An entry that will truly divide its Fanbase

There is no denying that this entry into the Final Fantasy world has been highly controversial due to its tone shift. Truly changing the typical FF formula with a more mature rated story fans have been divided about this game since its demo. It is really interesting seeing both sides because I have yet to see a middle with this game. People have either truly loved the game or truly despise the game raving how this isn't an FF game at all. In the end however, this game worked for me VERY well as I absolutely adore this game even with its flaws.

Story

Our first stop takes us to the story of FF16 which of course I won't be getting to deep into for spoiler sakes. The lore is DEEP and rich in FF16 and will give fans a lot to talk and speculate about as time goes on. Furthermore given the controversy surrounding the game it is no surprise that yes this is a very dark and grim story. For example I can't really remember laughing much throughout the game besides a few chuckles every now and then when specific characters interacted. This can be an issue for some people as an overly serious story could be draining but by the end I found it to be amazing even given its constant serious tone. In the end I was absolutely floored by the story from the start all the way to its amazing ending even with the few hiccups along the way. Watching Clive grow more with the story was just beautiful to watch, his character was amazing to follow. One aspect I was taken away by was how deep the side stories get to the point where I almost say its a must to do side quests. You learn so much about the characters and very important details about the game through these side quests breathing new life into every main character you come across. Lastly the active time lore should NOT be overlooked and quite honestly is amazing and should be a standard for RPG stories moving forward. If you ever feel lost or don't remember what happened at anytime you can pull up a screen that will give you details on what is currently going on and the important characters during that part. I can't stress how amazing this feature is as it can get you up to speed on story in the matter of a few buttons.

Characters

Well it only makes sense to get into the characters now.... right?. Simply put, the cast in the game is phenomenal and insanely loveable from main characters to even side ones like goetz. You will really grow attached to everyone by the end of the story and even more so if you play the side quests for everyone. However, this brings me into my first issue with this game which is how certain characters are handled. It is no surprise that with a game as deep and rich lore wise there are bound to be some characters who were handled poorly and luckily I only found 2 cases. That being said there are an insane amount of standout characters such as Dion, Gav, Mid and of course Clive.

Gameplay

Oh boy are you in for a damn good time with the combat of FF16. To begin with, Yeah this is very much not a typical FF turn based game this is an action game. Furthermore the game has a deep level of combat if you want to take it to that level but can be played very casual if you choose to do so. In the beginning of the game the combat is pretty limited skill wise but as you progress the gameplay opens up to insane levels. Being able to swap between 3 elemental skill sets during battle, the amount of mixing and comboing you can do is insanely high and will keep you engaged all the way through. A truly amazing combat was cooked up with FF16 SE really outdid themselves with this entry. If you like DMC you will love this game.

Difficulty

This can be a tricky one as I believe difficulty to really be a by the person thing. You might consider this game hard , you might consider this game easy it really depends on the player itself. As for me I found the game to be way to easy making me wish the hardest difficulty was unlocked from the start. Some bosses can give you a challenge but for the vast majority of the game issues were never an occurring thing for me.

RPG elements

Given the fact this is an action game I was still bummed that the RPG elements were pretty bland. To start there are NO elemental buffs, debuff, Special skills. As an example this game has tiered weapons in the form of colors starting from green and going all the way up to Yellow. This is quite simply a useless system and weapons do not feel any different from one another apart from looking different and having higher attack. It makes for a unexciting process of acquiring new weapons , armor as you will never feel the difference, its all numbers. I really wish they implemented higher tier armor , weapons to get special stat bonuses or maybe make you resistance to specific elements. Finally there are Accessories as well ranging from typical "potions heal more" to ones that will give you attack bonuses on specific skills that you may like to use. Overall I wasn't to pleased with this aspect of the game it really left a lot to be desired BUT it doesn't ruin the game in anyway for me. One last thing, GIL felt insanely useless in this game as I only ever used GIL to buy music or potions to heal.

OST and bosses

Decided to combine both of these since they go hand to hand. What I mean by this is yes the OST is amazing but my lord the boss OSTs are AMAZING. Never once did a song disappoint me I was always jamming or getting insanely hype during boss fights. On the subject of boss fights they are all amazingly well done and fun to fight not much else to talk about bosses.

Graphics

Final Fantasy 16 looks beautiful and will consistently keep your eyes glued looking at the world. It's amazing how the game can transfer from gameplay to cutscene and still manage to look the same. In addition the characters look great apart from some random NPCs which I was not a fan of design wise.

Welp time to ramble about other parts of the game

In addition to everything stated above I will use this part to talk about the smaller details that don't really need a whole section. To begin, the performance honestly wasn't the greatest sometimes seeing dips into the mid 50s. It's crazy to think about how the PS5 software is already being pushed to this degree. In this case I didn't mind it to much it didn't plague the experience that much but it will for sure be noticeable when FPS drops happen. Furthermore on the more nitpicky side I didn't like how the main stages had no mini map. This isn't the biggest issue but my OCD grew not being able to pull up a mini map even if the stages are a linear path LOL. Of course for the big open exploring maps you will have a map to look at. In addition why does QTEs exist in the game? yes they are only for big bosses but why? its pointless and takes away from moments. I would rather sit and watch the epic part happens versus spamming square or pressing R1 I just don't like it.


For now I think I am going to leave it at this and maybe add more as I do my 2nd playthrough on the hardest difficulty. In the end FF16 is a fantastic game despite its few flaws which really don't ruin the game a whole lot. From the gameplay to its story , characters , world and graphics this game has it all and will keep you busy for awhile if you 100% games.

Highly recommend it !

I had high expectations going into Final Fantasy XVI. The producer, composer, and (one of) the writers from Final Fantasy XIV, along with a combat director from Devil May Cry 5, as well as help from Platinum Games and the Kingdom Hearts combat team sounded like the recipe for an incredible experience. I am happy to say FFXVI delivers on all accounts.

Regarding the narrative, Clive Rosfield makes for an excellent protagonist. Throughout the course of the game we see him grow up and experience a lot of the harsh realities of his world. In a lot of ways, mainly due to his gravely voice and blunt personality, he reminds me of Geralt of Rivia. His wolf companion Torgal also has many opportunities to shine both in and out of combat, and you really get attached to him as the game goes on.

In general, I could actually go on about a lot of the supporting cast. Even minor characters get a ton of great development through the side quests, which are all fully voiced and either serve as meaningful world building, or just tell interesting stories. Admittedly, no small number of them are fetch quest-style, however the payoffs are usually worth it.

The overall plot is a wild ride from start to finish. Many heavy themes are tackled and are handled appropriately, and it's a really grim picture that gets painted. As you journey around Valisthea, the story spends a considerable amount of time building up to these big Eikon fights, multiple of which I consider to be among my favourite boss fights of all time. They are that good. The overall pacing is handled well, speeding up and building to these big battles and then giving the player time to breathe afterwards. It never really feels to fast or too slow. That being said, the game will typically throw side quests at you during the downtime, so obsessive players (like myself) who feel compelled to do them and will find the pacing slow down considerably as a result.

When it comes to the combat, it really is Devil May Cry 5 Lite. The Eikon forms you unlock over the course of the game serve as your styles that you can cycle through during combat (3 equipped at a time), and each has a certain gimmick they are centered around. I thought I would stick with the first 3 you get for most of the game, however my end game loadout was pretty different because they all do feel different and fun to use. Initially, I found the common fodder enemies to be too easy to blast through with your Eikon abilities, however mini-bosses and regular bosses are plentiful. Eventually I began to feel that it served as a good contrast to remind me how powerful Clive is. I think if they were too hardy, it would really make the game feel like a chore.

The open-world is also more of an open-world lite. You have a handful of FFXIV-sized zones dotted with fast travel points, and there isn't much in terms of exploration outside of looking for Hunts and fullfilling side quests. This isn't a bad thing, in fact it's a nice balance between being a linear game and still giving you open vistas to run around in without experiencing open world fatigue.

Overall, FFXVI really is one of the best. A powerful, well-written story with some heavy themes, a cast of characters that I got attached to (even the shopkeeper and the blacksmith!), a stellar soundtrack as always from Soken, and some really crazy combat. They really nailed the whole package, and once I have had a bit of a reprieve I will certainly go back and try all the cool things I unlocked for beating it.

"Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons"

A Big Beautiful Sweeping Mess of an Epic, a Platinum Games/Diet DMC/Asuras Wrath action game with the soul of the PS2 6/7th gen era spirit all tied together with an endearing cast of characters full of heart & cheese like your Niers. Pacing issues, repetitive quest structure, half baked RPG elements that plague it aside. FFXVI's monstrous set pieces, emotional story beats, flashy dynamic combat & ambitions far outweigh its flaws to culminate into this sweeping epic journey to hell and back through the wonderful world of Valisthea.

I cannot tell you how much I loved this world. It's like a weird surreal David Lynchian world full of Lovecraftian cosmic horror. It's Panos Cosmatos meets Stephen King. It's esoteric. It's anachronistic. It's paranormal. It's sci-fi. It's so beautifully creepy and unique that I just absolutely loved the setting and atmosphere. The bland brutalistic government building paired with the highly stylized extradimensional threats mixes well to create this highly unsettling world. It's a bit The Void, it's a bit Stranger Things, and they even managed to cram in some Last of Us style fungus based zombies. Brilliant.

As far as gameplay goes this is so incredibly right up my alley. I love 3rd person shooter games with superpowers. Things like the Infamous franchise come to mind, as well as Dark Sector, and Deadpool. The latter of which I platinumed on Ps3 and Ps4 because I liked it so much. It's possibly my favorite type of gameplay for action adventure games. I love horror and I love superheroes. They are probably my 2 favorite genres right now. And Control was able to perfectly blend the 2 genres in a way that a big budget movie has failed to ever really do for me.

Poor navigation and some technical issues are what kept me from giving this game a perfect score. I'm glad I stuck with this game. I loved this world so much it really makes me want to play Alan Wake.

a game made for grasshopper fans (not for nmh fans), i can greatly appreciate how personal this game is for suda and how open he is about his emotions and his journey in his life and the gaming industry. a love letter to indie games too, i love how there's a whole level about how awesome hotline miami is lol. maybe its a skill issue but i found this game to be pretty challenging at points (in sort of a bad way). art style is really cute. soundtrack is amazing, one of the best in the kill the past series. enjoyed this alot but i feel like its close to being something really incredible.

TL;DR Girlboss Christmas makes for peak fiction

Witch on the Holy Night, or Mahoyo as it's been abbreviated, is not only one of the best gateway visual novels for newcomers, but stands heads over heels as one of the best in the medium. The story of self-discovery and reflection for the main cast is both emotionally captivating and highly relatable, paired with amazing animation/visuals and a beautiful score, makes for one the best game experiences I've had in years, and I hope leads to a brighter future for Type Moon themselves.

Each one of the main casts struggles and growth are wonderful to see unfold, from Alice's acceptance and gradual appreciation of Soujyuro's company, Soujyuro's culture shock of modern society, and the importance of the fragile lives around us to Aoko. Personally, almost every one of Soujyuro's scenes left a mark on me I was not prepared for and will never forget. The grander narrative may have some few (and very well done) high octane action moments, but it's in the quiet and somber scenes these characters and their story feel the warmest in its cold winter months.

Visually, Mahoyo has no contenders in the visual novel medium. The storyboarding and actual animation throughout its playtime are amazing to watch. I think this is helped by the story taking a 3rd person perspective rather than the usual 1st person that other Type Moon VN's take, allowing certain shots and angles that more risks and succeed for almost the entire runtime.

Paired with the amazing visuals is an equally amazing score. It's comforting to hear the works of repeated Type Moon composers return, but the standout among them is the work of Hideyuki Fukasawa. If I had to pick one piece from this soundtrack that just shows how much he gets this story and characters would be Soujyuro's theme. A piece that shows a great understanding of his character and impact for the story represented in this 5-minute track. And the best part? It plays for 5 seconds as part of a joke in a bonus chapter unlocked after completing the main story. I can't think of any other way to show how much Fukasawa just gets these characters and can represent so much of them through his music.

If there's any downers for this, it would simply come down to the spelling and grammar issues that start to show their heads in the final chapters. I'd like to think the reason for these are simply deadline issues for when this translation was done and can be fixed from patches.

It's crazy to think that back when Mahoyo was first released in 2012, Nasu wanted it to cause a big shake up for the industry, to show a new standard for visual novels is being reached and others needed to catch up, but failed to do. And now, 10 years later with this rerelease, I think Mahoyo is going to succeed to heights he's not expecting thanks to this official English release.

A story that almost failed to capture its audience when it first released, now brought to a new audience who've waited a decade to experience it, finding love, appreciation and relation for a near timeless story he first wrote over 2 decades ago and laid the foundation for his future, much beloved works.

I hope that whatever the future holds for these wonderful characters, it will be equally as amazing as it's first outing.

Gorgeous. This is a magnificently gorgeous VN. A perfect one? Probably not. But the presentation was so classy and refined that I feel the need to gush about it out of the gate.

I finished the main story of this VN a week ago, but I've been having a bit of a hard time coming up with a good, reasoned review of it. The thing is, it suits my particular tastes (or a subset of them, at least) so well that it's hard to sort out the this-was-done-wells from the how-I-like-it-dones.

It's an NVL style VN narrated in the third-person released in the year-of-our-Lord 2022. That, from the outset, is not something I've seen often. Part of my surprise may simply be my own lack of experience, as I am still relatively fresh to the medium, but when even The House in Fata Morgana uses the ADV format for text and a pseudo-third-person perspective, I'm inclined to believe that Witch on the Holy Night is a bit of rarity on those points.

In fact, I think Umineko is the only other VN I've read with a third-person perspective...

I bring that up because (in contrast to my ability to talk about the game) that style brought a detached objectiveness to the telling of the story that let it give detail and context as needed. Yet, it could also naturally maintain the atmosphere of secrets and solitude that were fundamental to the experience. To put my impression in a very generalized metaphor: compared to most VNs I've played this felt like watching a stage play compared to hearing a story from your buddy at the bar. That's not a measure of quality, but the difference was refreshing.

As for the content of the story, I'll start by levying what I imagine to be the biggest complaint that could be levied against it, which is that if you're already played or watched Type Moon's other prominent works, particularly Tsukihime or Fate/Stay Night, the broad strokes of the story here will feel very familiar. However, there's shift in tone and structure that I think make this the more compelling of the bunch (unless the fights in Fate are your main interest).

It's not as relentlessly edgy of a story as Tsukihime or Stay Night, and the plot is fundamentally more intimate. It's still set in Type Moon's signature secret world of "Magi" with all of their cutthroat ambitions and hazy sense of morality (which for the record, I enjoy about all of them), but there's no grand contest motivating the actors like a Holy Grail War. Instead, its very personal, immediate goals that spur the story along. Frankly, it's exactly the story I wanted from Type Moon after I finished Tsukihime just over a year ago.

I especially enjoyed the character writing here. Every cast member has a good amount of depth that's gradually revealed over the course of the story. The variety of happenings along the narrative reveal different layers of each personality, and those layers generally feel very consistent with the core of each character. But where there is some discrepency, it makes sense and you get just enough of a peek into the casts' internal conflicts to understand the mismatch in their actions. Their relationships with each other also evolve satisfyingly: sometimes through the tempering flame of conflict, sometimes through small gestures of compassion.

What I found rather surprising is, while there are certainly some fun romantic undertones in some of the interactions, the story never actually becomes a "romance." Normally I'd actually see this as a mark against it; nothing annoys me more than a romance that's teased and never delivered in a story. But here it actually works as the writing sets the expectation that romance won't be a focus, and more importantly it gives time to other kinds of meaningful character interactions to develop the characters' relationships. Conversations about goals, fears, values, history... you know, all those little parts of a peoples' lives that might be important.

The pacing is quite nice, too. It's definitely more on the methodical side, but the setting and presentation do their work to get you into its rhythm. With the winter imagery, the elegant artwork, the restrained framing and animation, and fairy-tale-esque elements; even a chimp-brain, button masher like me was convinced to slow down and take it in at the novel's pace.

I even waited for the text animations to finish (most of the time), which is practically unheard of for me.

And I will say yet again, the art and animation work was phenomenal. While it's not nearly as bombastic as a Muv-Luv, or Danganronpa, or Phoenix Wright, the amount of effort and subtle dynamism in every scene of the game was astounding to me.

... And yet as I sit here and throw all this praise at this game, I'm not actually sure how much of it would be appreciated by the wider audience. If I were being pretentious, I could say, "People just won't understand it's subtleties." But really what I'm curious about is how much other people will really relate to those details even when they see them. It's admittedly a fairly eccentric story at times even accounting for the cultural differences of it being a Japanese novel.

That perfectly fits my kind of eccentric, and while I'm not the most eccentric personality out there, I still feel like I just can't promise you'll come out as hot on it as I am.

I do have one objective complaint about the game, though. The translation seems like it could have used another editing pass. I don't know enough Japanese to spot any major discrepencies in the content itself, and it mostly read quite well in English, but there were a few moments with noticeable typos or small mismatches between what's said in the original VO and the English text. Nothing experience ruining, but I would have liked to see this novel get a little more polish there.

So, as far as recommendations go, I would say any regular VN enjoyer should put this on their radar. If you're a Type Moon fan already, then get this on the top of your backlog stack. For everyone else, look at some screenshots and promotional videos. If you like the atmosphere you see, I can at least assure it will deliver on that.