Final Fantasy carries a long legacy, spanning more than 35 years,
and after 15 mainline iterations and countless spinoffs,
that legacy has been entrusted to the staff of Square Enix’s Creative Business Unit III.
Helmed by the team largely responsible for the massive turnaround of Final Fantasy XIV,
as well as some other big name industry veterans,
Final Fantasy XVI boldly dares to defy series norms and forge a new path forward.
The end result is the most satisfying single-player Final Fantasy in nearly two decades,
full of spectacular combat, gripping narratives,
massive environments, and epic music.
Despite its outward appearance, this is no doubt a Final Fantasy game through and through.
This starts with the narrative and characters, which come together to tell a story
that on its highest level is a captivating political drama.
Competing nations are trying to survive the impending destruction of their world
by a mysterious force known as the Blight.
Yet XVI is at its best in the moment-to-moment storylines
that focus on the various characters and locales,
crafting incredible threads that provide immensely rich world building.
This is no more apparent
than in the bond of brotherly love between the main protagonist Clive and his younger brother Joshua,
but it also plays out with just as much impact during interactions with supporting characters Jill and Cid.
XVI achieves this level of storytelling largely through the main story quests,
but it also relies heavily on meaty side quests,
especially those found in the second half of the game.
To be fair, there are a handful of forgettable side quests, too,
but there are several critical ones
that provide extraordinary amounts of backstory to major characters
that help bring more believability to the world.
Many of these highlight widespread strife and suffering,
as the Blight closes in on the last bastions of civilization.
There are also looks into the dark nature of humanity,
as several of the game’s plotlines delve into horrifying topics
that don’t always have a happy ending.
Final Fantasy XVI’s compelling character development and storylines,
supplemented by fantastic voice work,
will have you rooting for unlikely heroes and loathing some truly despicable villains.
Regarding the narrative,
a fabulous new addition is the Active Time Lore feature.
During almost any part of the game, you can quickly bring up a menu
that highlights the relevant characters, locations, and events related to your current situation.
Ever have that moment when you forgot who a character is,
or why you’re suddenly in this location, or what an organization’s motives are?
Active Time Lore has you covered.
There are additional in-game resources to revisit all aspects of the narrative,
but Active Time Lore keeps it simple and helps you more easily focus on what’s at hand.
It truly should be a staple of more story driven games going forward.
Another impressive component of world building is the world itself.
Valisthea is divided into several nations, each of which you explore over the course of the game.
As you unlock new locations,
you can instantly teleport back and forth via the world map,
but that doesn’t mean that the game is limited to separate self-contained environments.
Instead, each region has multiple segments that are seamlessly interconnected,
and as you progress through the story, they continuously expand with new areas,
resulting in a world that truly feels massive in scale.
Not only are these locations enormous in size, but the variety of each is also very impressive
with deserts, forests, hillsides, mountains, and caves that feel alive
with a handcrafted touch.
Within each of these regions are plenty of towns with numerous characters to meet,
various side quests and shops,
as well as hidden paths, treasures, and plenty of enemies to challenge in combat.
It feels like a fully fleshed out world,
one you’d expect of an RPG of this pedigree.
You’ll feel the sense of wonder as you uncover each new locale,
but the backtracking is made relatively painless
by the inclusion of warp points near major towns and points of interest.
Not to mention, you can also unlock an ability
to call your chocobo almost anywhere in the wild to get around quickly.
When you need to catch your breath,
you can always head back to the hub area known as the Hideaway.
Here, Clive can forge new gear or enhance it at the blacksmith,
purchase new wares at the shop, check for any new side quests,
or take a peek at the hunt board to try to track down ferocious monsters
for an extra challenge.
There are even questlines here that lead to permanent upgrades,
such as expanding the caps on items in your inventory
and increasing the potency of consumable items.
It’s helpful to check in now and then, but beyond its utility,
you’ll likely find yourself wanting to come back for the Hideaway’s chill vibes
and endearing characters who call it home.
When you’re not busy exploring the world or engaging with its numerous inhabitants,
you’re spending time in combat, either out in the open fields or in one of the many dungeons.
These instanced segments feel lifted right out of Final Fantasy XIV,
complete with sections of enemies, followed up by multiple mini-bosses,
culminating in a final boss encounter.
Even chests with gear and other items are placed along the way
in similar fashion.
What’s different in XVI is the production value and the combat system.
Each of these dungeon-like environments is visually breathtaking,
and the combat sequences really steal the show.
Combat in Final Fantasy XVI is probably the biggest question mark in most people’s minds,
as it looks closer to a character action game like Devil May Cry than a traditional Final Fantasy.
However, despite some initial reservations, XVI’s battle system
is one of the most rewarding and gratifying experiences not only for a Final Fantasy game,
but for action games as well.
It’s simple to grasp, but as your suite of abilities expands,
battles really begin to highlight the variety and flexibility of combat,
and how it can suit multiple playstyles.
In the early hours, it is a bit limiting as you’re relegated to the Phoenix Eikon’s abilities
and your basic toolkit,
but it doesn’t take long to introduce newer powers and skills
to keep things evolving and moving forward.
Whether it’s the crazy defensive powers and big hits of Titan,
or the fast-paced, frantic lashes from Garuda’s wind attacks,
each Eikon’s skill set feels very distinct.
It’s possible to eventually build out a set
that favors being up close and personal with melee focused attacks,
staying at a safe distance with primarily ranged attacks,
or navigating a balance of both.
You also have your basic sword, movement, and magical skills at your disposal
to produce some fantastic looking combos,
as well as abilities to dodge and counter enemy attacks.
After leveling-up, you can spend points
to unlock new Eikon abilities or power-up existing ones.
Should you master any single Eikon ability,
you can further push the customization with the ability to equip that skill into any slot,
regardless of the Eikons you currently have selected.
So later in the game, you can absolutely equip abilities from six different Eikons at once.
The only downside is there’s no option to save Eikon or gear loadouts,
which does become a small annoyance when you want abilities with wider spreads
for fights with multiple enemies,
but then want to switch to more powerful single-target skills
for a boss encounter.
While there isn’t a proper party system where you directly control the other characters
who join you over time,
your allies’ contributions are readily felt, both in combat and in their interactions with Clive.
You can issue commands to your pet wolf Torgal,
to assist you or attack specific targets.
However, if it ever feels like it’s too much to manage in the heat of battle,
you can equip an accessory that automates his actions,
which we were all too happy to utilize.
All of this is put to great use during basic enemy encounters,
but the real showstoppers are the massive bosses, specifically the Eikon fights.
Starting out as intense one-on-one duels in your human form,
these easily eclipse anything you’ve previously seen in the game.
Any one of these fights can throw a ridiculous set of mechanics at you in quick succession,
reminiscent of the raids the development staff is already known for in Final Fantasy XIV.
Eventually, these duels escalate into a clash of titans, with outrageous fight sequences
that are a sight to behold.
Each features a unique theme and style,
so they don’t ever feel too repetitive in nature, either.
These portions are a bit more forgiving then their counterparts,
but nonetheless, they get the blood pumping,
especially when the amazing battle music kicks in.
One of these fights in particular will make Final Fantasy XIV veterans scream with delight
when the track drops.
It’s so characteristic of composer Masayoshi Soken’s style,
and Final Fantasy XVI’s soundtrack is further proof
that he’s one of the best in the biz.
Those finding the combat a bit challenging can switch over to story mode
or enable a few accessories that automate certain actions
like dodging and combo strings to allow players to get through battles more easily.
While there aren’t any further options to reduce difficulty,
there are certainly ways to make the game much more challenging.
Upon completing the game, you unlock the Final Fantasy difficulty option,
which includes several new modifiers
like raising the level cap and featuring more challenging enemies.
There’s also a higher difficulty setting for replaying specific bosses and dungeons
if you really want to push your limits.
XVI also boasts a fantastic quality of life feature
that should be standard on every RPG or lengthy game.
Via a stone tablet found at the Hideaway, you can replay any encounter,
whether it’s a boss fight, dungeon, or combat scenario.
This feature not only allows you to gain more experience and rewards
if you feel the need to grind,
but more importantly, it allows you to go back for missed items and treasures.
Permanent missables are one of the most notorious headaches of the genre,
so it’s amazing to see a developer provide the means to avoid this pitfall.
Additionally, you can also access a training mode with lots of different options
to practice against certain enemies or try out new abilities.
The only somewhat major issue present in Final Fantasy XVI
is the performance.
For the most part, it’s up to the task as many of the key battles and sequences
play out at 60 frames-per-second in performance mode,
but when exploring several of the larger towns or environments,
it can wildly fluctuate between 30 and 60 FPS.
It’s not so problematic that it deters the action,
but it’s definitely a noticeable issue.
However, you can switch to graphics mode should you want a more stable framerate,
albeit at 30 frames-per-second.
Final Fantasy XVI is a phenomenal game, through and through.
A marvelous battle system, incredible story and characters,
a wondrous world full of exploration and intrigue,
plenty of RPG tropes, and an outstanding soundtrack
all highlight why Final Fantasy XVI is truly something special.
The last few entries stumbled out of the gates,
sowing some doubt about the future of the franchise.
In stark contrast, Final Fantasy XVI rises to the occasion,
restoring the lofty status the series once enjoyed
and taking the franchise in a new direction while still honoring its legacy.
In a year full of amazing games, Final Fantasy XVI emerges as a frontrunner.
Final score: 9 out of 10.
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