It’s no surprise that Square Enix’s beloved Final Fantasy series is a household name in the gaming community, and so the excitement was palpable when the sixteenth installment in the franchise hit store shelves in mid-June. With a combat system reminiscent of Devil May Cry and a setting inspired by Game of Thrones, Final Fantasy 16 combined the best of both worlds. If you played the FFXVI demo, chances are you’re already sold on the game. However, if you’re not and still have some doubts, check out our non-spoiler review of Final Fantasy 16.

So the question that comes to every player’s mind is, “Should you play other Final Fantasy games before starting this one?” To keep it short, the answer is no. You don’t have to play any previous Final Fantasy game before getting FF16. The game is a standalone game, meaning that everything is brand new in the world, characters, and storyline itself. However, for those who want to learn the terminology of Final Fantasy or the story, Square Enix has added a wonderful feature called Active Time Lore.

The Active Time Lore (ATL) system is one of the most remarkable features ever seen in a game.

Introduced in FF16, Active Time Lore helps players understand concepts that are most relevant to the current storyline in the game. So if players missed an idea that Clive and his group were discussing in a recent cutscene, all they need to do is open the ATL. This will open a written text summary, helping players stay up to date on the current FF16 plot.