Final Fantasy XVI

 PlayStation 5
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 8567 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6,528 out of 8567
  2. Mixed: 693 out of 8567
  3. Negative: 1,346 out of 8567
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Himmellaeufer
    Jul 14, 2023
    3
    Is Final Fantasy still an RPG?

    - No status effects - No puzzles - Almost no more RPG mechanics available! - No tactical commands for party members (Torgal does not count) - Linear gameplay - A lot of cutscenes (felt at least 50% of the game) - Loot not balanced, sometimes very bad and not well thought out - Eikons/Espa powers are only visually very chic, no effects on opponents    Is Final Fantasy still an RPG?

    - No status effects
    - No puzzles
    - Almost no more RPG mechanics available!
    - No tactical commands for party members (Torgal does not count)
    - Linear gameplay
    - A lot of cutscenes (felt at least 50% of the game)
    - Loot not balanced, sometimes very bad and not well thought out
    - Eikons/Espa powers are only visually very chic, no effects on opponents whether ice, wind or fire is used.
    - Very often (bosses) confusing because too many effects on the screen.
    - Secondary characters are not illuminated enough, very superficially or not at all
    - Only one weapon can be used, upgrade pointless since a better weapon is found 15-20 minutes later.
    - Equipping items has been greatly minimized. A weapon, a belt, a bracer and three rings/chains. Unfortunately there is nothing more.
    - side quest bad! Very much help person x, search herbs y tasks. No comparison to old FF side quests or even a witcher!
    - No mini games
    - sometimes long ways
    - Few enemy types, no variety, often repeated
    - At times the stylish Eikon/Espa fights are too long, unnecessarily long

    Reminiscent of the gameplay of EA's last Jedi Games, a Devil May Cry (yes, I know Ryota Suzuki) or a God of War.

    Despite all the negative comments, I love the soundtrack, the main character Cliff and the very beautiful world of Final Fantasy 16. I have strong vagant story vibes with a pinch of FF9.

    Unfortunately, Final Fantasy is no longer Final Fantasy. It's now just an action-adventure game that's far from its former strengths. The claim of a role-playing game has been severely restricted or completely lost.    … Expand
  2. Tjr0741
    Jun 23, 2023
    4
    Not Final Fantasy. Definitely not a JRPG it feels like more of a mix between a hack n slash and adventure game. If you're a huge Final Fantasy fan like me, you probably won't like this. Had it been named something else, I'd have probably rated it a 6 or 7, the fact that it doesn't play like a final fantasy or feel very much like one causes it to lose points. Other than that it's just an OKNot Final Fantasy. Definitely not a JRPG it feels like more of a mix between a hack n slash and adventure game. If you're a huge Final Fantasy fan like me, you probably won't like this. Had it been named something else, I'd have probably rated it a 6 or 7, the fact that it doesn't play like a final fantasy or feel very much like one causes it to lose points. Other than that it's just an OK game. The story and music are good, but besides that the side quests are boring, the PS5 performance is terrible and constant stutters and fps drops are distracting in frame rate mode while in graphics mode the ghosting is almost unbearable, it's very linear, fighting system is OK but requires very little strategy or talent, there is very little character customization, no party system, I could go on, but thats the important stuff. Basically it's hard to even call this an RPG. I'm probably about halfway through and I'm not really enjoying it.… Expand
  3. oskar73
    Jun 23, 2023
    1
    No es un final fantasy al uso.muy mal rendimiento problemas gráficos y muy oscuro,mucho blur y la historia cae mucho en la segunda mitad
    Vuelve Sakaguchi y haz un final fantasy en condiciones
  4. BellCarZar
    Jun 23, 2023
    0
    Here's another serious case of "Game" pumped up by the critics but full of flaws.
    The 16 flaws of Final Fantasy 16:
    1 - the game is an ignorant action that can be completed by holding down the square button all the time 2 - the framerate dancer slows down the flow of gameplay and cutscenes too often even with the DayOne Patch 3 - flat and linear level design makes corridor exploration    Here's another serious case of "Game" pumped up by the critics but full of flaws.
    The 16 flaws of Final Fantasy 16:
    1 - the game is an ignorant action that can be completed by holding down the square button all the time
    2 - the framerate dancer slows down the flow of gameplay and cutscenes too often even with the DayOne Patch
    3 - flat and linear level design makes corridor exploration useless
    4 - the gameplay becomes repetitive already after the first three hours, given how the combinations of elements do not lead to different results of the battles, marking its disarming superficiality
    5 - texture pop up is ugly to see in 2023
    6 - the plot starts with rhythm and ends with boredom.
    Bringing ridiculous motivations and turning many situations into meaningless bad moments
    7 - there are no minigames
    8 - once the story is completed there is no secret content or endgame. Only the New Game +
    9 - the "dungeons" are all linear, flat and copy paste
    10 - it's too easy even on hard mode. So much so that I could call it a joke even for a casual gamer
    11 - there is no party, only Torgal the dog who can do 2 commands and that's it
    12 - there is no World Map, but only a map menu where you can select the mission...
    13 - The final Boss is an insult compared to all previous Bosses in the game.
    And it's also one of the worst when compared to the Final Bosses of previous Final Fantasy games
    14 - side quests are awful. Deliver flowers, escort items, collect item, etc...
    15 - the "hunts" are not well built and indeed are tedious and essentially useless since they are nothing but mobs that are easy to exterminate
    16 - the inconsiderate and bad use of the Quick Time Events. Because usually in games like God of War they have a more marked value to affect the game itself. But here in Final Fantasy 16 they're overdone, to the point where 99% of enemies are demolished by these Quick Time Events just to disguise a load-up between the end of a battle and the start of a cutscene    … Expand
  5. Otodo
    Jun 23, 2023
    0
    Once again we are faced with a bad new Final Fantasy game.
    I wish I could say I was surprised, but unfortunately I'm not.
    The plot is absurdly banal, to the point that you can already understand how the game will end after 2 hours. (and I've finished the game, completing all the hunt quests, in 31 hours) Clive is a bad protagonist, monochromatic and grumpy with a fixation of    Once again we are faced with a bad new Final Fantasy game.
    I wish I could say I was surprised, but unfortunately I'm not.
    The plot is absurdly banal, to the point that you can already understand how the game will end after 2 hours.
    (and I've finished the game, completing all the hunt quests, in 31 hours)
    Clive is a bad protagonist, monochromatic and grumpy with a fixation of "revenge".....
    The gameplay is a basic and very easy action, to the point that I've never done a single gameover, not even in the secondary hunts, which I found flat and repetitive.
    Adding that the whole game is linear (with some areas that are larger, but practically empty), and taking into account an absence of post game (since the game is literally only the Main Quest for 90%), I consider this Final Fantasy 16 another bad final fantasy game.
    No real challenges, no secrets, no minigames, and no "real" world to explore. And since I didn't like the banal revenge story I'd say it's a complete failure from my point of view.    … Expand
  6. Jesadu
    Jun 23, 2023
    0
    I prefer replay Chrono Cross 200 times rather then make a second run with FF16
    Because Final Fantasy 16 become horribly bad from the second half of the plot
  7. Gamerboy1991
    Jun 23, 2023
    0
    Another game boosted by the gaming media. You know why? Because they are afraid that if they dont give good review to sony, they wont get review codes and sony will not let them get their hands on the games early.

    So listen carefully, here is a non biased review from a person not afraid of sony: 1. This is not optimised well. Falls below 30fps during battle. 2. Battles are too easy. You    Another game boosted by the gaming media. You know why? Because they are afraid that if they dont give good review to sony, they wont get review codes and sony will not let them get their hands on the games early.

    So listen carefully, here is a non biased review from a person not afraid of sony:
    1. This is not optimised well. Falls below 30fps during battle.
    2. Battles are too easy. You only need two buttons to kill bosses
    3. Story is messy and weird
    4. Rated M for clout. Nothing mature about this game
    5. Only good thing is that the main character looks good.
    6. Side characters are meh.

    If I am going to rate this, this is like a game trying hard to be xenoblade chronicles, but failed miserably. Disapointed with square enix for this game and disappointed to the biased media.    … Expand
  8. ILoveSonyPS5
    Jun 23, 2023
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is the only good game I was hoping sony would release this year. I am pretty sure spider man will be delayed. This game disappointed me. I preordered this game, payed 70 bucks and now I cannot refund it. Thats sony for you. This is not a JRPG. This is an action game like spiderman. I hate it!

    Oh well. Diablo here I come again    … Expand
  9. Alono
    Jun 23, 2023
    0
    An even worse final fantasy game than FFVII Remake and FFXV
    This is Hugely disappointing, especially from YoshiP
  10. Atreus69
    Jun 23, 2023
    0
    Se me ha desconectado 3 veces por sobrecalentamiento la consola con un juego que no llega a 1080 y 30 fps.Las misiones secundarias son aburridas a más no poder y no sigo escribiendo más para no perder más tiempo con esta porquería.Al Game a ver si puedo recuperar algo antes de que baje precio.
  11. kgauj
    Jun 23, 2023
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. 1, Bearer related settings are messy
    As for why bearers are being discriminated against, it's too inappropriate to say that it's just a crude reason that they can use magic without crystals. Stop making a story with just persuasiveness or setting and moving the story

    What's more, the main character himself was treated as a bearer, but it's strange that he doesn't have any knowledge about bearers.
    In particular, it's a complete opportunism that Bearer didn't know that if he used too much magic, he would be petrified after living for 28 years.

    The 13 years and 5 years in the game are so bad that the main characters are asleep.
    In particular, the miserable treatment of the bearers and the sub-quests are appealing, but it's strange that Clive and Jill, who have lived in this world all their lives, would say, "I just found out for the first time! We didn't know anything." didn't you think
    It's not made by the player = hero, and the hero's ignorance of the common sense of the world is a complete flaw

    2. Childish political drama and last
    All the politicians are drawn incompetent and the political side is not drawn well at all
    Conspiracies and tactics swirling If you think they're going to do something politically dramatic, no ruler will think about the future Let's plunder the land, for now we're strong, so let's become rulers Only brain muscles that think about things not present
    They're all idiots who don't have any idea what to do when the crystal goes bad
    Childishness that goes on the ground that "a character who is smarter than a screenwriter will never be born"
    It's really hard not to be able to write a detailed depiction of politics even though you half-heartedly incorporate social ideas into a fantasy world.

    Even if you write about politics and slavery, if you want to blow it away at the end and run away from the epilogue without depicting difficult problems, don't write from the beginning.

    3, padding quest
    Find people, collect things, defeat enemies.
    If you have time to do boring errands, draw properly how the hero's 13 years of slave life was harsh and how his resentment against the Dominant of Fire grew.
    I can't imagine even if you said something like you licked the bitterness with just your mouth
    More to the point, it's questionable that the main character's resentment against the Zambrek Empire, which caused the Phoenix Gate to be attacked and forced him to leave the country, is almost completely absent. I don't understand why it's not suitable for the Zambrek Empire.

    4, the goal of Clive's revenge is a farce
    The mystery punch line of whether it was Clive (Efreet) who killed Joshua drawn in the trial version is also as expected, and there is no twist such as misleading, which is disappointing.
    What's more, in the early stages, most of the mystery is revealed, and the main character immediately recognizes herself and immediately reforms, and the process of her suffering and growth is bland and disappointing.
    A man caught in revenge realizes his mistake and struggles with what to do, but since there is no depiction of the period when he was caught in revenge, from the player's point of view, there is no persuasiveness and it is just a child deception.

    5. Character drawing is symbolic and childish dialogue
    The depictions of the dominants of each country are only symbolic, and they are the same characters as you see them, and there is no duality at all.
    None of the characters have a human smell, and this character is like this! I can't feel the emotion behind the words because I only say the words that are set

    6, the world cannot be saved for the hero's purpose
    The purpose of destroying the main character's mother crystal is not directly connected to the story of people living as humans.
    Rather, it accelerates the conflict between countries and people die, and it turns out that it was as expected by the final boss.
    Even if you defeat the final boss, it won't be convenient for the conflicts between countries to disappear after that.
    If you seriously think that if you break the mother crystal, you can't use magic, and the discrimination between bearers will disappear, it's too corny to be amazed

    It's really childish to unify and simplify the root of all evil, and the main character's actions can only be seen as an escape from real troublesome problems.
    It was necessary to solve both the environmental energy problem and the slavery problem, or at least one of them, in a convincing way, but the worst thing is to somehow solve it by defeating the last boss who is the cause of everything.

    8, rip off this work steals elements from other works such as GOT Naruto Hagaren, Dragon Ball Witcher, and manga games, and it's amazing that you don't have any pride as a creator.
    Moreover, it's made up of patchwork quotes that remove the points, so it's not respectful, it's out of place
    Both the story and the world view character settings are a collection of déjà vu    … Expand
  12. wmurphy011
    Jun 29, 2023
    0
    This is not the worst, but is one of the worst FF's ever made. (I've played them all.) It has shallow, clichéd characters, a sub-par story, the most generic soundtrack I've ever heard in a FF game, no real exploration (everything is linear and you simply keep going from point A to point B in different places) and it has extremely (and I do mean 'extremely') shallow gameplay systems. YouThis is not the worst, but is one of the worst FF's ever made. (I've played them all.) It has shallow, clichéd characters, a sub-par story, the most generic soundtrack I've ever heard in a FF game, no real exploration (everything is linear and you simply keep going from point A to point B in different places) and it has extremely (and I do mean 'extremely') shallow gameplay systems. You can't even call this game an RPG because it has almost no RPG elements, whatsoever. It's basically a long action game with 6 different sword slashing moves you can do, and some magic. It's set in a boring world that does not give you that same magical, awe-inspiring feel that you got with FF5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12 & 13. It also has the worst side quest content ever put into a FF game. Even worse than FFVII Remake's side quests, and that's really saying something. It is, in reality, a cheaper more stripped down game than FF15, and FF15 was already a pretty bad game compared to the previous games in the series.

    FF16 is, very honestly speaking, considerably worse than 15 and the sales are proving it. This game has only been out for a week and it's already bombing. During it's launch week, physical sales were 74% lower than FF15's launch week's physical sales. It's digital download sales are also far lower at less than 1/3 of FF15's download sales during it's launch week. And both of these figures are already dropping and it's only week 2! At this rate, this game is going to be one of the worst selling FF titles since the SuperNintendo era. And that is saying a lot. By FF standards, this game is tanking.

    On top of all that, players opinions of the game do not match what the main stream critics have been saying, which sends up major red flags. It seems very clear to me that we have yet another case of a major developer paying-off mainstream reviewers for high review scores. I mean, SE were already saying they were worried about the game selling well due to very low pre-order numbers. It seems more than likely that they "spent" some money to try to garner some positive feedback for the game. It obviously didn't work though, since in week 2 of it's release it's sales are plummeting as if off a sheer cliff. Don't be fooled by video game addicted, fanboy reviews. Do your own research. I made the mistake of buying this game (and have beaten all the previous games in the series) and quit playing it at the 6-1/2 hours mark. I just couldn't justify to myself spending any more time playing such a shallow, linear, stripped down, generic game.    … Expand
  13. mrclopes
    Jun 29, 2023
    1
    If it was described as a Hack'n'slash 3rd person combat simulator it probably would be a fair game, but it's way off what is supposed to be a role playing video game. No party members, you only control Clive with no customization, combat is simply brain-dead button-mashing, zero strategy involved, the world feels empty like nobody lives here besides the main character friends and family.If it was described as a Hack'n'slash 3rd person combat simulator it probably would be a fair game, but it's way off what is supposed to be a role playing video game. No party members, you only control Clive with no customization, combat is simply brain-dead button-mashing, zero strategy involved, the world feels empty like nobody lives here besides the main character friends and family. Side quests are nonexistent just fillers and chores without any purpose. Very disappointed with this Final Fantasy, besides it's art assets, 3d models, animation and music, this game have absolutely nothing to offer. This title have zero gameplay value.… Expand
  14. Camzillasmom
    Jun 24, 2023
    4
    I played each Final Fantasy game since the early 90ties and enjoyed FF15. After playing Final Fantasy 16 for more than 8 hours, I have to say that I am concerned and disappointed about how superficial the series will become if it continues on this path.

    The story is okay, the graphics beautiful and the fights can be complex but else than that, it plays and feels more like a visual novel    I played each Final Fantasy game since the early 90ties and enjoyed FF15. After playing Final Fantasy 16 for more than 8 hours, I have to say that I am concerned and disappointed about how superficial the series will become if it continues on this path.

    The story is okay, the graphics beautiful and the fights can be complex but else than that, it plays and feels more like a visual novel with hack and slash elements then a complex Final Fantasy game that I have gotten used to from the past.
    The Side Quests are the shallowest I have completed in any FF game consisting of go fetch, find, fight, take back with no interesting twists or well hidden items. For me, just not enough effort by the developers...
    Clive's encouraging sentences towards his companions during fights is limited to 3. So after hearing "Get them boy" or "You know what to do, boy" various times in a fight with tons of encounters that I have to fight through... - I just want to turn off the sound all together.
    The corridor-like areas feel empty, dead and there is not much to discover. The shops only sell 3 potions, so they reduced the content overall.
    Outside towns it's even worse - sometimes you have to go through an area various times to do the Side Quests and hearing Clive say, after you've passed the vinyard area at least 3 times before: "This must be the vineyard" is just ridiculous!
    We all know, the Final Fantasy series can produce visual masterpieces, but I would have liked to see a better future of Final Fantasy in FF16 - one that has - apart from a gripping story - life with interesting Side Quests and a surprising, complex world.

    While FF15 was bursting with side activities like fishing, cooking and chocobo races - which were not mandatory and could totally be avoided by pure action lovers - at least it was those activities that put life into the game. FF16 contains only 3 "activities" which alternate and mix up until the end of the game interrupted by Cut-scenes: Walking - Hack'n'Slash - Shopping. This may be enough for others but certainly not for me and it really doesn't deserve a higher rating than FF15.    … Expand
  15. darrell1991
    Jun 25, 2023
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. As for someone who played FF games since the late 90s until FF15, this doesn’t feel like a final fantasy at all. You cannot summon any eikons or aeons/espers. Instead, you just channel their powers. I fell in love with summoning these helpers/summons before but it’s suddenly gone in FF16.

    The battle is dull and quite boring. It’s mostly smashing square and triangle most of the time.

    It’s really lacking any RPG and FF elements that we, long time FF fans, used to have before.

    Maybe I won’t finish this game. And until Square Enix goes back to its FF roots, I won’t be buying FF17.    … Expand
  16. Matthew0340
    Jun 25, 2023
    0
    This is not a "review bomb", user reviews are a rating of how much they enjoyed the game.
    Of you want technical review scores pay attention to Profesional reviews. I was a huge ff fan, a fan of turn based and pause and play.
    These types of action games just turn into button masters and get really old really quick. Can't control other party members. Hated this game. Half way through and    This is not a "review bomb", user reviews are a rating of how much they enjoyed the game.
    Of you want technical review scores pay attention to Profesional reviews. I was a huge ff fan, a fan of turn based and pause and play.
    These types of action games just turn into button masters and get really old really quick.
    Can't control other party members.
    Hated this game. Half way through and too annoyed by combat to continue. If you like devil may cry and god of war type games that's great you probably will love this game. But am sad they changed my favorite series into something I can't even play anymore, aren't there enough triple A game like this out there already?    … Expand
  17. musicgamer
    Jun 25, 2023
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Faaaar to many cut-scenes. It's 1min gameplay then 10min cutscene. - a very very stop start game which feels more like a movie than an actual game. Also the enemies are just body sponges - there isn't really anything tactical in the fighting other than smashing buttons with OTT effects. The larger battles are set pieces that relie on QTE. The game has a lot less exploration and side quests are nothing more than repetitive fetch, kill, talk to quests. The graphics are nice but it feels more like walking down corridors to a slightly larger hub rather than freedom to go outside it's narrow path, though much later it opens up more but that's towards the end and still limited to where you are allowed to go, this kind of limits any real adventuring discovering and exploration.… Expand
  18. Doan
    Jun 25, 2023
    4
    The Good:

    1. Graphics - This is also a con, as SE focuses far too much on graphics, while neglecting other aspects of their games 2. Audio - Music, Voice Acting, & Sound Effects 3. Combat* - With the exception of controlling Torgal, which is horribly implemented The Bad (Essentially, everything not mentioned above): 1. Unimmersive - UI clutter and invisible walls everywhere.    The Good:

    1. Graphics - This is also a con, as SE focuses far too much on graphics, while neglecting other aspects of their games
    2. Audio - Music, Voice Acting, & Sound Effects
    3. Combat* - With the exception of controlling Torgal, which is horribly implemented

    The Bad (Essentially, everything not mentioned above):

    1. Unimmersive - UI clutter and invisible walls everywhere. 95% of doors in the game serve no purpose and cannot be used. Windows are constantly popping up which disrupt gameplay, every time a quest is completed, or a new mainline quest starts, or upon level-up, or upon defeating enemies, etc. FF16 feels like any other AAA game: Don't think for yourself to progress the game, simply chase the objective marker around the world until the credits roll.
    2. UI Clutter (Kills immersion) - Quest icons and objective markers are constantly floating around the screen like annoying little bugs. Everything in the game is indicated with brightly-colored and/or animated icons. The Quest Tracker is persistently onscreen with no option to hide it. Damage numbers and enemy health bars cannot be disabled.
    3. Linear - FF16 gives FF13 flashbacks. This is not a good thing.
    4. Quick Time Events - These should be non-interactive cutscenes, so the player can sit back and enjoy the great cinematics, instead of mindlessly mashing whatever button appears on the screen. Nobody likes QTE.
    5. Overly-simplistic Equipment System
    6. Motion Blur - Cannot be disabled
    7. Visually-noisy Combat - During combat, so many obnoxious visual effects are occurring, which makes it difficult to see what is happening. This makes it difficult to focus on the correct enemy and time attacks/dodges
    8. Poor Performance - FPS frequently drops, resulting in noticeable stutters and choppy gameplay
    9. Lame Sidequests (Kills immersion): Side quests require zero thought, as you simply chase objective markers until the quest is complete.
    10. No sense of exploration or discovery - Everything is thrown in your face, as if your are a moron (Kills immersion): Side quests are marked on the map and with floating icons onscreen, items in the environment are large, brightly-lit, & animated, coffers are marked with an icon which can be seen through walls, etc.
    11. Combat - Most of the combat is fun and engaging. The one terribly-implemented combat aspect is controlling Torgal. To control Torgal, you must swap between two different onscreen menus: One for using healing items, and one for issuing commands to Torgal. This is just dumb. You should not have to choose between either using healing items _or_ controlling your AI companion. Torgal should act completely autonomously. If anything, Torgal should have cooldowns which are occasionally activated by the player, but Siccing, Ravaging, and Healing should be fully automated. The accessory which does make Torgal behave this way should not exist, as this is how Torgal should behave by default.
    12. Slow Menus - Menus are animated, so it takes an unnecessarily long time to open, close, and navigate between menus
    13. Lame Eikon Fights - Eikon battles look good, but there is zero challenge to them. They should have just been cutscenes the player could sit back and just enjoy watching.    … Expand
  19. Bigflo77
    Jul 1, 2023
    0
    Overrated, story is pretty good (nothing awesome), the OST is meh, gameplay is okay but too easy and too much repetitive, no RPG aspect, no diversity on gameplay, the VF is horrible, worst sidequest and filling task (Fedex task) between two main chapters, the global game design is very outdated, no exploration, graphics are limited for a linear AAA only on PS5
  20. jessystonil
    Jun 24, 2023
    4
    Eh it's alright, but I can't help but think a lot of critics are afraid to criticize Yoshida and FF, we saw this same mentality with people not being truthful about the shortcomings in FFXIV. They tried to sell it to us as the greatest MMO of all time, above all the competition when in reality it literally just used WoW as a model and just did everything half assed and had one of the mostEh it's alright, but I can't help but think a lot of critics are afraid to criticize Yoshida and FF, we saw this same mentality with people not being truthful about the shortcomings in FFXIV. They tried to sell it to us as the greatest MMO of all time, above all the competition when in reality it literally just used WoW as a model and just did everything half assed and had one of the most basic overworlds that doesn't even inspire you to want to go explore in MMO history. And also some of the poorest class diversity and combat, with the latest expansion being a glorified cutscene simulator with terrible tailing quest. We're seeing the same handholding with this game. Why do we baby Japanese developers especially square? Why do we give them a pass for outdated mechanics, weak dialogue while we pick apart EVERYTHING in western games, even when said western games are pushing their respective genres forward. Western reviewers need to stop coddling Japanese devs and be straight with them. I know the gaming industry has an infatuation with Japan. But that does not mean everything they put out must be worshipped like it's the second coming. They won't improve if you keep praising even the crappy aspects of their games.

    Another thing Square in particular needs to get better at, and this was a problem with XIV as well. Stop utilizing other peoples cultures from India to the Middle East whilst not actually portraying those people. Everyone always jumps down western developers throat over representation or appropriation, yet here Square is constantly utilizing non-western nation's cultures whilst portraying the people of said cultures all eurocentric. This same thing happened in the Endwalker expansion in XIV where they took influence from India in one of their zones, but they had everyone looking like they walked out of Sweden. Give Japanese developers the same energy you give western devs when they do this.    … Expand
  21. BreatFR
    Jul 2, 2023
    3
    after 2 days of intensive play, here is my feeling:

    - graphics / ost: 10/10 - outfits: 4/10 - story: 7/10 - secondary quests: 1/10 - combat system: 2/10 25/50 -> 5/10 to this I will add: - fights based on one thing: yes, dodging -> -1 - world map: not visitable, only teleportations -> -1 - slow, soft, repetitive game: yes -> -1 - if we remove the primordials and put    after 2 days of intensive play, here is my feeling:

    - graphics / ost: 10/10
    - outfits: 4/10
    - story: 7/10
    - secondary quests: 1/10
    - combat system: 2/10

    25/50 -> 5/10

    to this I will add:

    - fights based on one thing: yes, dodging -> -1
    - world map: not visitable, only teleportations -> -1
    - slow, soft, repetitive game: yes -> -1
    - if we remove the primordials and put lambda monsters instead we have the same result, I haven't currently felt the "magic" of final fantasy -> -1
    - ff10, ff15, ff16: same face hero design, square-enix can't make new one?

    25/50 - 5 = 20/50 -> 4/10

    please square-enix come back to good rpg and not action/rpg to create next good final fantasy.

    after 3 days:
    too much thing to remember ff14

    after 2 weeks:
    story: 6/10
    lenth: 1/10

    25/60 - 5 = 20/60 -> 3/10    … Expand
  22. Mortanius_lok
    Jun 23, 2023
    0
    J'espère que les prochains jeux AAA ne fassent pas comme FF16 qui pousse l'assistanat à un niveau honteux. On en est encore en 2023 à se rertrouver bloqué pendant 15 minutes dans un tuto qui t'apprend à appuyer sur carré pour attaquer au corp à corp, et triangle pour à attaque distance... on te met le jeu sur pause dès le début pour t'indiquer que le petit truc sur ta manette, ce qu'onJ'espère que les prochains jeux AAA ne fassent pas comme FF16 qui pousse l'assistanat à un niveau honteux. On en est encore en 2023 à se rertrouver bloqué pendant 15 minutes dans un tuto qui t'apprend à appuyer sur carré pour attaquer au corp à corp, et triangle pour à attaque distance... on te met le jeu sur pause dès le début pour t'indiquer que le petit truc sur ta manette, ce qu'on appelle stick gauche sert à déplacer ton personnage, star pour ouvrir le menu et stick gauche pour contrôler la caméra....etc, je vous le jure ce n'est pas une blague, FF16 te met encore en 2023 des indicateurs lumineux de 5 mètres de hauteur sur les objets pour te signaler leur présence, histoire de ne pas le rater dans ta progression dans des couloirs fermés, on sait jamais, y en a peut-être qui oriente la caméra tout le temps vers le ciel quand ils parcourent ces couloirs vides. J'ai 10 heures de jeu et je n'en peux plus... c'est du vandalisme intellectuelle et le jeu ne fait aucune confiance à notre intelligence en tant que joueur qui considère qu'on est des attardés.

    Edit (30-06-2023) : Je reviens changer ma note après 30 heures de jeu, je sais qu'il me reste encore beaucoup à faire mais j'arrête définitivement. Heureusement je peux toujours me faire remboursé 90% le prix que j'ai déboursé.    … Expand
  23. Marvilion
    Jun 24, 2023
    0
    Poor gameplay and bad optimization, performance mode drop to 30fps and resolution drop to 720p this is 2023 and this is not acceptable, and very disgusting story, this is not final fantasy that I know
  24. siksik81
    Jun 23, 2023
    0
    Boss fights are super Easy, boss doesn't damage you much, Boss health is enormously huge, it feels like you are hitting a huge rock which doesn't respond back and above that when boss staggers he doesn't wake up for 30 seconds which is huge feels like hitting a dead body. Story is like Ubisoft's game like you start with a good mission that creates hype and then the game leaves you like anBoss fights are super Easy, boss doesn't damage you much, Boss health is enormously huge, it feels like you are hitting a huge rock which doesn't respond back and above that when boss staggers he doesn't wake up for 30 seconds which is huge feels like hitting a dead body. Story is like Ubisoft's game like you start with a good mission that creates hype and then the game leaves you like an orphan and you keep doing the same thing over n over again. Overall Boring game… Expand
  25. MaxPainAlchmst
    Jun 23, 2023
    0
    As long time Final Fantasy fan, as a man who's life was somewhat touched by the FF series, especially 7,8,9 and 10. This game is blasphemy.
    THIS IS NOT A FINAL FANTASY game period, it might have the same name, but that's about where the similarities end.
    I'm all for trying new concepts and game ideas, however, don't mess with the original formula. you only get to make one of these games    As long time Final Fantasy fan, as a man who's life was somewhat touched by the FF series, especially 7,8,9 and 10. This game is blasphemy.
    THIS IS NOT A FINAL FANTASY game period, it might have the same name, but that's about where the similarities end.
    I'm all for trying new concepts and game ideas, however, don't mess with the original formula. you only get to make one of these games every 6-7 years, go experiment with a spin-off
    If I can refund this I'm definitely going to.    … Expand
  26. gun661
    Jun 24, 2023
    4
    It's sad to see they actually and purposefully tried to copy Games of Thrones' style. Especially in the case of Final Fantasy... that's even more disheartening than FF16's story itself. So many big games and other works of fiction try to copy that style nowadays. Because of this, it very much isn't a bold shift.

    To me, a "guy from the Europe", Final Fantasy 1-10 were great in offering    It's sad to see they actually and purposefully tried to copy Games of Thrones' style. Especially in the case of Final Fantasy... that's even more disheartening than FF16's story itself. So many big games and other works of fiction try to copy that style nowadays. Because of this, it very much isn't a bold shift.

    To me, a "guy from the Europe", Final Fantasy 1-10 were great in offering another point of view from another culture. Despite coming from the other side of the world, these stories hit close to home and inspired me to trust my friends and believe in kindness. I felt connected despite the cultural differences. "You're not alone", a central message of FF9. Final Fantasy games didn't intrigue me by trying to imitate western narratives about the disconnect and mistrust between people in an attempt to get larger market shares. Final Fantasy games were answers to the question of how to overcome mistrust.

    I don't get why so many think these grimdark stories are "mature" and "based more in reality". It's just as real and mature as pink fluffy unicorns, just the other way round. It's what 12-year boys hitting puberty might think of what "brutal grown-up stuff" is like. "Look at how tough I am, playing such a game." But even grown-up kids seem to buy into these stories full of mistrust, backstabbing, and needless violence. If these stories are deemed mainstream entertainment nowadays and (young) people start to believe that they imply "realism", oh boy, that's the real dark stuff of our societies taking the risk of going completely bonkers.

    I remember playing Doom when I was twelve. Man, I did feel badass. But it wasn't very mature. In contrast, Games of Thrones takes itself way more seriously and is carried by an edgy, cynical, almost neurotic interpretation of human society ruled by sociopaths that never really did grow up. You could argue that yes, that's social criticism, and yes, there are sociopaths running wild in contemporary politics. But that's not really entertaining. Just as the mentality that most other humans are evil, you "have to fight dirty" to "survive" and mistrust every other person, especially your nearest acquaintances, is neither an insightful nor a helpful moral of the story. It just builds upon another rather bleak ideology. Especially in the context of social criticism.

    I had hoped Square Enix would stay true to themselves instead of seeking similarity, reinventing themselves with a fresh and different take and a level of maturity on par with the old Final Fantasies - all way more mature, authentic, and profound than this installment.    … Expand
  27. JohnHamad5050
    Jun 24, 2023
    0
    You can watch this game on YouTube and you will not miss anything. You watch a cutscene then walk for 5 minutes and another cutscene. The game play is repeatitive and the abilities are not satisfying. I miss the old FF, it was at least unique.
  28. nearwind
    Jun 24, 2023
    1
    I have been playing for over 20 hours now, and I'm around 60% through the main storyline. The following review is based on my current progress.

    As someone with 35 years of gaming experience, I can confidently say that Final Fantasy 16 is not only the worst in the series but falls far below the average quality of similar games. In the 20 hours of gameplay I've experienced, I can only    I have been playing for over 20 hours now, and I'm around 60% through the main storyline. The following review is based on my current progress.

    As someone with 35 years of gaming experience, I can confidently say that Final Fantasy 16 is not only the worst in the series but falls far below the average quality of similar games. In the 20 hours of gameplay I've experienced, I can only describe it as dull and agonizing. It requires deep breaths and self-encouragement just to hold onto the DualSense controller. This game is an exceptionally boring and uninteresting RPG from a major game developer.

    The weapon and equipment system feels superficial and pointless. Any new weapon that appears only provides a permanent +5 attack boost without changing the attack style, making them indistinguishable. The repetitive tasks for forging materials are uninspired and offer no significant rewards.

    The team system lacks presence and interactivity. The characters have monotonous attire and limited attack styles. The maps or level designs are small and uninteresting. It's shocking to discover that even at 60% progress, there are only two area maps available.

    The variety of enemies is extremely lacking. The bestiary lists only 47 non-playable creatures, including 15 eikons, 1 owl from cutscenes, 2 Chocobos, and the rest being various types of enemies and bosses. In actual gameplay, only encountering around ten different enemy types on the maps is disheartening.

    All side quests involve simply traveling from point A to point B to either defeat enemies or engage in dialogue. They are repetitive and lack creativity. The material rewards obtained upon completion are meaningless since new weapons and upgrades are only obtained through story progression, making the rewards feel insulting.

    If I were to describe it, Final Fantasy 16 can be seen as a realistic version of "Tales of Arise" without an equipment, companion, and skill system, with severely reduced maps and enemy variety.

    As someone who has reached a mature age and has been gaming for 35 years, I have learned not to be driven solely by emotions. I have been able to appreciate controversial titles such as The Last of Us Part II, Cyberpunk 2077, Final Fantasy 13, and Final Fantasy 15, finding the positives in each of them. However, this time, Final Fantasy 16 has brought me nothing but agony. Skipping through dialogues quickly has become the norm, and now I can only hope that my patience will allow me to complete the game.    … Expand
  29. lman
    Jun 24, 2023
    2
    Combat is very basic, simply press square to win. The characters are boring, and it tries and fails to draw inspiration from Game of Thrones. This game is only an RPG in name. If you want to watch a movie while simulating playing a game, then this is for you. It also includes quick time events.
  30. KateJN
    Jun 24, 2023
    0
    Massively disappointing Final Fantasy game.

    - Absolute shallow RPG elements. - Tries too hard to be a Devil May Cry game. - Generic, dull, boring and unrewarding side quests that actually hurt the pacing of the game. - Tries to be so many things but fails to be the one thing it needs to be: a Final Fantasy game - Poor performance and limited graphical settings. - Good characters    Massively disappointing Final Fantasy game.

    - Absolute shallow RPG elements.
    - Tries too hard to be a Devil May Cry game.
    - Generic, dull, boring and unrewarding side quests that actually hurt the pacing of the game.
    - Tries to be so many things but fails to be the one thing it needs to be: a Final Fantasy game
    - Poor performance and limited graphical settings.
    - Good characters and voice acting, held back by a terribly written story that falls apart quickly.
    - Cinematic battles feature Quick Time Events that give you more than 1 minute to react, completely eliminating the intended effect.
    - Semi-open areas that feel genuinely lacking; they either have the same types of monsters and/or bland side quests.

    I don't personally recommend this at full price.    … Expand
prev
Page:

Awards & Rankings

16
#16 Best PlayStation 5 Game of 2023
1
#1 Most Discussed PlayStation 5 Game of 2023

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 146 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 134 out of 146
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 146
  3. Negative: 0 out of 146
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 22, 2024
    100
    Final Fantasy XVI is an excellent game in every way. If you're a fan of the series for the stories and characters, you won't go wrong here, and if you've avoided the series for, say, turn-based combat, the sixteenth installment offers the perfect opportunity to get started with this legend of the gaming industry. [Issue#329]
  2. Riot Pixels
    Oct 30, 2023
    73
    This is a solid RPG/action game. Some elements of the game are unusual and fresh for single-player parts of the Final Fantasy series, but some are too dull and rudimentary.
    Read full review
  3. PLAY
    Sep 17, 2023
    90
    New numbered FFs are good again. Stunning to look at, with new, punchy combat, and a great yarn, it is, if anything, too focussed, lacking a bit of the weird. [Issue#30, p.78]
See all critic reviews »