Final Fantasy XVI is the 16th mainline instalment of the series, and it is not like any other game before it. All the mainline entries, and even the spin-offs, are characteristically different, but this one even more so. Right off the bat, the aesthetics feel less like a JRPG and more like a WRPG. It embraces the medieval theme, with a large splash of fantasy. It may cause you to do a double take once or twice but you’ll soon warm up to it. The game has a serious story with a darker theme to it, and for that, the game is better for it.
The world is currently at war. The blight is taking over the land, where nothing can live or grow in it. As a result, all the countries are fighting each other to take fertile land for themselves to survive. Set in the medieval ages, the biggest difference is that the population can use magic, thanks to the giant magic crystals that is the center of each country. Each country also has their own Dominant. Dominants have strong magical powers and wield the power of the Eikon. Eikon are powerful magical beings, and are what players know as the familiar summons that are a staple of the series.
Dominants can transform into their Eikons, and the scale of the Eikons matches the scale of the story. Whereas summons usually are something players collect and get, maybe summon once or twice to check it out, and then forget. Here, they are portrayed as key powers that can turn the tide. The clashes between two Eikons are epic, and it really gives a sense of uniqueness and focus to the Eikons that we haven’t had before.
The story focuses on Clive, formerly of Rosaria. He sets out on a revenge mission, trying to track down the Eikon of Fire. He finds himself on a journey that will span the rest of the game. The story has a lot of politics in it, and it is definitely not afraid to show deaths and blood. In fact, it is probably the bloodiest Final Fantasy yet. The darker atmosphere oozes with charm. Even though Clive himself isn’t the most charismatic, he is likable and most importantly, easy to get behind of.
The other change from the usual Final Fantasy formula is the combat system. It is an action game through and through, with some inspiration from MMOs. It’s like a hack and slash, with Clive able to execute a basic combo of four strikes. He can fire off a basic magic attack, dodge and block. Rounding out his abilities are Eikon abilities which you can map to a combination of the right trigger button and one of the face buttons. These abilities are on a cooldown, hence the MMO influence.
You are supposed to hack your way through enemies. For tougher enemies, your aim is to whittle down their will meters so that they can reach stagger status. Once staggered, they will take more damage based on the damage multiplier. It’s a simple but effective combat system. The highlights are the boss battles, but sometimes their health bars can feel a bit damage spongey, and it all boils down to damage, dodge, stagger and damage some more, which can feel a bit tedious.
That said, this game has a great sense of scale. Even during normal boss battles, there are quick time events sprinkled through them. Normally they can feel superficial and unnecessary, but here, they add to the epic feel of the battles, even if it is a little more than just pressing a button. Similarly, the giant Eikon battles where you pit two against each other is a massive visual spectacle given the sheer scale and epic nature of the beings. This aspect cannot be underestimated.
The structure of the rest of the game can be meh. Equipment and levels feel like an afterthought. They are just there because they must be there for a JRPG. Given the limited number of towns and enemies, the game is linear. Most of the dungeons are linear corridors, yes, they look pretty, but when the game doesn’t even need to give you a map, it’s linear. The world map that you use to progress and travel through using a mouse-like map feels like an odd decision as it makes the world feel too segregated and siloed, pulling you out of the immersion that it is one big, connected landmass.
The game isn’t about exploration, it’s about action combat and the story. This can be both good and bad. Bad in terms of limited side content, good in terms of not having much filler and being a lot more focused. The side content it does have though, are uninspired, as they are short fetch quests, or hunt quests. However, sometimes, a sidequest may flesh out the backstory of supporting characters. It’s just a shame it is hard to tell which ones do this and are worth doing, and which ones are not. The bigger areas are devoid of interesting things to explore, and they feel empty and hollow as a result.
Like with a lot of JRPGs, the game starts off slowly, both in terms of story and gameplay. Yet by the time you fight and kill the first big villain, it rapidly increases its pacing, to the point of it feeling too fast. Gameplay-wise, once you unlock more ability slots, it feels faster and less crippled. On the story side, it feels a bit simple as you are going from place to place with the same objective. However, there doesn’t seem to be enough build up getting to the end of each of these sections, as it feels like it is a small dungeon, and then you’ve reached the end and fight the boss.
A few of the boss battles drag out, as does certain parts of the game. For every big story moment, it is separated by these filler sections that do little to advance the parts of the story that are interesting and that you cared about. A bunch of sidequests will also open up that can suck hours of your time. Towards the end of the game where you get to unlock the whole map, you start to appreciate how big some of the maps are. Too bad that they are mostly emptiness sprinkled with normal enemies and stronger ones from hunting quests. There is also too much of the same type of environment that can make it a bit boring.
However, perhaps most surprisingly is that even with all the filler, the game lacks a proper final dungeon. You go past the point of no return, expecting a dungeon that’ll take you an hour or two before you reach the final boss, only for you to immediately start fighting the final boss. That’s not to say that the final boss doesn’t take time, and it was epic. If you distilled the story, it’s nothing fancy and can eventually feel like a typical JRPG where the stakes have been pushed so far, that the earlier parts feel so out of reach and different. Yet, there were some climactic moments that were amazing, and dialogue that was epic. It did not let you down in terms of having a grand finale.
The game takes around 40 hours to complete, more if you finish the sidequests, a lot less if not. The game even on standard difficulty is quite easy, but upon finishing the game, there is a New Game Plus which amps up the difficulty, and compensates by upping the level cap. Nothing extra is unlocked after finishing the game. The story’s ending is a bittersweet moment, and it brings together all the characters that Clive had met on his journey, and it’s sad to say farewell to them all.
Overall, Final Fantasy XVI is one of the games in the series that is the further departure yet. From the art style being more western based, to the combat and game structure inspired by MMOs. That’s not a bad thing as the darker and more serious story is interesting (when it is trying to push filler onto you). Despite the reuse of enemy types from early in the game, combat is fun and fast, especially once you have unlocked all your abilities. It can feel spongey at times and some boss battles go on for far too long. Yet the game has a certain charm to it and is a polished game that you can’t help but enjoy it a lot.
-----------------------------------------------
(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)
