Final Fantasy XVI delivers an intensely gripping narrative centered around lifelike characters set in an extraordinarily well-realized fantasy world that long-time fans will find incredibly easy to be invested in. Visually, no expense was spared to create one of the most strikingly beautiful open world environments I’ve ever had the pleasure of exploring as a gamer.
From the sprawling kingdoms of Valisthea to the neon- soaked streets of Rosaria, every locale exudes an incredible attention to detail from the individually-modeled foliage down to the stitching on garments. The photo-realistic vistas enabled by the PS5‘s cutting-edge graphics tech make just taking a leisurely Chocobo ride between objectives an utter joy.
Fans will surely appreciate the stylistic callbacks to games like Final Fantasy XII and Final Fantasy Tactics. The sweeping fantasy architecture feels like it leapt straight out of Ivalice onto next-gen hardware. Meanwhile, the summonable Eikons represent some of the most visually magnificent creatures the franchise has ever portrayed.
Refined Combat That Demands Mastery
Beyond its visual prowess, Final Fantasy XVI sets its sights on delivering intensely thrilling combat. Foregoing turn-based mechanics completely, it utilizes an demanding action system more reminiscent of stylish character action games than its JRPG roots.
Timing, combos, and managing various EX gauges are paramount as players switch between melee strikes, ranged shots, guarding, and special abilities against human-sized foes and towering Primals. Chaining 30-hit combos between your controlled party member alongside guest Eikons feels immensely satisfying once you get the hang of it.
The adjustable difficulty settings allow you to find the right balance between an engaging challenge and more relaxed monster hunting. On Normal, basic combos and occasional blocks is enough to scrape by most fights. But cranking the game to Hard mode demands expert timing for dodges, parries, and capitalizing on enemy openings to do real damage.
Each party member brings a wholly unique playstyle to master. From Torgal’s heavy axe swings to Hugo’s swift daggers, I enjoyed switching between characters to keep combat fresh. Their individual EX gauges add further depth, governing powerful techniques from Ignis’s spell-slinging to Corvi’s trigger-happy pistols.
Customizing loadouts by equipping Eikon cores, materia-esque shards, and weapons allow some flexibility for preferred stats and bonuses. It certainly lacks the extreme depth of Final Fantasy XV’s intricate Ascension system, but the streamlining helps keep players focused on nailing combat fundamentals amidst hectic battles.
Thrilling Boss Battles That Test Your Limits
The screen-filling Primal boss battles surely stand among the most visually spectacular clashes I‘ve ever experienced in a game. The Titan boss in particular comes stomping in like a kaiju straight from the big screen, demolishing bridges and castingly deadly meteors. Meanwhile Ifrit the fire Eikon has some blistering combos, including a punch flurry even faster than FF7 Remake’s Hell House.
These epic encounters can span multiple phases, ultimately pushing your skills to their limits. Sabotage abilities to stagger larger foes for big damage windows become essential on Hard. Carefully timing guards and counter slashes offers crucial survivability against ruthless combos. Hearing the cries of defeat upon finally striking the decisive blow against Garuda released hours of built up tension.
Sadly, the game’s wonderfully realized presentation routinely suffers from frustrating performance dips and stability issues. Framerates during battles and in larger towns routinely sputter below 30 FPS despite installing the game to an SSD. Textures and models noticeably pop in when traversing fields or fast traveling. Obvious optimization flaws point to a lack of polish for Sony’s flagship console.
An Exceptional, Emotive Soundtrack
Legendary composer Nobuo Uematsu returned to score the soundtrack which features some of this veteran‘s most emotionally impactful work in years. Somber piano arrangements perfectly underscore heartfelt story beats between characters while rousing, blood-pumping anthems kick in whenever swords are drawn, flawlessly complementing the action.
The English voice cast delivers convincing performances though the Japanese audio track is powerfully moving as well for purists. Hearing the anguished cries of certain characters during tragedy left my heart heavy even without full dialog comprehension. Both localized scripts demonstrate plenty of natural banter between finely realized party members.
Plenty of Narrative Details to Analyze
Diving deeper into the story, Final Fantasy XVI weaves a complex tale of succession centered around dominion over Eikons, mythical entities that bless individuals with tremendous power. Beyond the violent political feuds, fans will discover no shortage of symbolism and subtle themes to dissect. Each Eikon clearly represents broader concepts from Titan‘s embodiment of the inexorable passage of time to Garuda evoking fierce maternal protection.
The broader narrative touches on class inequality, the morality of revenge, and questioning one’s fate with several surprising twists. Fan theories already run rampant online debating certain unresolved plot threads. For instance, who were the first Eikon users to oppose the tyrannical rule of the first Azure Dragoon nearly 1000 years ago? Though the ending delivers closure, I anticipate Square Enix has only just begun expanding this rich lore.
Mundane Side Content Overstuffs The Journey
Being an open world game, Final Fantasy XVI stuffs in plenty of optional content alongside critical path quests but a hefty portion feels like padding to artificially extend playtime rather than compelling allies. Fetch quests mostly boil down to eliminating targets and reporting back for meager experience rewards barely worth the effort.
Excessive loading screens, repetitive confirmation dialogue, and long animations slow the pace, making mundane objectives feel even more pointless. The main story Campaigns (Lengthy mission chains focused on key characters) fare much better but feel stretched thin between recycling side pursuits. Unlike the memorable side quests of The Witcher 3 or detailed hunter hunts in Monster Hunter World, these lack creative hooks to inspire continued engagement.
Loot collected also rarely justifies constant equipment swapping given marginal stat differences. Crafting similarly lacks complexity with basic recipes for items and consumables. There‘s a general sense that side content tries to capture expectations from Assassin’s Creed and its open world ilk without the nuance or satisfying gameplay loop to maintain player investment.
How Does It Compare to Past Final Fantasy Games?
In many ways, Final Fantasy XVI represents a culmination of lessons learned from recent mainline entries and spin-offs. It retains the action-focused real-time combat direction introduced by Final Fantasy XV but with greater depth more reminiscent of Final Fantasy VII Remake and Stranger of Paradise.
The visual benchmark far surpasses even next-gen efforts like Forspoken with astonishing environments only possible leveraging the PS5 hardware and Epic‘s Unreal Engine 5 tech. Arguably only the PS3 tech demo Agni’s Philosophy comes close to realizing such a stunning level of realism.
Structurally, the critical path story Campaigns offer tighter pacing compared to the often dragging middle acts of base Final Fantasy XV and Final Fantasy XIII even if side content throws off momentum. In terms of narrative scale and thematic ambition though, Final Fantasy XVI falls just short of the emotional highs achieved by Final Fantasy XIV Shadowbringers and Endwalker.
The Bottom Line
Final Fantasy XVI delivered an unforgettable, emotionally charged rollercoaster centered around endearing, multifaceted characters that left me reflecting for hours after the credits rolled. As a fan craving another phenomenal single-player Final Fantasy epic, it absolutely fulfilled my desire even if reaching the summit of its towering ambitions.
For gamers yearning to be consumed by a meticulously crafted dark fantasy realm with best-in-class world building and visual design, I couldn’t recommend it more. Its action-packed battles strike an accessible yet immensely challenging balance for newcomers and veterans alike. And the story keeps you constantly pressing onward to the next captivating revelation.
Yes, grievances around occasionally severe performance dips and repetitive side content do hamper parts of the experience, especially surprising given its Sony-exclusive pedigree. As a PS5 showcase, the lack of proper technical optimization feels unacceptable.
But in the end, the totality of Final Fantasy XVI overshadows those blemishes, delivering an instant classic that deserves mention among the storied franchise’s masterworks. I’m already eagerly counting down the days to follow Clive and friends to whatever bold new horizons await in the inevitable sequel. This is absolutely an adventure worth savoring.