Square Enix finally unveiled a new Final Fantasy 16 trailer at the recent State of Play, confirming a release window and several new story details about the game. It seems someone is trying to bring the Dominants of Final Fantasy 16 together, almost Avengers-style, but there’s clearly heavy resistance. The world is about to go head first into another war, and it’s just tragedy after tragedy.
Several new characters were shown in this Final Fantasy 16 trailer, such as the Dominant of Titan Hugo Kupka and the Dominant of Garuda Benedikta Harman. It even confirms that Clive Rosfield is a Dominant of Ifrit, the second Eikon of Fire. But what is notable throughout this is how Clive stands apart from other Dominants, and his abilities seemingly make him alone.
Final Fantasy 16: Clive Walks a Lonely Road
Throughout the glimpses of gameplay in the new trailer, it seems apparent that Clive is able to use abilities from other Eikons than just Ifrit. In the top left of these gameplay moments, players see how they can cycle through Eikons that seemingly modulate Clive’s combat abilities in Final Fantasy 16. What’s not seen up there is anyone but Clive, suggesting the game does not feature a party system.
Party systems are commonplace in many JRPGs, and very few Final Fantasy games break from this tradition. Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Final Fantasy 15, Final Fantasy 13, Final Fantasy 12, Final Fantasy 10, and so on and so forth all feature a band of heroes partying up with the main protagonist. One could assume that this alliance of Dominants would suggest that he’ll join up with friends, but it seems very doubtful that this alliance is received positively.
On the one hand, this is a good thing. What’s clear so far is that Final Fantasy 16 is a darker JRPG, with Clive seeking revenge for something—although the particulars are a little murky right now. It ultimately seems to be Joshua’s death, but if Joshua does die because he unleashed the Phoenix and Phoenix is fighting Ifrit, it would seem that Clive is the one responsible for Joshua’s death.
That’s neither here nor there, though, but ultimately every gameplay glimpse shown so far puts Clive alone on the battlefield. Notably, the UI also seems to limit the possibility of a party system too. The selection of Eikons triangulates inward, leaving little room for companion health bars. It could be they are smaller, and it would make more sense to show Clive’s level (as the game does) if it showed companion levels too. But from combat to moments of Clive walking alone in a city, through showcases from level 13 to 30+, it seems Clive is going against his fate in Final Fantasy 16, absolutely alone.
Final Fantasy 16 releases in summer 2023 for PS5.
