously overcome his trials throughout the game. What’s more, the game should bring back more playable characters. Or at least, a playable female protagonist. While playing as a singular character with no support seems interesting, the game should have more than one main character.
Summonings
Cinematically the Astrals in XV were brilliant and beautiful. Their part of the story was amazing in the game and it only leaves fans wanting more. That in truth is simply the trouble. There aren’t many Astrals attained in the story and the leadup to most of them feels rushed. The game simply feels incomplete and Noctis was meant to attain more Astrals in the game. On top of this, how often or when players can summon Astrals isn’t made very clear.
One of the many things known so far about Final Fantasy XVI are the Eikons which are already proving to be more unique and seem to be tied to a single character. This does beg the question of whether there will be more playable characters outside of Clive or if he will be able to somehow attain the powers of the other Eikon. Story-wise, it seems the Eikon is already more complex, but hopefully more than the Phoenix will be able to be played.
Customization
XV allowed players to customize skills and a character’s wardrobe, but it was regrettably limited.
While being able to vastly change a character’s appearance isn’t always the most important aspect of a game, many players do enjoy making their characters unique from each other. Even adding some costumes as DLCs would be a good way for Square Enix to make a few extra bucks. They also need to add more skills that keeps combat engaging by allowing it to evolve the more a player progresses through the game.
The World
The world was visually breathtaking for XV, but it was ultimately deceptive. The world had many thick forests and mountains generated that took up space limiting travel. As players progress through the game they also realize just how vastly small and, sadly, empty the world really is.
While XV‘s world is a disappointment, it was a huge step up in many ways for the franchise. The more fans see XVIthe more that it promises to be one of the best Square Enix games, and the open-world approach to XVI seems to be one of those positive aspects. Hopefully, this game will have a larger and more immersive world that allows players to climb mountains, sail across oceans, and be overwhelmed with how much there is to do.
Dungeons
Dungeons were one of the best aspects of XV, but even these fell short in a few ways. There were far too few in the game and many of them were often difficult to navigate due to the poor control of how a character moved. It almost felt as if the character movement was designed separately from the dungeons.
To improve upon what XV had done, XVI should introduce far more dungeons into its world. A perfect game example of plentiful dungeons is Elden Ring. While XVI doesn’t need that many, it would certainly be wise to add many more with unique monsters and bosses laid within them. Not every dungeon needs puzzles to solve, but those as well should be included.
Timeskip
The time skip in XV was one of the most advertised events in the game and some players thought it would happen far earlier than it did.
XVI seems to be teasing the timeskip far more than XV did with an older Clive even on the cover of the game. Players have seen a decent amount of combat from Clive when he’s younger, but there seems to be reason to believe that the timeskip will probably happen much earlier in the game than it did in XV. This would be the wisest course to take and would lead to far fewer disappointments.
Story
XV suffered from a fast-paced story that often left fans feeling very little. This is now because there are many elements working well in the story like Ardyn and how the Astrals are interwoven into the story and connected to Noctis. But the rush of the story leaves a great deal out and leaves fans more confused than inspired.
XVI seems to already be developing an interesting dynamic between Clive and his younger brother, Joshua. It seems these two will be forced to be enemies and that Clive may end up being more of a darker hero than Final Fantasy fans are used to and could end up being one of Final Fantasy‘s best characters. The initial culture that involves this dynamic is also interesting and how they are weaving the Eikons (the necessary summons) into the game.
Magic
Magic does exist in XV but it’s almost a forgettable aspect as it’s so tedious to constantly equip and absorb magic locations in the world.
XVI needs to interweave magic better into the games and it seems more than likely each character will have magic tied to whatever Eikon they have. With Clive possessing the Phoenix Eikon, it seems likely that he will learn various fire magics. If this is the case, hopefully, it will allow the player to bring further advancement to the magic of character possesses.
Physical Combat
In XV, players primarily control Noctis but can later control the other players too. However, the gameplay typically receives a wide amount of criticism for being too glitchy, losing sight of the character when attacking, and all-around just feeling sloppy.
While XVI will be action-based again, many fans are feeling positive about the combat with Ryota Suzuki as the battle director who previously did work on the combat of the highly praised Devil May Cry 5. With this in mind, fans may be able to rest easy. While sword combat will be primary though, other weapons should also be introduced into the game.
