Tag: final fantasy

Final Fantasy XIV on Xbox is finally happening

Final Fantasy XIV is coming to Xbox at least, 10 years after the MMO game first launched on PC, and it’s coming with an expanded free trial

Final Fantasy XIV is coming to Xbox at last, 10 years after the MMO game first launched on PC and PlayStation. Xbox head Phil Spencer and Final Fantasy XIV producer Naoki Yoshida made the announcement during the 2023 Fanfest and said Final Fantasy XIV on Xbox will launch sometime in spring 2024.

Open beta testing for the Xbox version will begin during patch 6.5x later in 2023.

Final Fantasy XIV will be available on Xbox Series X|S as a digital-only release, and Yoshida said you can go right from the beta into the full release without any interruption. All content and upgrades announced during the 7.0 Dawntrail update will be available in the Xbox version. 

You can also get started and play a substantial amount of Final Fantasy XIV for free. Yoshida announced that the FFXIV free trial is expanding to include the end of Heavensward and the entirety of Stormblood, the MMO’s second and third expansions, and you can get pretty much everything the game has to offer outside a few social aspects in the free trial.

Square Enix president Takashi Kiryu said the Xbox version is only possible thanks to Spencer’s extensive support and said Xbox and Square Enix will work to bring their games to Xbox in the future, whenever possible.

Spencer and Kiryu didn’t say what Square Enix games might come to Xbox in the future, though if you’re hoping for Final Fantasy 16 at some point, you’ll probably be waiting for a while. Non-PS5 versions of the game are still a ways out.

Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF

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Square Enix announces new Final Fantasy XIV 7.0 expansion Dawntrail

Nearly two years after Endwalker released, Square Enix announced the Final Fantasy XIV 7.0 expansion: Dawntrail

Nearly two years after Endwalker released, Square Enix announced the Final Fantasy XIV 7.0 expansion: Dawntrail. Naoki Yoshida, the MMO game’s director, made the announcement during the annual FF XIV Fanfest celebration alongside a new trailer and said the expansion will launch sometime in summer 2024.

Dawntrail is a pretty big deal for the long-running Final Fantasy XIV. Endwalker wrapped up the story that Square Enix started in 2013’s A Realm Reborn, so this new expansion is exploring uncharted territory – literally. Dawntrail will take the Warrior of Light to the New World, a location west of Eorzea that has, until now, just been mentioned in passing and is officially called Tural. At least, one part of it is.

They won’t go alone, either. The Dawntrail trailer showed several of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn along for the ride, including Y’shtola, G’raha Tia, and Thancred, along with Meteor Survivor sporting a very Pirates of the Caribbean look.

Yoshida described Dawntrail as “the perfect summer vacation,” one where the WoL and companions take part in determining Tural’s new leader. Tural is home to a new hub city with what Yoshida called a diverse population of people living in harmony with nature.

Dawntrail also introduces two new classes, a ranged DPS and a magic DPS. What they are remains to be seen, but as is tradition, Yoshida pointed to what he was wearing as a clue: a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles shirt. 

The level cap will increase to 100, every job is getting new skills, and there’s a new dungeon and more “lifestyle” content alongside new gear, recipes, and enemies.

Yoshida briefly previewed the long-awaited new model and gear overhauls and said they’ll apply in 7.0, then go back and add them to 2.0 characters and work through older expansions from there. The lighting in particular is a significant update that finally washes away the game’s characteristically muddy, blurry appearance.

Expect more news on Final Fantasy XIV 7.0 Dawntrail in the coming months.

Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF

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Square Enix finally clarifies Final Fantasy 7 Remake plot mystery

Final Fantasy 7 Remake’s story is full of mysteries by design, but Square Enix clarified one that the RPG’s fans believed was a plot hole

Final Fantasy 7 Remake ’s story is full of mysteries by design, but Square Enix clarified one that the RPG ’s fans long believed was a plot hole. About midway through the game, when Cloud meets Aerith ahead of their encounter with Reno, she remarks that he’s a mercenary and says she arrived at that conclusion after seeing his Buster Sword.

There are a few problems with that. Cloud is dressed as a member of SOLDIER, Shinra’s elite infantry, but there’s no indication that Cloud has left the group and operates as a sword-for-hire. Even more confusing is the Buster Sword comment. The buster sword belonged to Zack Fair, Aerith’s former boyfriend and another member of SOLDIER who died before the main game started.

That simple sentence raises a lot of questions, but Square Enix posted on Twitter that Aerith is just as surprised that she knows this as we were (thanks, Siliconera ). The team says that Aerith has pieces of memories from events that haven’t happened yet. Square Enix also said that’s how Aerith knows Tifa wants her to save Marlene.

Every time she encounters the Whispers, the smoke-like spirits that appear under certain circumstances, they steal some of these memories.

The result is an Aerith who’s left knowing things she shouldn’t, with bits of memories – maybe hers, maybe someone else’s – floating around her mind, while these still-enigmatic Whispers try their best to force the original storyline back on course. 

The game itself hints at this situation when Aerith says she feels like she loses part of herself when the Whispers appear. It turns out she really does, and her confusion over where these memories come from suggests she’s not as omniscient as some fans first thought.

It’s fertile ground to build on in Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 when it launches in early 2024 . Whether it continues deviating from that original course remains to be seen, though considering Zack, who should be very dead, appeared in Intergrade and Remake Part 2 ‘s first trailer, it seems like Square Enix still has plenty of surprises in store.

Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF

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Ranking the best Final Fantasy 16 bosses from terrible to awesome

Final Fantasy 16 bosses run the gamut from absolutely spectacular to kinda boring, and we’ve ranked them all in our boss list

Final Fantasy 16 bosses run the gamut from absolutely spectacular to kinda boring, but in true Final Fantasy fashion, there are so many of them that overlooking the less inspiring ones is easy to do. Final Fantasy 16 has over 40 main boss fights, if you don’t include mini-bosses, optional bosses, and some repeats and multi-form bosses. These range from tame battles against foes who become normal enemies later to genuinely awesome spectacles as Clive faces some of Valisthea’s biggest and most dangerous threats. We’ve ranked them all below in our Final Fantasy 16 boss list, and since it includes every mainline boss, bear in mind that there will be some mild spoilers.

 

Square Enix’s Naoki Yoshida teases Final Fantasy 16 DLC

It looks like Final Fantasy 16 DLC may be on the table after all, as producer Yoshida acknowledges the desire for more tales from Valisthea

It looks like Final Fantasy 16 DLC may be on the table after all, as producer Naoki Yoshida acknowledges the desire for more tales from Valisthea. The news comes from an interview Yoshida gave with GamerBraves just a few months after the producer said DLC would depend on fan reaction to the game.

Going into Final Fantasy 16, the one thing we wanted was to create a full complete story, something that you can enjoy beginning to end 100 percent  without any DLC,” Yoshida said. “But now we understand we’re getting feedback from players that have played the game and a lot of players want to see more. We’re taking that and then thinking about our options moving forward so hopefully in the near future we can have something that we can give to you all.”

There’s certainly plenty of demand for DLC, judging by comments on the YouTube video and on Twitter. Fans were eager for everything, ranging from backstories for the Dominants to full prequel expansions, bonus dungeons, and expeditions to other continents. 

It helps that Yoshida’s team accomplished their goal for Final Fantasy 16 so well. It’s a standalone experience, sure, but lingering mysteries and unused locations mean you’re left wanting more after the credits roll. Most fans are hoping the DLC has something to do with Leviathan, a classic Final Fantasy summon whose Eikon was apparently lost for centuries in FF 16, alongside a handful of crystals that were also lost to time.

Whatever the plan is, it sounds like any DLC is still early in the planning process, so don’t expect anything in the near future. Meanwhile, Square Enix is gearing up to launch Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 in early 2024 for PS5.

Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF

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The best Final Fantasy 16 Eikons ranked from decent to iconic

Final Fantasy 16’s Eikons are the RPG’s cornerstone, and we’ve ranked our favorites of these Final Fantasy summons below, from worst to best

Final Fantasy 16’s Eikons are the RPG’s cornerstone, the biggest battles in the game, and the source of Clive’s superhuman powers. Visually spectacular as the Eikons are, the actual abilities of these classic Final Fantasy summons don’t all stack up the same in combat. Some Eikons lend themselves to nearly every situation, while one or two others are better suited to normal enemy mobs or New Game Plus. You can make good use of all Final Fantasy 16’s Eikons, but we’ve ranked our favorites below, from worst to best.

 

Square Enix still wants more classic RPG remakes

Square Enix said more classic remakes are on the RPG maker’s agenda for the future, so we may see the likes of Xenogears after all

Square Enix said more classic remakes are on the RPG maker’s agenda for the future, so we may see the likes of Xenogears and Vagrant Story after all (thanks, Kotaku). The news comes from the Final Fantasy maker’s shareholder meeting, after a shareholder asked whether Square Enix has plans to remaster other games in its catalogue, following the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster collection’s success and the announcement of Star Ocean: Second Story’s remake.

“Personally, I would like to play Xenogears,” the shareholder said at the end of their question, a much more reasonable statement than one Splatoon fan recently made at Nintendo’s shareholder meeting.

“We will refrain from sharing information about new titles, but we are considering various ideas within the Company and hope that you will look forward to forthcoming announcements,” Square Enix said in response.

Two of those are probably Final Fantasy 9 and Final Fantasy Tactics, both of which appeared in 2021’s big Nvidia leak. Nearly every other game in that leak has been released or been announced.

Square Enix’s release schedule for the past half a decade or so includes a stream of remasters and remakes, ranging from Live A Live – the game’s first release outside Japan – to Chrono Cross. Xenogears, Chrono Trigger, and Vagrant Story are some of the publisher’s more popular classic hits that haven’t seen the light of day in over 20 years, though other niche possibilities include Brave Fencer Musashi, Bahamut Lagoon, and Parasite Eve – the non-NFT version.

A Super Mario RPG remake is also in the works, though while Square Enix developed the original SNES game, it appears Nintendo is handling that project. Meanwhile, Dragon Quest 3’s 2D-HD remaster is still in development, though two years have passed since Square Enix last gave an update on the project.

Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF

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Ranking every Final Fantasy Cid appearance from mid to fantastic

Final Fantasy’s Cid is a series hallmark, and with Final Fantasy 16 putting Cid at the forefront, we rank every Final Fantasy Cid role

Final Fantasy’s Cid is a series hallmark, not just present in the best Final Fantasy games, but present in literally every game in the series. Whether it’s a mobile spinoff or a full-fledged RPG, you won’t find a Final Fantasy without Cid – even if he’s just a passing mention or a loner living in a windmill. Like the series itself, Cid has evolved countless times over the decades, playing hero and villain alike and always envisioning a world that could be just a little bit better, even if the means it takes to get there are a bit illegal and probably count as war crimes.

With Final Fantasy 16 putting Cid at the forefront, we decided to rank every Final Fantasy Cid appearance.

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Square Enix wants a Final Fantasy 6 remake to happen

Fans aren’t the only ones who want a Final Fantasy 6 remake of some kind, as Square Enix producer Yoshinori Kitase says he does too

Fans aren’t the only ones who want a Final Fantasy 6 remake of some kind. Square Enix’s Yoshinori Kitase, producer of Final Fantasy 7 Remake and director of the original Final Fantasy 6, said he wants to remake the classic RPG as well – but it wouldn’t be easy.

Kitase made the comments in a recent interview posted on Square Enix’s Japanese YouTube channel, translated by Twitter user Genki_JPN. The interview was originally about the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster releases, but the interviewer asked when Kitase and his crew would remake Final Fantasy 6.

“I think FF6 Remake would be difficult,” Kitase said. “FF7 Remake is not yet finished so I am not able to think about it… But for FF6 there are many FF6 fans inside the company and they often ask me ‘when are we making 6?'”

Series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi said that the task would involve updating the game from its original pixel graphics to computer-generated visuals and would also require updating the story. What sort of updates Sakaguchi thinks the story could benefit from remains uncertain, as he didn’t elaborate further.

The original Final Fantasy 6 follows several protagonists on their journey to stop the Gestahlian Empire from conquering the world with its advanced Magitek weapons and features some of the series’ most iconic scenes, including one where two of the RPG’s heroes infiltrate an opera house and take part in the show.

Meanwhile, Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 is set to launch sometime in early 2024.

Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF

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Final Fantasy 16 New Game Plus mode amps up the challenge

Final Fantasy 16’s New Game Plus adds two new difficulty modes, a suite of extras for the RPG’s arcade challenges and even some time trials

Final Fantasy 16’s New Game Plus adds two new difficulty modes and a suite of extras for the RPG’s arcade challenges. Final Fantasy 16 director Hiroshi Takai and combat director Ryota Suzuki told IGN a bit about what to expect from New Game Plus, including remixed enemies and even more customization options.

New Game Plus unlocks after you complete the main story on either of the two available difficulties. You can pick Final Fantasy Mode and start the game again with your level, skills, and inventory as they were when you finished the game. The level cap goes up to 100, enemies are stronger, and you’ll find quite a few new foes in places where they weren’t the first time.

Final Fantasy Mode unlocks higher upgrade options for equipment, including a higher upgrade gear that changes the name and appearance of the item, and accessory crafting, so you can customize Clive’s fighting style and bring out the most of your favorite skills.

“For example, let’s say that a certain accessory allows you to shorten the recast time for abilities by two seconds,” Takai said. “By having two of these accessories synthesized into one, that becomes four seconds. You can even go as far as separately equipping one more of these accessories, which would allow you to shorten the recast time up to six seconds. There’s a wide variation of accessories that have different effects, and synthesizing them will allow for a new layer of depth in New Game Plus.”

Final Fantasy Mode has its own arcade mode that grades your performance in every battle, complete with global leaderboards, and if that’s not enough challenge for you, then you can take on Ultimaniac mode, with even more difficult foes and a separate leaderboard for its arcade stages.

Any New Game Plus challenge, regardless of difficulty, includes Chronolith battles. These are locked behind Fallen relics that you can’t interact with during your first run of the story and function like time trial battles. You’re tasked with clearing multiple ways of enemies and a boss within 80 seconds. You can add time back to the clock by completing certain challenges during the trial, and you get a special accessory if you succeed within the time limit.

Final Fantasy 16 launches for PS5 on June 22, 2023.

Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF

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