Final Fantasy XVI has been a long time coming and given the 10-year development of Final Fantasy XV and its rocky reception, meandering DLC follow-ups, and dropped content, fans including myself were cautiously optimistic for the 16th mainline entry in the revered series.
With series luminaries Hironobu Sakaguchi and zippers-and-belts-enthusiast Tetsuya Nomura out of the picture, I entered into FF16 with both excitement and trepidation. Having spent nearly 30hrs on it and a great deal of hours listening to opinions and reviews online, I've parsed 5 things Final Fantasy fans will love and 5 you might not.
This isn't a review of the game and I won't be going into detail about its mechanics (much) or the setting, but it's a guide of what to expect if you're still on the fence as a Final Fantasy fan. With that, here's the first thing I think you'll love:
1. All the Final Fantasy things
I don't know how they got an oversized chicken to look like they belong in this game, but they do and I love it.
Even though many have compared the story to Game of Thrones (we'll get into that later), plenty of Final Fantasy-ism are here including: chocobos, crystals, spoony bards, moogles, hooded figures spewing gibberish, dragoons, and fan-favourite enemies like Morbols and Ahrimans.
Given the fantasy setting and medieval Wars of the Roses vibes, many of these Final Fantasy tropes come off as fun easter eggs for series veterans. Sure their fantastical traits stick out like a sore thumb in this world, but they're a welcome nod to the series' roots.
2. The compelling main character
You take control of Clive Rosfield (and only Clive Rosfield) throughout the entirety of the game and there are 2 time jumps where you'll see the character evolve physically and mentally as circumstances around him shift.
He's a bit of a mix of Cloud and Lightning in terms of protagonists in that there's a mystery to him that's central to the story of FF16 that unfolds (like Cloud) and he's a straight arrow that's pursues his mission doggedly like Lightning.
Like both those characters, he's stoic, not one for levity, and the voice actor who plays him, Ben Starr, gives an earnest performance that draws you into his plight. English-voiced protags in Japanese games are more miss than hit but Ben Starr gets it right and he's 80% the reasono why you stick to the main character and root for him throughout your playthrough.
It also helps that the game was written in English first and dubbed into Japanese so there's no anime-style dubbing in English here. NPCs in general deliver their lines believably and there's no awkward pauses. Bottom line is, Clive's story is great—despite his normcore name that honestly doesn't jive in a world where there's someone named Harpocrates and Cidolfus Telamon.
3. The spectacle and the cutscenes
Final Fantasy giving off Attack on Titan vibes. This fight was epic.
I feel like Final Fantasy as a franchise has always wanted to become a movie. I don't just mean they also want to make movies, they're literally trying to be a movie. They're crap at making actual movies though (see: FF: Spirits Within, Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV, FF: Advent Children).
From the ambitions of cinematics introduced in FF6 (like the opera house) to the fruition of those dreams in FF7 (remember the badass motorcycle escape), Final Fantasy has always had a knack for pulling off cinematic sequences.
FF16 is no different and this time they've used their unique skill of giving a satisfying cutscene payoff with gut-wrenching drama. Almost every new plot scene in the game is a spoiler so I can't say more than that. Basically, anytime there's a cutscene, the circumstances of the realm are changed for good or the characters are transformed.
Final Fantasy is so enamoured with cinematics that the big boss battles have terms like "Cinematic Evasion" and "Cinematic Strike" in them that are basically just that, cinematic moments of either evading or striking in combat. Other games call these scripted moments QTEs (quick-time events), but FF16 had to go out of its way to label them cinematic so that you know, this part is not gameplay, its cinema, watch it.
It's a good thing they're fun to watch though.
4. The music by composer Masayoshi Soken is soken good
Hooded figures mumbling ominous words. The Kingdom Hearts and FF7 vibes are strong
From the win screen sting that's converted to an orchestra to the remixed crystal prelude that is in every game, composer Masayoshi Soken has rearranged familiar tunes and injected them with gravitas.
As an action-focused RPG (well, jury's still out on whether it qualifies as an RPG) the music is important to get you into the flow state where you're stringing combos, evading, and planning your next big punish and the music does this beautifully.
The aforementioned spectacles are also helped along by the orchestral music that actually gets your hearts racing. It reminds me a lot of Devil May Cry 5 with how the music amps up as your fight progresses.
Masayoshi Soken was hired during the Final Fantasy 10 era and has worked together with the father of Final Fantasy's music, Nobuo Uematsu, and he mentioned in a Famicom interview that he did try to think about what Uematsu would do. He also mentioned in this interview that he listened to how previous Final Fantasy composers composed for moments in the game and not by listening to the music on their own.
If you're a music nerd you can watch an interview between Masayoshi Soken and Nobuo Uematsu where they break down the music of Final Fantasy.
5. Of course, the battle system is God tier
Everyone has said it and as a Final Fantasy fan who has played all of them (besides the MMORPGs), the battle system in FF16 is its biggest change and most welcomed one. There's none of the in the middle vagueness of FF15 here or the kids-first-action-game fare of Kingdom Hearts, FF16 has a straight up complex but rewarding battle system.
You only get one weapon and one assistant in battle, Torgal the best dog in the world, who can attack and negligibly heal you. There aren't any move sets like Devil May Cry or side weapons either. But there's an ingenious stagger meter and a modifier to your attacks, i.e., the powers of your Eikons, summons for you old time stans.
There are a total of 8 Eikons that you can equip and you need to choose 3 at a time with 3 powers from each. The Eikon customisation alone is deep and I suspect is why there's no other customisation like weapons or equipment unlike other Final Fantasys.
The loop of battles is mostly the same, beat down the enemy "shield" till the halfway point and all the way. At both points you're given the chance to punish the enemy for high damage—simple. The depth comes in surviving and dolling out enough damage to lower their shields while strategically keeping powerful damage-dealing abilities while their shields are down.
Cinematic evasion in action
This is where the game shines brightest and its what helps you tolerate the rest of the package. Ironically, while God of War has matured to become more of an RPG, the pioneers of JRPGs have switched places with God of War and offers a more linear action adventure than its inspiration.
God of War: Ragnarok had a huge open world with tonnes to explore and return to and customisation options from weapon modifiers, accessory modifiers, to skill trees, equipment, and more. It allowed you to customise a build for your character much like you would an RPG. For example, you can do a high damange, low defense build to kill bosses quicker at the risk of dying immediately.
Final Fantasy 16 on the other hand has a linear semi-open zone and makes you build a fighting style instead. You need to strategically plan what moves you can do in battle to whittle down the enemy's shield and melt their health instead of customising your character to have certain attributes like increased health or damage, you choose actions that places traps, cause big damage, or shield you.
Oh, you also get a limit break which is basically Spartan Rage from God of War too. It adds a layer of strategy but honestly, I only use it sparingly.
Like Final Fantasy 13 before it that similarly had a very addicting battle system, FF16 is a series of semi-open corridors that you walk from A to B while fighting. Thank goodness it's an S-tier fighting system. It's what got most players through FF13 and is what is taking me through FF16.
Now, here are 3 things you won't love about Final Fantasy XVI
1. The world is just, meh
There are beautiful vistas to take in, sure. From the opening minutes you'll find them and the concept art teams must have had a great time imagining them.
But really start to explore the landscape and you'll find there's a lot of browns, greys, and symmetrical lines. The medieval setting works against its favour here as much of what you see is the same. Tall or short grey buildings, wooden shacks, and barren landscapes (due to story reasons).
There's an early game farm that's just... a farm. There's a lighthouse overlooking the sunset, but it's all very... meh. Even when entering the ruins of a once-advanced civilisation in game, you'll only find grey slabs accented with blue lights.
It's pretty, sure, but it's also pretty flat in colour. That shiny thing isn't worth picking up either
The grey slabs may have intricate detailing, but it doesn't detract from the fact that they're just grey corridors you zoom past without any form of exploration—and none is needed anyway.
This is doubly egregious when you see the NPCs. Even compared to other games, the NPCs are so... bland. Their voiced well enough but, they look like they came out of a stock NPC library or a random generator with most of them wearing a weathered tunic in brown. Compare this to the lively bazaar in FF12, released 17 years ago and you see what we've lost going into high fidelity gaming.
2. There are no party members
In the early game, Cid is the best and closest you'll get to a party member
Say what you will about the mess that is FF15, it still had a gang of anime bros that you wanted to hang out with. They had genuine camaraderie that you want to seek out.
Granted, much of the camaraderie has to either be purchased or watched on YouTube, but the banter that is available in the vanilla game is great. In FF16, you have companions that go alongside you, but for the most part, they're mute.
There are events that happen that are truly heartbreaking, but after they're over, your companions never have anything to say and when you're exploring a big area of a map, they never pipe up to say anything. Again, even the progenitor of QTEs, God of War has interesting companions that speak and have personalities.
In FF16, companions come and go and rarely have a voice. They don't remark on what happens to you or them, save for when they're in cutscenes. This is why it was so important for Clive to be charismatic enough to carry the game, because there isn't anyone else.
3. The side quests are bad
Go check on XYZ is as exciting as it gets sometimes
Side quests are busywork that Clive does to help the people, but they're just that, busywork. There's no Blitzball, no fishing mini game, no racing down snowy mountains, no skipping rope, nothing. Most of them are fetch quests that engender the citizens of Valisthea towards Clive and add up towards a narrative payoff at the end game.
You won't know it at first and you'll be tempted to skip most of the side quests, but sadly, they are mandatory and they grind the pace of the game to a halt. You'll be in the middle of kaiju battle one moment and fetching apples to your crew in the next.
You do get some flavour text that informs you about the state of the world and your companions, but the busywork of fetching items in between is dull, there's no escaping that.
Sure, some of the side quests are great with their own dedicated cutscenes, but the majority of them are not.
All that said, I highly recommend everyone play Final Fantasy XVI. Despite its glaring flaws, plenty of what makes the game good, makes you want to continue mainlining this game till the end and come back for seconds. The New Game+ mode or Final Fantasy mode is a great challenge and there's something addicting about the hunt system that allows you to further flex your fighting abilities.
Its lower learning curve and general ease makes it a compelling package for first time Final Fantasy players and existing ones alike. If you're the kind who likes a good gameplay loop and intriguing mystery to solve, you like what this title has to offer.
Final Fantasy XVI is available exclusive for the PS5 and retails for RM299. Purchase Final Fantasy XVI here.