Summary
Square-Enix has officially acknowledged a recently discovered bug revolving aroundFinal Fantasy 16’s New Game+ mode, resulting in a soft lock that does not allow players to progress. The launch of the newest main-series entry in the long-running RPG franchise last summer came with critical acclaim, lauded at the time as one of the best RPGs of 2023.Final Fantasy 16received a nominationfor “Best Role-Playing Game” at the 2023 Game Awards, and won the award for “Best Score and Music” during the show. Now, a new bug is plaguing fans' new playthroughs of the game.
Players can first unlockFinal Fantasy 16’s New Game+ mode after completing the game’s story for the first time, offering fresh incentives for starting another run. New Game+ allows players to carry over their characters' statistics and equipment into their next playthrough of the game. New Game+ also offers players the “Final Fantasy” difficulty forFinal Fantasy 16, boasting stronger enemies to challenge and rearranged appearances of the game’s foes. However, a major bug is now serving as a major hindrance to freshly started New Game+ runs.
As reported by PushSquare, Square-Enix recently acknowledged a significant bug withFinal Fantasy 16’s New Game+ mode from its official social media. According to Square-Enix, the bug can occur when players skip the in-game Prologue, causing a small chance of party members not being properly added. The bug will prevent players from continuingFinal Fantasy 16’s fourth main quest, “A Chance Encounter,” locking fans from progressing in the game. Square-Enix did confirm the development team is already working on pushing out a fix for the bug.
Square-Enix Acknowledges Final Fantasy 16 New Game+ Bug
Square-Enix also provided several temporary workarounds for players experiencing the bug withinFinal Fantasy 16’s New Game+ challenge. The developer suggested that players should load the save data used to start a New Game+ run and travel to a different location onFinal Fantasy 16’s world map. Starting New Game+ with the new save file, Square-Enix also advised that players should not skip the Prologue, in order to avoid encountering the bug before a patch is made available. Square-Enix did not give a time frame for when a hotfix toFinal Fantasy 16would be available.
While the newly discovered bug is hindering some players' experiences withFinal Fantasy 16, Square-Enix has regularly updated the RPG with new content.Final Fantasy 16has already seen two story-focused DLC packages release, withTheRising Tidedebuting earlier this month.Final Fantasy 16also saw crossover content based on the game added toFinal Fantasy 14, includingFinal Fantasy 16’s Ifrit as a boss within the MMORPG. Square-Enix will look to address the New Game+ bug quickly, so that more players can enjoy their newest adventures in Valisthea.
Final Fantasy 16
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An epic dark fantasy world where the fate of the land is decided by the mighty Eikons and the Dominants who wield them.This is the tale of Clive Rosfield, a warrior granted the title “First Shield of Rosaria” and sworn to protect his younger brother Joshua, the dominant of the Phoenix. Before long, Clive will be caught up in a great tragedy and swear revenge on the Dark Eikon Ifrit, a mysterious entity that brings calamity in its wake.
