Final Fantasy 16’s Endgame: New Game+, Ultimaniac Mode, And More

During the Final Fantasy XVI trip for our cover story, I was able to play the game during a couple of hours. But I was also given an exclusive tour of FFXVI’s endgame and other supplementary content by creative director Hiroshi Takai and combat director Ryota Suzuki. 

It’s safe to say there’s plenty to play, especially if you enjoy chasing numbers in combat. 

FFXVI features an Arcade Mode, allowing players to run through stages they’ve already completed, this time with an on-screen score calculator and combat grader. But a New Game+ playthrough opens up two additional versions, and both are more difficult than the game’s base Story Mode and Action Mode difficulties. It’s important to note you can play through New Game+ on one of these base difficulties if you’d like, but you’re missing a lot of features intended for New Game+. If you’re after treasures you missed or PlayStation Trophies you didn’t collect, Stage Replay might suit your needs better. And if you’re after some combat training or a speedy, destructive action fix, there’s a special training mode, accessible through a statuesque Arete Stone within Clive’s main hub. 

Final Fantasy Mode is the most exciting part of New Game+. It allows you to play FFXVI immediately with your unlocked skills and equipment. This increases the game’s difficulty, changes monster placement, and remixes which enemies might appear in combat. 

“The main design philosophy is that the first playthrough is about learning Clive, learning the controls, and then enjoying the story,” Suzuki says. “The second playthrough, we want to shift that focus – because the story hasn’t changed – to the action. For example, in Story Mode, while players may encounter waves of enemies, a lot of times, enemies don’t attack at once to allow players to be able to handle everything. We have now removed the limitations in the more difficult modes so you can have several enemies attacking Clive simultaneously.

“Basically, what we’ve done with [Final Fantasy] Mode is give players controlling Clive the sense that they’re always in danger, that death is around the corner, and that you’ll need to really, really pay attention to be able to clear the content.” 

By interacting with Arete Stones in your hideaways during a Final Fantasy Mode: New Game+ gameplay, you will be able to complete Final Fantasy Mode difficulties in Arcade Mode, or an even harder variant known as Ultimaniac Mode. Arcade Mode’s global leaderboards will only be active in these two modes. 

“[These modes were] pretty much created solely for the hardcore players, those players that pride themselves on their skills in action games,” Suzuki says, noting that the only exclusive reward players can earn from these modes is pride. “[It’s] a challenge that, even for them, is going to be very difficult to complete.” 

Final Fantasy as well as Ultimaniac are only two features you will find in New Game+’s more difficult run. You can also upgrade weapons beyond the initial playthrough with New Game+. New Game+ also allows for the upgrade of accessories. This was previously only available in Final Fantasy Mode. You’ll also gain access to the Final Chronolith Trials, or if you’re not in Final Fantasy Mode, just Chronolith Trials. 

Takai states that the trials in FFXVI are difficult. These trials are divided into multiple stages each with four enemy rounds. First three waves are standard wave monsters that get harder with each level. In the fourth round you will face a boss. Chronolith Trails are also time challenges, with each stage containing a number of combos and objectives that can be performed to earn more time. However, pulling these off won’t be easy because there’s no healing in these trials, save for recovery that immediately begins after activating any Limit Break move. 

Each Chronolith trial is based upon an Eikon. I watch Takai and Suzuki play through Phoenix’s Trial by Fire. In it, you only have access to Phoenix’s Eikonic abilities, forcing you to play much differently than you might outside these trials, where you can mix and match Eikonic abilities on the fly. The Chronolith trials also have a leaderboard, but it is only available in Final Fantasy Mode. As you play through the game, you’ll find stones similar in appearance to the Arete Stone, and interacting with these unlocks Chronolith Trials for you to complete. 

I can’t go hands-on with any of this endgame content, but what I watch Takai and Suzuki play is blisteringly chaotic, fast-paced, and sure to bring the challenge fans of Devil May Cry might expect, as Suzuki also helped design combat in Devil May Cry V for Capcom. 

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