You never know what you’re gonna get with Final Fantasy. That’s part of why I love it. And part of why I hate it. You’ll either get one of the greatest video games of all time or you’ll get a trash heap. There really isn’t anything in-between.
Luckily for us, this is one of the former!
Final Fantasy XVI is wildly different from the other entries in the series. Whereas the series took a very anime turn after the PS2 era, XVI is more akin to a dark fantasy series like Game of Thrones. While it’s still an RPG, it leans far more heavily into the action game side of things. It’s still a Final Fantasy game through and through, one that takes the series in a whole new, really exciting direction!
Can’t wait for the inevitable storm of people complaining that ‘tHis ISn’T fiNaL FaNTaSy’. Because it wouldn’t be an FF game if the FF community actually liked it.
What are you looking at me like that for?
Our tale stars Clive Rosfield, First Shield to his brother, Joshua, prince of Rosaria and Dominant of the Phoenix. But when tragedy strikes and tears Clive’s family apart, he’s sent into a life of slavery and murder. After years of this, he’s set free by Cid, an outlaw aiming to end slavery and change the world order. Thus, Clive is pulled along for an adventure that will change the world forever.
Holy shit, no wonder the trailers were all so vague! Trying to talk about this story without spoiling anything is REALLY hard! You’ve really just got to play it and experience it.
In terms of lore and world-building, this is by far the most fleshed out game in the series. There’s a ton of lore for each character, location, enemy, and magical ability. By the time you give it all to ol’ Tomes, you’ll have enough reading for a full novel! Some of it is just cool world-building, some of it adds extra layers to the characters, and some of it is just a helpful recap.
Oh, and here’s a really cool thing: you can check it all in real-time! At any time in a cutscene, you can pause the action to read up on relevant lore related to the scene! This Active-Time Lore as they call it is a fantastic addition, and it makes this world and the story so much more accessible than the average fantasy story!
With just as much reading! Yay!
This is also the most grim and mature game in the series. Some of the stuff in this game is genuinely uncomfortable; I never thought an FF game could make me uncomfortable with gore, yet here we are. Also, people actually talk like people in this game. Goodbye anime grunting, hello cursing like sailors!
“Yeah, this isn’t your dad’s Final Fantasy! People say fuck and have sex in this one!”
At the heart of it all are the characters. What a cast we have! Clive is a phenomenal protagonist, as I briefly discussed yesterday. And we have so many more! From one of the creepiest FF villains ever to a whore queen who masterfully manipulates horny dudes (not a joke) to the goofy uncle with a heart of gold, this cast is full of gems that can stand among the series’ best!
And, of course: Torgal. The goodest good boy to ever good boy, and the best FF party member of all time. You can even pet him whenever you want, with multiple animations!
On the subject of animations: the visuals. Holy. Fucking. Shit! This is the first genuinely impressive next-gen game I’ve played! The textures for the clothing, the ridiculous level of detail in the environments, the way the lighting plays off of Clive’s sword, the fucking animations, this game is legitimately jaw-dropping!
The cutscenes here are seriously impressive! Each scene is shot like a top tier fantasy TV show! The motion capture performances and facial animations are stunning!
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the framerate. You can either lock it at 30fps, or you could play it at a variable rate. Sometimes that rate is 60, sometimes it’s more like 40-50, and sometimes it just goes to shit for seemingly no reason.
Worse is the motion blur. If you turn the camera too fast, you’ll make yourself sick lickity split. Even more so if you’re moving any faster than the regular walking speed. I really hope Square patches in the option to turn it off, because it is legitimately sickening.
But you know what is consistently incredible? The music! Holy fucking shit, Masayoshi Soken has delivered his best work yet! Dude is still battling cancer and he’s delivered one of the greatest Final Fantasy soundtracks in the series’ history! What a god damn legend!
Now, onto the meat and potatoes. The game itself.
Unlike other Final Fantasies, XVI is an action game through and through. Intense fast-paced combat, stylish combos, and ultra flashy boss fights are the name of the game. Gone are random encounters and menus. In their place, we’ve got corridors, wide open arenas, and staged battles designed to push you to your limit.
Clive’s moveset is built on the various Eikons you’ll collect throughout the game. Each one has a set ability, locked to the circle button, and three special abilities, two of which can be set to your bar for use in combat. Upgrade those abilities enough, and you can put them on a different Eikon. For example: if you max out a Ramuh ability, you can then equip it onto Bahamut.
This may not sound like much customization, but it allows for a ton of creative freedom! Seriously, some of the combos people have come up with already in this game are crazy! Action game fans are gonna be chewing on this one for years!
I came up with a fun combo that I like to call ‘Personal Space’. See, Ramuh has an ability that puts down an orb that releases lighting every time it gets hit, and Ifrit has an ability that surrounds Clive with protective fire orbs that do damage. Activate them both at once, and the damage rolled out all on its own. I legit cackled like a madman when I first pulled it off, and it became the core building block of my combos from that point forward.
Now, XVI does have some RPG elements. But they’re pretty simple and bare-bones. It’s just about grabbing the objectively better sword and gear when it becomes available. There is a bit more depth in the accessories; some of them are accessibility items that make the game easier, some of them are basic RPG stat buffs. Even still, if you enjoy Final Fantasy for in-depth RPG number management, this ain’t the game for you.
Begone, spreadsheets! We ain’t got time for that!
If there’s one problem with this game, it’s the side quests. Narrative wise, they’re fantastic. They add extra layers to all the characters and to the world. Plus, if you do them all, you get some great cutscenes at the end of the game that you could completely miss.
Unfortunately, in terms of actual gameplay, these quests really aren’t compelling. Most of them consist to going to a place, talking to a dude, gathering a thing, and killing some monsters. They’re basically quests that you’d do in an MMO, like Final Fantasy XIV. These quests get really tedious really quickly.
Luckily, there is one form of side content that’s really cool: the hunts. Scattered throughout the world are a series of unique powerful enemies. Some of them are pretty easy, while others are ultra-tough super bosses. Most of them are really fun!
Are you looking for something based purely in action? Try arcade mode! Here, you replay a level from the main story, fighting to gather the highest possible score. If you’re the kind of action game fan that wants to get S ranks across the board, this mode is for you.
This game also has one of the best New Game + modes I’ve ever seen. It completely shuffles the enemies of the game and offers a whole slew of new items to collect. Your second playthrough will feel like a whole new game!
Is Final Fantasy XVI a perfect game? No. It’s got some pretty glaring issues, from the frame rate to the quality of the side content.
But in the face of all it does right, it’s pretty easy to overlook those problems. The story is compelling from beginning to end, with some truly spectacular characters and shocking twists and turns. Combat was a blast from beginning to end; this is one of the few games out there where enemies spawning put a smile on my face!
I really hope Square takes notes from this game’s success. If this is the new direction for Final Fantasy, then the series is in for some good times. More action and better stories. That’s what we need.
Here’s hoping Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth lives up to the hype. If we get two awesome next-gen FF games in the span of a year, then I will be a happy, happy boy.
Fun fact to close this up on: this game came out on my birthday. Thank you, Yoshi P. Best birthday present ever!
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