Final Fantasy 16 is finally confirmed now that publisher Square Enix officially announced the upcoming installment during the PlayStation 5 Showcase event a couple of weeks ago. At the moment, specific details about Final Fantasy 16 are still unknown, but it has been confirmed to be a timed-exclusive on the PS5 before heading to the PC thereafter (at least it seems).
In terms of what was seen in the trailer, it should be noted that it was captured from a PC, simulating a PS5, . Overall, the visuals look impressive, but not a giant leap from Final Fantasy 15. One interesting element that may have captured the interest of Final Fantasy fans is the upcoming game’s protagonist. Although the unnamed hero got plenty of screen time in Final Fantasy 16’s debut trailer, his exact personality remains a mystery. However, how does he compare to one of Final Fantasy’s most popular protagonists?
In the grand scheme of things, Final Fantasy 16’s protagonist protects the son of an Archduke, Joshua, or at least that seems to be the case. This makes him more directly comparable to Noctis’ Kingsguard (Gladio, Ignis, and Prompto) for their similar jobs than any mainline protagonist. In contrast, Final Fantasy 7’s Cloud Strife is a mere mercenary, who was a “member” of an elite warrior unit called SOLDIER, before turning to a more of a freelance hired-hand career. As such, the motifs and professions are pretty far apart.
Personality-wise, Cloud is uninterested in anything apart from the task at hand. However, as the story progressed, Cloud learned that there is more to being a hero than amassing great strength and fame, and he later developed compassion for the greater good, the planet, and the people he strives to protect. FF16‘s main protagonist hasn’t really had enough screentime to determine his personality one way or the other, but it should be noted that he seems more dutiful than Cloud.
Based on the trailer alone, it appears that Final Fantasy 16’s protagonist will be on the edgy, silent, and mysterious type, which those who have played Final Fantasy 7 would know is similar to Cloud’s persona. Of course, this exact personality that depicts protagonists as cold and uncaring at first has been a staple in most Final Fantasy games, and there is a possibility that Final Fantasy 16’s protagonist would go down a similar path.
At the moment, given that there is still very little information known about Final Fantasy 16, it is unclear whether the game’s protagonist will be unique from the rest of the franchise’s heroes and heroines. However, given that the game may still be in its early stages of development, there is also a lot of room for Square Enix to develop the personality of the game’s protagonist, especially if it wants Final Fantasy 16 to stand out from the rest.
Of course, it is worth noting that the trailer only showed the protagonist in action, given that the footage focused on the action-heavy combat to highlight the game’s epic action-adventure experience. Players still haven’t seen Final Fantasy 16’s protagonist in a calm environment, so there is still a possibility that he may not be the typical stoic hero that players have seen time and time again in previous Final Fantasy games.
In the end, the stereotypical uncaring and emotionless hero has been depicted in endless games throughout the history of the medium. Resident Evil has Chris Redfield, Prince of Persia has The Prince, and the list goes on. While those characters are definitely iconic in their own right, most players couldn’t really relate to them, given that in most cases especially in earlier games, the flaws that make them more human are not depicted in their stories. Hopefully, Final Fantasy 16’s protagonist would break out of this mold, by allowing players to control a character that is flawed, relatable, and more human than most protagonists in video games.
Final Fantasy 16 is in development for PS5 and PC.
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