Final Fantasy 16’s demo is available now, and it serves as a terrific introduction to the world of Valisthea. After an opening filled with the visual spectacle the trailers have been teasing, players are thrust back in time to witness the younger years of Joshua and Clive. This backstory and the Active Lore System that can be used within it does a great job of setting the stage for the main narrative, and the ending to this intro packs a serious punch.
However, as great as the opening two hours are, they are still just the first few hours of a massive RPG. This means that gamers are essentially playing with the training wheels on during the main portion of the demo, with combat being limited to part of one Eikon’s moveset and Clive lacking most of the abilities he will have for a majority of the game. Clearly Square Enix knew this, as it added a second mode where it gave Final Fantasy 16 players access to the full combat system - though some fans may miss out on it for one big reason.
Final Fantasy 16’s Eikon Challenge is Not What It Sounds Like
After players complete the main portion of the Final Fantasy 16 demo, they will unlock a second mode called Eikon Challenge. While Square Enix does tell players this mode will give them access to multiple Eikons and a deeper ability pool for Clive, it does not do much to tell players that the Eikon Challenge is basically the second part of the demo. For those excited about the combat system, the Eikon Challenge is even better than the main portion, and it includes more cutscenes and big story moments on top of that.
The main issue with the Eikon Challenge is its name. The Eikon Challenge opens with a message that players are jumping forward in the story, something that should have just happened right after Final Fantasy 16’s opening credits, allowing for one long demo. Unfortunately, some players may never even load up the Eikon Challenge to see that information. Based on the name alone, and the separate section of the main menu, some gamers will likely think that this secondary mode is either a training arena, a wave-based game mode, or a challenge-focused version of the main demo’s boss fights. In reality, it is just like the main demo, only with deeper combat.
The Eikon Challenge sees Clive teaming up with Cid and an adult version of his trusty canine companion Torgal, and it does not pull any punches. Nostalgic Final Fantasy fans will surely love battling Suparna and Chirada, and the final fight with Benedikta is a stunning encounter that puts all the players’ skills to the test. Between these great boss fights, players get to fight through hordes of soldiers, taking in just how powerful Clive is as they go.
In the main demo, combat feels so much simpler than it will be in the rest of the game, which makes sense since the main chunk of Final Fantasy 16’s trial covers just the first few hours of the story. For players less interested in a Game of Thrones-inspired narrative and more intrigued by Devil May Cry-like combat, they may not be won over by those opening hours. Simple sword strikes and a few Eikon abilities simply cannot compare to chaining together dozens of different moves, activating a Limit Break, and watching Torval spin attack Clive’s foes.
As a complete package, Final Fantasy 16’s demo is astounding, with the main portion delivering from a story perspective and the Eikon Challenge offering tremendous combat. Unfortunately, with the second half of the demo hidden behind an odd name and given a separate section in the menu, many players may skip it altogether, failing to get the full picture. This would be a shame, as the thrilling fights the Eikon Challenge offers could be just the thing players need in order to be fully sold on Square Enix’s latest release.
Final Fantasy 16 launches on June 22 exclusively for PS5.
