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Final Fantasy 16 Producer Explains The Upcoming RPG's Mature Rating


Final Fantasy XVI is confirmed to be the first M-rated game in Square Enix's RPG series, and the producer of the highly-anticipated game has explained why the developers decided to take it to a darker direction.

Compared to its predecessors, Final Fantasy XVI is expected to have a more mature tone, and unlike Final Fantasy XV, it will instead focus on creating unique areas, on a focused level in multiple areas to give players a more global feeling while still giving them room to explore.

Final Fantasy XVI will also feature some unique battles that are reminiscent of "3D shooters" and pro wrestling, so there's a good variety of fresh experiences in players' gameplay.

During an interview with Gamespot, producer Naoki Yoshida explained why Square Enix was open to making Final Fantasy XVI a mature-rated RPG and discussed the game's darker themes. According to Yoshida, they didn't want to have the limitations of a T-rating, and Square Enix allowed the developers to really hone in on the story's more mature tone. Despite this approach, Yoshida has made it clear that FF 16's rating won't mean that they're going to be overly grotesque with violence and other extreme mature content.

"When trying to tell a story with difficult adult themes, these ratings can end up becoming somewhat of a hindrance. And you find yourself changing things that you wanted to do in the game based on that rating," explained Yoshida. "This time, to make sure that we could tell the story that we wanted in the way that we wanted to, we decided to pursue a mature rating in most of the regions that will be releasing the game."

You can watch the latest gameplay trailer for Final Fantasy XVI below:

Final Fantasy XVI is set tor release for the PlayStation 5 in Summer 2023.

Check out more details about the upcoming RPG in everything we know about Final Fantasy 16 so far.

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