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
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  1. damahala
    Jul 10, 2023
    6
    Overall game play is fine but the story is just incomplete. Subtasks are mostly repeating same thing over and over. The game has a good start but just end poorly. If this is not main FF series, it will be maybe score an 8, but for a triple A game and call itself FF 16, this certainly is not a game I would recommend.
  2. phrosnite_
    Jul 1, 2023
    6
    I don't care that this doesn't feel like a Final Fantasy game. I'm judging it on its own merits.

    It's "all flash, no substance". Many undercooked elements. Terrible level design with annoying traversal mechanics. Boring MMO style quests. It's not an RPG, it's an Action Adventure with very light RPG elements. No spoilers but you could guess what the final boss would be like... Very    I don't care that this doesn't feel like a Final Fantasy game. I'm judging it on its own merits.

    It's "all flash, no substance". Many undercooked elements. Terrible level design with annoying traversal mechanics. Boring MMO style quests. It's not an RPG, it's an Action Adventure with very light RPG elements.

    No spoilers but you could guess what the final boss would be like... Very played out at this point. Stop it.

    The only redeeming quality of this game is the combat but only during some 1v1 fights.    … Expand
  3. bluecollarjenny
    Jul 9, 2023
    6
    I guess the best way to put this is.. I am bored. FF has always been a story driven RPG and I feel like it’s been sacrificed for flashy combat. I am about 40% through the main missions (I have also completed every side quest thus far) and to continue on just feels like a chore and a drag. Everything feels bland and the main story is full of filler to a point where there isn’t a sense ofI guess the best way to put this is.. I am bored. FF has always been a story driven RPG and I feel like it’s been sacrificed for flashy combat. I am about 40% through the main missions (I have also completed every side quest thus far) and to continue on just feels like a chore and a drag. Everything feels bland and the main story is full of filler to a point where there isn’t a sense of pacing or urgency. I am disappointed as I was very excited for the next entry, and now I can’t even see myself finishing the game.… Expand
  4. Xalmo43
    Jun 23, 2023
    7
    XVI does Final Fantasy well enough that it deserves a higher score then what many people are giving it.. The game lacks in RPG elements keeps it from being a 10/10 which is a shame. YoshiP needs to start adding more interesting forms of gearing to his games if he wants to stay ontop.

    I believe many negative reviews are due to people simply being unable to afford a PS5 for one game.    XVI does Final Fantasy well enough that it deserves a higher score then what many people are giving it.. The game lacks in RPG elements keeps it from being a 10/10 which is a shame. YoshiP needs to start adding more interesting forms of gearing to his games if he wants to stay ontop.

    I believe many negative reviews are due to people simply being unable to afford a PS5 for one game. While its true, Sony has literally 0 good games worth buying the console for, you can just do what I did and buy the console at Wal-Mart and eventually return it after beating XVI.

    Another reason the game is getting bad reviews is due to 3rd world countries banning it, namely Saudi Arabia. This may explain why many ESL comments are on here saying its a "bad" game.    … Expand
  5. JankMedia
    Jul 6, 2023
    6
    It's not a bad game by any means but it's also not very good for what it is. FFXVI is a really shallow cinematic action game at it's core. There's lot of cut scenes, combat is fun but repetitive. The game is incredibly easy, not necessarily a bad thing but for those expecting something like actual DMC or Souls, it isn't happening. The game is incredibly easy/forgiving.

    XVI was clearly    It's not a bad game by any means but it's also not very good for what it is. FFXVI is a really shallow cinematic action game at it's core. There's lot of cut scenes, combat is fun but repetitive. The game is incredibly easy, not necessarily a bad thing but for those expecting something like actual DMC or Souls, it isn't happening. The game is incredibly easy/forgiving.

    XVI was clearly designed with a mass audience in mind. Some people are going to love it, some aren't. The thing that surprises me most is just how shallow it is, it really is just running from A to B while killing low level enemies followed by a relatively easy boss and then an even easier Eikon fight. It's lowest common denominator style gameplay in 2023. This game would even be considered basic in terms of gameplay if it released on the PS3 back in 2008.

    I can't even comment on any RPG mechanics because they are non-existent. Yes, you go up levels and you can craft gear. However, the gear you craft is locked to game progression, meaning that there is usually one 1 item to choose from and it's a +1 of whatever you can buy in the store. The upgrade system is a standard skill tree but for combat only. Don't expect to cast buffs/debuffs/libra. None of that is in XVI. It's purely hack and slash gameplay with cool down timers for special attacks.

    It has the stagger system as seen in other FF games but it does not utilize it well, very uninspired compared to FFXIII and FF7R. Enemies also feel like damage sponges. I'm enjoying the game but honestly have no idea what the hype is about. It genuinely feels like playing a remastered PS3 title.    … Expand
  6. Renzokuken
    Jun 23, 2023
    7
    To preface this, I'm a long time FF fan, I fundamentally disagree with a company building a series of RPG games off the money of long term fans, then throwing them to the wayside in order to make action games, under some false pretence that turn based RPG's don't sell.

    That said, I'll put that to one side in this review and be strictly objective, I'm 23 hours into my play through and    To preface this, I'm a long time FF fan, I fundamentally disagree with a company building a series of RPG games off the money of long term fans, then throwing them to the wayside in order to make action games, under some false pretence that turn based RPG's don't sell.

    That said, I'll put that to one side in this review and be strictly objective, I'm 23 hours into my play through and have just passed the second time skip, this review will be spoiler free, however.

    The Good:
    The graphics are excellent.
    The soundtrack is good, Soken is putting in the work yet again and doesn't disappoint.
    Set piece battles are an absolute visual treat, probably some of the best in the franchise, they're really spectacular.
    The main cast of characters are all very likable.
    The voice acting is for the most part fantastic
    Combat is flashy and looks excellent
    The plot is good, if you put in the reading hours.
    The world is very pretty.

    The Bad:
    Performance is abysmal, graphics mode runs at a decently stable 30fps, performance mode runs at anything between 30 and 45fps and jumps around constantly, I found myself playing on graphics mode as a stable frame rate is less distracting than one that jumps around all over the place, still I'd have taken a graphical downgrade for a stable 60fps performance mode.
    Combat is visually flashy, but lacks any depth, you evade, hit stuff with square x4 then triangle, and use your abilities on cooldown, there is no other meaningful strategy involved.
    During my 23 hours with the game I've noticed quite a bit of reuse of bosses, the one that stands out are the dragoon bosses, I'm not sure if we're just going though the whole colour pallet but so far I've fought a silver, white and black one.
    Combat is laughably easy, and difficulty options are locked behind new game plus, enemies engage you in groups but attack you one by one, completely breaking any immersion, not that it matters since anything that isn't a mini boss or boss, never gets a hit in because you stun lock them with all your attacks or one shot them all with AoE abilities.
    Equipment, crafting and just items in general are massively gutted and mostly pointless
    Quest, chest and combat rewards give you materials for crafting most of the time, leaving you feeling cheated, as they're feeding you items for a pointless system.
    Side quests are bland and boring, they feel like MMO fetch quests.
    The plot makes sense, but you need to do a large amount of outside reading in order to understand it, if I can't understand a plot without external help, that's a bad plot. Also it's a real rollercoaster in terms of pacing, one minute I'm in some hype set piece encounter then the next I'm gathering apples for some reason, and these peaks and troughs happen throughout the game.
    The world is very empty, there isn't much of anything to discover by going off the beaten trail.
    The set piece battles are either VERY simplified versions of regular combat, or entirely QTE events, they're extremely impressive to look at, but not very interesting to play.

    All in all, this game is a middling action game, it gets a decent amount right, but all the bits it gets right are the bits I'm not playing, they're the bits I'm watching. It pains me to know we lost the best RPG's in the history of video games, and this is what's wearing its skin.    … Expand
  7. FlintEastwood
    Jun 25, 2023
    6
    An extremely uneven game, that starts off with so much promise only to rapidly go downhill.
    The fun combat beomes stale, repetitive and unchallenging. The story, full of intrigue, goes nowhere. The characters became less and less interesting. The dialogue goes from being quite well written to full of cliché. Everything great about the game disappears at the 15 hour mark.
    At its best, in    An extremely uneven game, that starts off with so much promise only to rapidly go downhill.
    The fun combat beomes stale, repetitive and unchallenging. The story, full of intrigue, goes nowhere. The characters became less and less interesting. The dialogue goes from being quite well written to full of cliché. Everything great about the game disappears at the 15 hour mark.
    At its best, in the first act, the game is as good as it gets. But it deteriorated so fast to the point I couldn't wait for it to end.
    The game has many other glaring faults (bad technical performance, terrible lip sync, a crafting mechanic that you may as well just ignore, an empty feeling world that doesn't much incentivise exploration, other areas that are just corridors, the worst and most uninspired sidequests I've ever seen, and an extremely mediocre soundtrack). These can be forgiven when the story and characters and engaging enough, but become more annoying when you lose interest in main body of the game.
    One of the most disappointing gaming experiences I can remember, made all the worse because it started off so well. Don't base your purchase decision on the outstanding demo, it isn't representative of the rest of the game.    … Expand
  8. vvv123
    Jul 7, 2023
    7
    Overall I enjoyed the game, I liked the story, the lore, and I'm happy I played it. It's not a bad game. However, there were some flaws that took out a bit of the enjoyment and I finished the game with an impactful ending with mixed feelings. The beginning, some parts in the middle and the end were the most engaging. It does miss some of the magic and balance that I felt in FF7 RemakeOverall I enjoyed the game, I liked the story, the lore, and I'm happy I played it. It's not a bad game. However, there were some flaws that took out a bit of the enjoyment and I finished the game with an impactful ending with mixed feelings. The beginning, some parts in the middle and the end were the most engaging. It does miss some of the magic and balance that I felt in FF7 Remake regarding gameplay and characters.

    Pros:
    - The story: carries the game, the cutscenes were great where it mattered. The demo was amazing, first 3-4 hours are intense, then it flattens a bit but overall it picks up at certain points as you progress. I did feel like I was on a lifelong journey with the characters and by the end it was sad to come to a close. Fantasy, especially geo- political based, is my favourite genre so it contributed to me enjoying the game and the world.

    - Soundtrack and visuals

    - Combat: was generally good, the precision dodge then attack was rewarding. The boss fights were fun and challenging!

    - Eikons: being the central part of the game/story was interesting

    - No puzzles or getting lost thanks to Torgal!

    Cons:
    - Cutscenes: I prefer story-based games but this one suffers from too many cutscenes. At times I felt like I was watching the game, sitting on the sidelines vs being immersed in it.

    - Length of game: I felt the game was too long for the story told. Too much filler at times. Towards the end I just wanted to complete the game. Not sure if I would re-play due to the cutscenes, I would prefer to rewatch those if I wanted to get back into the world vs playing the game again. I have played 50+ hour games such as Fire emblem three houses where there was a lot of story and is geo-political fantasy focused but the difference is the gameplay variety with strategy focus. The strategy aspect seen in political fantasy isn't mirrored in the gameplay in FF16 so there isn't much payoff in the end for spending this long in what should primarily be a game, not a movie. This isn't a strategy game but the combat mechanics could have had this or having more control of a party/team combat special seen in yakuza like a dragon or xenoblade chain attack. Since the combat is more simple vs other action games like Astral Chain for eg, I would have preferred a shorter game around 15-20 hours vs 40.

    - Combat: has breadth but not enough depth. I had no incentive to try other eikon abilities towards the end of the game and there were only three slots. I didn't use the auto features and it still felt quite easy, except during boss fights. No enemy weaknesses to consider which could have been done seeing as the eikons have elemental powers so the player could have been strategic with when to use those abilities. The fights were fun and some challenging but the enemies became a bit repetitive. I only died 4 times (sometimes I didn't look at health bar, never died in Eikon fight) and even if you do they replenish all potions so no need to buy or look for much of them. Crafting didn't feel rewarding and it was possible to even buy the better weapons/armor. The cinematic QTE aren't quick so slows down the game a bit and it's always the same button so I already knew what to press.

    - Side quests: I did all except maybe 5. However, they weren't engaging, animation is bland and too much dialogue for fetch quests, defeating enemies.

    - Characters: I didn't become attached to the characters as a whole and it's probably because a couple of the most engaging ones, including villians, die earlier in the game or aren't featured enough and there is no consistent party. Jill is supposed to be a main character but doesn't seem like one. I became more attached to Clive only at the end. I did however like Joshua and the brotherly bond that was showcased at the end.

    - Exploration: I prefer to find my way to a new area, then the ability to fast travel vs relying on fast travel for main story. But this was probably not included as the environments look nice but are empty.

    - Ending: I thought I understood the ending, but it seems it was ambiguous? I prefer clear endings to games. If I believe my perspective of the ending, it was very impactful but not one I want to return to.

    - Edit: I tried ng+ for about an hour past the demo and I was still using the same combat, just need to dodge quicker and enemies health takes longer to decrease. Environments aren't worth exploring and new crafting materials are lackluster. Game just feels a bit bleak knowing what will happen. Now that I've had longer to sit with the game, it is a bit disappointing as I was excited since it was first announced but not much for me to return to.    … Expand
  9. Markbentley7
    Jul 3, 2023
    6
    Worst mainline FF story. Same boring linear level design as 13. Regurgitated world and themes.
    Combat was fun but could have had way more depth. Side quests and 'crafting' system were a huge waste of time.
    Can't believe there was no overworld...just a straight game of thrones intro rip off...
  10. kpc
    Jul 7, 2023
    7
    First, let me express how exhausting you "fanboy" vs. "hater" reviewers are. You should be moderated off this damn site, as your 0's and 10's contribute absolutely nothing of value to honest, unbiased feedback for informing purchasing decisions. Anyone giving this game a 0 is either completely dishonest or a neurotic gen-x OG FF player still moaning about the "death of a franchise" thatFirst, let me express how exhausting you "fanboy" vs. "hater" reviewers are. You should be moderated off this damn site, as your 0's and 10's contribute absolutely nothing of value to honest, unbiased feedback for informing purchasing decisions. Anyone giving this game a 0 is either completely dishonest or a neurotic gen-x OG FF player still moaning about the "death of a franchise" that started over two decades ago. You'd have us believe for $70 you wanted a 16-bit pixel art game with MIDI music, 20 minute long random trash mob battles, and 32 different consumables for each status ailment. That era has thankfully passed. Take off the rose colored glasses and try to cope with the reality that your ilk are a microscopic fraction of the overall player base modern RPGs are trying to appeal to. If you can't, go play something else rather than childishly review bombing every FF or other RPG title that deigns to bring in action elements. Now for those of you giving 10's... you're not very bright either. Some of you are just boring white knights trying to offset the 0's. Others have no concept of how point based rating scales work, and think a 10 means "I enjoyed it". Your feedback is worthless. Only a handful of video games come anywhere near 10, just like only a handful of Olympic performances have been so close to perfection as to deserve one. Rate honestly.

    That said, here's my opinion: On its own, this is a good game, but not great. As a Final Fantasy title, this does not crack top 5, and top 10 is arguable. First the good stuff: Beautiful graphics, highly detailed environments, some of the best voice acting and original scores not just in FF history, but all of gaming. The story is not terrible, you do at least want to see what happens next and delve into the lore of this realm. Clive is a top five protagonist, a welcome change from all the teen angst. He feels more like Terra than Tidus or Squall, which is great. This Cid is the best Cid ever, and finally the character gets a central role in the story from the beginning rather than his usual "guy who fixes the airship" role in the second half. Mid is a much better twist on the engineer's legacy than Cindy, the Daisy Duke + Cooter mashup in FF15.

    Now the bad stuff: The story and characters are way too similar to FF14. They didn't even bother creating a new character model for Clive; they just used the generic hero of darkness warrior from all the FF14 promos. Ultima is an uncloaked Ascian. Biggs, Wedge, Ysayle and Estinian/Aymeric had their names changed to Gav, Goetz, Jill and Dion with hardly any variation on their personalities or backstories. Primals (ahem Eikons) pull aether to manifest, only through those with the innate power to channel it, and those who can't become tempered (err Akashic). The city states are almost mirror images of those in FF14, from the Holy See (I mean Holy Empire) with its dragoons to the free city of Ul-dah (oopsie Kanver) in the desert with its merchant council maintaining neutrality. I know the FF franchise reuses town names, imperial conquest, eco-disaster, and character archetypes as readily as bringing back the same Espers, Primals, Eikons or whatever the hell those transformers things were in FF13, but this is a bridge too far... way too unoriginal to be praised as a fresh new fantasy world to be explored. Once again SE fails to learn from mistakes and creates a large, semi-open world just to fill it with random reskinned enemies and resource nodes. No secret dungeons, no incentive to wander off the beaten path and explore until the Hunt Board tells you there will be something in one of those empty map sections. Again, feels way too much like an MMORPG, and not in a good way. The same applies to the MMO style fetch quests in the first half of the game... uninteresting and don't really even try to help develop the characters, lest they leave some key narrative untold in optional content. There has to be something in between killing boars and every sidequest discovering a new playable character, though. All Yoshi needs to do is go talk to his SE colleagues who designed DQ11 to learn how it's done, because just porting FF14 fetch quests is lazy. Combat is too easy, even if you take manual control and execute the combos yourself ala Elden Ring... it's fluid and beautiful, but it lacks the heart racing tension of missing a key mechanic and suffering actual consequences. Right up to the final boss, you can just hit a self-heal ability and power through, ignoring any mechanic you like while being invulnerable during animations.

    Overall, I gave it an 7, which I think is generous. I started with 6, but gave it a bonus because it isn't some rich kid whose backstory I know nothing about driving around the countryside in a black space Rolls with his entourage for some reason, occasionally pulling off to have some ramen from the in-game Cup Noodle commercial or club baby seals for leather. At least SE learned something.    … Expand
  11. jhart24
    Jun 23, 2023
    7
    Good game overall. Shouldn't be hard to actually flesh out the RPG elements, exploration, world map, side quests, mini games, and epic dungeons with the budget Square has though. Like, you can change your game and update the combat but there's no excuse for not developing all those other things. Fun game though, combat and story are good, which again they should be with the budget they have.
  12. Ander_
    Jun 24, 2023
    7
    The game is flashy and grand in its cutscene and boss battle, but apart from that, it's very classic in term of game design. Classic in the mean of many boring fetch quests and the format of cutscene-corridor-cutscene-corridor-fight. It's more similar to FF13 in term of design, but with better boss battle and world setting. Ff16 is extremely linear, to the point that they should just makeThe game is flashy and grand in its cutscene and boss battle, but apart from that, it's very classic in term of game design. Classic in the mean of many boring fetch quests and the format of cutscene-corridor-cutscene-corridor-fight. It's more similar to FF13 in term of design, but with better boss battle and world setting. Ff16 is extremely linear, to the point that they should just make it a level base game like dmc or bayonetta instead. Is it final fantasy ? Kind of, it has the world, setting, tone and character, but not the gameplay characteristic. It's ok to move on from turn base, but a JRPG, or RPG in general, have to provide player with ability to make choices, in term of story or gameplay using its mechanic, team, quest, and so on. FF16 lacks that completely. I find FF got stuck in a limbo, half of it want to grow into an action game, half of it still want to keep tie with the FF name, and the result is wierd. Action-wise, it's just ok and not excelent. Rpg wise, it's weak. The only good thing remains after finish is the great cutscene, but if that's all you like, it's better to watch a movie instead.… Expand
  13. Voodoo123
    Jun 27, 2023
    7
    At its best this is an superb quality action RPG with 40+ hrs of playtime and some frankly amazing realtime cutscenes and animations with superior art designs and soundtrack.
    At its worst it struggles to keep pace with its core storyline instead forcing players through slow long periods of drawn out fetch quest style of mission design complete with poorly animated dialogue sequences for    At its best this is an superb quality action RPG with 40+ hrs of playtime and some frankly amazing realtime cutscenes and animations with superior art designs and soundtrack.
    At its worst it struggles to keep pace with its core storyline instead forcing players through slow long periods of drawn out fetch quest style of mission design complete with poorly animated dialogue sequences for the sake of fulfilling its 'world building' RPG quota.

    If I could use Odin's sword to slice out the poorly paced areas of this title and instead keep the action and cinematics (and cut the large open areas that slow down your progress) and tighten things into a 30hr play window I think this could've been awesome. As it goes its very good if you can filter out the bad. I loved so much of this game but I must say it felt like it dragged its heels at many points throughout my time with it.    … Expand
  14. BrettScr1
    Jul 12, 2023
    7
    As always with Final Fantasy games, the music, story, and characters are top notch, with beautiful visuals and textures and well-designed enemies. The environments are varied, and there was just enough exploration to keep them interesting despite being a linear game. At its core, though, there are really only two aspects to this game, the story (told primarily through cut scenes) and theAs always with Final Fantasy games, the music, story, and characters are top notch, with beautiful visuals and textures and well-designed enemies. The environments are varied, and there was just enough exploration to keep them interesting despite being a linear game. At its core, though, there are really only two aspects to this game, the story (told primarily through cut scenes) and the combat (character action game combat with relatively few RPG elements and only one playable character). For me, many of the battles were more long and drawn out than they were challenging and rewarding, the enemies were just a bit too samey with little need to change up strategies, and the excessive particle effects made some battles a strain to my eyes. Overall, this was a good game for me, but not a great one.… Expand
  15. venzoah
    Jun 24, 2023
    7
    Some of the design choices in the game are downright insulting. The "Active Time Lore" is basically a rebrand of XIII's data logs that are just a very lazy way to deliver a narrative to the player. The mundane slog of fetch quests with the really basic character animations are very FF14 A Realm Reborn esque. The game takes control away from the player at the peak of action with EikonSome of the design choices in the game are downright insulting. The "Active Time Lore" is basically a rebrand of XIII's data logs that are just a very lazy way to deliver a narrative to the player. The mundane slog of fetch quests with the really basic character animations are very FF14 A Realm Reborn esque. The game takes control away from the player at the peak of action with Eikon fights featuring ridiculously long QTE windows. Most of the RPG mechanics were stripped out with almost no itemization or depth to character progression. The result is a very generic action game.… Expand
  16. 17_jrpg
    Jun 23, 2023
    6
    FF16 will certainly not meet the expectations of all long-time FF fans because FF16 is completely different from what FF used to be. For newcomers, who are not too familiar with the FF series, this game will surely be just some interesting new action game for them to play.

    What is seen in FF16 is a major departure from FF roots as previous FF games were turn-based/command-based RPGs    FF16 will certainly not meet the expectations of all long-time FF fans because FF16 is completely different from what FF used to be. For newcomers, who are not too familiar with the FF series, this game will surely be just some interesting new action game for them to play.

    What is seen in FF16 is a major departure from FF roots as previous FF games were turn-based/command-based RPGs (FF1-10, 12, 13). FF15 was the first to start in this direction, but FF16 completely abandoned the FF roots & became, as the developers say: "the first official action game in the main FF series."

    The first thing everyone will notice is that FF16 has a very similar battle system to Devil May Cry, but that's because Ryota Suzuki is the battle designer who was responsible for creating the battle system in DMC5. This is why FF16 looks & feels like you're playing a hack & slash game. The battle system has a very simple strategy which is to dodge & attack, when the enemy becomes "stagger" it becomes very vulnerable in a short time & then you need to smash the buttons to deal as much damage as possible to the enemy. Some enemies have a lot of HP & the battle can last quite a long time. There are also no classic party members, you can only control Clive & give orders to Torgal, who in most cases act automatically, while all the others who temporarily join the battle are completely controlled by the AI.

    Other aspects of the gameplay are nothing special. FF16 does not have the mini-games that previous FF games had. There are a lot of side quests, but they are not particularly interesting because they are very similar to those from MMORPGs like FF14 in that you mostly go from point A to point B, sometimes to point C & back to point A or B, but sometimes maybe to point D. The Hunt system is identical to that of FF12. FF16 has very poor RPG elements, which makes it feel more like an action (hack & slash) game than an RPG.

    The story is very well written & interesting, there are some confusing parts, but as the developers said: "Active Time Lore gives the player all the necessary information if there are any doubts about the story." The characters are also very interesting. After finishing the game, I got the impression that the story of FF16 is like a reimagined story of FF13. Clives is like l'Cie, Dominants are like fal'Cie & the main antagonist is like Bhunivelza. All those who have played the entire FF13 series (FF13, 13-2 & Lightning Returns) will surely notice the similarities, especially when they see the ending which is very similar to the one from Lightning Returns. The only major difference between the two stories is that FF16 is a medieval fantasy about a single hero, & FF13 is a sci-fi fantasy about a group of heroes. Also, the difference is that FF16 has better storytelling than FF13.

    Other aspects of FF16 such as graphics, design & music are excellent so there is nothing special to add here.

    So the conclusion is that FF16 is a good game but it has some flaws. I personally don't find the battle system that appealing because I'm used to the main FF series being an evolution of the turn-based/command-based battle system. The story & characters are great, the flaw is that it is focused on one hero, while all the other characters are just NPCs. Previous FF games have always been about a group of heroes (warriors of light) that the player can control & that are not just NPCs. There are a lot of nostalgic elements in FF16 that are a reference to previous FF games. That nostalgia is most likely to attract long-time FF fans to play FF16 because newcomers won't understand those references.

    So some long-time FF fans will most likely not be very satisfied because they will notice the flaws, while for newcomers FF16 will certainly be new & exciting game.    … Expand
  17. Diablorate
    Jun 23, 2023
    7
    It fails to deliver at many points and the main one is performance which is atrocious, it kinda feels scammy that they did implement performance mode which should be 60 fps but in fact it's 30-40 for the majority of time.
  18. visiblelight7
    Aug 9, 2023
    6
    As a 36 year old who played FF7 to FF10 , the demo had gave me hope this game was going to bring back the ''feels'' and yes it did but only superficially and perhaps 50% of it. It shines in it's music and visuals and EXCELLENT story-telling. Even the cast and characters are well done but the game feels like an empty shell. The towns look good on the outside but there is no interiors toAs a 36 year old who played FF7 to FF10 , the demo had gave me hope this game was going to bring back the ''feels'' and yes it did but only superficially and perhaps 50% of it. It shines in it's music and visuals and EXCELLENT story-telling. Even the cast and characters are well done but the game feels like an empty shell. The towns look good on the outside but there is no interiors to the buildings. There is nothing there to explore. The world has no exploration. I love that they didn't go ''open-world". I was so relieved about it, it was a great decision. However, there's also a fine balance of mystery which is completely lacking from the world. There is no exploration because the world is simply a shell to progress the story. It lacks substance. Do you remember Final Fantasy 7's overworld and sense of mystery? Forget that. There's no ''extratowns'' which are there for you to uncover a mystery, find new camarades to adventure with. All this game does right is 1) Story-telling 2) Voice acting 3)Music 4)Ambiance of old-school final fantasy. That's amazing but that's also only 50-60% of a masterpiece. You are still left with frenetic combat with too many spell particles, no depth at all. It's just not satisfying and becomes boring fast. I promise you after 15-20 hours, you will be sick of the combat. Final fantasy 16 is a great 10 hour experience until you realize that it's not bringing you to the next-level. Your anticipations are crushed. You realize all you are going to do is try to mindnumbingly go through from A to B just so you can see the story unfold in it's greatness but sadly that's not enough. It only temporarily or momentarily capture the ''magic'' of Final fantasy 7,8,9,10 but very short-lived and I really think they nailed 60% of it and did a 10/10 job on those(such as story-telling)...but everything else is just there as a shell. It's sadly so boring I am contemplating skipping everything now. I don't find the repetitive combat any fun anymore. I just want to hear the story it has to tell...I'm considering using youtube for all that. That's what Final Fantasy 16 is for me. I regret spending 103$ canadian for it. I wish I was more patient , that's just too much money but I wanted to support the publisher to tell them they were going in the right direction. Sadly, being in the right direction doesn't mean much when 50% of your game lacking the greatness that was at hand. They needed to build DEEPER story intertwind with DEEPER cities, overworld , MORE MYSTERIES.
    Why they cannot recreate the epicness of Final fantasy 7,8,9 ? It's not just the mediocre combat either. There's something substantial missing about the world exploration....and no I don't mean useless fetch-quests or tedious side-quests that waste your time for hours like most open worlds do(which it avoided)...We needed a spaceship and a world that opens to you which have their own cast of characters to ''find''(Remember FF7? NO not the re-make for Gen-Z adhd).    … Expand
  19. rmcrom
    Jun 23, 2023
    5
    There's more time watching cutscenes than actual getting to play the game. And the cutscenes can't be skipped. This is the first final fantasy I have bought and I will not buy any more.
  20. Slimester
    Jun 23, 2023
    6
    The great:

    It’s a lot better than FFXIII and XV There are epic action set-pieces and memorable boss fights galore, some of which are up there with the best in the entire series. The lore is comprehensive and expressed in meticulous detail. The real-time look-up feature during cutscenes is an ingenious mechanic, certainly one of those concepts which will have left other developers    The great:

    It’s a lot better than FFXIII and XV

    There are epic action set-pieces and memorable boss fights galore, some of which are up there with the best in the entire series.

    The lore is comprehensive and expressed in meticulous detail. The real-time look-up feature during cutscenes is an ingenious mechanic, certainly one of those concepts which will have left other developers wishing they had thought of it.

    The soundtrack is an immediate all-time great, one of if not the game’s strongest aspect.

    Feels very polished overall, no bugs for me thus far and consistent and smooth performance is maintained throughout.

    The good:

    The story is rich and compelling, if not overly original.

    Enjoyable combat system; nothing groundbreaking but it is fast, refined and responsive.

    Grand in scale and scope, visually arresting at times but the art direction can also appear bland and outdated.

    Voice acting is decent.

    The not-so-good:

    Generic characters spouting their usual corny dialogue, this one really has a medieval soap opera-feel about it. Perhaps they sound better when speaking in Japanese but something tells me otherwise.

    The game in general feels somewhat bloated; progression is less dynamic than in some previous instalments, which is especially concerning considering that it’s not even open world in nature.

    An overly westernised tone; feels too reminiscent of series such as The Witcher or Game of Thrones for example. Final Fantasy at the peak of its powers was the influencer, but it appears as though the opposite is in fact now the case.

    The bad:

    Mindless and banal fetch quests, and by mindless I do mean FFVII remake levels of mundaneness.

    Far too easy, with what felt like a virtually non-existent difficulty increase as things progressed.

    Visually the game is overly dark, so dark in fact that it regularly becomes a distraction if not a detriment - especially when inside.

    This is not FFVII. Has done absolutely nothing to revolutionise the series, let alone the genre, and its legacy come the end of the 9th generation won’t be anything significant in my opinion.    … Expand
  21. Insert_Carrot
    Jul 20, 2023
    5
    Final Fantasy 16 is not a bad game, but it's also not a good game, and crucially, it's everything I don't want from a FF game. Bloated cut scenes, shallow combat, minimal and essentially pointless RPG elements such as leveling up and weapon upgrades and a boring story filled with too many characters that I do not care about.

    On a positive note, the game runs well, it's a very pretty    Final Fantasy 16 is not a bad game, but it's also not a good game, and crucially, it's everything I don't want from a FF game. Bloated cut scenes, shallow combat, minimal and essentially pointless RPG elements such as leveling up and weapon upgrades and a boring story filled with too many characters that I do not care about.

    On a positive note, the game runs well, it's a very pretty game and the music is excellent. In fact the music might be my favourite thing about it. Can't fault it. But that's about all the nice things I have to say about the game.

    The gameplay loop for much of this game is as follows; run along an empty corridor for a few minutes heading in the direction of a way point, get to waypoint, cut scene begins. Cut scene lasts for ten minutes and has zero interactive elements. Control is returned so you can smush a handful of pathetically weak baddies and one tank who is also easy, but takes ages to kill... all of this is dealt with by hammering the square button, interspersed with the occasional dodge or use of special power... then back to hammering square while you wait for your special abilities to recharge. Then you get another corridor or cut scene. Rinse and repeat ad nauseum.

    Cut scenes consist of weirdly stiff and awkward character animations, poor camera framing, and bland, overly written dialogue with very little substance. I think the worst thing about the cliched dialogue is how smug it all feels. Bloated, cliche-riddled pseudo-poetic nonsense. Characters you barely know will go on and on about their tedious backstory for way, way too long while stirring music builds in an effort to force you to feel some sort of emotion or connection, with all the subtlety of a brick to the face. Most of the cut scenes in this game are like having somebody grab you by the shoulders whilst screaming "feel something!" directly into your face. I can't say that I appreciated it.

    It's a forgettable story about warring nations, magical crystals (seriously Squenix, you can stop with the crystals at this point) and a band of rugged heroes battling to save the people by murdering the **** out of a whole lot of people. It's a bit more complicated than that, but not by a lot. Game of Thrones comparisons can be found all over the internet, probably because of all the scenes with olde worlde maps and little pieces representing armies being moved around by various factions, cut scenes prefaced with "meanwhile, in a far away land..." showing the game's numerous two-dimensional cartoonishly simplistic villains chuckling evilly whilst discussing their painfully dull plans for world domination and power mongering... things of this nature litter the game. Honestly calling it a game feels misleading as so much of it is just watching cut scenes.

    There are a million other things that I could rant about (the side quests, item collection, upgrades and leveling, the number of times the game hands control back to you just so that you can press a button or two only to be dRaGgEd BaCk InTo MORE cUt ScEnEs... my god) but I'll refrain. I can't say that I truly hated FF16, because it's a pretty game that functions as intended, and it's obviously well liked by a lot of people, but I was bored whilst playing it and now, reflecting back on it, I'm sad. I really, really wanted to like this game, but I just didn't. I'm probably getting grumpy with old age, perhaps my soul is dying. Who knows? All I know is that I did not connect with this game on any level, and I'm bummed about it. All of the crazy people giving this bland and shallow nonsense a perfect score... I wish I was there with you, drinking the Kool Aid and having a grand old time, but I'm not. I'm going to pour myself some hard brown liquor and maybe download some of those shiny remasters of the first six FF games and play those instead, and pray to the gaming gods that I haven't gotten so old and bitter that I can't enjoy those anymore either. Fingers crossed.    … Expand
  22. TheMan2
    Jul 29, 2023
    5
    Just finished the game with all quests done and hunting after more than a month.It was very painful. Honestly, it felt good to be in this world. I remember being at Martha’s inn and thinking ”this is nice” (because of the music, lighting etc.). The main story was enjoyable but not ground breaking. Some of the side stories were enjoyable as well BUT 100% of them were ruined by the fact thatJust finished the game with all quests done and hunting after more than a month.It was very painful. Honestly, it felt good to be in this world. I remember being at Martha’s inn and thinking ”this is nice” (because of the music, lighting etc.). The main story was enjoyable but not ground breaking. Some of the side stories were enjoyable as well BUT 100% of them were ruined by the fact that they always ended in a fetch quest or a lame combat encounter.
    Speaking of combat, when you finish the tutorial 1 hour or 2 in, you’ve seen everything. You get flashier moves for sure but the game doesn’t get more mecanics. The game systems in general are a disaster, indie game levels kind of disaster! Be it loot, crafting, quest design, skills, everything is garbage.
    The world, although engaging, is also shalow. All the big buldings and towns are just decoration. You never get to explore more than 2 or 3 streets, and this is in the very best case scenario.
    It frustrating because the game keeps remind you of great things from previous titles (big cities, magic, dungeons, character parties, ships and so on) but none of those thing are in the actual game.
    I honnestly don’t understand how the game has 80+ scores. As an rpg, it’s bad and as an action game it’s mid at best. Don’t even compare it to DMC.
    Anyway, at this point I’m no longer expecting SE to produce the kind of FF’s I liked or FF’s that are not half backed. But who knows. See you in FF7R 2 I guess    … Expand
  23. HopeLastReward
    Jul 23, 2023
    7
    Algo que ha caracterizado los videojuegos de los ultimos años es el relleno para hacer que los videojuegos duren mas y Final Fantasy XVI no es la excepcion fuera de las misiones secundarias hay algunas principales que tambien lo parecen y se diente que hacen perder tu tiempo, en cuanto a la historia principal los personajes no son de los que te encariñas y los mejores son los villanos queAlgo que ha caracterizado los videojuegos de los ultimos años es el relleno para hacer que los videojuegos duren mas y Final Fantasy XVI no es la excepcion fuera de las misiones secundarias hay algunas principales que tambien lo parecen y se diente que hacen perder tu tiempo, en cuanto a la historia principal los personajes no son de los que te encariñas y los mejores son los villanos que desafortunadamente despues de derrotarlos ya no siguen en el juego, la jugabilidad parece hack and slash pero no se siente tan lleno de posibilidades como un devil may cry/bayonetta esto cambia rn la recta final cuando ya cuentas con todos los poderes, la historia esta bien pero pudo ser mejor aprovechada si hubieran mas personajes jugables al menos 1 por cada reino pero bueno lo mejor del juego son sus cinematicas y el soundtrack utilizado en estas aqui esta lo epico inclusive las batallas de las invocaciones estan igual de epicas, si bien no me gusto tanto el juego si pulen o mejoran la secuela sin dudas jugaria el XVII… Expand
  24. Udr
    Jul 29, 2023
    7
    Final fantasy is awesome in important moment of the story. But, after… This is not a final fantasy. This is not a RPG
    Fake utility of gils, exp, exploration, équipement, craft…
    You can avoid everything, run face of you to thé end, you’ll never need anything.
    The gameplay ? Like DMC, but with One weapon and 4 spell ; boring
  25. soooB
    Jul 25, 2023
    7
    Decent story tempered by bland, repetitive side quests. Doesn't really feel like a Final Fantasy game, more like an homage to one, just shoehorning in some of the names and enemies. Engine is excellent and sadly the only real glitch I had was it hanging during one of the final battles of the game (probably 10 minutes into the fight) . If this is the last numbered FF game it'll be a realDecent story tempered by bland, repetitive side quests. Doesn't really feel like a Final Fantasy game, more like an homage to one, just shoehorning in some of the names and enemies. Engine is excellent and sadly the only real glitch I had was it hanging during one of the final battles of the game (probably 10 minutes into the fight) . If this is the last numbered FF game it'll be a real shame as this is the most mediocre one I can remember since one of the bland FF11 games or FF10-2.… Expand
  26. Bigboss_3zoz
    Sep 11, 2023
    7
    Square keeps playing with the formula until the game lost its identity.
    Unfortunately there is no RPG elements in the game anymore Weak exploration Weak customization Button mashing fights that are repetitive, I no more put any thoughts in the fights like a real Final Fantasy game
    Really disappointed of hoe square keeps experimenting in the game while they had the winning formula
  27. xabbott
    Sep 7, 2023
    6
    Great visuals, sound, and overall presentation. However, the gameplay is pretty basic, it's a simple action game. Even if you aren't good at real time combat, you'll be fine if you spam dodge and avoid stepping in fire. The bigger issue is the story and characters were like a basic cable version of Game of Thrones. The boss fights are awesome and one of the only reasons I kept going. I didGreat visuals, sound, and overall presentation. However, the gameplay is pretty basic, it's a simple action game. Even if you aren't good at real time combat, you'll be fine if you spam dodge and avoid stepping in fire. The bigger issue is the story and characters were like a basic cable version of Game of Thrones. The boss fights are awesome and one of the only reasons I kept going. I did every quest and every side quest. A lot of the side quest are bad but some of them are the only good quest in the entire game. I enjoyed FF15 and FF7R more than this and I would only recommend this to die hard FF fans.… Expand
  28. Thanos616
    Sep 9, 2023
    6
    I really do not understand, why user and critic review are so high. This game is for me, the worst game in FF saga I ever played. The graphics is awful and old, in some occasions it is a dissaster, I could close my eyes and pretend that visual doesn't matter to me, but what I can't really stand is horrible combat system, I don't know how they could release something like that, it's boringI really do not understand, why user and critic review are so high. This game is for me, the worst game in FF saga I ever played. The graphics is awful and old, in some occasions it is a dissaster, I could close my eyes and pretend that visual doesn't matter to me, but what I can't really stand is horrible combat system, I don't know how they could release something like that, it's boring and repetitive as hell. The only one thing I really love about this game is boss fights, and great story, but gameplay and visual is horrible disaster.… Expand
  29. Lukishere
    Sep 10, 2023
    7
    I love FF from the very beginning, don't get me wrong - I like this game BUT sometimes feels empty and the copy pasted sidequests are really a issue... I love the story, lore and music! I hope in the future with the DLCs they could improve performance and add more value! :)
  30. BigKidPlays
    Sep 9, 2023
    6
    The demo was the best part of the game in hindsight. The rest of the game is so slow, with so many cut scenes, dialogues, long mission completed screens, slow traversal, etc, and it's all made worse by so much filler and useless side quests. Somewhere in here is a decent story (but with a lacklustre ending) with some fun, mindless combat but it's just bogged down in a slog of content thatThe demo was the best part of the game in hindsight. The rest of the game is so slow, with so many cut scenes, dialogues, long mission completed screens, slow traversal, etc, and it's all made worse by so much filler and useless side quests. Somewhere in here is a decent story (but with a lacklustre ending) with some fun, mindless combat but it's just bogged down in a slog of content that doesn't matter. And yes the side quests are that bad... some of the worst I've ever seen. The positives of the game just can't outdo the negatives.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

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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.
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  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]
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