How anime helped 'Final Fantasy XVI' get the franchise’s groove back

The makers of 'Final Fantasy XVI', Sony's latest exclusive for the PlayStation 5, say their goal was to avoid breaking the immersion between cinematic cutscenes and gameplay for a more seamless experience. — Photos: Square Enix/dpa

SAN FRANCISCO: At one point in its history, “Final Fantasy” was the pinnacle of video game storytelling and graphics. Each title pushed the limits of the hardware and delivered a satisfying tale full of epic adventure, heartbreaking moments and stunning surprises.

Square Enix lost its mojo around the PlayStation 3 era. That’s when the hardware managed to push out visuals that could handle developers’ imagination. Suddenly, it took much more to impress players than fancy computer graphic sequences or the summoning of the Knights of the Round.