There’s a sequence early in Final Fantasy XVI that made me cringe. A number of dramatic plot beats, together with a number of throat-cuttings and a child getting hosed like he’s in a slasher movie, lead right into a struggle between two characters in beastly varieties. The tip result’s bloody—like, actually bloody, because the victor repeatedly smashes the opposite’s cranium and the digicam focuses on the crimson smears round them. Then there’s the squishing, the terrible, high-fidelity, moist, juicy fruit-fisting squishing that accompanies the entire thing.
It’s slightly gross. And as a longtime Remaining Fantasy participant, greater than slightly surprising.
With Remaining Fantasy XVI, Sq. Enix returns the collection to a extra conventional fantasy-based setting: a world of magic, warring kingdoms, and otherworldly creatures. Nations depend on Dominants, a handful of particular people with the ability to remodel into Eikons—large, highly effective entities with the power to tear aside whole battlefields—to take care of their sovereignty. Clive, the sport’s lead, is the sworn protector of his kingdom’s Dominant, and his youthful brother, Joshua. However issues go mistaken, as they’re wont to do, and Clive’s life is shattered, leaving him to hunt vengeance. With this vengeance comes Recreation of Thrones–esque plotting, gore, and extra risqué scenes than the collection has had earlier than.
Remaining Fantasy has by no means been a death- and even violence-free collection. Remaining Fantasy VII, launched in 1997, is thought for the collection’ most surprising demise—a swift homicide the place a beloved character takes a roughly 8-foot sword to the torso in a cold execution. Different video games like Remaining Fantasy Kind-0, a very darkish entry, gave its solid a wide range of particularly bloody deaths. However there’s one thing totally different about how Final Fantasy XVI feels this time round. Throughout a current five-hour demo of the sport, I performed by a variety of murders, beheadings (or so it appeared—they occurred simply off-camera), individuals liquidated by falling rocks, a sound menace to chop a child’s throat, and a steamy reunion between lovers that added a wall as their third. It’s Remaining Fantasy by the use of HBO.
Producer Naoki Yoshida has talked in regards to the Remaining Fantasy XVI staff’s eager curiosity in telling a darker story, one which’s landed them a series-rarity “mature” ranking. “It’s not like we need to exit of our option to create one thing that’s violent,” Yoshida told WIRED in February. “We need to exit of our option to create one thing that feels actual.” Whereas I’ve by no means been a part of a medieval-esque warring nation with magical crystals, Remaining Fantasy XVI does clearly—and instantly—solid apart any fairy-tale notions that gamers are in for a smooth trip.
To be clear, the sport isn’t all blood splatters and sexy hookups. The part I performed was easy, with out a lot room to discover, however battles really feel enjoyable and fast-paced. The sport eschews a typical get together construction and retains gamers firmly accountable for Clive and Clive alone. He can concern instructions to his loyal hound throughout battles, however anybody else who joins for a struggle does their very own factor. Whereas I didn’t get entry to his full vary of talents, Clive does achieve Eikon-specific strikes as the sport goes on, that means gamers can rapidly swap between a fiery spin from a Phoenix, for instance, to one thing swift from a wind-based Eikon.
Most Remaining Fantasy video games take upward of 40 hours to play—I solely received 5. Will the entire thing be a shock to the methods of longtime gamers? They’re going to have to attend till XVI comes out on June 22 to know for positive. However one factor is evident: This isn’t going to be a road trip with the boys.
Discussion about this post