Since the first Final Fantasy game in 1987, 15 sequels have been released in the main series alone. With Final Fantasy XVI, the 16th main part of the series came on June 22, 2023. A long, glorious video game history that encompasses hundreds of hours of epic narrative.
If you want to jump straight into Final Fantasy XVI without first playing through the predecessors, we can give the all-clear at this point: Each of the main games in the Final Fantasy series tells a story independent story with new characters. That means you don’t have to dig through tons of lore to play Final Fantasy XVI, which is reminiscent of fantasy epics like Game of Thrones.
Final Fantasy XVI: The new game world and the most important characters explained
Final Fantasy XVI is set in the fantastic realm of Valisthea, which (similar to Game of Thrones) is divided into six distinct nations: the Grand Duchy of Rosaria, the Holy Empire of Sanbrèque, the Kingdom of Waluth, the Republic of Dhalmekia, the Iron Kingdom, and the Crystal Dominion. You will visit all these places in the course of your adventures. On the PlayStation 5 By the way, you can do this without any loading times and at an overwhelming speed.
Final Fantasy XVI’s characters were also created specifically for the latest installment in the series – from main character Clive Rosfield to his younger brother Joshua (heir apparent to Rosaria) to Clive’s childhood friend Jill Warrick, who originally hails from the Northern Territories. If you like animals, you can look forward to wolfhound Torgal.
Even long-time fans of the fantasy series have reason to be happy
At the same time, there are in Final Fantasy XVI but also numerous recurring elements for long-time fans of the series, integrated into the storyline and game world without alienating new players. This includes, for example, Clive’s companion Cidolfus “Cid” Telamon, because there is a character named Cid in almost every Final Fantasy game.
This becomes even clearer with the mother crystals, which not only allow magic to work in the world of Valisthea, but are also the basis of life. After all, such crystals have played an important role in many other Final Fantasy games. Because they have a life-giving effect and are therefore very valuable, there are always conflicts.
And of course, the well-known and popular ones will also appear again in Final Fantasy XVI Chocobos and moogles that no Final Fantasy game should be without. The fluffy moogles are something of a mascot for the video game series, while the chocobos are large, flightless birds that you can use as usual in Final Fantasy XVI to fly great distances.
Final Fantasy XVI combines the best of years of history and epic gaming experience for all Final Fantasy fans – and those who want to become one.