Final Fantasy 16 is a current-generation exclusive and will be a timed exclusive for the PS5 at launch. So for anyone who hasn’t jumped on the current generation PS5 bandwagon, Final Fantasy 16 will never come out on PS4. The reason for the game being a new-generation exclusive is due to its amazing graphics, and its combat system, which heavily relies on the memory and transfer speed of the PS5 system. All those particle effects in Final Fantasy 16 are taking their toll, and it is obvious in the gameplay.
During a hands-on session (thanks to IGN), it was discovered that the boss battles in Final Fantasy 16 seamlessly blend the gameplay between player-controlled combat and cinematic cutscenes. To achieve this with no load screens or fade-to-black moments, the game’s development team at Square Enix has leveraged the power of the PS5.
Naoki Yoshida, the game’s producer, explained that “While you’re battling Ifrit and Garuda and having that big battle [in the hands-on demo], in the background, the PS5 is loading the next scene. It’s getting ready so we can seamlessly move into it.” Meanwhile, Combat Director Ryoto Suzuki elaborated further, saying, “You are graphically representing the fists and the claws and the wings [of the Eikon abilities] and all in real-time and all in these beautiful graphics and having all of these different options. But to be able to do all of those seamlessly without any low times is possible because of the power of the PlayStation 5.”
Suzuki added that:
If we didn’t have the memory that the PlayStation 5 has, and also the transfer speed of the SSD that the PlayStation 5 has, we would still be in development right now.
Final Fantasy 16 Will Never Get a Last Generation Port
Final Fantasy 16 is probably Square Enix’s biggest game for 2023. And the company recently explained its reasons for the major departure in terms of gameplay from what the series is known for. The new combat system is a far cry from the thoughtful turn-based battles of yore, and one of the reasons for this switch has been attributed to games like Grand Theft Auto by the game’s combat director.
The game’s inspirations come from heavy hitters like Devil May Cry (since they have the same combat director), God of War, and offers the narrative of a Final Fantasy game. Final Fantasy 16 has all the right cards, we only have to wait a few more months to find out how well Square Enix will play them.
