The 16th main entry in the ever changing Final Fantasy series, while highly anticipated, until its release, felt full of controversies over some of the choices made in it. The fear of its westernization, the lack of a playable party, the focus on action, among other concerns, led many to question whether it would be a true Final Fantasy game. However, it is worth considering what defines a Final Fantasy game, as the series constantly evolves and strives to be on top of the things, and this is what makes it special in the first place, but I'm sure everyone has their own set of vague criteria. It is also worth noting, before I delve into the game itself, its release follows a rather turbulent decade for the series, with most of the titles not being well received, and a lot of development struggles from Square Enix's side. And the person tasked to resolve this mess was none other than the man that spearheaded the revival of one tremendous disaster, FF XIV.
I feel that you can't really talk about XVI without mentioning XIV. They share the same DNA, even if their genres differ a lot, and as someone that went through and enjoyed all the expansions of the MMO FF series, I couldn't be happier when I realized that. The narrative is very tight, and yet anything but unambitious, as it spans several in-game years, has a lot of different factions and constantly introduces and develops new characters, without neglecting the core cast. The game tackles a darker tone, and more serious themes, while also dealing with some sensitive issues, perhaps not flawlessly in some cases, but still in a very satisfying way most of the time, even touching some topics I never expected to see in such a game. The world building is also on another level, full of its own logic and small details that connect everything together, and the world of Valisthea is just exceptional, either you see an aspect of it directly or read about it indirectly. And all of that is certainly reminiscent of and probably wouldn't exist without XIV's universally acclaimed expansions, which I feel cultivated the ground for such a game.
But really, this is just one side of the coin. The clearly Game of Thrones inspired plots, the political intrigue, the falling and rising kingdoms, the simple revenge premise... Final Fantasy games had their fair share of over the top action and stories, and XVI is for sure not an exception. The down to Earth plot serves as the backbone of some of the craziest set pieces and boss fights I've seen in a video game, and the story starts to reveal its true colors sooner rather than later, mixing all those elements together, and surprisingly, everything working out way better than I'd ever expect. The Eikonic fights, with many anime inspirations from works like Attack on Titan and Gurren Lagann, are perhaps the best part of the game, but I really don't want to spoil anything about what you exactly encounter. Without a doubt, it's a true Final Fantasy game and I really can't believe anyone will be disappointed in regards to that. The level of spectacle is simply unreal, and I'm still processing everything the game offered.
The cast of the game constantly managed to impress me as well, especially the protagonist, Clive, who has a lot more depth than I believed at first. Several other important characters also get a lot of time in the spotlight, and while maybe I'd like to see some a bit more, I think the overall result is a very diverse cast. On another note, as far as the side content goes, this is also something the XIV roots have influenced, with perhaps not the most inspired side quest design, but a plethora of very interesting stories and scenarios. While maybe they feel overwhelming at times, the side quests really flesh out the world and the characters, and enhance the already great world building. I'd highly recommend them just for the context they give to some of the main characters.
Then, of course, there's the elephant in the room, which is none other than the focus on action the title has. XVI is certainly an action game first and foremost, I'd dare to say on the level of something like the Devil May Cry series. The combat is fast, fun, highly customizable, easy to learn but hard to master. There are some RPG elements in the game, along with a pretty basic crafting system, but skill itself is the main ingredient for success. And while that might sound daunting, I personally felt the game isn't particularly hard, being very lenient with potions, having multiple checkpoints and, on top of all that, a lot of optional tools as if everything else wouldn't be enough. It's a bit of a shame that the series moved away from RPG mechanics or turn based battles, but I personally enjoyed playing FF16 so much. It succeeded in bringing the gameplay of something like DMC to a bigger stage, which for me is quite the accomplishment. What perhaps suffers a bit from this is the level design, which while I wouldn't call bad for its purpose, lacks any actual elements of exploration, something I highly value. The game is basically open or linear areas with waves of enemies, though thankfully the variety of them, either it's the mobs or the mini bosses, makes those encounters rather satisfying.
Last but not least, the soundtrack of the game is also worth mentioning. Epic and solemn tracks, but some surprises as well. No scene would be complete without it, and I feel anyone familiar with FF XIV was already expecting such a good score accompanying the game, partly thanks to Soken, the highly regarded composer behind it.
All in all, I had a fantastic time with FF16, which for me is everything I want from a new Final Fantasy game. Extremely fun to play, full of jaw dropping moments and tons of interesting plot threads and characters, I feel even if it's not perfect, it accomplishes everything it set out to do as a game. It's a return to form for the series, and it also sets the bar really high for every upcoming AAA game that focuses on cinematics or raw action, I'm already very interesting in seeing what kind of games it will lead to. And of course, I'm greatly invested in it, so I hope this isn't the last we see of the world of Valisthea.
I feel that you can't really talk about XVI without mentioning XIV. They share the same DNA, even if their genres differ a lot, and as someone that went through and enjoyed all the expansions of the MMO FF series, I couldn't be happier when I realized that. The narrative is very tight, and yet anything but unambitious, as it spans several in-game years, has a lot of different factions and constantly introduces and develops new characters, without neglecting the core cast. The game tackles a darker tone, and more serious themes, while also dealing with some sensitive issues, perhaps not flawlessly in some cases, but still in a very satisfying way most of the time, even touching some topics I never expected to see in such a game. The world building is also on another level, full of its own logic and small details that connect everything together, and the world of Valisthea is just exceptional, either you see an aspect of it directly or read about it indirectly. And all of that is certainly reminiscent of and probably wouldn't exist without XIV's universally acclaimed expansions, which I feel cultivated the ground for such a game.
But really, this is just one side of the coin. The clearly Game of Thrones inspired plots, the political intrigue, the falling and rising kingdoms, the simple revenge premise... Final Fantasy games had their fair share of over the top action and stories, and XVI is for sure not an exception. The down to Earth plot serves as the backbone of some of the craziest set pieces and boss fights I've seen in a video game, and the story starts to reveal its true colors sooner rather than later, mixing all those elements together, and surprisingly, everything working out way better than I'd ever expect. The Eikonic fights, with many anime inspirations from works like Attack on Titan and Gurren Lagann, are perhaps the best part of the game, but I really don't want to spoil anything about what you exactly encounter. Without a doubt, it's a true Final Fantasy game and I really can't believe anyone will be disappointed in regards to that. The level of spectacle is simply unreal, and I'm still processing everything the game offered.
The cast of the game constantly managed to impress me as well, especially the protagonist, Clive, who has a lot more depth than I believed at first. Several other important characters also get a lot of time in the spotlight, and while maybe I'd like to see some a bit more, I think the overall result is a very diverse cast. On another note, as far as the side content goes, this is also something the XIV roots have influenced, with perhaps not the most inspired side quest design, but a plethora of very interesting stories and scenarios. While maybe they feel overwhelming at times, the side quests really flesh out the world and the characters, and enhance the already great world building. I'd highly recommend them just for the context they give to some of the main characters.
Then, of course, there's the elephant in the room, which is none other than the focus on action the title has. XVI is certainly an action game first and foremost, I'd dare to say on the level of something like the Devil May Cry series. The combat is fast, fun, highly customizable, easy to learn but hard to master. There are some RPG elements in the game, along with a pretty basic crafting system, but skill itself is the main ingredient for success. And while that might sound daunting, I personally felt the game isn't particularly hard, being very lenient with potions, having multiple checkpoints and, on top of all that, a lot of optional tools as if everything else wouldn't be enough. It's a bit of a shame that the series moved away from RPG mechanics or turn based battles, but I personally enjoyed playing FF16 so much. It succeeded in bringing the gameplay of something like DMC to a bigger stage, which for me is quite the accomplishment. What perhaps suffers a bit from this is the level design, which while I wouldn't call bad for its purpose, lacks any actual elements of exploration, something I highly value. The game is basically open or linear areas with waves of enemies, though thankfully the variety of them, either it's the mobs or the mini bosses, makes those encounters rather satisfying.
Last but not least, the soundtrack of the game is also worth mentioning. Epic and solemn tracks, but some surprises as well. No scene would be complete without it, and I feel anyone familiar with FF XIV was already expecting such a good score accompanying the game, partly thanks to Soken, the highly regarded composer behind it.
All in all, I had a fantastic time with FF16, which for me is everything I want from a new Final Fantasy game. Extremely fun to play, full of jaw dropping moments and tons of interesting plot threads and characters, I feel even if it's not perfect, it accomplishes everything it set out to do as a game. It's a return to form for the series, and it also sets the bar really high for every upcoming AAA game that focuses on cinematics or raw action, I'm already very interesting in seeing what kind of games it will lead to. And of course, I'm greatly invested in it, so I hope this isn't the last we see of the world of Valisthea.