Not much is known about Final Fantasy 16, though fans are expected to learn more sometime this Spring. When that showcase or event takes place is still anyone’s guess, but there has been a lot of speculation based on Final Fantasy 16’s one trailer thus far. A lot of this deals with Joshua’s fate, the role of certain characters and countries, the identities of certain Dominants, and so on. However, one thing was notably missing in this trailer.
When Final Fantasy 16 showed off its combat, it was impressive—seeming like an impressive combination of Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Final Fantasy 15. There was one major change to this combat that many fans may have picked up on early: Clive was alone. A vast majority of Final Fantasy games revolve around parties and job systems, like the recent Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, but Final Fantasy 16 could be breaking away from this and it should.
Final Fantasy 16 Dropping the Party System?
There are a couple of reasons why Final Fantasy 16 should drop the party system, but at the same time, not enough has been shown to say if it actually has one way or the other. The trailer doesn’t show much, and it’s clear that older Clive does have comrades—although they don’t appear to be companions, as they seemed too generic. It could be that the next news reveal does show more characters who will join Clive on his journey, and it would make sense given the franchise’s history.
However, as it stands now, it seems that Final Fantasy 16’s Clive is on a quest for revenge. There are some bigger worldbuilding events going on, obviously, what with a plague, clearly a war, and some betrayals going on. But Clive wants to kill someone for some reason, presumably for Joshua’s death. This means Clive’s journey is a personal one, and while companions could come and go or permanent ones could have a huge impact on his character development, the revenge would be made much more personal if Clive stuck to himself.
Final Fantasy 16’s Story and Combat Seems Built for One
Not to mention, some of the dialogue in the trailer would suggest that Clive’s home was betrayed. Perhaps it doesn’t even exist after Final Fantasy 16’s apparent time skip, and that could give him reason to not trust anyone. Fully developing this idea by not having a party system would make it more potent, and given the main art for Final Fantasy 16 also only depicts Clive (presumably the box art too), that's another small suggestion it could be gone.
Another reason, although less impactful, is Final Fantasy 16’s combat system. It would appear more focused on Clive’s ability to use special powers, meaning he would likely outpace other characters anyway. Not impossible to balance, but it would be more impactful if it was just him. That, and many have also compared its combat to Devil May Cry 5—which doesn’t use party systems. That doesn't mean it's the same, but it does seem like combat built for one.
Overall, Final Fantasy 16 breaking from this tradition could be a good thing. Companions and party systems are fun, and they would certainly be missed. But the features, overall, are going nowhere with a franchise that has been going on this long. A mainline game wholly focused on one character, story and combat-wise, would be a fun and interesting departure, as long as it is done right.
Final Fantasy 16 is in development for PS5.