A brand new trailer for Final Fantasy 16 was recently shown at Sony's State of Play, revealing more details about the next mainline game in the series. While certain aspects of the franchise will be returning, such as Final Fantasy's classic Eikon feature, FF16 may be moving away from the normal party system. As more footage is revealed, a singular playable character is shown in each gameplay scene. If Square Enix decides to focus only on one main character, there are a few intrinsic qualities of the franchise that Final Fantasy 16 will lose out on, by not having party members.
The game follows the protagonist Clive Rosfield on his journey for revenge after the death of his father. Based on the trailers, players can infer more about Final Fantasy 16's story. At the beginning of the footage, fans can see Joshua, Clive's brother, starting to battle Ifrit. If he dies, this could possibly fuel Clive's revenge even further. There are many aspects of the narrative left shrouded in mystery, but one detail revealed about the land of Valisthea is the presence of Dominants. These are people that can call upon the destructive power of an Eikon. Dominants all share a different fate, with some being regarded as nobility, while others are used as a weapon of war. The footage shown indicates that Clive will somehow be able to wield the strength of Eikons, without being a Dominant himself.
FF16 will not be the first time players control a single character, as the same was done in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13. Square Enix's other franchise, Kingdom Hearts, has influenced the series in the past and may be doing so again. While there are other companions, fans are typically restricted to only controlling the main character Sora. The company appears to be taking things a step further in FF16, by having Clive battle powerful Dominants completely by himself. This offers a different approach than what fans are used to and allows more focus on a single character. However, there are key elements of the Final Fantasy series that the next entry will not have.
Combat is always one of the highlights of any Final Fantasy game. Overcoming a powerful boss with a hand-selected team of adventurers, that players have spent hours leveling up, is an extremely rewarding experience. Typically in a Final Fantasy game, there is an assortment of colorful characters met throughout the story. Only four can be used in a team, requiring that a tough choice be made on who to select. Balancing the capabilities of each job is part of what makes the Final Fantasy series so unique. A White Mage, for example, is a staple of the franchise and can be used to keep the team alive during a tough battle. At the same time, players can use a Black Mage or Dragoon to dish out major damage, without worrying about death. Each job has a different role and purpose on a team. Since there will only be one party member, the battle tactics utilized in Final Fantasy 16's combat will have to be different.
Clive will presumably be by himself in fights and will not have an ally to rely on for support. Without knowing more about Final Fantasy 16's combat system, fans will be limited to actions each turn. Instead of the team choice, players will need to decide if they are going to heal or attack. Certain jobs in the series have the capabilities of reviving a downed ally, but that won't be an option in the new title. The series also has the iconic Phoenix Down item, which can be used by anyone to revive someone. Battles will be much more difficult, with the threat of death looming over players for any failures.
One of the best aspects of the Final Fantasy series is the interaction between characters in the party. Early on, these conversations were rather basic, but each subsequent game has greatly improved upon the previous entry. Final Fantasy 15 is highly regarded for having a group of four friends that truly felt like they had known each other their whole lives. While traveling around, Noctis, Prompto, Ignis, and Gladiolus would crack jokes and actively talk about their past experiences. Each Final Fantasy 15 DLC further expanded upon this comradery with character-specific stories. These explain segments of the main story where someone was separated from the group, while also giving deeper insight into their individual personalities. This next entry in the series will not have the opportunity to build this tight bond between teammates.
Final Fantasy 16 fans will, unfortunately, miss the witty banter between party members, since Clive will, presumably, be traveling alone. Of course, no game in the series is without excellent dialogue, and Clive will certainly be conversing with other characters on his journey for revenge. However, not having others along during battle may leave most of the interactions in combat to be between Clive and the enemy. This is by no means a bad thing, but the dialogue will have to make up for the lack of other party members.
Too much of Final Fantasy 16 remains a mystery, but Square Enix has always surprised fans with each new game. The latest entry is being produced by FFXIV's Game Director and Producer, Naoki Yoshida. While players in the critically acclaimed MMORPG form parties to challenge difficult content, they can only control one character. After spending so long on FFXIV, Yoshi-P may be the perfect person to introduce this style of gameplay in Final Fantasy 16.
As previously mentioned, there are still drawbacks to not having other team members in combat. There is also the challenge of having enough character interactions, while still having only one playable character. The story of Final Fantasy 16 is extremely compelling with what has been revealed so far. Fans may be missing out on some traditional aspects of the series, but the time dedicated to Clive may make him the best protagonist to date.
source https://screenrant.com/final-fantasy-16-no-party-members-bad-characters-story/
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