Hoping to control party members in Final Fantasy 16? Final Fantasy 16 has fans of the iconic franchise excited. With an extra focus on battle mechanics, making it the most action-oriented title in the series thus far, players are wondering if they'll be able to control more party members besides the main protagonist, Clive Rosfield.
The shift away from turn-based RPG isn't new for the Final Fantasy series, with Final Fantasy 15 and Final Fantasy 7 Remake both adopting more action-focused gameplay that fans enjoyed for the most part. So, what about Final Fantasy 16's battle system?
Can you control party members in FF16?
If you're looking to take control over Clive's companions in Final Fantasy 16, we've got bad news for you. Square Enix confirmed in an interview with IGN that the only fully playable character in the game will be the main protagonist. Yoshida stated:
"We didn't want to overwhelm users in our newest trailer, so we focused solely on Clive's battles. That said, for most of his journey, Clive will be accompanied by one or more companions. These companions will participate in battle, as well as trade banter with Clive. That said, the party members will be AI-driven so as to allow players to focus solely on controlling Clive," Yoshida explains.
It's understandable, considering how in-depth the battle system is while trying to mix and match all your Eikon abilities with Clive alone.
During the course of the game, you'll take control over other characters in special sections, but this won't be a regular thing in Final Fantasy 16. That being said, there will be one companion that players will be able to give commands throughout the game: Torgal.
Clive's loyal hound will join him for most of the Final Fantasy 16 story, with players able to use him as an assist (like a fighting game) or to do extra damage, and extend combos. Some of the commands you'll be able to give Torgal are:
- Directly attack enemies
- Recover Clive's HP
- An ability called Ravage, which lets Torgal pounce on enemies and launches light enemies into the air for an air combo potential
As you can see, despite not directly controlling all of Clive's party members in Final Fantasy 16, the combat system is so fleshed out that it might not bother a lot of fans looking to enjoy flashy, intense, battle mechanics.
For more content, check out our Final Fantasy 16 preview. We've also got a look at whether the game is coming to PlayStation 4, alongside a guide on how to save in Final Fantasy 16.