Final Fantasy 16's pause menu didn't need to go this hard

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Well this is weirdly nice

Final Fantasy 16 PS5 screenshot
(Image credit: Square Enix)

Final Fantasy 16's menus are weirdly action-packed.

The Final Fantasy 16 demo went live earlier this week, just in case you'd somehow missed the announcement from Square Enix. Possibly at the peak of fan-led discoveries in the demo is that the pause menu will centre the camera around protagonist Clive, and then revolve around him as you tab through the menu options.

It's a weirdly cool feature. We say "weird" because this is one of those features that the vast majority of people just wouldn't have thought about until they were shown it in action like this, and how it almost feels like a superbly sublime part of Final Fantasy 16 that we can't tear our eyes away from.

It strangely feels like a DVD menu from a late-2000s action movie - panning around a character in various action-packed shots as you scroll down the menu options. Hey, some people have noted that Final Fantasy 16 has the heart and character of a PS2-era action game, and this is just fodder for those people.

Since the demo launched earlier this week, Final Fantasy 16 players have been head over heels with the prologue, banging on in awe of the combat, characters, and music in particular. If this demo is any indication of the final game, we might well be updating our list of the best Final Fantasy games later this month.

Final Fantasy 16 launches next week on June 22 as a PS5 exclusive. 

You can read our full Final Fantasy 16 preview for what we made of an extended section of the new game earlier this year, as well as comments from dev team leadership.

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Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.

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