Final Fantasy XVI is my first fully finished foray into the series for myself, and it was a complete blast. I had no real expectations for this going in but I was pretty floored with what I ended up with. First of all, this is an incredibly well written and soulful story with lovely characters (outside of the villain) and a deep, engrossing world. I absolutely loved Clive and his journey through the story.

The gameplay here is breezy action combat, which is obviously a big departure from FF's turn based roots, but I think it is implemented really well here. I am a big fan of the cycling magic/skill system and I think it allows for a ton of customization with different loadouts making for some super fun combos as you can quickly swap from set to set. The basic moves themselves are a pretty solid skillset on their own, and Clive's movements feel like they are fast but weighty and hard-hitting too. You can do some pretty dope stuff in this game, and of course, the Eikon fights are a marvel to watch unfold. Some of the highlights of the game are these utterly insane monster fights where the drama and action is turned up to infinity.

The only gripe I have with actually playing the game is the fact that, even though the world is interesting and well-built in the narrative, the actual level design is pretty one-way and doesn't offer a ton in the way of exploring, unless it's in the form of errand-like quests in which you have to fetch endless items for minimal return on investment. Ultimately, the quests are saved by the Notorious Mark hunts, which are rare monsters found all across the world that drop good loot and raise your renown, in turn rewarding you with prizes. The fights are usually just modified bosses or suped up enemies from other parts of the game, but they're a pretty thrilling time altogether, especially the A and S rank hunts.

Speaking of which, the bosses in this game are completely incredible. Every single one feels like the most exciting thing in the game to that point, and every subsequent one just ups the ante and excitement by a factor of ten compared to whatever one just happened last. It can feel like the game throws a ton of them in a row at you sometimes, but the major bosses against the other Eikon Dominants absolutely did not disappoint in any category. Each one was a tense fight with story stakes and excellent visuals and sound to fully complete the moment.

I think if there was one more complaint I could muster about this game, it's the last third's pace. After a certain huge plot point unfolds and it feels as if the game is about to go hurtling towards the conclusion, it comes to a screeching halt with a long series of super tedious, super dull fetch/"kill these enemies" main story quests that definitely feel like padding in a game that had otherwise been very well paced to that point. It made the last 15 or so hours feel like a drag, and caused the journey to the final areas and last few bosses to feel a little more arduous than it needed to be.

Ultimately, I had a really fun time with FFXVI. The combat is fresh, I was easily invested in the story right from the extremely dynamic prologue, the game looks absolutely goddamn stunning, the soundtrack is incredible and absolutely deserved its recognition at The Game Awards, and my god, the voice cast did a spectacular job. There are some hiccups and some flaws, but this was a great time and I can't wait to explore more of the series.

Ily Dion Lesage