While Final Fantasy XVI is mostly linear in style, there are also 4 vast regions that players can explore freely. In these areas lurk powerful enemies called Notorious Marks. Since they are side content, doing battles against them is completely optional, but players who kill them will receive valuable rewards.
Each of these enemies has a rank indicating its strength. Of course, the higher the rank, the better the rewards. Notorious Marks can be found by exploring the game’s open areas normally, but you can also learn their location through the Hunt Board, which hero Clive can access in the Hideout area.
In our exclusive video, you can see two different fights of Notorious Mark. Grimalkin is a level 32 C-rank monster that looks a bit like a hyena or tiger. Before fighting him, you’ll have to take care of a group of Wild Nakks that seem to act as his henchmen. Grimalkin lunges at you with his ferocious claws, but while his attacks are powerful his movements aren’t easy to read. As long as you dodge and counterattack at the right time, it shouldn’t be too difficult to defeat Grimalkin.
Can’t say the same about Atlas, the second Notorious Mark enemy in the video. Atlas is a level 45 S-ranked enemy similar to the Iron Giant, one of Final Fantasy’s most iconic enemies. He wields a long-range sword and shoots projectiles that target the player from above. The ranged attack in which Atlas swings his sword sideways while firing a powerful beam is particularly powerful and difficult to dodge. In the video, you see the player using the Titanic Block Eikonic ability while fighting in close range combat, but will he be able to defeat him?
Final Fantasy XVI launches on PlayStation 5 on June 22nd. Be sure to check out our exclusive trailer for Liquid Flame’s battle gameplay, as well as our article on the game’s Eikonic Abilities, and a gameplay demo from the game’s two vaults.
