Sep 282020
Final Fantasy XVI wasn’t featured at TGS, but we did get a tiny handful of new details.
First, there is reason to believe Final Fantasy XVI might be rated M.
Emails sent out by Square Enix about Final Fantasy XVI in PAL regions display an age rating of PEGI 18.
(The email sent in North America just says “rating pending,” but a PEGI 18 rating would most likely mean an M rating from the ESRB.)
This is a provisional rating, so it doesn’t necessarily mean the final game will be rated M. If it is, though, it would be the only M-rated Final Fantasy game besides Type-0.
Now some people are jumping in joy that we’re “finally” getting an M-rated Final Fantasy, as if a higher rating is a sign of higher quality, which I disagree with. Other people are already mad that it will be edgy for the sake of edginess, which I don’t agree with either. People did wonder if certain parts of the Final Fantasy VII Remake (such as the trail of blood scene) were changed because the original couldn’t be done in realistic graphics while still keeping a T rating, so that might explain that.
Personally, I have mixed feelings. I’d certainly play it if it’s rated M, but it doesn’t feel necessary (and the number of people praising it as meaning the series has finally grown up is off-putting). On the other hand, we know from games like Dual Destinies that sometimes an M rating comes from unclear reasons.
Moving on from the provisional rating, there was a Final Fantasy XIV panel at TGS during which Yoshi-P commented briefly on Final Fantasy XVI.
He didn’t say much, but explained that the trailer used in-game footage rather than prerendered scenes to avoid “See you in 2035!” jokes from America (which they got anyway, by the way) and that the graphics aren’t finalized yet. He also confirmed that a Final Fantasy XVI teaser website will open up in October.
The website will only feature information about the world and characters, while the big information reveal is coming in 2021, but that still means we’ll know more about Final Fantasy XVI next month!
How do you feel about Final Fantasy XVI’s potential M rating, and what do you hope to learn from the teaser website?