Square Enix releases a newFinal Fantasy 16promo art at the officialFinal Fantasy 14Mahjong Tournament, one embracing the pixel roots the franchise is known for. It’s clearly for promotional purposes and to urge folks to pre-orderFinal Fantasy 16, but that doesn’t make it any less nostalgic or awesome to see a pixelated Clive and Torgal.Final Fantasy 16is set to release in a few months, meaning fans can expect Square Enix to market it more and more as it gets closer. Snippets of gameplay and story have been shown so far, but there are still plenty of questions. All players really know is that the protagonist, Clive, is on a journey of vengeance that seemingly stretches across three decades of his life. Theworld of Valistheais at war over the Eikons, while a Blight stretches across the land, and Clive is some chosen one at the heart of it all.RELATED:Final Fantasy 16 Will Be the First M-Rated Game in the Main SeriesThedarker story ofFinal Fantasy 16doesn’t necessarily lend itself to pixel graphics, but as seen below, Clive and his wolf companion Torgal transition quite well. They both look awesome with the pixel graphics and their darker designs contrast with the background well, while also showing a crystalized location in Valisthea (one of the first depictions of the world shown for the game) in the background. “Pre-order” now is the prominent messaging of the promo art.
Because of this, fans shouldn’t take this as a hint or tease of a pixel spin-off ofFinal Fantasy 16, at least not yet. Many may recall thepixel companion gameA King’s Tale: Final Fantasy 15which dropped shortly before the mainline game. In it, players took on the role of a young Regis (Noctis' father) and his friends Weskham, Cid, and Clarus on a journey through Duscae, not much unlike Noctis' own journey. This promo art is immediately reminiscent of that, especially in the side-scrolling running style, but fans shouldn’t expect anything like this based on this.
As aforementioned, it seems designed to drivepre-orders ofFinal Fantasy 16and its special editions. Depending on which players choose, a map of Valisthea, some in-game weapons, a pin collection, and a collector’s box are all made available in different versions. It stands to reason some folks may still be on the fence, which is definitely fair enough with pre-orders having a somewhat bad reputation, but hopefully more is shown about the JRPG in the coming weeks.
Final Fantasy 16will be released on July 02, 2025, for PS5.
