Final Fantasy is a series of games that goes back decades, spanning many styles and genres. Final Fantasy 16Â is the long-anticipated PlayStation 5 exclusive game from the Creative Business Unit 3 team, led by a group of veterans whose creative past has resulted in a bold new look. This time around, it is decidedly more action than RPG, but a strong focus on narrative and flashy action combine to create a stunning but different take on Final Fantasy. As you’ll read throughout this Final Fantasy 16 game review, this new direction is not without its faults but ultimately does come together for a memorable action-RPG romp we’re very excited about.
Story: Rise and Fall of the Phoenix
Our first Final Fantasy 16 game review thoughts were about the nature of the story. It is a very different story than the last few iterations of the series. It forgoes any notion of sci-fi and embraces a dark, twisted medieval plot about rival kingdoms, family, and man’s lust for power. It’s a decidedly more mature affair than previous outings. Beyond the grit and gore of its combat, its narrative themes are morbid and edgy. Corruption, torture, murder, and just about every brutal theme you’d expect in a Game of Thrones episode are replete throughout the course of the story.
You play as Clive Rosfield, the firstborn son of Archduke Elwin, the ruler of Rosaria. Much of this game’s different feel is mainly in part to your main character. Clive is different from the last few leads. He doesn’t have amnesia, for example, nor is he an emo kid at heart; most notably, he certainly isn’t afraid of exacting some good ole fashioned revenge when the time calls for it. Typically reserved, Clive’s calm exterior hides a smoldering rage under the surface. When his personality does call for action, voice actor Ben Starr puts in an excellent performance bringing his words to life.
Final Fantasy 16 takes place in a world called Valisthea. This world comprises several kingdoms that draw power from Mothercrystals, which provide magic and quality of life to everybody that uses their crystals. It’s also suffering from a strange plague known as the Blight, which is slowly spreading through the land and is seemingly unstoppable. Panicked in their search for unspoiled lands, The Blight’s spread sees Kingdoms wage war against each other.
The existence of enormous titans known as Dominants complicates the situation further. Each kingdom has a Dominant that can call upon an Eikon to wage war, but these titans have historically ended up destroying the same people and land they are fighting for. Meanwhile, Cid (a familiar franchise name) leads an expedition to uncover The Blight’s original and (hopefully) save the world in the process.
The story of Clive and his quest is compelling. It features the best cutscene direction and vocal performances in any Square Enix RPG I’ve ever played. Cutscenes are well-paced, and the long, stilted delivery of older games is nowhere to be seen. The visual fidelity and convincing motion-tracking help portray a range of human emotions that is totally gripping. The result is a Final Fantasy story that had me far more engaged than anything I can remember from the series in a long time.
Gameplay: Smoking Summon Style
As I’ve already alluded to, Final Fantasy 16Â is far more action-focused than previous outings, and there’s a good reason for that. Ryota Suzuki, the combat director, and Producer Naoki Yoshida, known as Yoshi-P are part of the development team, and they’ve had a massive impact on the structure of this game. Final Fantasy May Cry might be the better name, as Clive does his best to get his DMC on with every combat encounter in the game.
Instead of turn-based, team-focused battles, FF16 features fast-paced and blistering combat. Enemies can take quite a bit of damage, and careful use of parries and staggering your opponent is far more important than equipment and party composition. The design is much more in line with a character action title, so titles like Devil May Cry and Bayonetta are a pretty apt comparison. Clive can use physical attacks and magic with rapid succession. The concept of MP is gone, as base magic can be used freely with no limitation.
Traditional Summons are also gone, instead replaced by equipable Eikons. These act as fighting-style swaps; Clive can equip up to three of these Eikons at a time and change between them rapidly. For example, equipping Garuda grants Clive the ability to yank enemies towards you or pull down large enemies when they’re staggered. It also changes Clive’s magic to the wind element. Titan, on the other hand, replaces the hook with a massive fist that can block all incoming damage and counterattacks that would otherwise be unblockable.
Each Eikon allows Clive to equip two Eikonic special attacks he can use on a cooldown. When the combat takes off later in the game, each encounter is a symphony of Eikon swaps, careful dodges, and taking advantage of each enemy opening to maximize your damage potential. It looks great and feels amazing once you come to grips with its nuances.
Final Fantasy 16 really does ram combat down your throat, though, and it has to be said over the first five or so hours, I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about that. The intense focus on the story and flash-over substance set piece Eikon battles made me want more real combat to chew on. This wasn’t helped by the first few areas of the game, an experience more linear than FF13. Each was essentially a corridor with no room to explore. I felt like I was playing the world’s most expensive version of Dragons Lair ever made. Clive and his tools are limited for a while, and just as I was about to get into a groove with the combat, the story or another massive set-piece battle completely disrupts the momentum.
Questing
This balance worried me initially, as the combat of Devil May Cry works because the story stays away from the action. It’s brief and eager to give you control to let loose. But in a game with long story moments, it feels odd and disruptive. However, a pivotal story moment eventually transpires, and the game opens up significantly. Mind you, it never becomes a proper open world, but it does strike a much better balance between plot and game.
These larger areas offer new distractions beyond the main quest, but they’re not always interesting.
Indeed, while each new area does loosen the shackles and allows more player freedom, the sidequests throughout are rather dull and tedious. In fact, while riding a Chocobo for the first time in the game and hearing the small Final Fantasy 14 musical note that plays, I was hit by an epiphany. FF16 is very reminiscent of Final Fantasy 14, with its super refined balance of story and combat, but riddled with the same faults as well. Side quests are mostly forgettable, with characters and plotlines that feel inconsequential. Their typical purpose is less about story and adding context to the world but making available new mechanics. There are further similarities, too, as boss Battles start to resemble dungeon encounters and Raid fights.
But none of that is to say I didn’t find my groove and fall into a satisfying loop of ticking off quests and uncovering secret boss fights. The latter, in particular, are cool as they serve as a platform for experimenting with an expanding toolbox of Eikons and abilities. I could get into a groove, and once I was in it, I could maintain it until the end. Do I think all Final Fantasy games moving forward should dive head-first into character action? No, I don’t. But once this game gets rolling, with takes longer than it should. I enjoyed it for what it was.
Graphics/Audio: Loud and Pretty
It’s no big secret for anybody who has played the demo or witnessed any of the dozen trailers, and presentations Final Fantasy 16’s game play has had in the last few months. This is a very pretty-looking game. It’s more than how much texture detail is on Clive’s’ sword. I appreciate that the graphical splendor can be seen as soon as Eikons clash. There’s a breathtaking scale to behold, and it’s used to significant effect throughout the story. During my Final Fantasy 16Â review period, I kept wanting to find anybody else to show some of the visuals to.
Eikon sequences are especially impressive, and the sheer size and weight of epic battles come across convincingly. In standard battles, each of Clive’s attacks shines, with great use of effects. Some Eikon abilities fill the screen with spectacle. Production across the rest of the game holds up well, too. Animation quality for cutscenes comes through with a consistent and stellar design.
We would be amiss if we didn’t bring extra notice to the score in this Final Fantasy 16 review. Every major battle and cutscene moment is backed by booming vocals and an orchestra that helps sell the larger-than-life action in front of you. Familiar Final Fantasy motifs are layered throughout the game, but callbacks to old tunes are subtle. One of my favorite parts of the music is the range it reaches. During a massive battle near the end of the game, the music swaps from fantasy choirs to heavy metal riffs. One Battle features a melody and style that sounds like they came from a 2001 action film. It’s excellent, and when you least expect it, the style switches and creates helps create a diverse OST that remains excellent the whole way through.
Beyond Clive, all voice actors do a stellar job, and the facial animations sync well to create some interesting and dramatic story moments that hit harder than they usually have in previous Final Fantasy titles.
Conclusion: Summoners War
During our Final Fantasy 16 review, it has to be said that I struggled during its early sequences. I couldn’t quite grasp the overall creative vision, which felt like a linear combat simulator more than it did an epic Final Fantasy 16 action rpg game experience. Once the story took off, however, and I was given some freedom to move freely and flex some creative muscle with the combat, it grabbed a firm hold of me and never let go. I wish it didn’t take so long to get going, and I would have loved to enjoy more engaging sidequests. Despite that, though, Clive’s story is engrossing, and the overall main plot is a Final Fantasy tale for the ages. As a result, in combination with thrilling combat, Final Fantasy 16 comes together as an unmissable experience that should bring new audiences to the franchise while pleasing longtime veterans as well.
Related:
Final Fantasy 16Â Devs Promise To Fix Performance Issues
Final Fantasy 16Â Devs Promise To Fix Performance Issues
Final Fantasy 16Â will be available June 22 on PlayStation 5.
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