Final Fantasy XVI Review

As time cruelly marches on, one gets tired of simply using years to keep track of how much longer you have before covering your fire sale IKEA couch in plastic seems like a good use of your Saturday afternoon. Personally, I’m celebrating my 15^th Final Fantasy this year thanks to an absolutely stacked team led by the now patron saint of Final Fantasy, Yoshi P. I went into Final Fantasy XVI with high expectations based on the dev team alone, but after not falling in love with the direction Final Fantasy VII Remake was taken in, those expectations were equally met with apprehension. Given many advertised design choices, some fans expressed concerns they were entering the waters patrolled by the Ship of Theseus. It sparked the question “How much can you change about the game before it’s no longer recognizable as a Final Fantasy title?” Perhaps a just as intriguing question is “How much does that matter?” All of this was floating around in my too-frequently empty head as I dove into what turned out to be my favourite game of 2023 so far.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve had a harder time enjoying some of the more modern Final Fantasy titles as they’ve sort of had an identity crisis post-Final Fantasy X. I can’t blame them given it had been two decades of a nearly identical formula – essentially me finding myself after university came to a close – but it did mean players would need to adjust alongside them. It was clear around the release of XII that they wanted to make a move toward an action-oriented combat system and an even more cinematic narrative delivery style. They tried to marry action combat with turn-based stylings in XIII (and in my opinion quite successfully), but it would mark the end of turn-based combat in the franchise proper. Final Fantasy XV gave us a real look into the direction they wanted to take the series, and this was confirmed when we saw Final Fantasy VII Remake iterate on this new formula.

Final Fantasy XVI on the surface may look like an iteration of Remake but in practice, it’s far more Devil May Cry, and while that represents a divergence from what we’re getting in the VII series, XVI arguably leans harder into being a cinematic narrative experience than any of the games in the series before it. Even summarizing these modern titles can get a bit confusing but whether you’ve liked the changes or not you can’t knock Square Enix for not being brave enough to mix it up in an effort to figure out what a modern Final Fantasy game really looks and plays like.

One thing that certainly hasn’t changed is that you’ll be stepping into the boots of a tragic hero who, whether they want to or not, are about to have a lot more responsibilities thrust upon them. You play as Clive, one of the two princes of the Grand Duchy of Rosaria. Clive is the older brother of the two and sworn shield to his younger brother Joshua who was chosen as the Dominant of the Eikon Phoenix. Rosaria is one of several regions controlled by different kingdoms which are all built around the Mother Crystals – mountainous crystal structures that are mined for their aether-bearing crystals that allow the average person to control a modicum of magic. In addition to being integral in the selection of the Dominants, they are also responsible for bestowing the ability to control magic from birth to a select few without the need for crystals. While Dominants are often royalty or lifted up to positions of power within their kingdoms due to being able to control the immense power of an Eikon such as Joshua with Phoenix, those born with the ability to simply control certain magics without the use of crystals aren’t so lucky. These unlucky folks are known as Bearers, and they are mostly used as slaves for their abilities and are often seen as sub-human. In the Duchy of Rosaria, they are a bit luckier thanks to Clive and Joshua’s father being far more of a benevolent leader, but nevertheless, it’s a hard life for many of them.

Outside of the usual tensions one might expect between kingdoms, a blight has been sweeping the lands leaving behind nothing but death in its wake and lands that are unable to support those living off them. This has apparently spurred on some military action, and after a spot of treachery within Rosaria at an opportune moment, Clive’s young life is derailed and sets him on a path marked by death and duty in the face of reluctant self-acceptance – only the thought of revenge keeping him setting one foot in front of the other. His lust for revenge, the blights of the land, and the mother crystals’ exacting power and influence come together to deliver a multifaceted story full of interesting characters and events that explore a myriad of themes that, while occasionally handled clumsily, land well and serve to highlight the plot points instead of just feeling like overt social commentary. There’s a fair amount of complexity here – certainly, more than many previous games in the series have had – but those who have played Final Fantasy XIV will likely feel more at home with much of the narrative delivery. Final Fantasy XVI’s story is best described as bittersweet, not for its quality as it’s certainly more than that, but thematically it’s not about serving up some conflict that always ends in laughs and celebration. Instead, it’s far grittier and grounded in reality – at least, as much reality as one can apply to a world of magic and legendary creatures. It’s certainly a very human story that’s truer to the actual human experience.

Its characters, while a bit tropey at times as you might expect in a Final Fantasy title, are often compelling, endearing, thoughtful, and interesting. While the game clearly focuses more singularly on Clive versus a more traditional rag-tag group being treated as an entity itself like you’d see in other Final Fantasy games, they don’t put the supporting cast on the back burner. They are all well explored, especially if you complete many of the side quests, and while there are clear standouts it’s obvious that care was put into each one of them all the same. There is some questionable repetition in some character’s arcs (repetitious within themselves, not repeated between characters per se) that can make some interactions seem superfluous and some plot points seem a bit ham-fisted, but this is thankfully rare.

If you haven’t heard already, the team behind Final Fantasy XVI were tasked with watching Game of Thrones during development. If you’ve seen the show or read the books you likely wouldn’t need to have heard this fun fact to see it upon playing the game, but I certainly didn’t find it to be a negative. There are undoubtedly some perhaps…too direct references put on display, like a legally distinct Hodor for example, but the influence showed up more in their building out a world that has foundational depth enough to hold up the weight of the story and characters than walking out a series of proxies and references. When you start to try and weave a tapestry of characters and events as dense as Final Fantasy XVI, it can be tough to keep track of it all even when everything is deftly placed before you. Mass Effect solved this problem with the appropriately revered Codex, and Final Fantasy XVI takes that idea and builds upon it in interesting ways.

Active Time Lore allows you to, at any point during a cutscene or even out in the world, hold a button to bring up a menu that includes the characters on screen, and other important related persons, places, and things to provide further context to what you’re doing or seeing at the time. It’s sort of like the system Amazon Prime Video has for movies, and I think it’s a brilliant tool that more games like this should adopt. Later, this concept is expanded upon and given to two NPCs that present knowledge and events in visual ways that are remarkably well done. Whether you want to know even more about the periphery, or if you’re someone who has long breaks between sessions and wants an easy way to refresh your memory of what’s going on, these unintrusive mechanics are a brilliant addition that makes enjoying the hard work of the writers that much easier. I feel it’s important to note that these are in no way used as a crutch by the team to deliver the story. There are many hours of cutscenes to be seen, and so you’ll not be left scratching your head if you aren’t interacting with these systems – they’re just a wonderful way to deliver more information and keep players on track when they feel they need it.

I’m not joking when I say there are hours of cutscenes, either. You’re going to be served up the equivalent of a ten-episode Netflix series by the time you’ve reached the epic conclusion, and if that sounds excessive let me at least put you partially at ease. You see, Final Fantasy XVI is not just written better than most games you’ll play this year, but the voice-acting cast absolutely knocked it out of the park. Pair well-written dialogue with top-tier voice talent that’s also clearly given good direction, and it makes for cutscenes that you’ll almost certainly never want to hammer X to skip through. Ben Starr in particular stands out as an immense talent for his work as Clive which is made more impressive given nearly every character big or small in this game is voiced remarkably well. I often find it difficult not to feel awkward listening to voice talent try to emote deeper feelings of anguish or rage in games, but Ben must have tapped into some dark magic himself because nearly every time he was called upon to carry a scene through deeply emotional waters he delivered unwaveringly. This is still a Final Fantasy game of course, so while this is some of the more mature writing we’ve got in the franchise it still gets a bit corny from time to time. Having stellar voice talent goes a long way in smoothing that out and keeps it from derailing otherwise more deftly written dialogue or exposition.

Elevating all of this wonderful work by the writers and voice actors is the absolute masterclass in soundtracks once again dished out by Masayoshi Soken. For those who have heard his work before in Final Fantasy XIV, it won’t be surprising to learn that nearly every piece of music in Final Fantasy XVI is perfectly suited for what’s on screen and goes a long way in bringing you along for the sorrowful lows and face-melting highs you’ll experience during your journey. I was equally impressed with the moments in which silence was used to great effect which isn’t something you always see in games. Some very powerful scenes play out with nought but the meticulously selected ambient sounds guiding you through tense moments while adding immense weight to each action a character takes in the scene. It highlights the game’s stellar sound design which also comes out in the sound of Clive’s battle-worn armour when he moves or the precise layering of a million sounds that come your way while tearing through enemies in combat. Only the odd vocal sitting too low in the mix, or an occasional obvious microphone or environment change between recorded lines detract from what is essentially a perfect audio experience from top to bottom.

Visually it was readily apparent to most who saw any promotional material that Final Fantasy XVI is a real looker both in terms of its art direction and graphical fidelity. Character designs and the clothes and armour they sport are phenomenal. When I first heard the direction they were taking XVI in, I was concerned that it would just look like they crammed brighter Final Fantasy fair into a gritty Game of Thrones medieval world, but thankfully the medieval influences are married well to the myriad traditional Final Fantasy visual anchors throughout. Environments are equally easy on the eyes, and the various locations you’ll visit and explore come to life in several hand-crafted lighting and weather conditions as you progress through the story. I was most impressed by the density of vegetation out in the fields and wooded areas, as well as the building architecture in the towns and cities. There’s a lot of loving detail placed nearly everywhere you look, and while a small handful of the spaces feel sparse in comparison it’s likely just more noticeable because most locations are so meticulously fleshed out.

It was noted that, on top of being a six-month exclusive to the PS5, Final Fantasy XVI wasn’t to get a PC release immediately because the team wanted to focus on making it work as flawlessly on the PS5 as they could, and that there were some concerns about how much time it would take to translate that to the PC environment. I suspect much of that is related to the storage speed and efficiency the PS5 affords developers which gets muddier when you move to the PC market where not everyone is sitting on a comparable NVME drive. That considered, it’s definitely straining the PS5 when in the 30fps targeted graphics mode. Flip the switch to performance and you’ll get a smoother experience, but I’d estimate you’re still getting closer to 45fps than 60fps most times.

I played entirely in graphics mode since the variations in framerate felt less severe, though I will say they did a good job hiding much of the quality drop in performance mode as it still looked great. Graphics mode still incurred lots of frame drops, but it only got in my way during combat a handful of times, so it wasn’t the end of the world. I might have been more forgiving given I went directly from Tears of the Kingdom to Final Fantasy XVI, but I can’t say the performance drops were distracting in any meaningful way. I would of course prefer a locked 60 – especially in an action combat environment like this – but given the detail they pushed to the screen I can understand why it struggles occasionally. Those who eventually get this on the PC and have the machine to push it to 4k60 will be in for a hell of a ride.

As pretty as it all is, however, Final Fantasy XVI has one of the most aggressive applications of motion blur I’ve ever encountered in a game. You barely have to move the camera to have things ghosting all over the place which kind of defeats the purpose of having so much high detail modelling and textures. I understand motion blur is a tool used both for hiding lower frame rates and as a stylistic choice but as someone who always turns motion blur off when I’m able, it was a real bummer having to suffer it. Performance mode framerate increases don’t really make it much better, and it’s so aggressive that if you’re someone who uses black frame insertion on your TV to smooth out 30fps content, it will only make it worse. I’m a big advocate for console games to include toggles for some of these more arbitrary visual effects like motion blur, film grain, depth of field, and chromatic aberration. It feels like at this point that shouldn’t be a big ask, and it would go a long way in allowing players to customize their experience whether it be to avoid something like excessive eye strain or just for personal taste.

The most divisive change any of the newer Final Fantasy games have made has almost always centred around the combat. Moving away from turn-based systems has been an arduous process for Square Enix, so when it was announced that XVI wasn’t about to go back but instead take the series further down the pure action combat path, it raised some red flags for a number of franchise veterans. Heading up the task of bringing Final Fantasy the rest of the way to action land was Ryota Suzuki, a 20-plus-year veteran of Capcom who worked on everything from Marvel vs Capcom 2 to Devil May Cry 5 in 2019 before leaving the company. That’s a lot of experience in the action category, and he considers Final Fantasy XVI to be his best work. Particular care was given to make Final Fantasy XVI’s combat challenging but accessible to a wide range of players which has led to some discourse around the game being too easy, but I’ll touch on that shortly. First, let’s talk about how it turned out.

Final Fantasy XVI’s combat can best be described as a less punishing Devil May Cry or Bayonetta. Timings demanded of you have larger windows, combos are simple though you can string them into some impressive chains, and enemies in general don’t hit quite as hard – save a few. Clive, as it turns out, is capable of absorbing parts of others’ Eikons and with that some abilities. You’ll top out at three Eikon slots with two selectable abilities per slot on top of the inherent abilities of each Eikon that slot represents. These abilities are upgradable, and some once mastered allow you to apply the ability to any Eikon slot which opens up a great deal of variety in combat stylings to suit your taste. Should you want to change your set out for another you’re also able to reset your abilities for free and re-distribute your earned ability points to create a new build. As you progress you of course gain access to new abilities, so this is a welcome choice that nearly eliminates the need to grind for more ability points every time you unlock something new which aids the pacing of the game a great deal. If you want to practice your skills or play around with new combinations, you can make use of the combat simulator to figure it all out instead of going straight into the heat of real battle which is a nice addition for those who aren’t so adept at action combat or for those who just want to style on an enemy that doesn’t hit back to see how high the numbers can go.

The combat itself is smooth, fluid, and fun. It’s flashy, over-the-top, and stylish just like you’d expect given the talent at the helm. Dashing from enemy to enemy and weaving together combinations of abilities quickly becomes second nature even for someone like me who isn’t as frequent a player of pure action games. Only the delayed move from two Eikon slots to three proved an awkward transition as muscle memory had long since set in for switching between two instead of rotating through three. I suppose it’s also worth noting that the auto-targeting system is a bit hit or miss sometimes as it tries to figure out what it is you’re attempting to prioritize. Even if you set targeting to manual there is some auto-targeting lingering which can throw you off and is most noticeable against some of the bigger baddies you’ll fight.

It’s evident that great care went into striking a balance between challenge and accessible fun. Most enemies in groups don’t swarm you with reckless abandon but they do often have a lot of health and the bigger ones obviously don’t tickle when they do connect. Just like attack windows, dodge windows are generous, though it’s not impossible to slip up and catch some unwanted hands. Items available are reduced to the essentials and you’re capped to a limited amount of each – so no more carrying 99 of every potion type under the sun, though I suppose nothing is stopping you from continuing to save that one special item for the boss you’re certain you’ll need it for before forgetting to use it entirely. Other items are largely for crafting or upgrading your weapons and armour, though thankfully they avoided the trap of creating unnecessary grind to craft items as you go. For some, this might be a bit of a shock given what they’re used to in Final Fantasy games before, but like many design choices, this was almost certainly done in the name of pacing and using the player’s time efficiently which is, generally speaking, a standout quality of XVI.

So, is Final Fantasy XVI too easy? It depends on how you look at it. Some games create special moments for players by utilizing extreme difficulty to provide those who stick it out with a feeling of accomplishment when they overcome obstacles. Never has this been more specifically used than with the continued success of FromSoft’s Dark Souls franchise and spinoff titles like Elden Ring. There’s more than one way to empower a player and entertain them, of course, and Final Fantasy XVI takes a different approach. I wouldn’t say that it’s easy enough to completely turn off your brain if you’re the average player, but it’s also not going to punish you every step you take. Instead, it gives you just enough challenge to keep you engaged while making you feel more and more like a god – which of course is conveniently what Clive more or less represents. Sometimes you just want to feel badass, and I can say confidently that few games do that as well as Final Fantasy XVI – especially thanks to its set piece Eikon battles.

Occasionally you’ll be treated to a clash of Eikons, pitting you against some of Final Fantasy’s most illustrious cast of demigods. Ever wondered what it would be like to see Ifrit take on his peers in one-on-one combat? Well, you’re going to find out. I’ll be honest, there aren’t many games I’ve played that have set-piece fights that are as grand of scale or as bordering on sensory overload as those you’re served in Final Fantasy XVI. The visuals are spectacular, the music gets you juiced to the gills with excitement, and it gets out of your way as much as possible to ensure you leave feeling like a legend. All gas, no brakes – Eikon battles represent everything the combat philosophy set out to accomplish and if you manage not to enjoy them then I can’t help you and may Ifrit have mercy on your soul. For everyone else, bring your brown pants.

For those who do want even more challenge, there is a more difficult mode to be unlocked after you finish the game the first time and move on to new game plus. Some argue that this mode should be available for players to choose from the jump, and while I would tend to agree with them, I can also appreciate the reasons why they’d choose not to go that route. I think it says a lot about where game difficulty as a point of discussion is right now because having the more difficult parts of the game be optional and largely found in the late game has been a staple in literally every Final Fantasy game ever made. Only now, as it crosses into the arena of pure action has it been dragged into this ongoing conversation. Not even Final Fantasy VII Remake which is nearly as action-heavy as XVI was talked about in this way – certainly not to this degree – and it was no more difficult on average. Nevertheless, if you’re looking for a game that would challenge even veteran gamers and fans of the action genre, Final Fantasy XVI is probably not going to scratch that itch – even with the highest difficulty mode. That being said, I didn’t feel it reduced my enjoyment at all, and new game plus even comes with new items and content to reward those willing to jump in for a more challenging round two.

Your first run has lots of content on its own, however, and a typical run that clears most or all of what’s offered will take somewhere between 40 and 50 hours. There are a number of side quests available as you move through the story, and they nearly all feel important and additive to the story and/or its characters instead of just bloated content. As mentioned before the pacing in XVI is noticeably well done, and this holds true most in the first two thirds of the game. The back third gets a bit messy comparatively speaking with too many side quests dumped on you at one time and they’re hard to ignore when so many that came before were of such high quality. They also brought back hunts for you to flex your muscles against should you wish, and you’re often rewarded with very useful items for your trouble. Many of the more challenging battles in the game are in the form of hunts, and so if you’re someone who’s looking for new and exciting ways to get slapped around, you’ll have the most luck here.

So, I suppose the question remains, did Final Fantasy XVI feel like a Final Fantasy game to me? Yes and no. On one hand, it’s littered with franchise references both overt and otherwise, characters certainly look the part as do many of the locations, and the music is exactly what you’d want. On the other hand, it’s the furthest step away from the turn-based combat the franchise was built on, the action combat focusing singularly on Clive while I think a mechanical positive ultimately makes you feel distant from your would-be co-stars, none of the locations for as good as they are locked in that comfy/homey feel that’s typically a staple, and for as expansive as a handful of locations are it still doesn’t replace the feeling a good ol’ world map you can romp around on to make the world feel so much bigger. I think that depending on what you personally grew up with or associated most strongly with the series, Final Fantasy XVI will either feel right at home in the lineup or feel more like a royal cousin. For some, all they need is for the game to contain a Cid and for that Cid to be loosely attached to the idea of an airship. Luckily for those people, Final Fantasy XVI has a pretty fantastic Cid so they’re going to be just fine.

Does that really matter? To a degree, I think it does, but it’s not a simple yes or no answer. For game franchises as long-running as Final Fantasy, it’s uncommon for core aspects of the games to be dramatically changed for fear of losing its identity which one would assume plays no small part in continued success more often than not. After all, people like the games for a reason and you need to know what the fundamental reasons are if you want to keep that proven audience coming back. Some get away with changing less than others, while some require an intervention at some point to reinvigorate the series or modernize it to expand its available audience.

I believe Final Fantasy falls into that second category for a couple of reasons: budget expectations, and market realities. Chiefly, the series was struggling to sell enough copies to justify the ballooning costs of producing big AAA titles that fans expected. At some point, the decision was made to change aspects of the games to appeal to a broader audience to increase sales, and whether you like those changes or not is secondary to Square Enix’s goal of making enough money on these games to justify continuing to produce such big budget entries. The titles have always been, as RPGs are, about the story and characters foremost and so with fewer and less players gravitating toward turn-based games while action games exploded in popularity, it’s not surprising that they have chased this particular dragon. This is going to bother a not-insignificant number of long-time fans of the series but sometimes it’s a matter of adapting or dying. I wouldn’t be surprised to see turn-based stuff make a comeback eventually, and with it, it’s possible future Final Fantasy titles will adopt it again, but for now, I think if you want to keep enjoying all else that makes for a Final Fantasy game you’ll have to stomach this specific change.

More important than all of these concerns should ultimately be whether the changes and the game itself are actually any good. After all, changes might not necessarily be to your taste but that doesn’t mean they’re not well done or don’t make for a compelling game. Final Fantasy XVI, to put it simply, is and will be one of the top games of 2023. What gripes might exist are largely that of personal preference, and you can’t knock it for that. Some may find it too easy for their taste, but Final Fantasy games have never really been difficult and I’m confident the average player will be more than happy with the level of engagement required to be successful in combat – especially many of those who are simply Final Fantasy fans and perhaps not veterans of pure action combat. A well-written story, a wonderful cast of characters, superb voice acting, beautiful visuals, heart-pumping set pieces, empowering combat, and a musical score to bring it all together makes for a rather strong argument that XVI is the best modern Final Fantasy to date. Really, though. This Cid is an absolute pistol. Cid out of ten.