Final Fantasy 16 Is the Most Excited I've Been for the Series in Almost 20 Years | Push Square

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I'm a massive fan of Final Fantasy. No doubt like many of you reading this, my gaming tastes were shaped by seminal PS1 titles like Final Fantasy VII, VIII, and IX. As a kid, those RPGs showed me that games could be more than Crash Bandicoot or Tekken 2 — that they could tell epic, 50-hour stories filled with unique characters and high stakes drama. Even on the PS2, there was Final Fantasy X. In all of its angsty glory, I really connected with it as an equally angsty teenager.

But I think my obsession with the franchise really peaked with Final Fantasy XII. Europe had to wait a long time for it — almost a full year after its Japanese release in 2006 — and I remember being hyped beyond belief. Up until that point, no gaming series had struck a chord with me like Final Fantasy did, and for XII, after reading about it for months on end in magazines, I was determined to be there day one, ready for the next amazing adventure.

It ended up being a divisive instalment, but that 10/10 review score in the Official PlayStation Magazine told me all I needed to know. Bought it, adored it, replayed it at least three or four times, and it's still one of my favourite Final Fantasy games today. But what I didn't know at the time was that it would take close to 20 years for the series to excite me like that again.

Which brings us neatly to Final Fantasy XVI. It's mad to think a franchise that was once so dear to me hasn't caught my eye quite like this in nearly two decades, but here we are. From my perspective, XVI has always had so much going for it. The project has been spearheaded by the team that made Final Fantasy XIV such a phenomenon, and they're joined by former Capcom combat designer Ryota Suzuki.

We're back to a medieval fantasy