A preview video clip for Final Fantasy 16 shows off an Eikon Boss Battle with classic summon Bahamut, with some making comparisons between it and its iteration from Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion. With less than three months to go before its release, Square Enix has been showing off a lot of the game and how it plays. This includes a panel focused on Final Fantasy 16 at PAX East 2023, which went over the game's combat encounters, such as boss battles with the Eikons themselves.The player controls Ifrit to battle in these kaiju-sized boss fights, taking on the likes of Garuda, Titan, Typhon, and more. One of these clips was posted on Final Fantasy 16's official Twitter, where it shows off this game's iteration of Bahamut. Bahamut has been a recurring character throughout the series ever since its debut in the first game, cemented as one of the franchise's most iconic summons. It's no surprise to see Bahamut return, with this boss battle showing how it pays homages to previous iterations of the character.In this preview, the fight between Ifrit and Bahamut starts with the two utilizing a series of special attacks, which include fireballs and charged beams of light. The player can also execute a flaming uppercut attack, before following it up with a downwards strike. One Twitter user, @aitaikimochi, compared the fight to the Bahamut Fury boss from Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion, in terms of scale and boss arena layout.
There are some other references and call-backs to previous iterations of Bahamut throughout the Final Fantasy franchise. For example, one of Bahamut's attacks shown in the video is known as Mortal Coil, which fires a giant beam that creates a huge pillar of light once it hits the ground. The name and move is similar to the "Akh Morn" attack, which is used by Bahamut Prime from Final Fantasy 14. The player can also gain access to Bahamut's iconic Megaflare attack, which is an ability granted to Clive by the Eikon.
While fans have been given a lot of information regarding the game, one of the current mysteries is Bahamut's role in Final Fantasy 16. The "Ambition" trailer released back in 2022 gave a bit of emphasis to it, making it seem to have more presence than the other Eikons. Whether it could be tied to something bigger or is just another Eikon the player will have to confront in the adventure remains to be seen.
Final Fantasy 16 will launch on June 22, exclusively for PS5.
