In an interview with Naoki Yoshida, Hiroshi Minagawa, and Michael Christopher, the Final Fantasy XVI producer reveals how he came up with the idea for Eikons (summons) in the PS5 JRPG.
There is less and less left to enjoy Final Fantasy XVI, one of the most anticipated games of 2023, and an exclusive that promises to turn the PS5 catalog upside down. Yesterday we shared our final impressions… and we already told you that it will be one of the GOTY 2023.
Final Fantasy XVI is a return to the roots of the saga. We abandoned the sci-fi theme to rediscover medieval fantasy, with elements taken from other franchises.
Naoki Yoshida, producer of Final Fantasy 16, does not tremble when it comes to recognizing his inspirations. The new installment of the saga takes elements from The Lord of the Rings, The Witcher or Game of Thronesalthough without falling into plagiarism.
That is why the new installment of PS5 offers a more adult story, with explicit violence, sex and more brutal combat than ever before. And the Eikons have a lot to do with this.
Invocations (Eikons) They were already in previous Final Fantasybut in Final Fantasy XVI we will see epic battles between these enormous creatures, as if it were Godzilla vs. Kong.
What is the origin of the Eikons?
Since invocations are not something new from Final Fantasy XVI, we might think that Naoki Yoshida incorporated this idea from previous games in the series. But the truth is that no.
While some aspects of the combat are based on Final Fantasy V (the story is inspired by a legendary Square Enix JRPG), the idea for the summons stems from Yoshi-P’s experience.
In an interview with The Gamer, the producer of Final Fantasy 16 talks about the concept of the Eikons, that occurred to him many years before beginning the development of this installment. To give you an idea, it was during the launch of Final Fantasy XIV, the MMO of the saga.
At Tokyo Game Show 2014, Yoshi-P was fed up with the crowds., since he had to go from one side of the pavilion to the other… and it was impossible for him. That’s when he had a GREAT idea.
”I look up and think Square Enix has giant floating chocobos and giant moogles. I look at that and think, “If I were that big, I could transform into an Eikon myself.” They would all see me, get scared and run away. I could take two steps and I’d be in the cockpit.”
Just pure Yoshi-P. It’s true, the idea of becoming an Eikon could be very profitable, although the producer assures that it would not hurt the fans of Final Fantasy.
“I thought it might be a good game idea: if you transform me into an Eikon, then you can tell my story, my Eikon’s story, and then you can learn about their struggles and what drives them.”
From this experience the concept of the Eikons would be born in Final Fantasy XVI. Far from being a monster or great creature, these invocations have their own motivations To combat.
In the interview, Yoshi-P also talks about the inspirations he took with Final Fantasy 16, as well as the meaning of the protagonist’s name (Clive) or Torgal the dog, inspired by The Last Remnant.
Final Fantasy XVI is one of the big releases this year. Will be available starting June 22 as a PS5 exclusiveand we already anticipate that it will be a tough rival for Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and other titles, in the fight for GOTY 2023.
