Final Fantasy XVI confirmed last year that the game won’t be open-world and will instead have linear progression throughout most of the main scenario quests, akin to Pokémon Legends: Arceus where players progress from zone to zone.
After a few hands-on previews were released today, along with more information given by developers of the game in a meeting with the media, fans now have more of an idea of what exploring in Valesthia will be like. Director of Final Fantasy XVI Hiroshi Takai gave a more detailed description of what they can expect from the game.
According to Takai, there are four zones in the map that players can explore. Producer Naoki “Yoshi-P” Yoshida said the world map will have areas players can fast travel to in order to complete the quest there, and then players will be able to go back to a hub area called the Hideaway.
One of the features missing from Final Fantasy XVI that players are not so sure about is the optional side dungeons. There will be no hidden dungeons or areas on the map for players to discover, but Takai expressed this doesn’t mean there won’t be a ton to explore. He said there are areas that players might consider dungeons, but they’re all connected to the story.
“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,” Takai told press.
The idea might not sit well with many gamers who played and enjoyed Final Fantasy games in the past, where there is almost always hidden content for players to find around the map, but Yoshi-P stressed that there are plenty of areas to explore that aren’t hidden on the map. The expansive world may offer enough to scratch the itch for players who love to find hidden content, but they’ll have to wait until the game releases on June 22 to see.
