Final Fantasy XVI

I will admit going into this that I may be fully biased. Final Fantasy is one of my favorite game series of all time with 10 being my favorite game. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed 16. The story, the combat, the music. All of it was a home run for me.

The combat director formerly worked on Devil May Cry 6 and it shows. It feels fluid and clean just like the former. It can feel simple yet as you progress and become more comfortable with it; you can pull of more complicated combos and weave together more powers. I found it a much more engaging solution to FF15's leave from the more original combat of Final Fantasy. Eikon battles are absolutely insane and truly take the game to a higher level. There are plenty of accessibility accessories you can equip that modify the combat to be easier. This is great for those either newly interested players or those that struggle with this gameplay.

The story is absolute dynamite. A fantastic cast comes together to bring this to life. Clive's actor definitely understood and added so much subtext to it all that came through. The relationships between all the characters as they progressed were wonderful to watch. Even comedic relief was incredibly well done and well timed. As always, the strongest suit of Final Fantasy is a story that engages you and makes you feel many emotions while playing. Simply a fantastic cast of characters.

Overall, some may be upset with the combat changes or diversion from the FF norm. Lots of reviews claiming that the game is too easy!! (While playing with every easy modifier). This is a Final Fantasy that anyone can truly get into and enjoy. As always, fantastic work to Square Enix, congratulations to the production and cast, and, finally, enjoy the journey.

I may have jumped to conclusions and reviewed the title too early. I will say however that it starts out eye gouging-like slow and generic. However, after more thorough and longer gameplay, it wasn't as bad as my last review had made it out to be.

Once you do open up the world a bit as you progress through the story, it does become rather enticing and "spacious." I am not used to the base infrastructure used in the FFXVI title, so it threw me off.

As I progressed the world opened up, and the story improved dramatically.

I am changing my rating from a six to an eight.

I do standby a lot of the negatives mentioned in my old review below.

Still not GOTY material.

8/10

------- OLD REVIEW BELOW -------

I am not impressed with the iconic titles being released lately. It all seems either like they're in experiment mode, or just becoming developmently lazy.

Seven hours in and the story is great so far, but it just doesn't seem like a main Final Fantasy entry.

1) No open World

This was mentioned in early development, but I didn't expect it to be this restricted. It seems like it's so linear that your items give you no joy when obtaining them. A lot of Final Fantasy games are based on discovery, with their witty activities and sidequests. Speaking of, the sidequests have absolutely no meaning or purposeful chain that affects anything in the story.

2) Leveling System

This leveling system is grossly generic. You have very little to actually level your character in, except one skill wheel with a handful of skills. Then, you have one for your nonhuman npcs and abilities, which is also generic.

I do not get the joy out of this Final Fantasy as I did previous ones. This game just comes off as flat out lazy to me.

If they would've combined somewhat of an openish world with this storyline, and implemented more Final Fantasy characteristics, this could've easily been GOTY material. I am disappointed.

I wanted to write this review on the eve of it's two-year anniversary. I was truly captivated by Final Fantasy XVI, particularly by its darker, more mature narrative. The story delves into complex themes of power, betrayal, and sacrifice, creating a gritty atmosphere that sets it apart from previous entries. For example, the intense scenes involving the political machinations and inner conflicts of the characters amplify this darker tone, making the story feel both compelling and emotionally charged.

The character development in the game mirrors elements from Game of Thrones, with deeply layered characters navigating morally ambiguous situations. Clive's transformation from a driven soldier to a more layered and conflicted hero is particularly admirable, reminiscent of the nuanced character arcs seen in the iconic series. The intricate relationships and betrayals further add to the realism and depth of the narrative.

Visually, the game is breathtaking. The attention to scenery and the action-packed graphics are nothing short of spectacular. Each environment feels alive and meticulously crafted-from the lush, vivid landscapes to the detailed cityscapes. The dynamic combat sequences are fluid and exhilarating, making every boss fight feel epic and immersive. The visuals truly elevate the gaming experience to a cinematic level.

The voice acting also deserves praise. The cast nailed their roles, bringing authenticity and emotion to every line. For instance, the lead's somber yet fierce delivery during pivotal moments added weight and engagement, pulling players deeper into the story.

I loved Final Fantasy XVI so much that I initially played it on my PS5, enjoying the base game, the DLC, and even trying out New Game+ to experience the story from a fresh perspective. Its immersive world and engaging gameplay left such an impression that I recently re-bought it on Steam just to stream it and share my philosophical input on the game's themes, characters, and narrative intricacies. It's rare for a game to inspire such a dual-layered experience for me.

However, the game isn't without its flaws. One area where it struggled was in the direction, likely affected by the studio's simultaneous development of two AAA titles. It sometimes felt like the game's pacing and narrative focus were compromised, with certain sequences feeling rushed or underdeveloped, hinting that the studio's priorities might have been split.

Overall, Final Fantasy XVI is a visually stunning, narratively rich, and emotionally resonant experience-despite some developmental challenges. It's a must-play for fans of darker stories and epic adventures.

I'll admit that I wasn't too excited for this one, mainly because the series had kind of lost it's way, and I feel that XV, while fun, was ultimately a step down from what made the series amazing. I was also a little worried when people said it wasn't going to be open world, I thought that was a bad idea. But then I actually played it, and in no uncertain terms, I was honestly blown away. I just misunderstood what people were saying earlier, it's technically an open world, just with a smaller one separated into more detailed sections, which I prefer to a big empty world. In a lot of ways, this is kind of a return to form for the series, definitely going for quality over quantity, even with a gameplay style somewhat reminiscent of Kingdom Hearts, which I thoroughly enjoy, it changes the formula while still bringing in some core features to the series. But what makes it even better is the story, they finally put more effort into all of that than the gameplay, the world building, the characters, even the progression, I can honestly say it's the best story in an FF game since X, and I'm not saying that ironically. There are genuinely parts I don't expect and a deeper tone to the whole thing.

My one gripe about it is the change to an M Rating, not just that, but the added violence and swearing, and to a lesser extent, sex. A lot of this can feel kind of out of place to a long time fan of Final Fantasy, and I honestly think they could've just as easily made it rated T. But ultimately, I'm not all that upset about it, because they don't just decide to fill it chock full of excessive swearing, sex, or overly gorey violence, they just put little bits of that in, and it still overall feels like an FF game with all the adventure, lore, and stakes in it. It doesn't try too hard to be dark and edgy, and keep in mind this isn't the first FF game to get an M Rating.

Overall, I think it is well worth your money, whether you're a fan of the series already or not, and I hope they maintain the direction of quality over quantity with future games, because one's like these prove that the series is not yet past it's prime.

Final Fantasy XVI is a perfect game. The story is well written and thought out, compelling, invokes emotion, and knows when to add humour that will not take away from the tone.

You are immeditately thrusted into the combat so you can feel the sense of what the game is all about from the word "go". All of the characters are either relatable, sympathetic, or hated in some way.

The dialogue is well written, and the voice acting carries the weight very well.

The combat is amazing, it is easy to pick up if you're a new player while also adding a challenge for those experienced in action games, and the eikon kaiju battles were nothing short of epic in different ways.

XVI leaves no loose ends except for the questions it did not answer. You can pet the dog.

The graphics and visuals are absolutely gorgeous, and even though we are not able to touch the water this game hands down has the best water physics out of any game I have seen.

XVI likes to throw cliches at you only to completely subvert your expectation because it knows that you know what should happen, for example; the final boss is well established and doesn't get outshone by a surprise villain irrelevent to the established plot.

And finally, even though there are some moments where visuals frame drop or the characters move like they're in Final Fantast XIV it is completely outshone to the point that it is only a very minor issue that can be made at best.

It's perfect. Everything, down to the last minute details. 10/10 the best game ever made.