Multiple FFXVI interviews with Naoki Yoshida popping up

[Javier]

I found this very interesting.

Naoki Yoshida: To put it simply, the Eikons in Valisthea can kind of be compared to what you would call weapons of mass destruction or nuclear bombs.

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Another key word in our story is the Mother Crystals and these realms' Mother Crystals are what you can call kind of like oil fields – in the term that they supply the land with the ether which is basically the energy which is used to to power magic.

The thing is, though, that ether that's contained in the Crystals has begun to dry up. And this has prompted some nations to basically try to invade other nations in an attempt to wrest away control of those remaining Mother Crystals. And up until now, the Eikons have never really been used, because again, they're like nuclear bombs so you don't use them. You just have them, and it creates this kind of standoff. But now, to wrest control of these Mother Crystals away from other nations, some nations have begun using and deploying these Eikons and basically bringing the realm into chaos, and that is one of our main focal points of our narrative.

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The basic premise is strong enough to allow great storytelling and, if Heavensward is any indication, it could very well be the best Final Fantasy to date in that regard.

 

[Keyouta]

As long as there's a party, I'm not too fussed whether they're playable or not. Coming from the team that made the Scions from XIV, I see no reason to worry.

The fact the game world is divided into zones is great too, just like XII or the MMOs, I'd say. Should allow more variety.

Time skips? I'll take em. Well executed, it should make for an interesting story. Looking forward to it. I really hope that a PC release will be close behind the console version.

 

[DangerMouse]

Great to hear KH team influence there.

Also the thing I was worried more about no party speculation was I didn't want Clive to be traveling alone all the time, more than not being able to control party members... so it's good to hear there will be party members traveling around with you even if it's AI-controlled.

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Same.
While I'd prefer a controllable party, this was the most important part I was at least still hoping for even if they're fully AI-controlled.

 

[Vareon]

Consulting with the KH team on boss design definitely has me excited.

Not convinced the summon fights aren't going to be gimmicky and wear out their welcome, but we'll see.

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I think Eikon battles will be somewhat like Platinum's huge boss fights. Flashy and gimmicky, but each fight only happens once so they're kind of a treat.

 

[Dreamboum]

I hope Dreamboum 's info compilation on the closed thread makes it here cause that was pretty handy, thanks for compiling it.

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i had more but i lost it when it was closed unfortunately, there's some cool stuff in the Japanese interviews

 

[jblanco]

Really happy it's "open zone" and not open world. You can make the world feel so much bigger that way and it seems Yoshida agrees.

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Yes, this plus AI controlled parry members is giving me FF12 flashbacks in a great way. (altho in 12 you can switch which member you control)

I'm very confident in XVI

 

[SinnyIndonesian]

All of the things they've been saying made it seem to me that they learned all the wrong lessons from XV.

 

[Xenosaga]

Maybe it's just me, but these interviews did much more for me in terms of hyping the game up than the 2 trailers ever did. The 2 trailers didn't really do much for me but I like what I have been reading here.

 

[Lifejumper]

I found this very interesting.





The basic premise is strong enough to allow great storytelling and, if Heavensward is any indication, it could very well be the best Final Fantasy to date in that regard.

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Diggin it

 

[Chaos Legion]

Y'all, I'm crying 😭

I can't wait.

 

[GoGo Nabrai]

I love that they're moving away from tradition!

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Into becoming another AAA action "rpg". Great how exciting.

 

[Lotus]

Maybe it's just me, but these interviews did much more for me in terms of hyping the game up than the 2 trailers ever did. The 2 trailers didn't really do much for me but I like what I have been reading here.

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Agreed

 

[MayorSquirtle]

I don't love having extremely limited access to HP restoration in the middle of combat, especially when every action RPG in the modern era has enemies that take a fucking eternity to die but can kill you from full health with like two weak hits.

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This is a bizarrely specific complaint to make when we have no clue how the combat actually works.

 

[Aaronrules380]

I don't love having extremely limited access to HP restoration in the middle of combat, especially when every action RPG in the modern era has enemies that take a fucking eternity to die but can kill you from full health with like two weak hits.

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i'd be shocked if Clive doesn't have access to healing spells in some form. probably will also have some eikon forms that grant hp stealing melee attacks and the like as well if i was a betting man.

 

[s y]

I found this very interesting.





The basic premise is strong enough to allow great storytelling and, if Heavensward is any indication, it could very well be the best Final Fantasy to date in that regard.

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easily the most interesting world in a final fantasy game off this description alone

 

[Spehornoob]

A lack of an open world can be a benefit to the game. XV's world is absolutely lifeless when compared to XII's, and that's because of the sacrifices they made to make the open world for XV in the first place. Big thing they have to get right is the dungeons. Feels like a lot of the dungeons in the HD era of Final Fantasy have been a miss, most notably whatever the hell XV's were.

How they're going to keep it interesting with one sole playable character will be important too. I'm guessing he'll be able to change classes and we'll have the XIV approach of having a character learn everything possible in the game.

I have faith in quite literally everything else. But those bits I mentioned are huge things they gotta get right.

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Regarding the bolded, spoilers for gameplay information

He doesn't change classes exactly, from what we know. Instead, Clive can switch between three different "Eikon" forms at a time, granting him different abilities. If you've played DMC, think of it like switching styles or weapons. There will be more than three that he can use though though, so presumably you have to choose what Eikon ability loadout you take at any given time.

Obviously this is all speculation from analyzing the trailer, but i think people are pretty confident in that gameplay system

 

[SinnyIndonesian]

Them being non-playable doesn't mean they don't exist lol. I could see your point if Clive was alone, but we know there will be multiple other characters in the main "party." There's your diversity right there.

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Ah, yes. People who want a more diverse playable protagonist should look for "their diversity" in the NPCs. Good grief.

 

[Expy]

I found this very interesting.





The basic premise is strong enough to allow great storytelling and, if Heavensward is any indication, it could very well be the best Final Fantasy to date in that regard.

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This sounds awesome tbh.

 

[Ovvv]

This is a bizarrely specific complaint to make when we have no clue how the combat actually works.

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That's been their whole posting style regarding this game lol

 

[PlanetSmasher]

This is a bizarrely specific complaint to make when we have no clue how the combat actually works.

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I have absolutely zero faith in the action RPG genre knowing how to balance enemy health. It's a consistent problem across the entire genre. Enemies always just take a billion hits without flinching but can KO the player from full health with minimal effort.

 

[chocolate]

I wasn't interested in 16 before, and these new articles did nothing to make me become interested.

That's fine. Each FF is different, and I don't expect to love all of them.

I'll still always love 7, 10 and 15 (warts and all) at least.

 

[Dreamboum]

Yoshi-P says Dengeki some characters may be playable but for small portions of the story. He also says that his friends will be replaced int he course of the story and also have important conversations.

He also says that '"bonds between people" is the theme he wants to deliver through the story (DeepL translation though)

 

[Detective]

Is it timed exclusive for PS5 now?

 

[Spehornoob]

I found this very interesting.





The basic premise is strong enough to allow great storytelling and, if Heavensward is any indication, it could very well be the best Final Fantasy to date in that regard.

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Likening game elements to nuclear weapons and oil fields. This game is gonna be political as fuck.

 

[Expy]

Is it timed exclusive for PS5 now?

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PC later probably as always.

 

[TaleSpun]

Combat seems to be the most complex action system ever in a Final Fantasy game. Can't wait to play it!

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This quote is soooo exciting:

In Yoshida-san's own words:

"After claiming an Eikon's power Clive will be able to unlock that Eikon's abilities in what we can call an 'ability tree'. And then Clive will earn points during regular battles and can use those points to further unlock abilities within that tree.

​

We want players to be able to use this system to customise their character to their own play style, to use these points to purchase abilities that they want to use or power up the abilities that they really enjoy using. That said, we also want players to be able to decide on something that really fits them and so, rather than having those those point decisions be final, we're going to allow players the opportunity to refund those points at any time and as many times as they want so they can experiment with different builds until they come to one that suits their playstyle best without having to worry about starting over."

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And you can re-spec at any time!

Final Fantasy XVI Will Let Players Respec Their Unlocked Skills At Any Time

Final Fantasy XVI Will Let Players Respec Their Unlocked Skills At Any Time

press-start.com.au

 

[FrostweaveBandage]

I found this very interesting.





The basic premise is strong enough to allow great storytelling and, if Heavensward is any indication, it could very well be the best Final Fantasy to date in that regard.

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I sort of wondered if this was the direction they were taking it. Just felt like they were way too powerful on the battlefield and could easily wipe the floor with ground forces. Why wouldn't they just use the dominant every time? Well, if their power could quite literally destroy the world, that would be one reason never to use it.

 

[Detective]

PC later probably as always.

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Thanks :)

 

[Uzupedro]

Crossposting from the general thread, more info from the famitsu interview, didn't get everything because it's very long but it has the most important stuff I think:

Lots of details from Famitsu:

You mentioned that there will be side quests, but how will the game progress in this title?

Yoshida: Basically, the game is a linear one (Note: the game follows a single storyline with no major story branches). However, as I mentioned earlier, the game unfolds like a roller coaster that somersaults at super-duper speed. I think we were able to create a thrusting game experience because we did not adopt an open world. I hope you will think, "Well, since you say so much, I'll give it a look.

--I'm curious about that.

Yoshida: It is not an open world, but there are about four fields of its own. There are also side activities such as taking tickets for mob hunts from the bulletin boards set up in the locations that will serve as hideouts, exploring the fields in search of powerful enemies to defeat, and playing side quests scattered throughout the fields. There is also a simple crafting concept that allows you to create your own weapons and other items, so you can play while you are killing them, or you can play in a straight line to the ending anyway you want.

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---

Yoshida: AI-controlled companions do exist, although they are replaced depending on the storyline. In addition, there are characters we call "buddies," who accompany you in almost all battles. You can give your "buddy" manual instructions such as heal yourself or attack a specific enemy. Of course, you can also leave everything to the AI and concentrate on your own operations.

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---

Yoshida: The worldview is that a country was formed under the Mother Crystal on the continent of Valisea. In modern terms, oil fields are close to that image. The mother crystal is a place that produces ether, which creates magic, and each country was formed there and prospered. At the same time, summoned beasts and dominants were created according to the rules of each country, like nuclear weapons in modern times, and these were passed down from generation to generation.

However, the ether released from the mother crystal was running out, and the countries that had been maintaining a delicate balance finally began to touch the mother crystals of other countries. This is the basis of the story of the clash of summoned beasts, which was said to be forbidden in the world.

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---

Yoshida: Dominants and summoned beasts are treated differently in different countries. In the Duchy of Rosalia, the home country of the main character Clive, a phoenix dominatrix has been born to the grand dukes for generations, and the phoenix is cherished as the country's guardian deity. However, summoned beasts do not always reside in successive generations of the Grand Dukes, and in the case of this story, it is not Clive but his younger brother, Joshua, who resides there, and Clive feels disadvantaged by this.

On the other hand, in the neighboring Iron Kingdoms, summoned beasts and dominants are defined as unclean and are completely subordinated and treated as tools of war. In the Republic of Dalmatia, to which Hugo belongs, successive generations of Titan dominants are present among the council members as military advisory directors, and they now have a large voice. Thus, the dominants and summons are treated differently in different countries.

In this context, the principle rule is that there can only be one summoner for each attribute. However, the starting point of the story is that the summoner of the flame is supposed to be a phoenix, but it is.......

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---

Yes, it seems that you switch between summons in normal battles, but is there a job concept that is unique to the "FF" series?

Yoshida: The concept of jobs came up several times during development, but we did not end up adopting it. If we included job elements in the summoner action, it would inevitably limit the image of the content. I know that many people think of "FF" in terms of jobs, but we also wanted people all over the world who are unfamiliar with "FF" to be able to touch it again, and one of the reasons for this is that we wanted to reduce the number of things that these people would not understand when they play the game.

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[DmckPower]

Really happy it's "open zone" and not open world. You can make the world feel so much bigger that way and it seems Yoshida agrees.

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Even Elden Ring sufferred for being open world.

The genre has several flaws and trappings that affect games in very predictable ways.

There is no way around.

So relieved its not open world.

 

[FrostweaveBandage]

This quote is soooo exciting:



And you can re-spec at any time!

Final Fantasy XVI Will Let Players Respec Their Unlocked Skills At Any Time

Final Fantasy XVI Will Let Players Respec Their Unlocked Skills At Any Time

press-start.com.au

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Fuck. Yes.

 

[DangerMouse]

I found this very interesting.





The basic premise is strong enough to allow great storytelling and, if Heavensward is any indication, it could very well be the best Final Fantasy to date in that regard.

Click to shrink...

Yup. Hyped.

 

[Teiresias]

I never really got a good grip on FF7R combat, so I'll wait before passing judgment on whatever the FFXVI combat ends up being like. I do hope it's not another stagger-centric system though either way.

I still would prefer some way to control party members, and even though I think FFXIII as a game is a bore, its combat was engaging and is still the best party-based implementation to me that also allows for "flashiness."

 

[Slatsunus]

This is a bizarrely specific complaint to make when we have no clue how the combat actually works.

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Thats just PS in general. There clearly just not very good at action games

 

[Aaronrules380]

Regarding the bolded, spoilers for gameplay information

He doesn't change classes exactly, from what we know. Instead, Clive can switch between three different "Eikon" forms at a time, granting him different abilities. If you've played DMC, think of it like switching styles or weapons. There will be more than three that he can use though though, so presumably you have to choose what Eikon ability loadout you take at any given time.

Obviously this is all speculation from analyzing the trailer, but i think people are pretty confident in that gameplay system

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yeah. it sounds from the interviews like they want the combat system to allow for a wide range of expression so i'd be shocked if which Eikons you picked didn't dramatically influemce how you play. like there's probably going to be several different ranged focused eikons alongside the melee ones and probably some hybrids and midrangers as well

 

[Aladan]

So far all we've seen him do is use a sword. I don't think the Eikon powers are going to be enough to make up for the lack of access to traditional party roles like ranged characters and healers.

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So far we saw him using the power of Shiva, Ramuh, Phoenix and Titan with different weapons like staff and claw. Look into the main thread for gifs of some of the attacks.

 

[MayorSquirtle]

I have absolutely zero faith in the action RPG genre knowing how to balance enemy health. It's a consistent problem across the entire genre. Enemies always just take a billion hits without flinching but can KO the player from full health with minimal effort.

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Kingdom Hearts is a direct counter-example to this, no? And Yoshida specifically says in one of these interviews the KH team was very helpful in providing advice on action combat?

 

[FrostweaveBandage]

I never really got a good grip on FF7R combat, so I'll wait before passing judgment on whatever the FFXVI combat ends up being like. I do hope it's not another stagger-centric system though either way.

I still would prefer some way to control party members, and even though I think FFXIII as a game is a bore, its combat was engaging and is still the best party-based implementation to me that also allows for "flashiness."

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We saw in the trailer that stagger does seem to exist, but it didn't also feel necessary on every fight.

 

[ventuno]

In many ways, going back to a setting like this is the most different shit they could have done for a singleplayer FF.

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I see what you mean, it's been awhile and it's going against what we've seen over the last decade at least. The tropes I'm seeing just make me feel like we're going back to the source more than anything.

I don't see any of this as a bad thing though. I trust Yoshi-P's direction and pespective on the series' roots thanks to FFXIV so I trust he'll be at the helm of plot points that subvert my knowledge and expectations of the series with great results.

 

[Lifejumper]

---

Yoshida: AI-controlled companions do exist, although they are replaced depending on the storyline. In addition, there are characters we call "buddies," who accompany you in almost all battles. You can give your "buddy" manual instructions such as heal yourself or attack a specific enemy. Of course, you can also leave everything to the AI and concentrate on your own operations.

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Oh shit gambits are in?

 

[GoGo Nabrai]

It really doesn't sound like if you care about party management and party mechanics in jrpgs this is going to be the game for you. Sounds like guest party members ala Larsa and that's frankly garbage. If I wanted to play DMC, I'd play DMC.

 

[Aaronrules380]

Yoshi-P says Dengeki some characters may be playable but for small portions of the story. He also says that his friends will be replaced int he course of the story and also have important conversations.

He also says that '"bonds between people" is the theme he wants to deliver through the story (DeepL translation though)

Click to shrink...

i'm absolutely expecting at least one section where you're forced to control another character for a bit and have to deal with a dramatically more limited option set (like maybe access to only one eikon form moveset) that encourages you to play a different style since there's a few examples of exactly that in xiv

 

[Izanagi89]

Maybe it's just me, but these interviews did much more for me in terms of hyping the game up than the 2 trailers ever did. The 2 trailers didn't really do much for me but I like what I have been reading here.

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The trailers were absolute spectacles, especially the last one….but uhh they weren't great trailers lol It's hard to get a feel for the game tbh so I totally understand why these interviews are doing more for you.

 

[Nax]

Gunna be a great year for Final Fantasy fans.

 

[Fat4all]

And you can re-spec at any time!

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ill be able to swap out my wire snatch for a stinger 2 on the fly

 

[AIan]

「ファイナルファンタジーXVI」吉田直樹プロデューサーインタビュー 振り切る代わりに超濃厚な体験を。吉田組がフルパワーで作るワンコンセプトの「FF」

　スクウェア・エニックスから2023年夏に発売予定のプレイステーション 5「ファイナルファンタジーXVI」（以下、「FFXVI」）。先日公開された第二弾トレーラーでは「召喚獣大戦」というワードも飛び出し、大きな話題を呼んだ。

game.watch.impress.co.jp

Can someone who is fluent in Japanese please transcribe this? Google translate is doing a terrible job.

Some interesting tidbits:
- action and story modes. Accessories that make the game easier (e.g. slowing down frames before an enemy attack lands), selecting story mode automatically puts them on whereas in action mode they are unequipped but sitting in the inventory. Also mentions a trigger that auto dodges, likely tied to an accessory as well

- Soken is not the only composer

- Photo mode

 

[mlk1227]

Sounds like it'll be like 12 in terms of world design which is perfect. Just hope we can return to zones because some of the areas look absolutely stunning and I hate only seeing them once. We need to move away from large and useless open worlds anyway.

Fine with no playable party, they can always be a bit overwhelming at times. Every FF is different.

 

[DangerMouse]

This quote is soooo exciting:



And you can re-spec at any time!

Final Fantasy XVI Will Let Players Respec Their Unlocked Skills At Any Time

Final Fantasy XVI Will Let Players Respec Their Unlocked Skills At Any Time

press-start.com.au

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Very nice.

 

[Deleted member 34949]

I think Eikon battles will be somewhat like Platinum's huge boss fights. Flashy and gimmicky, but each fight only happens once so they're kind of a treat.

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Hopefully!

 

[Uzupedro]

『FF16』召喚獣合戦は毎回ゲームデザインが違う!! 物語や戦闘に迫る吉田直樹プロデューサーインタビュー

2023年夏発売予定のシリーズ最新作『FF16』！ PS5で発売される本作の初となる吉田直樹氏プロデューサーインタビューをお届けします。

dengekionline.com

――In the past "FF", there are some over-technology elements such as the existence of flying boats in spite of being a medieval fantasy, but how about "FF16"?

Yoshida: There used to be an ultra-over-technology "empty civilization" in Valis Zea. However, there was a big war about 1500 years ago from the stage of the game, and the civilization of the sky collapsed. Today, the ruins remain in various places. From the perspective of people in this world, it seems that the ruins stuck in the ground used to fly in the sky. The current information focuses on natural landscapes with a strong medieval fantasy color, but in future follow-up reports, we will gradually release information about that.

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