final fantasy

Final Fantasy, Square Enix's long running series of sprawling, epic role-playing video games, occupies a revered and deeply sentimental place in the relatively short history of gaming. Early Final Fantasy titles established themselves as pinnacles among their peers, with their high-end visuals, deep narrative, and distinct characters helping the games shape the medium itself. A generation of gamers have grown up on Final Fantasy, and these games have left a formidable footprint on impressionable hearts and minds.However,…

Prior to launch, Square Enix was clear about their intention to not make any DLC for Final Fantasy 16. In the weeks since the game’s release, Producer Naoki Yoshida has made comments suggesting that plans may have changed regarding adding additional content to the hit RPG. While nothing is set in stone as of yet, the team appears to be taking player feedback asking for more content into account. So, can you expect more stories to be told in the world of Final Fantasy 16 through DLC? Here’s what we know so far. Is…

Square Enix is a very busy company. The publisher has spent the last few years churning out everything from Final Fantasy games to completely new franchises. That was especially true in 2022 and it’s already carried over into 2023 thanks to releases like Final Fantasy XVI, Forspoken, and Octopath Traveler 2. Even diehard fans of the publisher’s output may not have gotten around to everything it released in the last 12 months. If you’re in that boat, I’ve got some good news. A major chunk of Square Enix’s recent game…

There are tons and tons of reasons people all over the world love the Final Fantasy series. Dating back to the NES, this JRPG series paved the way for games to grow into the medium we know them as today. Games of that era typically reserved their “story” for a small paragraph that was tucked away in the instruction manual and largely inconsequential to the actual game. Final Fantasy bucked that trend by creating worlds, stories, and characters that you grew to know and love, or hate, as the game went on. They were…

When Final Fantasy VII Remake launched in 2020, it was a revelation for me. The bold reimagining taught me that a video game remake can be much more than a nostalgic revisit, instead using the history of the original to tell a high-concept story about destiny. Though I immediately revered it as one of gaming’s greatest accomplishments, others weren’t so pleased. There’s a not-so-small collection of purists out there who simply wanted a 1:1 remake of the PlayStation version with pretty graphics. Fortunately for that…

Final Fantasy XVI is a leap forward for the long-running RPG series in some very obvious ways, The most immediately apparent way it accomplishes that is through its fantastic real-time combat, which makes the adventure into Final Fantasy’s best pure action game to date. Then there are its cinematic Eikon fights, which offer spectacle on a level we’ve long dreamed of seeing in a video game. However, some of its most impressive innovations are ones you can’t actually see. Rather, you’ll need to listen closely. Ahead of…

It was made clear from the start that Final Fantasy 16 would feature a much more action-oriented battle system than any other entry in the series. While not quite on the level of a Devil May Cry or Bayonetta, the battle system is fast-paced, deep, and allows for tons of experimentation and expression through the various mechanics and skills. While many of the typical JRPG systems have to take a back seat for this new focus, leveling up and learning new skills certainly has not, but instead has changed shape. You will…

One of the most important questions you need to answer when starting a new RPG like Final Fantasy 16 is how the inventory system works. Some are more generous, letting you carry unlimited items in your bottomless pockets, while others are more strict and give you limits on how much your character can hold. Clive falls into the latter category, and it won't be long before you get the dreaded message of your inventory being full when attempting to grab your next item. Thankfully there is a way to increase your carrying…

Potions are the default healing items in nearly every RPG. These mysterious tonics usually are the weaker of the healing items and are eventually replaced with stronger ones like Hi Potions, but while Final Fantasy 16 does have Potions, Hi Potions, and even Elixers, you will rely on the most basic version most of the time. As you level up and get stronger, they will start to feel less and less effective, even if you've upgraded your carrying capacity. Rather than spending more money to stock up on more expensive…

Every Final Fantasy game changes up the battle system in one way or another. Final Fantasy 16 isn’t the first to have real-time, action-focused combat, but is by far the most polished and refined one. The story is by no means secondary, but for the first time players are able to really express themselves through the various combos and abilities you can pull off. Square Enix recognized this and included special combat trails called Chronolith Trials. These are somewhat similar to the special missions you can find in…