Final Fantasy XVI Gets 20-Minute Gameplay Presentation

by Alex Fuller · Published April 13, 2023 · Updated April 14, 2023

Sony and Square Enix held a State of Play presentation for Final Fantasy XVI. The twenty-minute video provides an introduction to the game’s story, its action combat system, and other gameplay elements ahead of the game’s launch for PlayStation 5 on June 22, 2023. It also revealed that the game’s main theme is composed by Japanese recording artist Kenshi Yonezu.

Final Fantasy XVI is set on the high fantasy land of Valisthea, which is dotted with Mothercrystals, towering structures that spread aether. People have built up around the crystals, using the aether for magic and to help them live in comfort. Valisthea is home to incredibly powerful beings called Eikons, Final Fantasy XVI’s variant on the series’s summons. Protagonist Clive Rosfield becomes involved with the dark Eikon Ifrit with the game featuring him in three major stages of his life — his teens, twenties, and thirties — starting out on a quest for revenge that slowly changes as he encounters others.

Update — Square Enix also released a new batch of screenshots that can be viewed below.