Final Fantasy XVI: The Rising Tide

Final Fantasy XVI: The Rising Tide is a great way to conclude this installment of Square Enix's beloved saga. It adds more content in terms of both story and gameplay, which adds more value to the base game. Additionally, it provides us with more exciting battles we love and a beautiful and intriguing region to explore, not to mention a new challenge for those who want to get more out of its combat.

The Rising Tide may not offer anything new or novel to Final Fantasy XVI, but it does continue its streak of incredibly polished and fun gameplay. The story is a nice cherry on top of the main adventure, and the Karios Gate mode will keep you coming back for more.

Final Fantasy XVI is a fantastic game from start to finish, which manages to combine the classic structure of the series with a combat system focused on action and customization. The Rising Tide is the perfect complement to this experience, and although this marks the end of this chapter in the history of one of my favorite video game series, I can't wait to see how Square Enix takes everything that worked here and expands these concepts in Final Fantasy XVII, or in a sequel to Clive and Joshua's adventure.

Final Fantasy XVI: The Rising Tide is an excellent addition to an already great story that fits seamlessly into the world of Final Fantasy XVI. Clive’s latest quest is challenging but rewarding, and it allows him to grow more as a character as he continues serving the people around him.

A short but well written story, a new game mode and some updates to Clive's abilities. The Rising Tide caps off an amazing pair of DLC stories that leaves me wanting so much more.

While I think The Rising Tide has a lot to offer, my statement for the previous DLC applies: if you didn’t like Final Fantasy XVI, this isn’t going to change your mind. But this time, I think anyone who enjoyed Final Fantasy XVI even a little should give The Rising Tide a shot. It offers an excellent fight, new Eikonic abilities, and side quests that lean into the strengths of the best ones in the base game. Granted, nothing is going to match up to the base game for me, but it comes closer than I dared hope, and, for me, that’s the best I could ask for.

While The Rising Tide stumbles with its explorable scope and characterization for select individuals, its combat highs are standout. Fans of the base game and the first DLC should definitely pick this up if they haven’t already.

If I think of Final Fantasy XVI today as a package to play from start to finish, I think of an unparalleled expedition with a lot to tell, with its two expansions, about a world slowly approaching ruin. Perhaps, being a slave to the excitement and mystery of Japanese plot twists made me wait longer than I should have. Perhaps, the "terrible and lost" Leviathan was nothing more than a hope for the players, one that Clive knew from the start would not change his actions and that, in the end, he would have to say goodbye to his fans.

Simply put, The Rising Tide is a fitting end to Final Fantasy XVI. It delivers more stellar gameplay and an interesting narrative, all while further solidifying the legacy of the franchise's sixteenth title. While it may play it safe with the characters, bosses and story, it makes up for it with the addition of Leviathan and Kairos Gate. Furthermore, the DLC is a perfect sendoff to the game, lending itself well to what was established and giving fans a chance to return to Clive, Torgal, Jill and Jonathan one last time. Those who enjoyed the base game will find The Rising Tide to be an enjoyable and worthwhile adventure to travel back to Valisthea for.

Playing through The Rising Tide was bittersweet. For all its flaws, I have a deep fondness for Final Fantasy XVI, so I was happy to have a strong hook to bring me back to Valisthea, even if it was a rather short-lived journey that wrapped up just as I was starting to vibe with the new setting, abilities, and characters. In several ways, The Rising Tide offers something I wish the original game had a bit more of in its story: vibrance and warmth. FFXVI was outwardly grim and dark--fitting what it was going for. But having this contrast that complements the core themes of the original game was a real treat, especially with some great gameplay twists along the way. The Rising Tide is an easy recommendation for those who enjoyed the base game, and a damn fine way to send off FFXVI.

The Rising Tide is a great expansion for Final Fantasy XVI. The battle with Leviathan is amazing and the entire plot involved is very good. Kairos Gate is a fun challenge format, too. The only problem is the duration of the DLC itself: it is very short.

Good DLC should pull you back into the game’s world. Final Fantasy XVI’s DLC sort of achieves this goal. You want to spend more time there, but the version of the world on offer feels a bit bleak. Maybe this is just the ‘end of days’ vibe that permeates the final chapter. Perhaps I’m just cursed with knowledge about these characters and their ultimate fates. Either way, the actual tangible content is mostly pretty fun. Yes, the sidequests are a bit dull, and I wish the main quest was a bit longer. And while I don’t care about the plight of Leviathan and his Dominant, the ensuing battles are a blast. Plus, there’s a boatload of postgame content to dive into. Though the Rising Tide DLC doesn’t quite hit the same story highs as the main game, that gameplay is still tons of fun.

All in all, Final Fantasy‘s finale DLC was a pretty good time. While Mysidia wasn’t quite as in-depth as I had hoped it would be, Final Fantasy XVI The Rising Tide is nonetheless an enjoyable and rewarding journey and a satisfying conclusion to the Final Fantasy XVI DLC duology.

It’s still an enjoyable journey and adds plenty of playtime thanks to the multitude of cinematics, lengthy main story, and generous helping of sidequests. The Rising Tide is definitely a step up from the meager offerings of the boss rush mode that was Echoes of the Fallen. If you’ve been looking for a reason to return to Valisthea, this is it.

While Final Fantasy 16's final paid DLC doesn't break new ground in many ways, it's another fine display of the action RPG's strengths.

Final Fantasy 16: The Rising Tide is a great expansion to an excellent action RPG, offering up one of the game's most intriguing and considered chapters. With yet more memorable boss battles, an emotional storyline, and some downright stunning environments, it's the worthy sendoff that Clive and company deserve.