There positive have been a number of low factors for Closing Fantasy as a collection for the reason that halcyon days of the PS1 Closing Fantasy period. As quickly as FF12 was out the door, the collection started to stumble – weighed down by its personal legacy, so determined to reinvent and re-establish its place as an business chief that it regularly made guarantees it couldn’t hold.
This pre-adolescent identification disaster manifested most clearly within the Closing Fantasy 13 trilogy, the place Sq. Enix tried its damnedest to develop a recreation worthy of the collection’ title, however got here up in opposition to drawback after drawback after drawback – all underlined by the Crystal Instruments engine, an incomplete and inefficient platform that hobbled each Closing Fantasy 13, and the doomed preliminary launch of Closing Fantasy 14, too.
Rumor has it that a lot money and time was spent on making this engine work that Sq. Enix determined it wanted to extract as a lot juice from Crystal Instruments because it may as soon as it was (lastly) up and working. Therefore, the Closing Fantasy 13 trilogy was born. The entire thing was a little bit of a farce, culminating in Closing Fantasy 13: Lightning Returns – a recreation developed in 18 months with a genuinely good battle system on the coronary heart of it, however little else to put in writing house about exterior of that.
The sport was one thing of a dichotomy; on one aspect you had lush environments, unbelievable pre-rendered cutscenes, and methods that appear to be actively apologising for the duology of video games that got here earlier than. On the opposite aspect, you’ve got… this canine. The results of making an engine not designed for open world gameplay do… open world gameplay. This canine wasn’t just a few background asset that was solely humorous when you bought shut sufficient to essentially interrogate it, just like the cheering crowds in racing video games. No. This canine took centre stage. It might be present in a hub. There was an entire quest revolving round it.
This little PS1-style pooch was a central asset in Lightning Returns, and have become one thing of a lightning rod (no pun meant) for the standard of the sport as an entire. On this one canine creature, the rushed growth and obvious lack of look after Sq. Enix’s prized franchise was lionised. Poor little man.
So, why the historical past lesson? Effectively, as a result of Closing Fantasy 16 additionally has a low-poly canine. The beagle has landed, once more. However, in comparison with Lightning Returns, this low-poly pooch appears to be like a rattling sight higher – and represents simply how far the corporate has come, actually. As a substitute of being a PS1-looking canine in a PS3 recreation, our barking pal in FF16 appears to be like extra like a PS4 canine in a PS5 recreation. That’s an enchancment of three complete console generations!
This new canine – a extra throwaway asset than the one in Lightning Returns – suits into its world higher. Certain, it’s a much less curated creature than Torgal (beneath) however you solely see this flap-eared critter a few instances within the recreation; it’s not a companion you’ve got by your aspect all through. It doesn’t look misplaced, and it doesn’t break your immersion; as a lot care and a spotlight has been positioned on this canine because the grapes you come throughout earlier within the recreation.
Closing Fantasy 16 is definitely some of the polished and full video games we’ve seen at launch for some time. Higher but, it’s a technical showcase that basically outlines what this present technology can do. It’s an costly, well-executed instance of what massive funds video games can and needs to be doing in 2023.
And it’s becoming that just a little low-poly canine has the ability to indicate that off. Good boy.
Closing Fantasy 16 is out now on PS5, and can come to PC at a later date. In all probability. You possibly can learn our 4-star FF16 overview on the hyperlink.
