Final Fantasy XVI" Trial Version Impressions! You can enjoy the early story and intense battles with summoner actions!

Enjoy the story centered on Clive's childhood

In this demo version, you can mainly experience the story of the main character Clive Rothfield's childhood. According to the description in the game, it corresponds to the beginning of the story.

The demo version begins with a scene from Clive's adult life. He seems to have infiltrated the battlefield where the "Republic of Dalmatia" and the "Iron Kingdoms" are at loggerheads with a small number of men, and at the beginning of the game, he is moving through a deserted area. On the other hand, the two armies clash at the front line. The battle between hundreds of people was depicted, and the summoned beasts, the core of this work, intervened in the battle, creating a powerful and chaotic situation.

Perhaps because "FF16" is rated for ages 17 and up (equivalent to CERO: D), the battle scenes, especially in the event scenes, are often harsh in their depiction. The blood splatter from slashes and stabs, soldiers being overrun by summoned beasts, and knights thrusting swords into corpses for autopsies are all impressive and symbolize the heavy worldview of this title.

The quality of the picture is also remarkable. The dirt on Clive's clothes, the dust flying on the rocky terrain, the amount of light shining into the dusty space, and various other elements that make up the world are all precisely rendered. The shadows are well rendered, and the overall colors are not too bright, but rather light, so that the people and buildings do not seem to be floating in the air. Even the atmosphere is expressed with an overwhelming sense of reality.

As the story progresses, the setting shifts to the Duchy of Rosalia 13 years ago. In addition to Clive, who was 15 years old at the time (28 at the beginning of the story), a number of other characters appear, including his younger brother Joshua, his good friend Jill, his father Elwin, and his mother Annabella. As far as the trial version is concerned, the juvenile section focuses on Clive's training and conversations with people, and I was surprised at the gap between the devastating atmosphere at the beginning and the tranquil atmosphere.

The storyline was quite dense for a single episode at the beginning, with the circumstances facing Clive and the Rosfield family, their relationship with neighboring countries, and their last-minute betrayal, before finally devolving into the "summoner battle," the symbolic element of this work. The battle between the fire summoners, Phoenix and Efreet, was quite powerful, and the fact that it unfolded in real time, rather than in a movie, was also a surprise. There is virtually no gap between the story and the battles, and the speed of the PS5's loading time is nothing short of amazing. The immersive experience is perhaps what sets this game apart from the previous Final Fantasy series.

The game takes about 2 hours to complete. Although there are only a few action scenes, I appreciated the fact that the game explains the relationships between the characters and the worldview well, since it is the beginning of the story. Incidentally, the saved data from the demo version can be carried over to the full version, and the story can be started immediately after the demo version.

When the story in the demo version is completed, the action-specific mode is released.

After clearing the trial version, a new mode called "Summoner Action Trial" will be released. This mode specializes in battles against enemies and allows you to enjoy the unique action of this title, in which you fight while switching summoner abilities.

The three summons that can be used in this mode are the Phoenix, which focuses on balance, the Garuda, which focuses on speed, and the Titan, which is both offensive and defensive. Each has its own unique abilities, and each has a different means of attack: the Phoenix has wings, the Garuda has claws, and the Titan has arms. Furthermore, abilities take time before they can be used again, so it is better to incorporate them into a combo and hit them hard than to hit them blindly and repeatedly.

The speed of the battle itself is quite fast, and by combining weapon attacks and summoner abilities, you can defeat enemies one after another. In this mode, in addition to fighting small fry, the player can also enjoy battles with enemies who have unleashed the summoner's power. Unlike the summoner battles, in which those transformed into summoners fight each other, this mode is more like an extension of normal battles, giving the impression of both the speed of the small fry battles and the power of the summoner battles.

Incidentally, this trial version allows various settings before playing. Of particular importance is the selection of two play modes, "Story Focus" and "Action Focus. In the Story Focus mode, the game automatically attacks enemies and, conversely, automatically avoids being attacked. The action focus does not provide such support, so players can enjoy challenging battles.

In addition to the consideration for those who are not good at action, the demo version offers a taste of the appeal of "FF16," with its powerful battles using the power of summoned beasts, and a profound story based on a revenge drama. If you are interested in the game, please give it a try. （Text by Yoshinori Natsumunouchi)

FINAL FANTASY XVI

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Title Information

• FINAL FANTASY XVI (FINAL FANTASY 16)
• Compatibility: PlayStation 5
• Genre: Action RPG
• Player: 1 player
• Release date: June 22, 2023 (Thursday)
• Price:
• Collector's Edition (package) 38,500 yen (including tax)
• Deluxe Edition (package): 12,100 yen (tax included)
• Digital Deluxe Edition (download) 12,100 yen (tax included)
• Normal Edition (package and download) 9,900 yen (tax included)
• CERO：D
• Voice-activated languages:
  Japanese / English / French / Italian / German / Spanish (Latin America)
• Screen languages:
  Japanese / English / French / Italian / German / Spanish (Latin America) / Spanish (Spain) / Polish / Portuguese (Brazil) / Arabic

＜INTRODUCTION＞
A completely new title in the numbered "Final Fantasy" series.
The world of "Valiszea" is coming to an end.
In a world where the "Black Patch" is closing in, nations seek the "Mother Crystal," the source of the ether.
Soon, this leads to warfare, and the "Dominants," who possess the power of powerful summoned beasts, are sent into battle.

Clive Rothfield, the hero of the story and the first prince of the Duchy of Rosalia, is also caught up in the vortex of this huge war, along with his brother Joshua, the dominant of the summoned Phoenix.

Clive, who has been burdened with a harsh fate, eventually learns the truth about the world and sets his sights on destroying the Mother Crystal. ......
This is the story of how to break the blessing of the crystal.

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LOGO & IMAGE ILLUSTRATION:(C)2020, 2022 YOSHITAKA AMANO
FINAL FANTASY, SQUARE ENIX and their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Square Enix Holdings Co.