Final Fantasy 16 party system explained: How to control party members

Final Fantasy has always been a series that has unique characters you can add to your party, each with their own strengths, weaknesses, and abilities that can fit multiple playstyles, and Final Fantasy 16 is no different.

While in previous titles players would be able to take control of certain party members and even direct them in battle, at first glance it appears as though Final Fantasy 16 takes a different approach to the formula old-school fans might be accustomed to, even for those who might not be looking to pick up the game anytime soon.

After all, the game is more action orientated than an RPG this time around but if you hadn’t played a recent Final Fantasy entry, this might have come as a major surprise. But the question still looms. Are you able to control any of your allies or party members at all? Well, the answer to that question is a bit more complicated.

Can you control party members in FF16?

Of all the allies you come across throughout the game, only one party member can be controlled and honestly, you don’t really even ‘control’ them.

After getting through the first 5 hours, you’ll eventually gain the dog/wolf Torgal who will become an active member of your team. With Torgal, you have the option to control partial actions of what he does, so be sure to pet the good boy for his hard work after each fight.

By pressing left on the D-Pad in battle, you can switch between your items or Torgal’s action bar. From here you will have a few options at your disposal. You can press up on the D-Pad to make Torgal attack your target, Right to cast Cure and regenerate your health, and Down to knock targets into the air.

Related: Final Fantasy 16 is so good, I quit the game halfway through

Outside of Torgal, all other party members are out of your control. You can’t have them do specific setups or attacks, direct them to do things, change their gear, or improve their level in any way. The only character you have direct control over is Clive.

This is the same with levels, as you can only level up Clive while your party does its own thing. While it might be a bummer for some, with how the story is crafted and how fights turn out, maybe it’s for the best you only have Clive to worry about over everyone else.