Final Fantasy XVI Fans Confused As RPG Shows Feature Weirdly

Final Fantasy XVI is coming out this summer, and Square Enix just dropped a new teaser for its gritty fantasy RPG. While showing us more previews of its real-time battle system, new wolf buddy and stills of its gorgeous landscapes, the publisher served fans a real gem: The walls that you’ll be forced to squeeze through during its 40 hour campaign.

Look at this beaut. This is the iconic stuff that I associate with Final Fantasy games: The riveting moments when I get to squeeze my character through a narrow crack in the rocks. Where else is more ideal for contemplating my own mortality than between two immovable stones? Just look at the protagonist Clive move so quickly in that narrow gap—an impressive display of his athletic prowess.

Okay, okay, I’ll stop now. But it is very goofy, and I’m not the only one who thinks so. Final Fantasy fans are also taken aback at being shown what is arguably the least fun part of modern action games. “God of War and Final Fantasy 7 Remake have traumatized me with the shimmy through small spaces,” tweeted one fan. “This is such an odd thing to share,” wrote another. “Like, FF16 is shaping up to be absolutely amazing and I’m pretty hyped for it but…Why would they show an official clip with a squeeze hole?!”

Here’s why: According to a machine translation of the tweet, the wolf dog Torgal functions as a guide for players who can’t figure out where to go on their own. Which is very helpful! It’s just also very funny that the official marketing account has chosen to demonstrate this on a wall crack, which is a highly contentious mechanic among some action gamers, especially as many assume that they are hidden loading screens. Some freaks like it. A lot of people don’t. Maybe Japanese players have a more neutral view of these wall cracks, but English-speaking fans are having a field day about them. Such are the wonders of the world wide web.