Final Fantasy 16 PC review

Following the turn Final Fantasy took with Final Fantasy XV (a good turn, if it wasn’t overcooked at that), many have wondered what’s next for the most popular RPG franchise in existence. Another innovation? Back to basics? Final Fantasy XVI answers that by saying “Why not both?”

how? Well, that’s because it’s constantly flipping through your head from being “This is Final Fantasy too!” to “What is this game even?” regularly. The latter statement has a variety of flavors ranging from disgust to bewilderment and giddy joy. It has the story formula and theatrical mastery of the series right down to a fine point. But on the other hand, it feels narrower than any Final Fantasy game over the past twenty-five years or so. This isn’t always a bad thing either. I suppose the best way to sum up the Final Fantasy XVI experience is “conflicting”.

The story sees the Archduke’s young son Clive Rosefield as the sworn protector of his younger brother. His brother, Joshua, is the Dominator and, as such, has the ability to control an elemental monster known as Ikon. The Eikons in this world are callbacks to previous Final Fantasy titles, and Joshua takes control of Phoenix. When tragedy and deceit strike the Rosefield home, Clive is captured and recruited into a group of slave soldiers, where he serves for several years before we are reunited with him.

Clive and Torgal usually join forces in combat

In the present, Clive manages to escape his bondage thanks to the latest version of Cid, and soon becomes embroiled in a search for revenge and answers. Clive ends up charged with guiding the fate of the world itself as it has been ravaged by a blight that has left the once lush green lands dark and dusty. The multiple stories naturally collide in typical theatrical fashion.

After the sprawling open-world wonder of Final Fantasy XV, Final Fantasy XVI essentially takes things back, but keeps the scale in place for the right moments. The world is beautiful but tends to feel a touch empty, even with a certain reason to the story that a blight has corrupted much of the land.

Structurally, the game is pretty close to a Platinum Games title, and given that some of the development team has a history with action titles like that, it’s not a bit surprising. Lots of beautiful arcades and grand boss arenas, a sense of sheer scale of boss fights, and even in the dry humor and bloodshed, there’s something completely different at play here.

It is more visible in combat. It clearly takes cues from Final Fantasy VII Remake and in fact Final Fantasy XV. But Final Fantasy XVI is a more complex setup, merging elements of Final Fantasy XIV’s combat with the Devil May Cry/Bayonetta convertible style system. As Clive starts collecting abilities from the various Eikons, his move list increases, so one minute he can send enemies flying with great power, and the next he shoots spectral tentacles across the battlefield to grab enemies. Special stat powers tend to feature a cooldown, but stat moves are still great for every element in them. Clive can attack with his sword and fireballs from any item he’s currently equipped with, and even at this basic stage there’s room for a few permutations.

The game is quick to give you a taste of Scary Icons

It’s really refreshing to have such interesting combat in a Final Fantasy game. It certainly covers the cracks of entry that constantly pushes you forward rather than letting you get sucked into the world of Valisthea. The innovative idea of ​​having all the scene-related information readily available on the pause screen does keep you invested and informed about the many machinations of the world, but it feels kind of co-constructive to an undernourished world in terms of the broader visual storytelling.

The trim and action group do a lot of the heavy lifting, and they’re fairly acceptable trade for the most part. Cid Ralph Ineson is a pleasure to communicate with. A suave, articulate freedom fighter with a streak of banter makes him one of the most memorable characters of the modern Final Fantasy era. Ben Starr’s Clive Rosefield is no slouch either. It takes the delicious “Woe Is Me” revenge arc and adds humanity and empathy to it with a fine performance. This duo in particular makes moving forward with the story more than an enjoyable experience. And the supporting cast of characters generally does a good job of backing that up.

Despite the static widget moments. These are of the highest order. From Eikon battles that dazzled my Kaiju fighting senses to bloody melodramas played out on an epic scale. After the weak and fragmented nature of Final Fantasy XV’s story (which still has some great moments big and small), there’s something about the shift in tone and style in Final Fantasy XVI. At times, it feels closer to the best stories than the online entry Final Fantasy XIV, with the added bonus of a larger production budget and voiced characters.

It helps that Final Fantasy XVI looks absolutely stunning in these moments. Yes, some of the playable scenes boil down to tapping a button in throwback QTE style, but it works well when said button smashing sees one Eikon pound fiery bloody lumps from another’s chin while stately orchestral music squeals in a trance beside her. Or when Clive crosses swords with some notorious foes and you can see the determination, desperation and ruthless aggression of a moment all from up close as sparks fly from their interlocking blades. Final Fantasy XVI is truly a game of “moments,” and it rarely disappoints in such great examples.

Boss encounters are truly epic moments

But as I’ve often pointed out, Final Fantasy XVI is a tad quirkier in its smaller moments. Yes, Clive is a great way to view the faults of this world, but many attempts to show the creeping death of Valisthea fall short of their intended effect. Side quests are available, some of which definitely help flesh out the world and its people, but the game is so eager to keep you on a path thanks to its compelling main story, that you can easily miss out on a lot of this. If the best of Final Fantasy XIV can be seen in what Final Fantasy XVI does right, the worst of XIV is very much found in what Final Fantasy XVI does wrong. Lots of simple fetch quests, lots of back and forth travel, and a few side quests feeling worthless. This doesn’t apply to everything, of course, but there are parts of this digital tapestry that are still worn out or incomplete.

Final Fantasy XVI ends up being an unforgettable experience in many ways while you’re in the moment. It lacks something that would raise its profile to be among the best in the series. I think the direction the game is taking is impressive, and it really should be part of a blueprint for the future of Final Fantasy, but for now, it still needs some tweaks and additions to take it to the next level.