Final Fantasy 16, which was announced back in September, is set to be the next mainline entry in the long-running JRPG series. A reveal trailer showed off the series' return to a more traditional fantasy setting while incorporating features introduced in newer entries. Final Fantasy 16 is already generating a lot of excitement from fans, and it's in a position to recapture the success of a much earlier game in the series, Final Fantasy 9.
Final Fantasy 16 marks a return for the franchise from the more modern and sci-fi settings of its single-player predecessors, Final Fantasy 13, Final Fantasy 15, and Final Fantasy 7: Remake. Excluding the popular MMORPG Final Fantasy 14, the series has stayed with a focus on modern and sci-fi settings for more than a decade. The success of FF14 can't be ignored as an influence on the decision to return to traditional fantasy, but the next game is inheriting a legacy not just from the Final Fantasy franchise as a whole, but perhaps specifically from the game that shares much in common, Final Fantasy 9.
The Similarities
When Final Fantasy 9 was released in 2000, it stood in much a similar place that the upcoming FF16 stands. Its immediate predecessors Final Fantasy 6, Final Fantasy 7, and Final Fantasy 8 had all departed from the franchise's traditional fantasy roots in favor of more sci-fi, steampunk, and modernist themes. The steam-powered mechs in FF6 gave way to the futuristic city of Midgar in FF7 and the setting of FF8 was very similar complete with motorcycles and space travel. Both critically and commercially acclaimed, these games left a daunting task for FF9 before its release, but a return to its roots proved to be a great move as FF9 succeeded in all it set out to do. Final Fantasy 16 now follows FF7 Remake in as similar boat, and it seems that it might be aiming to bring in the best of both worlds.
Final Fantasy 16 shares more similarities than just timing with the story of Zidane Tribal and his crew of rogues. The reveal trailer also showed off the importance of Eikons (and by extension the Dominants), this iteration's version of the iconic summon creatures that are a staple of Final Fantasy. In some Final Fantasy games, the summons serve as not much more than powerful magic attacks like in FF7; in others, they are integral to the story. Conversely, FF9 is a game where the summons (called Eidolons in FF9) serve as literal gods present in the universe that directly impact the story.
Although not all the details of the story have been revealed either by the announcement trailer or on the new website for Final Fantasy 16 , the trailer heavily implies that the Eikons are integral to the story to come. This is perhaps the largest story similarity between the two games there are a multitude of other parallels to be drawn from information gleaned so far. The main character, Clive, is driven to defend the young Joshua in much the same way Steiner was dedicated to Garnet. The new game also seems to be drawing heavily from the pool of classic monsters and creatures like the Malboro seen in the trailer. FF9 did much the same with its cadre of enemies and the return of the classic black mages present in earlier iterations of the game, and all in all, it seems that FF16 may have drawn serious influence from FF9.
The Possibilities
The initial trailer for FF16 was packed with details about what the next game might hold for players. Returning to some of its more traditional themes proved to be hugely successful for FF9, but it also incorporated newer mechanics and lessons learned from its predecessors. FF16 seems to be looking to do much the same, as elements of the gameplay shown off have obvious parallels to both FF15 and FF7 Remake. Keeping the real-time battle elements should prove to help engage newer fans but there is much to be learned about the other components of the combat system.
While it there is definitely an argument for keeping things from Final Fantasy 7: Remake, there is still room for the game to innovate on some of the classic mechanics in the game. Given the game's similarities to FF9, it might be interesting to see a system akin to the Trance mode in order for short bursts of power to the main characters. And, given their integral role to the story, it will be interesting to see how Square Enix handles the Eikon/summon system within combat. Square Enix has said the next reveal about the game will come in 2021, so it won't be long before eager fans are able to learn more about the game and whether it will be able to recapture the success of Final Fantasy 9.
Final Fantasy 16 is currently in development exclusively for the PS5.