Final Fantasy XVI has gone Gold!
If you’re unfamiliar with the term, it basically means the game is done and ready to be shipped.
Usually this happens a couple of weeks before release; but with a June launch date, FF16 has gone Gold almost three months ahead of release!
Final Fantasy XVI has gone gold.
From the entire team, including Torgal, we hope you're looking forward to #FF16's launch on June 22nd 🐺 pic.twitter.com/Vrtd3cMNW5
— FINAL FANTASY XVI (@finalfantasyxvi) March 31, 2023
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Hopefully, with so long until launch, it means the developers working on FF16 didn’t have to undergo any periods of crunch to get the game finished.
To have made the call to go Gold so early, you’ve gotta assume the game is in a pretty damn polished state by now!
Do I dare hope for an earlier release than scheduled!?
Final Fantasy XVI director Hiroshi Takai recently spoke to PlayStation.Blog Japan about how the power of the PS5 has influenced production.
Takai was impressed with the ample memory and the speed of the SSD, noting that the PS5 strikes the right balance between the capabilities of the hardware and the size of the memory.
“…the way that the game seamlessly flows between resource-intensive gameplay to equally intensive cutscenes and back again wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t for the speed of the SSD.”
Resource-intensive tasks are made easier thanks to the amount of memory in the PS5, allowing the team to focus in on fine character details, lighting, shadows and environmental models to make the game shine.
The Dualsense is put to good use, the adaptive triggers utilised to convey effort and resistance when shifting heavy doors for example.
The subtle vibrations of haptic feedback are used to elevate cutscenes and actions within the world, such as riding chocobos.
“We converted the sound effects used in each scene into haptic data, which let us portray details that we’ve never been able to before, like the movements of the air.”
FF16 will take the series in a bold new direction, making the jump to fully-fledged action RPG.
Ryota Suzuki was head-hunted from Capcom by Yoshi-P himself to be the games Combat Director. Having designed on games like Dragon’s Dogma and Devil May Cry 5, Suzuki brings a frenetic energy to FF16’s combat.
There are a range of ‘Eikonic abilities’ that the protagonist Clive Rosfield, can unleash, as well taking full control of colossal ‘Eikons’ to battle adversaries, in epic Kaiju inspired battles.
Director Hiroshi Takai says the Dualsense comes into play with every input.
Every button press produces a reaction you can feel, and thanks to the abundant memory, Clive can seamlessly execute a wide range of spectacular attacks.
“It’s a non-stop, white-knuckle ride from start to finish.”
You can read Hiroshi Takai’s full interview with PlayStation Japan HERE
Final Fantasy 16 is scheduled to released on June 22 for PlayStation 5.
