Shingetsu
2 reviews liked by Shingetsu
Final Fantasy XVI
2023
This game is a massive love letter to all Final Fantasy fans like myself who grew up playing the 2D games and used to imagine what the battles and summons would look like if they were actually real, and play out battles scenes with friends and siblings. There is at least one aspect of every previous mainline entry being referenced or reused and they all evoke a feeling of nostalgia that feels satisfying.
Also the gameplay is kinda fire, GOTY contender for sure
Also the gameplay is kinda fire, GOTY contender for sure
Final Fantasy XVI
2023
Underwhelming yet such an epic video game…
Final Fantasy XVI definitely feels like a new start for the franchise in some ways good and in some ways bad. I am very impressed with the combat. I thought it was going to get boring but I actually found myself really looking forward to the fighting enemies every time I play to try a new ability or trick. However, as fun as the combat is it can feel really dull sometimes. Most enemies you encounter in this game just felt like punching bags with not much competition. Of course not all enemies will be like that since there are mini bosses that offer a decent challenge. And then the boss fights are absolutely fun with more of a challenge. And then we have Eikon battles which are the most epic and cool battles in this game. I wouldn’t say they’re all that challenging but man they are a hell of a lot of fun play. And the soundtrack complements the Eikon battles, I felt like I went to heaven specifically just to listen to this incredible soundtrack. Today’s graphics also make this game all the more flashy. The art style does great on its part to observe the world around you and awesome combat full of colors that look amazing. That being said though I did have my fair share of problems with the game. While combat is fun it feels generic and basic in some aspects. I was sad that we could only play as Clive because it would’ve made the combat a lot better if we were able to play as Jill or Cid or even Dion with the powers of their Eikons. I just feel like those are missed opportunities to improve on the combat since it does a little too much to shine the spotlight on Clive. Another thing is that I really wasn’t at all impressed with the RPG mechanics that barely feel present in this game. Upgrading and buying items for me wasn’t a problem since I was easily loaded with gil and making upgrades doesn’t do much other than stat upgrades and the skill tree doesn’t necessarily do much other than trying to master a few new moves and upgrading the power for abilities I already have. I also didn’t generally like how side quests were handled since they were pretty much go and fetch quests. That was a little disappointing since I would get bored of actually doing side quests but at least some of them offer decent writing and offered lore on some of the struggles people go through in the world of FFXVI. I wish there was more innovation for them to make side quests more worth while. I also felt like this was just a very linear game, I’m not saying this should be an open world game, I’m just saying I wish there was more to explore. As I explored in this game it was just a little too straightforward that it was fairly easily to progress which is not by all means bad but it would’ve been nice to have more of a reason to explore. Also, I love the billboard where you can find sheets of paper requesting for you to go and defeat troublesome and formidable opponents all assigned with a rank to determine how powerful they are.. Not only did I have a blast at fighting them but it gave me reason to explore ever so slightly more.
Story is GREAT. Not the best ever but it definitely had solid writing. Every voice actor did a phenomenal job for their respective characters. Clive’s voice sounds so badass and serious but you can still hear the sadness in his voice that feels so real that it had an impact on me. Jill is best girl. I love her chill and wise and caring attitude and I was all always happy to see her. Cid felt like a great father figure and I love his charisma along with many more characters that I liked. I also liked the villains/antagonists of this game. There weren’t exactly impressive but they did a great job by at least playing the role of their characters well but I didn’t necessarily care about them all that much since they didn’t have much depth to speak of. And as said before some side quests have good writing as well that also gives us lore for the world. While I did love the story I wouldn’t say it’s the best story I heard this year.
Final Fantasy XVI is such a cool game and it’s such a shame that it has the problems it has. This game feels way more of action game than an RPG. And because of that I feel like it lacks a lot of the charm other Final Fantasy games have because to me it feels like it doubles down on the complexity which there already isn’t enough of. Other than that this really is a great game and I’d love to play again soon but this time with more of a challenge in Final Fantasy mode.
Final Fantasy XVI definitely feels like a new start for the franchise in some ways good and in some ways bad. I am very impressed with the combat. I thought it was going to get boring but I actually found myself really looking forward to the fighting enemies every time I play to try a new ability or trick. However, as fun as the combat is it can feel really dull sometimes. Most enemies you encounter in this game just felt like punching bags with not much competition. Of course not all enemies will be like that since there are mini bosses that offer a decent challenge. And then the boss fights are absolutely fun with more of a challenge. And then we have Eikon battles which are the most epic and cool battles in this game. I wouldn’t say they’re all that challenging but man they are a hell of a lot of fun play. And the soundtrack complements the Eikon battles, I felt like I went to heaven specifically just to listen to this incredible soundtrack. Today’s graphics also make this game all the more flashy. The art style does great on its part to observe the world around you and awesome combat full of colors that look amazing. That being said though I did have my fair share of problems with the game. While combat is fun it feels generic and basic in some aspects. I was sad that we could only play as Clive because it would’ve made the combat a lot better if we were able to play as Jill or Cid or even Dion with the powers of their Eikons. I just feel like those are missed opportunities to improve on the combat since it does a little too much to shine the spotlight on Clive. Another thing is that I really wasn’t at all impressed with the RPG mechanics that barely feel present in this game. Upgrading and buying items for me wasn’t a problem since I was easily loaded with gil and making upgrades doesn’t do much other than stat upgrades and the skill tree doesn’t necessarily do much other than trying to master a few new moves and upgrading the power for abilities I already have. I also didn’t generally like how side quests were handled since they were pretty much go and fetch quests. That was a little disappointing since I would get bored of actually doing side quests but at least some of them offer decent writing and offered lore on some of the struggles people go through in the world of FFXVI. I wish there was more innovation for them to make side quests more worth while. I also felt like this was just a very linear game, I’m not saying this should be an open world game, I’m just saying I wish there was more to explore. As I explored in this game it was just a little too straightforward that it was fairly easily to progress which is not by all means bad but it would’ve been nice to have more of a reason to explore. Also, I love the billboard where you can find sheets of paper requesting for you to go and defeat troublesome and formidable opponents all assigned with a rank to determine how powerful they are.. Not only did I have a blast at fighting them but it gave me reason to explore ever so slightly more.
Story is GREAT. Not the best ever but it definitely had solid writing. Every voice actor did a phenomenal job for their respective characters. Clive’s voice sounds so badass and serious but you can still hear the sadness in his voice that feels so real that it had an impact on me. Jill is best girl. I love her chill and wise and caring attitude and I was all always happy to see her. Cid felt like a great father figure and I love his charisma along with many more characters that I liked. I also liked the villains/antagonists of this game. There weren’t exactly impressive but they did a great job by at least playing the role of their characters well but I didn’t necessarily care about them all that much since they didn’t have much depth to speak of. And as said before some side quests have good writing as well that also gives us lore for the world. While I did love the story I wouldn’t say it’s the best story I heard this year.
Final Fantasy XVI is such a cool game and it’s such a shame that it has the problems it has. This game feels way more of action game than an RPG. And because of that I feel like it lacks a lot of the charm other Final Fantasy games have because to me it feels like it doubles down on the complexity which there already isn’t enough of. Other than that this really is a great game and I’d love to play again soon but this time with more of a challenge in Final Fantasy mode.