Released on June 12, the Final Fantasy XVI demo provides an early access look at the opening prologue of the game, with saved progress carrying over to the full game after its release. The entire length of the demo takes about two hours.

In the demo, players take control of Clive Rosfield at the start of his epic tale and learn about his ambitions and goals, as he endures a tragic event that will send him on a dark and dangerous path of revenge.

After playing the recently released two-hour demo, the parallels between Final Fantasy XVI and HBO’s adaptation of George RR Martin’s fantasy epic, Game of Thrones, become a lot more apparent.

 

It’s no secret that the development team took a lot of inspiration from the hit fantasy series, but it may be a bit too much. Spoilers ahead for the first few hours of Final Fantasy XVI.

Two Brothers

 

Players assume the role of Clive Rosfield, the First Shield of Rosaria who is sworn to protect his younger brother Joshua, the Dominant of the Phoenix, Eikon of Fire. This demo also briefly covers future events with an older Clive, but most of the demo deals with establishing the relationship between the brothers.

The main character Clive is very much a Jon Snow-like figure, as he seems to draw ire from his mother for not being strong enough to be the Dominant. This leads Clive to be somewhat obsessive with his duty as the First Shield, very much like Jon Snow’s honour-bound duties.

 

His brother Joshua, on the other hand, is weak and a target of assassination attempts, almost like Bran Stark. He is also the destined ruler of their kingdom, a fact that is not lost on their father Elwin, who claims that he is merely warming the seat for Joshua’s ascension.

Beyond their roles to serve their kingdom, the pair do care for each other; Clive is adamant about protecting Joshua, while the younger brother faces difficult tests harbouring the massive powers of the Phoenix within him. This all comes to a head at the end of the demo when Clive turns into Irfrit and battles Joshua in his Phoenix form.

Swift Blades

 

One of the more exciting parts of this demo is getting to try the Devil May Cry-inspired battle system, which is much more fast-paced than Final Fantasy XV and Final Fantasy VII Remake. Clive does things solo for the most part, and party members act independently when they do make an appearance.

Clive is fast and has access to magic from the get-go, as well as special Eikon abilities based on summon monsters. Players can upgrade his abilities through a skill tree upon levelling up, which happens a handful of times in this demo.

 

There is no open world here in Final Fantasy XVI, as it is split into more traditional levels, at least in this demo. Maybe more open areas will be available later on, but for now, it does seem like a step back from Final Fantasy XV.

Joshua is also playable in certain sections, both in his human and Phoenix forms. Meek but armed with powerful magic, using him feels like the moment players gain access to Mickey Mouse in the Kingdom Hearts games, which is a great feeling and we hope for more.

Trial By Fire

 

The Game of Thrones inspiration also goes with the tone and dialogue of the cutscenes, with expletives, gore, and sexual implications being apparent throughout. This is normal for Western games like Dragon Age and The Witcher, and this is a new frontier for JRPGs for sure.

There are a few scenes where characters are just making out, sometimes in the middle of a war. Blood and swearing are also everywhere, way more than in Final Fantasy VII Remake and Strangers of Paradise Final Fantasy Origins.

 

Completing this prologue allows players to experience a special battle mode, which has numerous abilities and enemy variants unlocked. This gives players a taste of the battle system as a whole, complete with additional Eikon abilities to play around with.

All in all, we’ll see how the main game unfolds soon, but for now, the visuals and battles are spectacular and a true highlight of the experience. It’s definitely a different flavour for Final Fantasy and it remains to be seen whether this new direction will make or break the experience.

Final Fantasy XVI will be available for the PlayStation 5 on June 22, 2023.