Tag: Final Fantasy
News Final Fantasy 16 Receives Permanent Price Cut on PS5 as Complete Edition Launches
Eikonic
This sort of flew under the radar over the weekend, but one of 2023's biggest PS5 titles has now been permanently lowered in price. Square Enix has announced that Final Fantasy 16, the latest entry in the long-running series, has had its PS Store price tag cut. It's gone from $69.99/£69.99 to $49.99/£49.99. This news comes alongside the...
News Final Fantasy 16's Outstanding Soundtrack Finally Available on Music Streaming Services
Fire
Following on from the game's recent PC release, Square Enix has unleashed the Final Fantasy 16 soundtrack on music streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music. The score's arrival has been a long time coming, with the action RPG having first launched for PS5 in June of last year. In our Final Fantasy 16 PS5 review, we...
Guide Final Fantasy 16: All Notorious Mark Hunts
All hunt locations, rewards, and combat tips
Looking for all Notorious Mark Hunts in Final Fantasy 16? These optional but always entertaining side activities see Clive track down and battles against some of the game's most dangerous warriors and creatures. In this Final Fantasy 16 guide, we'll be listing all Notorious Mark Hunts, complete with...
Guide Final Fantasy 16 Combat Tips: 13 Things I Wish I Knew Before Playing
Advice for beginners and advanced players
Looking for Final Fantasy 16 combat tips? In this Final Fantasy 16 guide, we're going to detail 13 tips that should help everyone get better at the game, regardless of whether you're a total beginner or someone who's looking to explore more advanced techniques. Without further ado, here are our Final...
Guide Final Fantasy 16 Difficulty: Difficulty Settings and How to Change Them
Timely accessories and hard mode explained
Looking for info on difficulty settings and how to change them in Final Fantasy 16? In this hopefully helpful Final Fantasy 16 guide, we'll explain how difficulty works, and how it can be altered to suit your needs. Final Fantasy 16 Difficulty: Difficulty Settings and How to Change Them: Final Fantasy...
Guide Final Fantasy 16: Best Equipment and How to Get It
Best sword, armor, and accessories
What's the best equipment in Final Fantasy 16? By the end of the game, there are specific pieces of equipment that are simply better than everything else. This applies to Clive's sword, belt, and vambraces. Accessories are a little more subjective, but we've still got some key recommendations as to which...
News Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Huge PS5 Pro Enhancements Are a 'Vast Improvement'
A meaningful upgrade at 60fps
Here come the early tech evaluations, then: according to the experts at Digital Foundry, based on several minutes of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth footage running on the PS5 Pro, the upgrade is a “night and day” difference. We’ve already heard murmurs about the improvements to this game in particular, which will run at...
News PS5 Exclusives Final Fantasy 16, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Failed to Meet Expectations
Expect future entries to be multiformat
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will be competing for the top accolades when it comes to Game of the Year this Christmas, but Square Enix isn’t happy with how it’s performed. In fact, the Japanese publisher’s two big PS5 exclusives, also including Final Fantasy 16, have failed to “meet expectations”...
News Final Fantasy 16 Is F**cked and PS5's New Firmware Is to Blame
Square Enix investigating
Final Fantasy 16 has been suffering from some unexpected bugs on the PS5 this past week, and it’s beginning to look like the system’s recent firmware update is to blame. Players have reported everything from graphical glitches to crashes in the console exclusive – none of which occurred prior to last week’s system...
News Yoshi-P Pleads for Modder Restraint Ahead of Final Fantasy 16 PC Launch
"Please don't make or install anything like that"
With its lengthy period of PS5 exclusivity now at a close, Final Fantasy XVI producer Naoki "Yoshi-P" Yoshida is concerned about the inevitable debauchery that will follow once the PC modding community gets its grasping paws on the game (available today, 17th September). Yoshida doesn't want to see...
News Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth 'Hugely Improved' on PS5 Pro, a 'Night and Day' Difference
Superior to fidelity mode at 60fps
We’ve already heard from CNET about how much better Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth looks on the PS5 Pro, but don’t just take their word for it: Digital Foundry’s John Linneman has chipped in on X (or
News 25 Years Ago, Square Released the Best Final Fantasy Game
Revisionist history
A quarter of a century ago today, in 1999, Final Fantasy VIII was released in North America on PS1, and millions of players were introduced to the trials and tribulations of Squall, his mercenary comrades, and various sorceresses for the first time. Contrary to popular opinion and later revisionist history, it was warmly received...
News Final Fantasy 16 Was Temporarily Free on PS Plus Extra, Premium
Reports of downloads from PS Plus members
Update (30th August, 9am): The glitch in question has now been fixed overnight, returning a price point to Final Fantasy XVI on Sony’s digital marketplace. Original article: PS Plus Extra and PS Plus Premium subscribers have in the pa
News Coveted, One-of-a-Kind Final Fantasy 7 LEGO Set Sold for a Ridiculous Sum
Heist time
In January, Square Enix asked fans to vote on a scene from the legendary Final Fantasy VII to be transformed into LEGO form, and the iconic Sector 5 Slums Church, where Cloud fatefully encounters Aerith for the first time, won in a landslide. As far as we are aware, only two sets have ever been made: One is kept in a sealed vault inside...
News Expect New, Stronger Tifa in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Sequel, Says Director
Improving on perfection
Almost universally acknowledged as the best party member, it seems Final Fantasy VII's actual star, Tifa Lockhart, will get even more of the spotlight in the as-yet-unnamed sequel to Rebirth and the conclusion of the Remake trilogy (we still tear our hair thinking about how Square Enix squandered the opportunity to call it...
News Square Enix Has Got Fans Talking About a Final Fantasy 13 Remake, Not a Remaster
Lightning strikes
Whether you're a lover or a hater of the incredibly divisive Final Fantasy 13 trilogy, you've got to wonder why Square Enix has never remastered the whole thing and bundled the games together for modern consoles. Fans have been asking after a trilogy collection for years, but the three titles remain trapped on the PS3 to this day...
News Final Fantasy Pixel Collection Getting Physical Anniversary Reprint on PS4
Save it for a rainy day
There is something undeniably comforting about Square Enix's Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster collection, which preserves the first six entries in the legendary series on PS4. You can take further comfort in the upcoming physical Anniversary Edition; tangible copies were quite limited initially and are getting a reprint, ensuring...
News Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth PS5 Sales Still a Secret as Square Enix Reports Year-on-Year Decline
Final Fantasy 14 is still a monster, though
Square Enix has released its latest earnings report, and unfortunately, those still wating on official sales numbers for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will be left disappointed. The sequel's commercial success remains shrouded in mystery while the publisher reveals a year-on-year decline for game sales over the...
News Queen's Blood Confirmed for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Sequel, CCG to Be Expanded
Draw
The fiendishly addictive collectable card game Queen's Blood, largely responsible for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth's incredible runtime (probably), will return in expanded form in the as-yet-unnamed sequel and conclusion to the Remake trilogy. That confirmation comes from the producer, Naoki Hamaguchi, who revealed the happy news at Otakon 2024,...
News Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail Puts Up Biggest Player Numbers Since A Realm Reborn
An MMO Rennaissance
The future seems incredibly bright for Final Fantasy XIV. Dawntrail hype caused a record number of players to swarm back to the game, with Square Enix boasting its most significant player count since its 2013 relaunch, A Realm Reborn. Spotted by IGN, director Naoki Yoshida thanked players for their continued support in a
News Final Fantasy Creator Finished with the Series, Sees Himself as a Player
The Final Fantasy
Hironobu Sakaguchi, the storied developer and "Father of Final Fantasy," has no interest in returning to work on the series he helped make a household name. He also does not want to know how games in the franchise are made now, feeling that it would impact his enjoyment of playing future entries. Speaking to Bloomberg's Jason...
News Final Fantasy 14's In-Universe Tural Tourism Board Invites You to Take a Tropical Holiday
To the New Zealand of Eorzea
Final Fantasy XIV's eagerly-anticipated next expansion, Dawntrail, is almost upon us (launching 2nd July), and it could be the relaxing tropical holiday from reality you need. In a shockingly involved bit of marketing, Square Enix has whipped up an in-universe travel website that extolls the virtues of Tural, even roping...
Poll One Year Later, What Are Your Thoughts on Final Fantasy 16?
Don't Cid yourself
One year ago today, on the 22nd June 2023, the latest mainline instalment in the Final Fantasy franchise was released on PS5. Final Fantasy 16 is perhaps the furthest that Square Enix's mainline series has ever strayed from its traditional formula, going full action RPG, complete with Devil May Cry-esque combat. But its bold new...
News Fed Up with Square Enix, Final Fantasy 14's Healers Are Going on Strike
#FFXIVHEALERSTRIKE
Final Fantasy XIV's eagerly-anticipated expansion is on the horizon, with Dawntrail going live on 2nd July. However, not all players are happy with the game's direction (mechanically speaking). After a high-profile and public snubbing, it seems the long-suffering members of the healing community have finally had enough and are...
News Final Fantasy Tactics Remaster Is Reportedly 'Real and Happening'
Hope springs eternal
In this era of unreliable leaks and the rise of shadowy "insider" culture, it's nice to hear frankly unbelievable news from a trusted source. The rumoured remaster of Square's pre-Enix epic, Final Fantasy Tactics, has been the subject of much speculation for many years, but its reportedly "real and happening." That's according...
News Final Fantasy 9 Remake Is Almost Certainly Real as Another Database Leak Appears
Tetra Mastered
We've been humming and harring over the supposed Final Fantasy 9 remake for a long time now, wondering whether it's really happening. But it's getting harder and harder to ignore the evidence, with this latest leak all but confirming that the project exists in some capacity. The recent launch of EpicDB, a website that tracks the...
News Yoshi-P Tempts Fate, Says 'Almost No Chance' of Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail Server Woes
"We should be good in terms of preparation"
Final Fantasy XIV producer and director Naoki Yoshida is so confident in the MMO's stability that he's tempted fate by stating there's "almost no chance" of server congestion on Dawntrail's launch day, 2nd July. That's some tough talk, considering the
News Final Fantasy 16 Patch 1.33 Makes Us Think the Frame Rate Will Never Be Fixed on PS5
One for PS5 Pro
A new update for Final Fantasy 16 has landed, and to say it's minor would probably be an understatement. Patch 1.33 adds colour-coding to custom controller layouts in order to "improve visibility", and it fixes some very specific issues that most players won't even know exist. While it's nice that the action RPG is still being...
News Newest Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Patch 1.040 Applies Some Quick Fixes
Get all the patch notes here
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has taken a simple update on PS5 today to fix some bugs and clear up game stability. It's now available to download, and applies the following changes: Fixes to bugs that would very occasionally prevent game progress under specific conditions. Fixes that allow the player to acquire photo...
News Square Enix Layoffs Underway in US and Europe as Restructure Begins
The hits just keep on coming
With the industry in a crisis and Square Enix's marquee titles Final Fantasy XVI and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth failing to meet sales expectations, the storied publisher/developer is restructuring to " aggressively" pursue a multiplatform strategy. Sadly, this will necessitat
News Final Fantasy 16, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Fail to Meet Expectations on PS5
Foamstars also not setting the world alight
Square Enix announced earlier this week that it will aggressively pursue a more multiformat-focused strategy, after its big PS5 console exclusives failed to meet expectations. According to Bloomberg journalist Takashi Mochizuki, sales of Final Fantasy 16 did open in line with the company’s targets –...
News Final Fantasy 14 Servers Suffer Sustained DDoS Attacks, Square Enix Investigating
Login, connection issues persist
Square Enix's ever-popular MMO, Final Fantasy XIV, is currently experiencing a sustained DDoS (distributed denial-of-service) assault. The publisher/developer has warned its millions of invested players to expect login and connection issues until they are successfully repelled. In a blog post, Squeenix revealed that...
Poll What Do You Think of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Ending?
Materia desires
Spoiler Warning: Naturally, this article contains major story spoilers for both the original Final Fantasy 7 and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. It's been over two months since the release of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and so we think it's about time to try and discuss the game's ending. With Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Square Enix made it clear...
Feature Final Fantasy 16 Expansion Pass Review: Is It Worth Buying?
Final Fantasy 16's DLC offering reviewed
Final Fantasy 16 released on the 22nd June 2023, offering up an action-heavy RPG that greatly deviates from the more traditional blueprints of past Final Fantasy titles. Initially, Square Enix had no plans to expand the game with DLC, but several months after its launch, in September 2023, the publisher...
News Final Fantasy 16 New Game+ Glitch to Be Fixed in PS5 Patch Next Week
Trophy fixes included too
Square Enix has revealed the bugs stopping Final Fantasy XVI players from starting New Game+ and unlocking specific Trophies will be fixed in a PS5 patch slated to arrive at the end of next week. When beginning a second playthrough and deciding to skip the prologue, some users are not seeing essential party members spawn,...
News Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Sales Remain Muted in the USA, Compared to Past Games
Reportedly well behind Remake
There's been a lot of discussion surrounding the commercial success of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. The PS5 exclusive launched on the 29th February, but despite garnering near universal acclaim from critics, questions were quickly raised regarding sales numbers, with Square Enix yet to provide any official statistics (which...
News Final Fantasy 16 New Game+ Bug Preventing Progress, Square Enix Offers Temporary Fix
Just when you thought it was safe to start over
Square Enix has warned Final Fantasy XVI players that it's aware of a potentially progress-impeding bug, specifically affecting players trying to boot up a New Game+ run. The good news is that the developer is prioritising a fix and will push out a patch once a resolution is found. On
News Naoki Yoshida Says Final Fantasy 14 Update Will Fix Dawntrail's Dead, 'Lifeless Eyes'
Like mirrors to the soul
Last week, Square Enix unveiled the official PC benchmark and accompanying trailer for the upcoming Final Fantasy XIV expansion, Dawntrail. The trailer gave fans glimpses of new in-game areas, enemies, and combat upgrades. While that all went over rather well, the game's decade-old character creation engine is drawing ire...
Poll Are You Playing Final Fantasy 16: The Rising Tide?
Making waves
The second and final expansion for Final Fantasy 16, titled The Rising Tide, is out now on PS5 — and if you can believe it, we're fast approaching the base game's first anniversary. But such a realisation has made us wonder... Are you returning to Final Fantasy 16 in order to play through this new DLC? Or could it be that the...
Patch notes are huge
Update: Final Fantasy 16 update 1.31 is available to download now on PS5, ahead of The Rising Tide's release on the 18th April. It weighs in at 2.8GB, and you can read the full patch notes below, in the original article. Original Story: Square Enix has published the patch notes for Final Fantasy 16's next update, which is set...
High tide
Final Fantasy 16 was one of our favourite games of 2023, and so we wanted to find out more about The Rising Tide — the title's second and final expansion — ahead of its release on the 18th April. Fortunately, we were lucky enough to land an interview with Takeo Kujiraoka — the veteran Square Enix dev who's actually the director of...
News Final Fantasy 16: The Rising Tide DLC Is Designed to Be More Challenging
Forged in flames
The Rising Tide, the second and final expansion for Final Fantasy 16, is set to feature some of the game's most challenging combat scenarios. That's according to DLC director (and a lead combat designer for the base game) Takeo Kujiraoka, who, in an interview with
News Final Fantasy 16 Successfully Expanded the Series to New, Younger Players, Says Square Enix
Hot topic
Final Fantasy is a long running series at this point — it's easily one of the most storied franchises in gaming. But when you're up to the sixteenth mainline entry, you must start wondering whether fresh installments still have the power to pull new players in. Indeed, audience growth will be an important metric for the suits upstairs at...
News Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Rage-Inducing Retry Wording Has Been Quietly Re-Worked
It's at least slightly clearer now
For all the positive things players have to say about Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, one aspect of the game which we've seen nothing but ire directed towards is its confusingly worded retry screen, which players will be hit with in the event of a Game Over. Thankfully, this issue has been quietly addressed in the game's...
News Despite Hype, Analyst Says Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth 'Underperforming'
"It's selling about half of what Remake sold in the same timeframe"
Square Enix is a famously hard master to please, and eagle-eyed fans interested in industry analytics will have noted that despite launching over a month ago on 29th February, exclusively on PS5, hard sales figures for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth are yet to be released. Considering it...
News Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 Expected to Release Around 2027, Says Square Enix
Reunion
It's fairly common knowledge that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth enjoyed a relatively smooth development cycle, owing to the fact that Final Fantasy 7 Remake's team was largely kept intact, and the first game had obviously laid the foundations in terms of visuals and gameplay systems. It took Square Enix around three years to craft Rebirth, and it...
News Stellar Blade's Demo Had Way More Daily Active Players Than Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's
Nearly double at its peak
A recent analysis has revealed an interesting statistic about a pair of playable demos on PS5. According to Ampere, Stellar Blade's demo, at its peak, had almost twice the number of daily active players compared to the peak for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's demo. Apparently, the Korean action RPG's best day saw the demo accrue...
News £850 Final Fantasy Music Box Might Be the Most Extravagant Gaming Merch Ever
Rebirth soundtrack also out now
Square Enix recently announced the excellent soundtrack for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is now available on digital platforms. A physical CD set is also up for pre-order on the publisher's web store, including all 175 tracks from the recent RPG. That's all good, but it's the other musical merch Square Enix is pushing...
News Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Has Sold Around 2 Million Copies, PS5 Player Data Suggests
Supposedly behind Remake and 16
Unless a game is breaking records, it's quite rare that we get direct sales data from publishers — and Square Enix in particular is somewhat notorious for this. As such, interested parties usually have little choice but to try and determine commercial success through other means. One way to do this is to look at...
News Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Patch 1.030 Is the Platinum Trophy Fixer, Plus More
4.919GB download available now
Delivering on its promise to fix the glitch blocking the Platinum Trophy in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth from being unlocked, Square Enix has issued a PS5 update that fixes the Can't Stop Won't Stop side quest. Reports from users confirm the fix has been correctly applied, making the Platinum Trophy available once more...
