Final Fantasy 16 joins a small group of games that are new generation-only, and will be a timed exclusive for the PS5 at launch. But the reason for it not being cross-generation isn’t just down to its impressive graphics; its combat system relies on the memory and transfer speed of the PS5 system.
At a recent hands-on session we discovered that Final Fantasy 16’s boss battles seamlessly blend between player-controlled combat and cinematic cutscenes. To create this blend with no load screens or fade-to-black moments, the development team at Square Enix has relied on the power of the PS5.
“While you’re battling Ifrit and Garuda and having that big battle [in the hands-on demo], in the background, the PS5 is loading the next scene,” explained producer Naoki Yoshida. “It’s getting ready, so we can seamlessly move into it.”
Combat director Ryoto Suzuki elaborated further. “You are graphically representing the fists and the claws and the wings [of the Eikon abilities] and all in real time and all in these beautiful graphics and having all of these different options,” he said. “But to be able to do all of those seamlessly without any low times is possible because of the power of the PlayStation 5.”
“If we didn’t have the memory that the PlayStation 5 has, and also the transfer speed of the SSD that the PlayStation 5 has, we would still be in development right now,” he added.
For more about Final Fantasy 16, read our stories about how it uses accessibility items rather than difficulty levels, as well as how its world map works. You can also read Yoshida’s comments on Final Fantasy 16’s approach to the diversity of its characters and cultures.
Matt Purslow is IGN’s UK News and Features Editor.
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