Final Fantasy 16 received a descent amount of new information during PAX East 2023. Naturally, after the basic presentation, the developer wanted to address fans’ “burning questions”. One of the questions asked was whether all the battle cutscenes in the game will be QTE (quick time events).
In action games, developers generally use QTEs in boss battles for different purposes however, some fans don’t really like them. However, in case of Final Fantasy 16, not all battle cutscenes will be boss battles. Game producer Naoki Yoshida shared why they have to include those QTEs in certain boss battle.
According to the Game Producer, the boss battles in Final Fantasy 16 are split into multiple phases. And when the phase shifts, it changes different aspects of the game. So for a seamless transition, which otherwise would not have possible without a loading screen, they use these QTEs to keep the players engaged. It seems to be a better choice than just playing a cutscene with no players involvement.
The good news is that while those QTEs will have some role in how the next phase turns out, they will never be a cause of Game Over. So basically, it’s all about keeping players part of the action.
Personally, I think that QTEs aren’t a bad thing if done right. We have seen them in so many games and it could be good for Final Fantasy 16 as well. Final Fantasy 16 is scheduled to release on June 22, for PC and PlayStation 5. The game is going to be PS5 console exclusive for atleast for 6 months. So an Xbox Series X|S release will happen after 6 months exclusive period.