Final Fantasy XVI PS5 PlayStation

Final Fantasy XVI previews are out in the wild, and we think the next mainline entry in the legendary series is shaping up to be an absolute banger. There's a bunch of new information about the world of Valisthea floating about in the ether, but of particular interest were some comments made by director Hiroshi Takai and producer Naoki Yoshida, better known as Yoshi-P to all the Final Fantasy XIV fans out there.

During a roundtable discussion with the press, as relayed by IGN, it was revealed that the world of Final Fantasy XVI will consist of multiple maps, some smaller, others massive, with Takai noting that "we have - I think - four zones that are about two kilometers by two kilometers." You will return to each throughout the course of your adventure and to one in particular, The Hideaway, as it serves as a hub area for the player.

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Takai drops the bombshell that might cause long-time fans to wince, stating, "we didn't create any [hidden dungeons or maps] because we wanted players to focus more on the main scenario and not have this feeling that you have to go to this area and clear this area." It seems like Takai reconsiders this statement before adding, "however, there are areas that I guess players could consider dungeons. They're off the field, and you go deep down, but those are all connected in some way to the story. And they're all expertly crafted dungeons. We created these as great places, we want players to go there and so we're going to give reasons for players to go there. We didn't want to create something that most players may not even find.”

So the jury is kind of out on what exactly constitutes an optional dungeon, but Yoshida is quick to point out that "the one thing is that as you hear this answer and you're thinking, oh, and so there's not many places you can explore,” he said. “There are a lot of areas that you can explore. So don't worry about that.”

Look forward to discovering more about Final Fantasy XVI's side content in the coming weeks, as it seems we will learn much more in April. We also learned that a demo of the game will be available prior to launch.

Do Takai's comments make you nervous? It sounds like there will be dungeons to explore, the distinction being they are instead tied to the game's central quest line. Define the term "optional dungeon" and remember that Final Fantasy is constantly reinventing itself in the comments section below.

[source ign.com]