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. Miguel9494
    Jun 27, 2023
    5
    Me gusta la jugabilidad y la forma de los personajes , las gráficas son excelentes que no se compara a los anteriores final fantasy
  2. HostileUnknown
    Jun 30, 2023
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I wrote a 5000 character review, but metacritic failed and I lost my review.

    I will summarize. The game is very good, not great. The first 75% of the game is vastly superior to the final 25%. There are many things to praise, like the epic moments and the fun combat, and many things to criticize, like the lack of depth to the combat and party characters. While I'm at it, I'll also criticize the FPS and worst motion blur in a game ever. And I'll praise the story and lore creation. Custcenes in the game are also excellent.

    Eikon moments are absolutely awesome. Leviathan is "Lost", and absent from the game entirely, which is super confusing. Odin doesn't get a proper Eikon battle, but does have some great cutscenes. Ultima is really lame and underwhelming.

    Voice acting is top notch. Dialogue is good. Great at points, cringe at others. Profanity is fine to introduce, but it is overdone. No one repeats "F F F F F F F" in a string of words, literally. The final part of the game does become overly dramatic with the characters dialogues.

    Characters themselves are mostly very good. Clive is excellent, but the game and subsequent supporting characters suffer from Clive being a one man army. There are however, other lovable characters, like Byron and Cid and Torgal. Other hatable characters like Annabelle and Benedikta and Barnabas. Other characters somewhere in between. Strong cast, but none of them are as deeply explored as Clive, and the game would be better if some of these and other characters would have been more fleshed out.

    The open areas of the game, and pacing of the story sections I think give me hope for FF7 Rebirth to absolutely knock it out of the park.

    There's a lot of good to like in this game. I would love to give all of my feedback to the devs, because they created a very good game, an excellent one at parts, but one that is held back by a number of things, as well as missing the boat on something can make a final fantasy game truly special. It's like they gambled it all on combat that would be fun and welcoming, while all but abandoning core elements of rpgs and final fantasy games that have gained them their player base over the years.

    For me, this is like a 7.5/10. It's absolutely worth a playthrough, as I'm well into the NG+. There's also so much room for improvement, and it would be really nice for Final Fantasy to return to form after 15 and 16 (and to some extent, 13 and even 12), kind of strayed from it to varying extents.

    As a final point, FF7 remake is the closest to a true modern FF game that we have, and I hope beyond hope that rebirth delivers an epic experience and creates the benchmark on how FF games should play going forward. Well developed characters, well developed story, and a combat system that is true to form to final fantasy, where magic and abilities and gear and items all work together to create a full FF experience.    … Expand
  3. Zierona
    Jun 25, 2023
    7
    Honestly, I'm not sure why this game is rated as highly as it gets. It's alright but ultimately the combat is fine, the story is fine and has some great moments but it's ultimately predictable. The world is beautiful and the graphics are great, but some of the animations and motion blurring are kinda bad. The music is probably some of the worse in a mainline final fantasy game, and SokenHonestly, I'm not sure why this game is rated as highly as it gets. It's alright but ultimately the combat is fine, the story is fine and has some great moments but it's ultimately predictable. The world is beautiful and the graphics are great, but some of the animations and motion blurring are kinda bad. The music is probably some of the worse in a mainline final fantasy game, and Soken is capable of so much better.

    It's miles better than Final Fantasy 13, better than 15. But it's still not quite up there with the classics, MMO's asside Final Fantasy wont ever be what it used to be
    The games good, it's just not 10/10 it does nothing revolutionary that games previously haven't already done, some released many years ago have done it better.    … Expand
  4. YRG
    Jun 26, 2023
    6
    I have played every Final Fantasy game since FFVII and through the entirety of the story of this game, and have done quite a few of the side quests too, overall I agree with other reviewers that it is the best mainline FF game in a decade, that is if you don't consider FFVII Remake and FFXIV Shadowbringers and Endwalker. I believe all those games had a significantly better story thanI have played every Final Fantasy game since FFVII and through the entirety of the story of this game, and have done quite a few of the side quests too, overall I agree with other reviewers that it is the best mainline FF game in a decade, that is if you don't consider FFVII Remake and FFXIV Shadowbringers and Endwalker. I believe all those games had a significantly better story than FFXVI. But certainly this game is better than XII, XIII, and way better than XV since the latter was a development nightmare and felt unfinished. However, like most FF games after FFX, this game has quite a few flaws.

    Story: Without any spoilers, I was very disappointed with how the story progressed, beyond the first 5-6 hours. At a point about a quarter into the story, it was very clear to me how it is going to progress. The problem with Final Fantasy after FFX is that their stories has become derivative. This felt like a repeat of FF Type-0 story and a poorer version of FFIX story with some elements of Shadowbringers. The script was very poor clear from the fact that the player was literally told at many points what they should think of the story. The best part of the story is Clive, who is the most relatable main character since Tidus of FFX. But the villain is very boring and one-dimensional. Overall, the story arch was very disappointing and in my opinion they dropped the ball with the ending and ruined Clive's arch entirely. I would not give this game any score above 7 based on story alone.

    Quests: The quests, even in the main story, can be very tedious at times. Lots and lots of fetch me this and that quests in the main story line that slow down the story in crucial moments and generally feel like fillers. Side quests are even worse. Ever since playing Witcher 3, my bar for quest quality has risen. Many of the quests here felt more like errands/chores than actual quests. I would give the quests a 6 at most.

    Gameplay: This was the most disappointing element to me. PlayStation has no shortage of great action games, namely God of War, Horizon, and Uncharted; and FF has always been the main reason I have bought a PlayStation as it was a defining JRPG; with this game, it no longer is and that is sad. If you are new to FF and enjoy action games you may be fine with this. RPGs need not be turn-based necessarily, albeit I greatly enjoy games like Dragon Quest. When I compare this game to other RPGs, such as Elden Ring, or action games like God of War, the gameplay is neither here nor there, and is quite shallow. a 4 or 5 is the best here.
    Music: The highlight of this game and the only reason I am giving it a score above 5. Very timely and epic, and on-point throughout the story. A 10 here.

    Performance: This game certainly suffers from framerate issues as others have experienced, even in frame rate optimized mode. A 5 here.

    Conclusion: Overall, I was very disappointed after playing 30+ hrs of the story mode and this is going to be one of the more forgettable Final Fantasy games for me. The story was very derivative, and it felt like retelling of FFIX, XIII, XIV Shadowbringers, and Type-0. Final Fantasy games have become derivative and lost their originality. I did not enjoy the direction they took the gameplay and found the quests tedious. I recommend this game to you only if you ARE NOT a Final Fantasy fan. If you are, prepare to be bored and disappointed.    … Expand
  5. Trai12
    Jun 24, 2023
    5
    People nowadays accept paying 80$ for a game that has framedrops well below 60 and resolution goes as low as 720p. A mediocre game at best overhyped by their own fans and gaming media. Battles are way too easy, you can just press two buttons (rip square one) and any extra skills that you use make it a kids play. Setting, story, chars and monsters are the only interesting thing that save this game.
  6. Bacher108
    Jun 23, 2023
    6
    I'm just not sure where this desire is coming from to reinvent a franchise that has sold millions and millions of copies and has some of the most loyal fans ever. Where is this need coming from? No one is asking for the FF franchise to be completely changed. They need a game director for FF17 to do the whole "back to our roots" thing. It doesn't even have to be turn based combat. There areI'm just not sure where this desire is coming from to reinvent a franchise that has sold millions and millions of copies and has some of the most loyal fans ever. Where is this need coming from? No one is asking for the FF franchise to be completely changed. They need a game director for FF17 to do the whole "back to our roots" thing. It doesn't even have to be turn based combat. There are other FF staples that were just totally ripped out for this game and I don't understand why. At best as just a straight up cinematic action game this game is a 7. Putting the FF title, and even more so making it a mainline numbered FF and not even a spin off like stranger of paradise, this is a 5. So I'm splitting it and giving it a 6. A lot of reviewers have already covered this stuff in detail. But in short the itemisation is a complete joke. Crafting is completely pointless. Leveling up and skills feel worthless. Exploration has zero reward. And combat itself feels just ok. Some of my biggest disappointments are the total lack of the party. Sometimes you do have pals along side but they may as well not even be there. All they do is move along the story/plot. There is no change in combat when party members are with you. Most of them don't stay around long enough to develop any bond or attachment. I don't know. I'm just very disappointed. At the end of the day it just isn't a Final Fantasy. It's a straight up cinematic action game with a very obviously slapped on attempt at RPG mechanics and somewhat fun but pretty shallow combat. Ugh. I just want a good mainline FF title. To compare this to original FF7 or even 6 is just painful.… Expand
  7. seraphsfist
    Jun 23, 2023
    5
    8/10 if it weren't a Final Fantasy game, but I expect more from a mainline FF entry. For the life of me I don't understand where they thought people wanted an action game that was even more braindead than all it's competition, to the point even garbage like Nu-Assassins Creed is more of an RPG than Final Fantasy. That said the story, characters and voice acting are more hit than miss, but8/10 if it weren't a Final Fantasy game, but I expect more from a mainline FF entry. For the life of me I don't understand where they thought people wanted an action game that was even more braindead than all it's competition, to the point even garbage like Nu-Assassins Creed is more of an RPG than Final Fantasy. That said the story, characters and voice acting are more hit than miss, but the quality is all over the place and it honestly gets really irritating. Combat gets really repetitive and the FX start to seem truly ridiculous when you're fighting a normal human, juggling them in the air for an eternity because for some idiot reason they have the health pool of a Monster Hunter flagship monster. Sidequests are MMO tier. Music is so far removed from the greatness of Uematsu that it's honestly depressing. I have to say after FFXV and now this, I think I'm done with Square Enix for good. They are floundering and listening to the idiotic shareholders and marketing suits instead of sticking to what worked so well for the first 20yrs of the series. If you want to make $$ make a new IP instead of embarassing yourselves.… Expand
  8. tonberry_ftw
    Jun 29, 2023
    5
    It was definitely better than FF13 and FF15. I'm actually ok with the new changes that they have implemented, but I think among FF series, it had some of the least interesting characters. I feel like overall story progression gets less and less interesting as you near the end, and meaningless subquests also make things worse. Overall, I would think it's not bad, but not great either, butIt was definitely better than FF13 and FF15. I'm actually ok with the new changes that they have implemented, but I think among FF series, it had some of the least interesting characters. I feel like overall story progression gets less and less interesting as you near the end, and meaningless subquests also make things worse. Overall, I would think it's not bad, but not great either, but that's just my opinion.… Expand
  9. Crabzilla
    Jul 6, 2023
    5
    OK lets be honest here.

    I anticipated this game A LOT after the horrible FFXV, playing this saga since VI. Its not terrible, but it isnt great either. Main story and graphics are awesome dont get me wrong, but secondary quests, RPG elements and customization are horrible. Battle is OK but repetitive. Speaking about characters, Clive is terrible, has a 2 number IQ and isnt charismatic at    OK lets be honest here.

    I anticipated this game A LOT after the horrible FFXV, playing this saga since VI.

    Its not terrible, but it isnt great either. Main story and graphics are awesome dont get me wrong, but secondary quests, RPG elements and customization are horrible. Battle is OK but repetitive.

    Speaking about characters, Clive is terrible, has a 2 number IQ and isnt charismatic at all.

    Since boredom takes like half of your playtime, I really cant give it anymore than 5.    … Expand
  10. Narkamin
    Jun 24, 2023
    6
    It's an okay game, worth playing once just don't expect a defining FF experience. It really is exactly what I expected though, it looks nice, the music is awesome (probably the best part of the whole game imo), but as far as the gameplay goes it's pretty middling. Im not sure what people are talking about when they say combat is awesome, I suppose it's subjective to some extent. For me IIt's an okay game, worth playing once just don't expect a defining FF experience. It really is exactly what I expected though, it looks nice, the music is awesome (probably the best part of the whole game imo), but as far as the gameplay goes it's pretty middling. Im not sure what people are talking about when they say combat is awesome, I suppose it's subjective to some extent. For me I would like to have seen a game that really required understanding of the core mechanics and to delve into the build possibilities as a necessary step to succeed. I don't mind the move to action combat, but if you're going to push the action combat aspect so hard then it needs to at least have the option to be challenging. Im not a huge fan of the corridor type maps either, but still the game has its high points it just also has its low points as well and so for me the entire experience felt pretty average. I think that as is so often the case these days, the devs over promised and over hyped. They spent soooo much of the preview time pushing their combat which really ended up being somewhat mediocre. And the world itself doesn't really feel that accessible. This game is like playing a movie in every sense. What you can do really has a scripted feel and just like in many action adventure movies, there is a lot of flash and pomp that often isn't warranted or necessary.… Expand
  11. Greyson3
    Jun 24, 2023
    6
    I was going in with absolutely nothing seen since the reveal trailer, I did not play the demo, watched or read anything to keep myself spoiler free and fully minded to get mind blown like I was by FFX and all who came before. Unfortunately, this is not the game for me.

    The story and the writing is good, cinematic and the big moments make you feel that you are living something epic. The    I was going in with absolutely nothing seen since the reveal trailer, I did not play the demo, watched or read anything to keep myself spoiler free and fully minded to get mind blown like I was by FFX and all who came before. Unfortunately, this is not the game for me.

    The story and the writing is good, cinematic and the big moments make you feel that you are living something epic.
    The Combat gameplay is great, probably the best thing here.

    Now the issue is everything else. You could say what is there left, gameplay is good, story is good, where does it go wrong...

    Well, the game never find rhythm. You are doing "missions" and once finished, you have a map where you select the next mission and you go. The pacing of the story feels completely off, you are getting bored when you should not. The character animation of fights are slow as F. You cannot sprint. in 2023.

    The game is also 30h long, with 20h of cinematic, with half of what's left walking around.
    They removed every single RPG Elements.
    No more farming XP, crafting is a joke (20 items total to craft), side quests are MMO quests.
    You level up by doing the story and going straight to the next objectives.

    When you reach halfway, this feeling of waste and regret for what could have been is hitting you. The game looks stunning, the fights are really fun, the cinematic are perfect but still, they messed up the core of the game.

    Side note:
    You can tell they watched Game of thrones so here's a little game for you all.

    These characters are in the game, find them:

    House Stark
    House Lannister
    Cercei
    John Snow
    Bran (three eyed raven)
    White walkers
    Night King
    Euron Greyjoy

    If you enjoy the game, good on you !
    I didn't like it and I was expecting a Final Fantasy, which this is not.    … Expand
  12. PirateMike86
    Jun 24, 2023
    6
    I LOVE FINAL FANTASY. I've played every single one. FF11 and FF14 for years. Origins, Tactics, 10-2, 13- whatever, the mobile ones. I've played them all. 6 and 8 being my favorites. (i know 8 right? the ending made me tear up what can I say?)
    That said....
    Is this a Final Fantasy Game? Yeah, at least the name says so. Should it be a Final Fantasy 16? I don't think so. When I play a    I LOVE FINAL FANTASY. I've played every single one. FF11 and FF14 for years. Origins, Tactics, 10-2, 13- whatever, the mobile ones. I've played them all. 6 and 8 being my favorites. (i know 8 right? the ending made me tear up what can I say?)
    That said....
    Is this a Final Fantasy Game? Yeah, at least the name says so. Should it be a Final Fantasy 16? I don't think so. When I play a numbered Final Fantasy, I want a party of 4 or more. I want to customize my characters with different jobs or skills or Materia and equipment. I want variety and choice and FF16 does not give me that. the story is great so far I'm at the second Mother Crystal. The Eikon battles and some Boss battles seem more like I'm watching Dancing With the Stars. It's entertaining and disappointing at the same time. I'm already kind of bored with how repetitive it is and I'm guessing I'm halfway through. Only finishing it because I spent 70$ on it. I have no desire to New Game+ it or finish all the Achievements.
    Story 9/10: Graphics 9/10: Gameplay 6/10: Sound 9/10 Replay-ability 2/10.

    guess I'll have to wait for Rebirth for a true Final Fantasy experience    … Expand
  13. Matttwidale
    Jun 28, 2023
    6
    Long time FF fan since 7 original. I've never felt a mainline final fantasy has ever let me down. Always found the story to be so good it sours me to continue playing. This is no exception. It's beautiful, cinematic, engrossing. The combat is where it lets me down though. I'm ok with the shift to action but this is too simplistic. You pretty much charge in tap one button repeatedly, tapLong time FF fan since 7 original. I've never felt a mainline final fantasy has ever let me down. Always found the story to be so good it sours me to continue playing. This is no exception. It's beautiful, cinematic, engrossing. The combat is where it lets me down though. I'm ok with the shift to action but this is too simplistic. You pretty much charge in tap one button repeatedly, tap another once in a while, dodge. And that's it.

    Im still to finish but it's lacking in the tactical nuances like elemental weaknesses, world exploration, spells and classes.

    A good game but even without the accessibility accessories, it's too simple and easy in terms of gameplay.    … Expand
  14. Haraxmant
    Jun 28, 2023
    7
    Tbh, It's a really good story, it's dramatically held back by its gameplay though.
    7 Isn't bad, comparatively it's even good.
    But compared to a lot of the 2020's Action games on PS5, XVI's gameplay just leaves a lot to be desired.
  15. framptHERO
    Jun 26, 2023
    7
    A great game with strong music and a spectacular combat system, but too much repetitive. Game is hella easy, 0 challenge at all.

    Никакой левой лгбт повестки, все барнаульцы должны быть довольны.
  16. Valmont88
    Jun 25, 2023
    7
    Final Fantasy XVI reaches very high peaks of excellence, the story is memorable, deep and engaging and the gameplay is fun and stimulating despite being wasted due to the type of context in which it was inserted, as a gamer I am satisfied but as a fan of Final Fantasy unfortunately I have threw in the towel. The RPG element is unfortunately reduced to the bone if not non-existent, it isFinal Fantasy XVI reaches very high peaks of excellence, the story is memorable, deep and engaging and the gameplay is fun and stimulating despite being wasted due to the type of context in which it was inserted, as a gamer I am satisfied but as a fan of Final Fantasy unfortunately I have threw in the towel. The RPG element is unfortunately reduced to the bone if not non-existent, it is therefore impossible to create any type of build with equipment and weapons that simply do not have special or status or elemental characteristics but are limited only to increasing the attack stat, the open maps are very visually stunning but they are completely empty and dead areas devoid of any sort of secret or point of interest or hidden rewards much less hidden unique dialogue characters etc. Crafting and leveling have turned out to be totally useless because the weapons and equipment are given to you at the next Boss fight or bssta buy them from the merchant on duty. it absolutely doesn't push you to experiment and that's a real shame because it's tremendous fun. In short, the game is enjoyable as a title but does not even have the shadow of its RPG component or mechanics dedicated to weapons and accessories and this is never lacking in a Final Fantasy. Unfortunately I have to repeat myself as a gamer I consider myself quite satisfied but as a fan of Final Fantasy we are really far from the glories of the past despite the fact that giant strides have been made compared to the XV without any doubt.… Expand
  17. MrKingConker1
    Jun 23, 2023
    5
    The game is basically very good, but there are some negative points that I find difficult to overlook.
    1. The performance is really bad for a PS5 exclusive game.
    The graphics are also not above average for a Final Fantasy/PS5 exclusive game. 2. the side missions are really soulless and boring. 3. That may be complaining on a high level, but I still noticed negatively that the lip    The game is basically very good, but there are some negative points that I find difficult to overlook.
    1. The performance is really bad for a PS5 exclusive game.
    The graphics are also not above average for a Final Fantasy/PS5 exclusive game.
    2. the side missions are really soulless and boring.
    3. That may be complaining on a high level, but I still noticed negatively that the lip synchro is not very good, regardless of the language. This is especially noticeable in NPC conversations.    … Expand
  18. jddgsd
    Jun 25, 2023
    5
    Please for the love of god play the demo first and dont let them tell you that it is any different than that and then you make your decision whether you want to play a movie or a game. This is literally point A to point B there is not even an effort to tell you otherwise. The story is great but the game is a INTERACTIVE MOVIE please dont waste your 80 FREAKING DOLLARS on this unless youPlease for the love of god play the demo first and dont let them tell you that it is any different than that and then you make your decision whether you want to play a movie or a game. This is literally point A to point B there is not even an effort to tell you otherwise. The story is great but the game is a INTERACTIVE MOVIE please dont waste your 80 FREAKING DOLLARS on this unless you like playing a movie. IGN said akin to God of War they have been deleted from my shortcut list.… Expand
  19. snes
    Jun 26, 2023
    6
    Yeesh, after 15 this one feels a bit lackluster. Heck after the recent FF7 remake it especially feels lackluster. I do get what the devs were trying to shoot for but the main story is just... Meh, nothing about it calls out to me. Nor did they make very likeable characters, though imo FF never makes very likeable characters so maybe that's just on me. Also the side quests are incrediblyYeesh, after 15 this one feels a bit lackluster. Heck after the recent FF7 remake it especially feels lackluster. I do get what the devs were trying to shoot for but the main story is just... Meh, nothing about it calls out to me. Nor did they make very likeable characters, though imo FF never makes very likeable characters so maybe that's just on me. Also the side quests are incredibly mediocre, like FF14 has better side quests and it's an mmo. Combine that with the terrible exploration and lack of minigames and there's just very little reason to explore this world. Zero reason to ever replay this game unless you're a sucker for the story, which lol, I'm not... I do like the combat, and it's of course polished to the standard FF levels. If this game is your jam then more power to you, have some fun in my stead cause this game aint it for me chief.… Expand
  20. miragebym
    Jun 25, 2023
    6
    Ok so I am about 20 hours into the new Final Fantasy 16, and I am throwing in the towel on it. I've tried to like it and push through hoping that it would get its hooks into me but it just doesn't do it for me. I'm really sad because I am a die hard FF fan, and have played ALL the numbered games and enjoyed the vast majority of them. But this game just isn't for me. It may actually be aOk so I am about 20 hours into the new Final Fantasy 16, and I am throwing in the towel on it. I've tried to like it and push through hoping that it would get its hooks into me but it just doesn't do it for me. I'm really sad because I am a die hard FF fan, and have played ALL the numbered games and enjoyed the vast majority of them. But this game just isn't for me. It may actually be a fantastic game for a TON of other people though.

    I'll start with the good and the great: Amazing production value. Graphics are gorgeous. Voice acting is some of the absolute best I have heard in a game. (The guy that voiced Lorath in Diablo 4 voices a main character in this game too). The cinematic moments are jaw dropping, and have some truly HOLY **** moments. The story from what I have seen in the first 20 hours is very good, and intriguing.

    Where the game loses me, is that this is NOT an RPG or a JRPG or really any variation of an RPG in my opinion. There is no stat management or upgrade system for stats other than an auto-level up, there is barely any gear to be found in the game, and only three gear slots to equip, and three accessories slots, and the gear that you do get is just very small incremental upgrades that equate to literally a couple percentage points at most. There is no party management in the game (It's just you, that you manage, and fight with, while occasionally commanding your dog to attack). There is no real exploration, all the areas that I have seen are super small, on rails paths with a handful of small enemies, and a couple bullet sponge ones that you just beat on for a a few minutes. Occasionally there is a slightly larger map, but still, almost no exploration.

    Every FF game is different, yes. Each game is a reinvention of game mechanics. No two games are alike and that has always been a staple of the series. But, there are a few core staples of almost all FF games; party management, character development and upgrades, stat management/upgrades, a sense of exploration, and a feeling of reward when you explore or do side things. This game has none of that. Actually after 20 hours I found that I literally spent just as much time with my controller next to me on the couch, as I did actually playing. Even in big epic boss fights, you are in the thick of the fight, and then they cut-scene away for several minutes, do a few quick time events, and then all of a sudden the fight is over without you doing anything to finish off the boss.

    To simplify it all; it’s basically an interactive movie, where you occasionally button mash some fights, move through a few spaces, watch a lot of cutscenes, are blown away by some cinematic moments and story developments, and then slog through some more enemy corridors until you repeat the process. This would be fine if there was a huge open world to explore and dive into in between these amazing moments, or a fun gear and character system where you can tweak and customize and manage your party and skills, but there’s just not.

    The best I could compare it, is if you took Harry Potter Hogwarts Legacy, took away the open world, the exploration, sense of discovery and sense of agency, and put a mature rating on it, gave it a bigger darker story with political intrigue, and better voice acting. This would be that.

    So there’s nothing inherently WRONG with the game. It’s getting AMAZING reviews, and I am sure that MANY people will enjoy it. It just doesn't have any RPG elements or gameplay loops that intrigue or hook me. It’s an action game, that guides you slowly through it, that tells a fantastic story that you occasionally interact with. And for some people that might be just what they love and want, but it unfortunately isn’t for me.

    Long review, but I wanted to be sure to make the distinction that this isn’t a BAD game in any stretch. It’s just not a game that was made for me.    … Expand
  21. EcchiMegane
    Jun 23, 2023
    6
    The story and characters are great. I have no complaints there.
    I also LOVE that this a much more mature story, and they aren't afraid to show blood and suggestive themes.
    My big problem is the lack of RPG-feel! Action combat is already something I do not want in my RPGs. But the lack of a traditional party, no classes, barely any gear (which feels like it makes no difference at all),    The story and characters are great. I have no complaints there.
    I also LOVE that this a much more mature story, and they aren't afraid to show blood and suggestive themes.

    My big problem is the lack of RPG-feel! Action combat is already something I do not want in my RPGs. But the lack of a traditional party, no classes, barely any gear (which feels like it makes no difference at all), no real skill tree, level ups happen automatically and you barely feel stronger, and grinding not being an option, is just bad for an RPG of this name.
    How does it make sense that you get 1000 gil from a boss, and then pick up shinies of 2 gil regularly? Why not balance it out, to make it worth picking up?

    Please Squareenix, just go back to a turn-based, party-based battle system with a cool magic or progression system, and leave that dumb idea that you wanna make an RPG with Devil May Cry combat behind! It doesn't work!    … Expand
  22. Gamer1982
    Jun 25, 2023
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Very disappointed. When I seen the game was 15 dollars CAD more then Elden ring I thought the game must be huge with great FPS but I was wrong. It's not a rpg it's a game with a bunch of small stages and a boss. Actually more watching a movie and you get to play the action scenes. Elden ring has 20 times more equipment, items, customization, exploration and a combat that will keep engaged. This game got no exploration. Just because you go 5 second to the left or to the right of the beaten path is not exploration. Most times you only find 3 gil for exploring. Hav'nt finished the game but it says I'm 58 percent finished. I died once and that was due not paying attention to my health because I still had full potions. It's a good game for what it is but in no way should of it been 15 dollars more then Elden ring. It's ridiculous. It's just not that special to be the most expensive triple A base game version. I still can't believe they never added any extra secret dungeons or super bosses to test your skills. With all the money there charging for such a small world I expected more… Expand
  23. pelona39
    Jul 6, 2023
    6
    I bought a PS5 only for this Final Fantasy XVI, what I've got? Disappointments
    I love Final Fantasy series, but this is kinda not acceptable, too hyped for a new FF title
    If it's not "Final Fantasy" I definitely will not finish the game. I saw a lot positive reviews, not really sure are they playing FF series before or not. Story The story of FF16 is basically JRPG in general, but    I bought a PS5 only for this Final Fantasy XVI, what I've got? Disappointments
    I love Final Fantasy series, but this is kinda not acceptable, too hyped for a new FF title

    If it's not "Final Fantasy" I definitely will not finish the game.
    I saw a lot positive reviews, not really sure are they playing FF series before or not.

    Story
    The story of FF16 is basically JRPG in general, but the text or language (I used English subtitle) to this game are not fit for a such "JRPG". English text in this game are suit to western games. I know that the producer of this game said that this game NOT a JRPG, he said this is RPG in generally but for me it's really JRPG in general with western-style language, from innocent character, to become vengeance, and then killing God... yeah basically JRPG.
    This is too hard to accept as Final Fantasy, maybe if this game is not "Final Fantasy" I think this story will be best. Because they only put iconic summon from FF like Ifrit, Shiva, Odin, Bahamut and yes it will automatically turned into Final Fantasy... and oh don't forget Cid, mothercrystal and moogle.
    Also thing I don't like, that they put some fillers in main story which is annoying for me.

    Sound/music
    Good, but not memorable like previous FF titles... I am not saying this is bad, just not memorable

    Gameplay
    Final Fantasy with their iconic turn-based gameplay is dead now, and it's turned into fully combat-action gameplay. The gameplay is too easy, I am not even use help-accessories. If this game compare too DmC, then this game is like easy-mode in DmC.

    Graphic
    No comment, it's good

    Overall
    For me as Final Fantasy fan, this game... this new title of Final Fantasy, is not good. I though this going to be best from FFXV, but this is worse... sorry. That's all my honest review    … Expand
  24. arostislavna
    Jun 24, 2023
    7
    Initially I thought it would be a dry story because I don't like medieval setting games, but it deserves a 7 for a medieval anti-imperialist plot, it's pretty cool for the modern action RPG style combat system, maybe lacks in summons but that's just me. Additionally, the final boss is freaking annoying and I take away 2 points for that. (Previously a 9)

    I still prefer    Initially I thought it would be a dry story because I don't like medieval setting games, but it deserves a 7 for a medieval anti-imperialist plot, it's pretty cool for the modern action RPG style combat system, maybe lacks in summons but that's just me. Additionally, the final boss is freaking annoying and I take away 2 points for that. (Previously a 9)

    I still prefer cyberpunk/futuristic Final Fantasy slightly more (ie: 7 / 13)    … Expand
  25. remilink
    Jun 27, 2023
    6
    Jeu globalement moyen à certains égards
    et certains passage de l'histoire semblent un peu beaucoup plagiés de la serie Game of thrones.
    histoire comme une montagne russe entre ont s'ennuie et puis c'est épique mais trop rempli de cinématique et de qte/animation qui tirent inutilement les combats de primordiaux en longueur et qui deviennent au final lassant, c'est dommage le jeu avait du    Jeu globalement moyen à certains égards
    et certains passage de l'histoire semblent un peu beaucoup plagiés de la serie Game of thrones.
    histoire comme une montagne russe entre ont s'ennuie et puis c'est épique mais trop rempli de cinématique et de qte/animation qui tirent inutilement les combats de primordiaux en longueur
    et qui deviennent au final lassant, c'est dommage le jeu avait du potentiel mais il à été totalement gâchés à pas mal d'égards ce jeu est plus une série ou ça explose de partout qu'un JV.

    et l'aspect secondaire du jeu est totalement passé à la trappe et peu intéressant vraiment dommage    … Expand
  26. Sufiyah13
    Jun 25, 2023
    5
    It's so pathetic that people are review bombing this simply because it's a PlayStation exclusive. If you have an issue with exclusives then find a more productive way of fighting that but don't **** on a specific game.

    I preordered and played through about 2 hours of it so far and it's phenomenal! Not a fan of button mashing games but with something that's delivering such a visually    It's so pathetic that people are review bombing this simply because it's a PlayStation exclusive. If you have an issue with exclusives then find a more productive way of fighting that but don't **** on a specific game.

    I preordered and played through about 2 hours of it so far and it's phenomenal! Not a fan of button mashing games but with something that's delivering such a visually impressive experience, a hard hitting story and awesome gameplay, I'm willing to let my fingers bleed a little. Overall i think its so awesome to have a less than 30 hour option in a sea of 100+ hour games, that's on such a high caliber. Maybe I'll even go back and play the previous final fantasy games after if i get the time.    … Expand
  27. DoctorZack
    Jun 26, 2023
    5
    This is basically the exact same game as Final Fantasy XIII but with Yoshi-P's credibility covering for it and the fanbase's backlash scorn from Final Fantasy XV.

    Linear and chapter built
    Characters are forgettable and uninteresting
    You will basically need the data log to understand anything going on
    Even common battles are extremely long winded and repetitive.

    The only plus is Torgal
  28. Mickey2112
    Jun 25, 2023
    5
    This game gets a 6. Another PS movie game where game mechanics are secondary to flashy cut scenes. I get people will like that but I'll skip. PS is boring so far this generation.
  29. stgr1
    Jun 24, 2023
    6
    The story and graphics are the only good things in this game. How did the level design go from open world filled with dungeons/bosses/items/secrets to nothing but tight corridors and empty zones is beyond me.
    The combat is like DMC and it shows, only problem is it's like the starting hour of DMC: one sword one ranged weapon and a few combos and that's it. It never gets anywhere, the same    The story and graphics are the only good things in this game. How did the level design go from open world filled with dungeons/bosses/items/secrets to nothing but tight corridors and empty zones is beyond me.
    The combat is like DMC and it shows, only problem is it's like the starting hour of DMC: one sword one ranged weapon and a few combos and that's it. It never gets anywhere, the same attacks you use at the start you use until the end. Only thing changing is the 2 special attacks you can use.
    Item system and overall progression are completely pointless. You gain levels and stats but they are not used anywhere. You don't have any skill point, no level requirements. Your naturally gain new weapons as you progress the story. They might as well have removed levels and items so that you don't have to bother. Once every 20 hours you might have to go craft a new set of weapons/gear. I only used crafting 3 times in the entire game, not because i wasn't trying but because there was nothing new.

    Overall feels like a very basic indie game, slapped on a AAA graphics and story.    … Expand
  30. SadSubz
    Jun 24, 2023
    6
    Its ok. Pacing, story, and characters ruined it for me. Bosses are awesome, and combat is fun, but lacks strategy.
  31. Lasrmiller19
    Jun 25, 2023
    5
    Strays way to far from the rpg model if we wanted action games we'd buy them not final fantasy this was the worst final fantasy i ever played the director should never be allowed near final fantasy again
  32. Degaty
    Jun 25, 2023
    6
    It's an excellent game for what it is. It needs more RPG element than what it currently has. The only solid reason I can find why I would accept this as a Final Fantasy title would be the names of the Eikons. Other than that, you could slap a new IP and you wouldn't even notice.

    The RPG elements that I am referring to are as follows; - Customization (whether character or their level up    It's an excellent game for what it is. It needs more RPG element than what it currently has. The only solid reason I can find why I would accept this as a Final Fantasy title would be the names of the Eikons. Other than that, you could slap a new IP and you wouldn't even notice.

    The RPG elements that I am referring to are as follows;
    - Customization (whether character or their level up development)
    - Farming
    - Grinding (albeit not for everyone)
    - Crafting
    - Exploration

    The number of enemies have also shrunk since ff13, but this is mainly due to the nature of "action".

    In the end, I give it a 6, because this isn't an RPG. It barely touches what made Final Fantasy the juggernaut that it is. I am okay with innovation, testing waters and the likes, but this would've been a better standalone rather than slapping the final fantasy brand on it.

    This is probably the last time I will pre-order a mainline Final Fantasy game because as a fan of the genre since 6, and I've played each one and even the spinoffs, world of final fantasy, etc., I think this is a huge let down of the brand.

    It's like toyota suddenly taking away reliability from its products. Or Ferrari suddenly entering the compact sedan market that despite the badge, you'd still probably hate the product.

    In the end, the game is good. But not for the brand it represents. What's painful though is that, it's gonna take another 5-10 years before another mainline final fantasy comes our way. and the fact that we're left with this, it feels such an empty next few years.

    Looking forward to rebirth. I hope the RPG elements, whether mentioned or not, is more involved compared to 16.    … Expand
  33. tjholowaychuk
    Aug 18, 2023
    5
    I’m a long time FF fan, I grew up with the series but this one is just not good unfortunately.

    The characters are bland, the setting is uninteresting and lacking the typical FF charm, level design is linear and bland, world traversal is bland (just a map), music is ok but sometimes just annoying and pretentious, performance is bad, graphics are mediocre unless you’re in a cutscene. The    I’m a long time FF fan, I grew up with the series but this one is just not good unfortunately.

    The characters are bland, the setting is uninteresting and lacking the typical FF charm, level design is linear and bland, world traversal is bland (just a map), music is ok but sometimes just annoying and pretentious, performance is bad, graphics are mediocre unless you’re in a cutscene. The only good thing I can say about this game is the enemy designs can be quite nice, and the boss battles are decent, and some cutscenes are really epic and stunning.    … Expand
  34. tangentcatz
    Jun 25, 2023
    7
    This is a solid game with significant flaws. The longer I played, the more the flaws bothered me.

    Pros: Combat: the action combat is designed to appeal to a broad base. It appears shallow at first but allows for combos and complexity that will appeal to more action-oriented players. When you pull off certain combos or use abilities to control combat flow, it feels amazing. Boss    This is a solid game with significant flaws. The longer I played, the more the flaws bothered me.

    Pros:

    Combat: the action combat is designed to appeal to a broad base. It appears shallow at first but allows for combos and complexity that will appeal to more action-oriented players. When you pull off certain combos or use abilities to control combat flow, it feels amazing. Boss fights can be challenging, beautiful spectacles. You tailor skill choices to your own style and can respec instantly at no cost.

    Visuals: The game looks beautiful. The environmental and monster design is interesting and varied. Lighting and textures create a grounded, realistic feeling. Cinematic combat is visually mind blowing. Overall, it's great balance between realistic and fantastical.

    Sound: This game has some of the best voice acting I've heard in video games. I suspect a lot of people overlook the mediocre story because the voice acting is so convincing. Soken, as always, creates thematic and moving music.

    Cons:

    Story: The story is aggressively mediocre. Outside of Clive, very few characters get any depth or characterization. Most of the characterization they do receive is full of old tropes (e.g. femme fatale who is evil because of sexual trauma, whore with a heart of gold, angry alpha male, wandering mystic).

    The plot takes inspiration from Game of Thrones, other Final Fantasy games, and superhero cliches without doing anything new with it. Over and over, I thought "I've seen this before." There are numerous cinematic shots and dialogues that veer too close to 1-to-1 copies of other material.

    But more than anything--the story takes itself too seriously. It tries to show you how bleak the world is over and over and over to the point where it loses meaning. It spews out dialogue at dramatic moments that reminds me of comic books I thought were deep and edgy as a kid. And nothing hints that the writers are self-aware of the cliches or stereotypes or dark farce they've created.

    Pacing: There are stretches of the game that feel like unnecessary filler and the pacing struggles, especially after the first half of the game. The game seems to think managing tension means separating cinematic set pieces with boring MMO-like quest design. "Go here, filler talk with this person, go here, fight 3 mobs, go here, etc." It also has a weird sense of time because there is a 5-year story skip.... but it feels like almost nothing happened during that time. This is one way the world feels shallow, everything clearly revolves around the main character.

    Combat Difficulty: There is only one combat difficulty until you reach New Game+. You can automate combat with accessories, but you can't make it harder. During the first story playthrough, combat follows a pattern of something like trash-trash-formidable foe-trash-boss. Bosses are the only mobs with significant combat mechanics and thinking required. Supposedly a lot of that trash is replaced with formidable foes in harder difficulties, which would go a long way to making combat last longer and feel more engaging. Instead, interesting encounters are rationed out every 2-3 hours of gameplay. There is no reason to gate harder settings other than an artificial attempt to prolong game time.

    Overall: I don’t regret playing the game, but I will hesitate to buy another game from this team. The fluid combat is fun; the cinematic fights are unparalleled; but the story and characters are a mishmash of cliches that take themselves way too seriously and the uneven pacing ultimately made the game feel too much like a chore. When I finally completed the game my overwhelming feeling was relief at being done.    … Expand
  35. OmegaReaper
    Jun 27, 2023
    5
    Having played every Final Fantasy and its spin offs over the years, this one just doesn't quite match up to it's previous successors.

    Pro Excellent music as always Eikon Battles Nice to see Phoenix again Torgal since you can pet him. British Voice Actors for once. Not worried about Graphics on games, But there were some nice beautiful areas. Cons Battle System, while the combo    Having played every Final Fantasy and its spin offs over the years, this one just doesn't quite match up to it's previous successors.

    Pro
    Excellent music as always
    Eikon Battles
    Nice to see Phoenix again
    Torgal since you can pet him.
    British Voice Actors for once.
    Not worried about Graphics on games, But there were some nice beautiful areas.

    Cons
    Battle System, while the combo system is a little fun, it's not for me. Its focusing more being an action game than a rpg.

    Timely Accessories for accessibility options might seem good but makes the game way too easy regardless of which mode you use. Story mode you get most right of the bat, action mode at certain intervals. These accessories shouldn't have needed to be in the game and take up valuable accessory slots. Should have been made as options via a point system.

    Magic to me was pretty much useless, no need to have been in the game, no monster/enemy elemental weaknesses, lack of status effects. Admittingly Magic in FF14 is mostly a dps mechanic but that's as an MMO, but there is still DoTs and Status effects. For example the Morbol boss these monsters normally have fire weakness, Clive uses fire type skills but the "Fire" is just for flashy effects and dealt a measly 10 damage towards it.

    Linear area based progression similar to FF10 and FF13
    More of a DMC clone with FF skin on top.

    Now as of late there is a mass divide between FF fans which happens every single FF released, but this one takes the biscuit. Now if you give any type of criticism towards FF16 in any of the groups these hardcore fans will do everything in their power to say you are wrong especially with lines like
    "You don't own a the game or PS5", "Cope and Seethe" and so on.

    Well to me its a mid game. 5/10 and that's pushing it.    … Expand
  36. HushRed
    Jun 27, 2023
    6
    I was so happy to get to jump back into final fantasy a game I have held dear since I was younger. Alas I have been met with disappointment, The playstation 5 which is the only Format the game is available on overheats if you play it with its highest settings! Before anyone tells me I should lower the framerate turn off the HDR or Go to performance mode, why? Why should we have to acceptI was so happy to get to jump back into final fantasy a game I have held dear since I was younger. Alas I have been met with disappointment, The playstation 5 which is the only Format the game is available on overheats if you play it with its highest settings! Before anyone tells me I should lower the framerate turn off the HDR or Go to performance mode, why? Why should we have to accept it in a sub par form? We have spent over £500 for the console so why can't it run the game how it's supposed to? There isn't another version of the PS5 which is more powerful so pray tell what are we meant to do? We should expect better from a cold industry who thinks it's acceptable to release a game that is to powerful for the console to handle. The storyline is good but fairly obvious what's going to happen, feels a lot like game of thrones which to me is a good thing. The game mechanics aren't as good as 15 but it has got some interesting changes. Id say give the game a chance if you have the patience to either play it at a sub par level or have a air conditioner blowing directly onto your ps5 or like playing it and it crashing intermittently (Usually during a 20 min cutscene at the 17th minute)… Expand
  37. Garchomped
    Sep 1, 2023
    6
    Sadly this is just "we have god of war at home" with off-brand DMC combat. Also performance is absolute **** in the 60fps mode and the 30fps one genuinely hurts my eyes after more than 10 minutes. 99% of side quests feel like caricatures of MMOs. Levels are ff13 hallways all over again. The gear system is somehow even more braindead than ff15.

    I seriously hope that CU3 never makes another    Sadly this is just "we have god of war at home" with off-brand DMC combat. Also performance is absolute **** in the 60fps mode and the 30fps one genuinely hurts my eyes after more than 10 minutes. 99% of side quests feel like caricatures of MMOs. Levels are ff13 hallways all over again. The gear system is somehow even more braindead than ff15.

    I seriously hope that CU3 never makes another single player FF title.    … Expand
  38. RPGlore
    Jun 23, 2023
    5
    Lots of lights, flashes and trying to be "Edgy" with the story... nothing else
    Really slooooooow, lots of cinematics. if you want to make a movie then make a movie not a 80% cinematics game.
    No mini-games, nothing to explore for, no party, no classes,... just smash buttons and lots of lights and cinematics. Seems they (Yoshi-P and DMC guy) have tried to kill this franchise. Did they    Lots of lights, flashes and trying to be "Edgy" with the story... nothing else
    Really slooooooow, lots of cinematics. if you want to make a movie then make a movie not a 80% cinematics game.
    No mini-games, nothing to explore for, no party, no classes,... just smash buttons and lots of lights and cinematics.
    Seems they (Yoshi-P and DMC guy) have tried to kill this franchise. Did they kill it?. We will see.    … Expand
  39. Tehemai
    Jun 23, 2023
    5
    The story has it's ups and downs but above all else, it would be nice if this played like an actual video game. Instead of a movie that pretends to need your inputs.
  40. Nogradis
    Aug 5, 2023
    7
    It started very strong, but fell short of expectations after a dozen of hours in. It's a fine game and you will have a lot of fun with it, but there are some elements (especially side quests - ALL of them) that could be done better. A step into the right direction for sure, but we are not yet there.
  41. Haltsu
    Jun 24, 2023
    7
    With roughly 16+ hours in with my friend. Here are some things I like + and some things I don't like -
    And will give a general thoughts at the end of this review. But before that I will highlight my plusses and minuses!
    + Visually the game looks great! Effects, details, the lightning. It all looks great! + Story seems interesting. + Main character is one of the best in FF entries. +    With roughly 16+ hours in with my friend. Here are some things I like + and some things I don't like -
    And will give a general thoughts at the end of this review. But before that I will highlight my plusses and minuses!

    + Visually the game looks great! Effects, details, the lightning. It all looks great!
    + Story seems interesting.
    + Main character is one of the best in FF entries.
    + Soundtrack is great.

    +/- Goes to combat. While I like it visually it lacks a lot of the strategy that made old FF games great. Stuff like elemental affinities etc.

    - Sub par side quests, honestly most of them have just been bad.
    - The gear and grafting is pretty bland. Hopefully it improves later on in the game.
    - Story while interesting, has some pacing issues-
    - The biggest minus is the lack of RPG elements usually found in Final Fantasy games! The game direction has gone a lot to the action route and I cannot say I am the biggest fan of this decision.
    - Performance mode needs some ironing.

    Final Rating will be a solid 7 from me.

    Not a bad game at all! I applaud the developers and Square for trying something different in this long running franchise. But sadly, FF16 seems to have taken some steps backwards on certain aspects ( Mainly the RPG mechanics ) while trying to innovate the series. But the story seems interesting enough even with its pacing issues and the combat while lacking the usual FF stuff is fun if you like Devil May Cry/Kingdom Hearts style combat and at the same time is visually appealing to push me to finish the game!

    Happy gaming!    … Expand
  42. melchior21
    Aug 6, 2023
    5
    I wanted to love this game. I've been a longtime fan of the series. Final Fantasy 7 remains my favorite game of all time. It honestly pains me to see what the series has become.

    They have stripped away so much of what makes a Final Fantasy game a Final Fantasy game. And for what? They announced that we don't like turn-based or ATB combat anymore, that the series was "too sci-fi", etc.    I wanted to love this game. I've been a longtime fan of the series. Final Fantasy 7 remains my favorite game of all time. It honestly pains me to see what the series has become.

    They have stripped away so much of what makes a Final Fantasy game a Final Fantasy game. And for what? They announced that we don't like turn-based or ATB combat anymore, that the series was "too sci-fi", etc. That's all news to me, because those were all the things I loved about the series. I loved the cyberpunk or steampunk settings of 7, 8, 10, and 13. FFX had the best combat in the series IMO. But we apparently don't like those things anymore.

    And apparently we don't like good storytelling either. I feel like I'm going insane when I see the praise for this story. Have the standards for narrative fallen so far? These writers have never heard of "show, don't tell". Because half the story is quite literally told through Active Time Lore. And the rest of it is ridiculously heavy handed and dumbed down. DO YOU GET IT? PEOPLE TREAT BEARERS LIKE SECOND CLASS CITIZENS? DO YOU GET IT?!??!?

    Hire an actual writer or two. The pacing of the narrative is horrific. So many of the sidequests are pure bloat and could have been cut entirely. The side quests that are all worthwhile and actually add to character depth and narrative occur in the last few hours of the game, long after you might have stopped caring. Put those side quests earlier in the game. There were so many narrative hits that didn't resonate because I was *told* to care about these characters when I should have been *shown*. That's what the great games of this series did so well. We cared when events happened in 7 and 10 because those characters were developed and we got those narrative bits. In FFXVI, we read Active Time Lore and get told about various things we should care about.

    Story isn't the only thing that has suffered relative to previous games in the series. There are about 10 different enemies in this game, all with the same attacks. Compare that to the bestiary of 7 or 8. We're going backwards. Combat is laughably easy, and there is nothing that qualifies as a super boss that ranks with the likes of Emerald/Ruby Weapon, Nemesis, Penance, Ozma, etc.

    This is literally half of a Final Fantasy game and people are praising it to high heaven. To each their own I guess. I just feel like we should be adding to what has been established, not stripping away content. I don't even think this is the best RPG released in the last two years. Star Ocean Divine Force was unironically better with 1/10th of the budget.    … Expand
  43. Userback
    Jun 26, 2023
    5
    no llegar a ser buen rpg, no llega a ser buen juego de accion...no es mundo abierto pero como lineal es demasiado pasillero y nada explorable, y aun asi tiene secundarias como si fuese de mundo libre...ni hablar del rendimiento y calidad... vale la pena el juego por 20 euros como mucho
  44. jonnyfiver
    Jun 23, 2023
    5
    The games rpg systems are threadbare. I get that they wanted to bring more people in and serve a broader demographic but did they really have to go all “baby’s first rpg” on us? I get that its an action oriented game but does that mean that they had to dispense with any sort of depth as well? Handholding at every turn? Tales of Arise had depth to the combat and many different ways to play.The games rpg systems are threadbare. I get that they wanted to bring more people in and serve a broader demographic but did they really have to go all “baby’s first rpg” on us? I get that its an action oriented game but does that mean that they had to dispense with any sort of depth as well? Handholding at every turn? Tales of Arise had depth to the combat and many different ways to play. I was shocked when I saw how overly simplistic the gear and skill tree was. I mean, the gear is nothing more than a stat stick, nothing promotes any unique style of play or gameplay modifier. Honestly, I’m disappointed. Find that cool new sword? Well, the only difference between this one and the last one is +10 attack. And no, you can’t mod it with any sort of interesting perk or status effect. The most recent Tales had multiple party members and even then each individual had a broader skill tree to choose from. As an rpg fan, what am I supposed to make of this? Is this *enough* for an ff mainline game for you guys? Hell, even DMC5 has more depth than this. I understand that the ff franchise is predominately known for its great narrative direction, but they've always coupled it with excellent and oftentimes very sophisticated and complex gameplay elements. Remember the gambit system in ff12? What we see here is a gimped dmc5 and a tacked on stagger system that was ripped from the corpse of ff13 and stitched onto this. Given the glowing reviews, i was expecting just so much more, and instead i got one of the most barebones gameplay offerings ive seen in a long time. Save yourself some cash and just watch the cutscenes online, its basically the same experience. $70 for a movie is a bit too rich for me.

    it's a 5. Most mid game ive ever played. Guess we'll try again in another 8 years. damn...makes me feel sad just thinking about it.    … Expand
  45. mishayangg
    Jun 25, 2023
    6
    Great game but they promised heavy inspiration from FFT and FFXII. But the only elements from those games is the shared universe. No job system, no real gear diversity, no meaningful ability point allocation. This is not an RPG in the sense that you cannot really build your own flavor of character. It's a cool action game that feels pretty but shallow.
  46. Thrftshopper
    Jun 25, 2023
    6
    I wanted to like it, being a long time Final Fantasy fan, but hardly anything about the game feels like a FF title. It's a decent game on its own but would have been better served being its own IP.
  47. LilLehmann
    Jun 25, 2023
    7
    Final Fantasy 16 is the game I needed but didn't get completely. Story is damn good and interesting every second. The new combat system is glorious and a lot of fun. Characters are well written and fit perfectly. I love that the world is again broken up into linear sections which not only allows for nicer areas but doesn't feel as cluttered as in FFXV. Now for the criticisms. No game hasFinal Fantasy 16 is the game I needed but didn't get completely. Story is damn good and interesting every second. The new combat system is glorious and a lot of fun. Characters are well written and fit perfectly. I love that the world is again broken up into linear sections which not only allows for nicer areas but doesn't feel as cluttered as in FFXV. Now for the criticisms. No game has disappointed me as much this year as FFXVI. As a developer, how can you rave about how well the game runs and not notice that it very often has severe frame drops, even in cutscenes and very often goes down to 720p in performance mode and even then doesn't keep the 60fps .. I don't know what i would recommend to people if they want to have a next gen experience that in quality mode you have 4k(upscaled) and 30fps that is not next gen, in performance mode you have 1080p(but very often 720p) and 35-60fps that is too no Next Gen I'm really disappointed and I'm starting to wonder if the developers want to make our hobby bad for us.… Expand
  48. pjmccartney
    Jun 23, 2023
    6
    The first couple hours were great, but right after it, you encounter a slew of basic fetch quests with the most lazy dialogue and animations I’ve seen. It feels like I’m playing a F2P MMORPG at times. The inconsistency in quality and performance issues are inexcusable for being a game developed exclusively for PS5.
  49. Loreandgames
    Jun 23, 2023
    6
    The tempo of the game is horrible. The side quests are a shame. The arc of some characters (especially female: Benedikta, Jill and Anabella) is incredibly bad (I don't want to make spoilers... but they don't matter at all in the story).
    Combat is fun and technically it's nice... But it has ZERO, NADA, NIENTE RPG in it... NOTHING...
    The history it leaves a lot to be desired. It doesn't    The tempo of the game is horrible. The side quests are a shame. The arc of some characters (especially female: Benedikta, Jill and Anabella) is incredibly bad (I don't want to make spoilers... but they don't matter at all in the story).
    Combat is fun and technically it's nice... But it has ZERO, NADA, NIENTE RPG in it... NOTHING...
    The history it leaves a lot to be desired. It doesn't feel like a final fantasy at all.    … Expand
  50. pif
    Jun 25, 2023
    7
    This is an action combat game with Final Fantasy music / setting etc. The RPG elements are minimal, especially for an FF game, it is heavily linear, and has a lot of cut scenes. That being said, the graphics are nice and the story is good. Its just not a breath taking game changer of an FF game.

    I see a lot of people calling the combat easy, but this hasn't been my experience. If    This is an action combat game with Final Fantasy music / setting etc. The RPG elements are minimal, especially for an FF game, it is heavily linear, and has a lot of cut scenes. That being said, the graphics are nice and the story is good. Its just not a breath taking game changer of an FF game.

    I see a lot of people calling the combat easy, but this hasn't been my experience. If you play this without any of the hand holding items equipped that literally dodge, combo, heal you, and so on (so like actually play the game) then it is not 'easy'. I would describe it more as annoying. If you try to approach this like a souls game, dodging attacks and finding damage windows on bosses, you will be annoyed. The dodging is just kind of crap. Its unforgiving in an annoying way, where you just take hits that it feels like should have been perfect dodges. i don't know how else to put it. Anyway, the combat isn't about playing perfectly and more about getting hit less often, but understand that you are just going to get smacked around and knocked down from time to time. in other words, you just trade damage alot. its just not satisfying.    … Expand
  51. Biubiu
    Jun 26, 2023
    6
    I bought this game because of its title, Final Fantasy. Final Fantasy is known by most people as the best JRPG, with its rich RPG elements and a highly diverse world view that always brings a refreshing experience in each of its successor to the series. However, Final Fantasy 16 lacks what I was expecting. the game have very weak RPG elements that even the leveling, equipment, and skillI bought this game because of its title, Final Fantasy. Final Fantasy is known by most people as the best JRPG, with its rich RPG elements and a highly diverse world view that always brings a refreshing experience in each of its successor to the series. However, Final Fantasy 16 lacks what I was expecting. the game have very weak RPG elements that even the leveling, equipment, and skill systems in the game can be completely removed without having any significant or even negligible impact on the gameplay. the story telling and the story itself is also terrible. Additionally, as a true successor to the Final Fantasy series, the game lacks features such as mazes, fishing, cooking, affection levels, and even the presence of materias. For a Final Fantasy fan, this game is very disappointing. I acknowledge that the game has stunning visuals and impressive summoning animations, but as a Final Fantasy game, I simply cannot give it a high score. The game's optimization and frame rate also fall short of stability.… Expand
  52. MrGenji
    Jun 26, 2023
    7
    This game is good, regardless of the weaker aspects, which indeed should be criticized.

    First of, the pros: - combat style was refreshing, action loaded and easy to learn, not really hard to master imo ; 9/10 - scenery and setting was point on, looked amazing whether it was the outer wilds, towns or arenas of showdowns regarding boss fights 10/10 - music was very much to my liking,    This game is good, regardless of the weaker aspects, which indeed should be criticized.

    First of, the pros:
    - combat style was refreshing, action loaded and easy to learn, not really hard to master imo ; 9/10
    - scenery and setting was point on, looked amazing whether it was the outer wilds, towns or arenas of showdowns regarding boss fights 10/10
    - music was very much to my liking, captivating the atmosphere of different sceneries and events very well, fits to FF ; 9/10
    - the main story line is well fledged-out, although implying a lot of clishees, generic elements of plot progression ( like plot armor for no reason and developments where you'd be like 'yeah right, sure...' ) and some blank characters, it is an interesting one to explore with the main acting chars being well designed and individually different fitting to their role ; overall main story is a solid 8/10 for me, since it lacks in a lot of ways, feels unfinished or even at times unreasonably rushed with its development, but still an enjoyable journey
    - graphics, gameplay, UI all felt very good to me, even though without the PS5's 'performance mode' it at times would seem your console resembles a little nuclear fission reactor; 8/10
    - Voice acting was great done imo and i tested out German, English and Japanese, with each having different yet fitting approaches to giving the character more detail to their traits and behvaiour; 9/10

    Now off to the cons we go.... because there are indeed some:

    - one of the worst aspects to me was the dialogues and the facial expression of characters;
    dialogues at times are redundant, boring, not really giving much info, but seem more of a filler as to say 'just put anything, regardless of reason, character, context, emotions or logic' and this feeling was present the most with side quests, although it at times felt also present in the main story , it was way less;
    the facial expressions are something else, the emotions that should be conveyed through context of the current situation and given dialogue is just lost (!), unfortunately this is present in every aspect, for example: Main Character (MC) has an edgy outfit and most of the time a saddened, even depressing look on his face, even when smiling it rather seems forced. Now a striking, fatal or even devastating message arrives or gets to his ears about the demise of one of his friends or something and all that happens is: His face looks like always, bc MC looks legitimately always sad. Facing in a generic and robotic his conversation partner and goes in a monotone way like ' Oh, thats sad. Sorry to hear that.' and even when the voice actors do their magic providing outstanding perormance the emotions simply get lost and instead of feeling the sympathy of loss i had to burst out laughing due to the bad acting and visualization of facial expressions and overall behaviour. Another example was a left out letter, that MC finds and hands immediately to a former a friend of the recently deceased boss and friend: The character starts crying while reading... at least thats what you hear, but due to the poor visualization there are no tears and just a small pull of his eyebrows pathetically trying to resemble someone's grief. i couldn't help but lauhgh... Now imagine FF7 and !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!SPOILER AHEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Aerith dies, you witness this moment and instead of falling alongside Cloud into despair - bc thats how good they delivered back then!!! - you burst out laughing bc of his goofy,robotic face and feel sarcastically entertained by the actual depressing statements happening at that very moment, thats how bad FF16 delivers on that part

    -Gearing did not feel satisfactory at all as there are not much aspects to go for, whether you seek for a broad deal of weapons, enchantments or greater upgrades, they are not existent; most of the stuff you could farm is a handful of items holding not much worth to it; its not horrendous or anything, but feels more like a poor version of 'God of War' itemization with very limited and not too encouraging options to explore

    -Exploring did also not feel too interesting, if you wtinessed the scenery of arenas, cities and the outer wilds, you basically seen and explored it all as even the varying enemies at one point feel recycled; for example the executioner of Titan has a big, big axe to decapacitate. He very soon becomes recycled as a enemy in the desert with a slightly different clothing style and his big, big axe is just in a wooden optic instead of steel

    - Side quests were aside from some horrible as they felt the most generic from their setup story-wise or even from the conditions to be fulfilled, they felt useless and a waste of time just as much as the dialogue and the content to it; Running stupid from a to b makes no quest good

    Overall, this game is a good and solid entertainment and a worthwile part of the FF series to be enjoyed at least for once, even with all the flaws.    … Expand
  53. SaberMajora
    Jun 24, 2023
    7
    Game is great, but the performance is **** I also hate how I only play the game for like 20 mins, then a 30 min cutscene every 5 mins.
  54. Akatsubaki
    Jun 25, 2023
    7
    Yo no hago muchas reseñas enserio solo salgo hablar de un juego cuando es enteramente necesario y pienso que este es el momento, compre este video juego por que al ver el título Final Fantasy es algo que siempre me alegra, me emociona pero la verdad es que mi temor se hizo realidad este juego al igual que muchos de los últimos que pertenecen a la saga de FF no está ni cerca de ser un dignoYo no hago muchas reseñas enserio solo salgo hablar de un juego cuando es enteramente necesario y pienso que este es el momento, compre este video juego por que al ver el título Final Fantasy es algo que siempre me alegra, me emociona pero la verdad es que mi temor se hizo realidad este juego al igual que muchos de los últimos que pertenecen a la saga de FF no está ni cerca de ser un digno portador del nombre FINAL FANTASY, dicho lo anterior la verdad este video juego como Final Fantasy es malo, este juego es un fusión de Chaos Legion y Devil May Cry, no lo vean como un Final Fantasy para que lo puedan disfrutar, tiene un apartado visual hermoso, combate fluido, buena historia, la dificultad naaaaa, pero no culpen al juego si no a Squarenix, quien causo el daño, ya que son ellos quienes no entienden, que usar el nombre Final Fantasy en un juego es una carga enorme, si han de culpar a alguien culpen a Squarenix por no crear este juego como un título diferente, lo digo como un mega fan de la saga y con una opinión objetiva.… Expand
  55. Abibboy83
    Jun 26, 2023
    5
    No es mal hack & slash, pero FINAL FANTASY ya perdió su identidad. No es como la saga Xenoblade que mantiene su estilo, o la saga Tales of, que aunque la historia sea mas madura en Arise, mantiene la identidad de la saga, final fantasy desde el 12 es un mal intento de agradar a todos los jugadores y esto termina por no gustar ni a antiguos fans ni a posibles nuevos jugadores.
  56. Renny90
    Jun 24, 2023
    6
    Game is a one of this year’s biggest disappointments, but it got some perks:

    Pros: + Loved the main characters design, especially Cid, they are more mature and relatable than previous FF titles + Scenery is beautiful, there is alot of cinematic moments when you’re just strolling around or fighting + Combat is flashy and beautiful + Eikon fights are really well done and never get boring    Game is a one of this year’s biggest disappointments, but it got some perks:

    Pros:
    + Loved the main characters design, especially Cid, they are more mature and relatable than previous FF titles
    + Scenery is beautiful, there is alot of cinematic moments when you’re just strolling around or fighting
    + Combat is flashy and beautiful
    + Eikon fights are really well done and never get boring

    Cons:
    - The game is too easy and not challenging at all even if you play on action-focused and without timely accessories, you never feel you’re going to die and you’ll never see the game over screen and even if you do you’ll get go back to where you left the Boss HP and with more pots than you had before. This is my main gripe with the game and it’s such a shame when the combat system is fun.

    - World is empty and side characters/content/npcs/quests are soulless , I don’t mind a semi linear world when it’s done well (God of War), but this game had no excuse for half-a**ing this when it’s not an open world.

    - Story starts slow,then picks up again and you’d think it’s going to be great but falls off again    … Expand
  57. ManuFrame
    Jun 24, 2023
    7
    El juego me está gustando, pero sinceramente este nuevo motor que han desarrollado no da la talla y a la vista está.
    Del modo rendimiento no voy a decir nada es una tomadura de pelo y se nota que no han invertido tiempo en el.
    El modo calidad, bueno realmente noto que en ocasiones no va a 30 FPS, el Blur y el desenfoque lo encuentro exagerado y está haciendo que no pueda disfrutar 100% del    El juego me está gustando, pero sinceramente este nuevo motor que han desarrollado no da la talla y a la vista está.
    Del modo rendimiento no voy a decir nada es una tomadura de pelo y se nota que no han invertido tiempo en el.
    El modo calidad, bueno realmente noto que en ocasiones no va a 30 FPS, el Blur y el desenfoque lo encuentro exagerado y está haciendo que no pueda disfrutar 100% del juego    … Expand
  58. Helloparis
    Jun 26, 2023
    6
    the beginin is very slow :(
    Elementary affinities are not taken into account, i kiiled a bombo with fire... this is so bad
  59. moantry
    Jun 26, 2023
    7
    Not a bad game at all. Just got repetitive for me. But the first few hours and especially the last few hours are **** fantastic.

    Its just the side quests that kinda made me not love it as much as I wanted to.

    But for sure get the game!
  60. Reed618
    Aug 1, 2023
    7
    Long time fan of the series, I've finished every mainline entry except 11 plus many spinoffs. Personally found 16 to be a mixed bag. The combat is fun but does get repetitive and lacks any strategy. It's mostly a case of waiting for cooldown timers. Very surprised there's no elemental damage, you can literally fight fire enemies with fire and it works fine.

    Personally didn't like the    Long time fan of the series, I've finished every mainline entry except 11 plus many spinoffs. Personally found 16 to be a mixed bag. The combat is fun but does get repetitive and lacks any strategy. It's mostly a case of waiting for cooldown timers. Very surprised there's no elemental damage, you can literally fight fire enemies with fire and it works fine.

    Personally didn't like the characters, they seemed kinda tropey and dull. 15 had its flaws but that was a charming crew. I did quite like the new Cid though. The story also felt a bit generic. I had high hopes for this one with YoshiP leading the project but it wasn't for me. Looking forward to the next ff7 remake game though.    … Expand
  61. AGCR
    Jun 25, 2023
    5
    Honestamente es el primer FF que juego y me ha gustado, sé que no sigue un mismo rol y dinámicas que otros FF del pasado pero no es razón para que Fanboys de cierta marca verde le den malas reseñas injustificadas cuando ni siquiera lo han jugado.
  62. cyberneticbliss
    Aug 20, 2023
    6
    Not as deep, nor as captivating as other entires in the franchise. The set pieces sure are pretty though.
  63. Backbone55
    Jun 23, 2023
    5
    Absolutely no excuse for the game to run this bad in PERFORMANCE MODE!!!!! Combat is pretty simple as well
  64. Binyabik
    Aug 8, 2023
    7
    I really wanted to like it but there are soooo many issues.

    It's hardly an RPG besides talking to people it's an action game but: For all the hype around the DMC combat designer the combat is not good enough and doesn't go deep enough to be enjoyable. The combat just doesn't go deep enough and offer enough. Enemies are either too easy (normal mobs) or boring (too much health but    I really wanted to like it but there are soooo many issues.

    It's hardly an RPG besides talking to people it's an action game but:

    For all the hype around the DMC combat designer the combat is not good enough and doesn't go deep enough to be enjoyable. The combat just doesn't go deep enough and offer enough.

    Enemies are either too easy (normal mobs) or boring (too much health but no challenge).

    The same few monster types repeat over and over and over.

    The world is... empty? Like it's FF13 all over again. Sure there are huge areas but they have no purpose. There is nothing to discorver, hardly anything to do. If you are lucky there is a treasure chest somewhere which 99% of the time alone contain crap mats you already have 1000s of.

    All side quests are kill x or collect flowers and 99% of them don't tell an interesting story.

    The crafting system is a joke. Every few chapters you get the newest items, no farming needed ever if you have been killing monsters (besides the 3 best items in the game, which are also more or less handed to you).

    The world as such and the people in it are mostly a..holes. There is no nuance. Everybody either helps "Cid" or is against you. It's all black and white.

    The graphics are nice but too close to FF XIV, same goes for their overall design and aesthetic. That's of course personal taste but I hate it.

    I will stop here but I definitely feel this game has a lot of issues and flaws and doesn't deserve the high rating it received. It's not bad but it's definitely not great.

    There is of course some great stuff in this game. The story at points is awesome. Graphics are mostly good. The soundtrack is amazing. Some boss fights are insane (but way tooo long).

    However for every high and Woah! that was insane there are such deep lows... when i finished the game I was more annoyed and happy to be done with it more than anything else.    … Expand
  65. diLesnock
    Aug 12, 2023
    7
    "People don't like turn based RPGs anymore" - well tell that to the huge player base of the recent Baldur's Bate 3.

    First of all, I don't mind the shift to action as long as it's done right. Take FF7R as example, although a more action-oriented it still kept the essence of FF series including strategy and allowing players to stop and think when things get more complex. Unfortunately,    "People don't like turn based RPGs anymore" - well tell that to the huge player base of the recent Baldur's Bate 3.

    First of all, I don't mind the shift to action as long as it's done right. Take FF7R as example, although a more action-oriented it still kept the essence of FF series including strategy and allowing players to stop and think when things get more complex. Unfortunately, FF16 battle-system lacks depth and challenge. It is a combat formula that requires little to no thought process and thus become monotonous rather quickly.

    I still had a lot of fun with FF16. There are vast moments of awe with stunning boss battles, some exciting Eikon fights and cutscenes. The game is surely intended to be a visual spectacle and it indeed achieves on that. The soundtrack is amazing as expected from a Final Fantasy game.

    However, as a hardcore FF fan I can't help to be less critic about what I would expect from a FF mainline game.

    In FF16 we have an intriguing cast of characters with complex backgrounds, but regrettably underutilized. With no group party, you're spending the greater part of the story playing with a single character accompanied by a dog. As cute as it sounds, in the other hand you don't get too emotionally attached to the characters as they don't accompany you during most part of your journey.

    RPG elements like secret dungeons, interesting equipment, and elemental spells are absent, leaving exploration and character progression feeling shallow. You will never find anything interesting within chests as the best equipment are made by the blacksmith. There are no secret dungeons with secret bosses that would reward you some set upgrade or special items. Talking about items the only ones you'll use in this game are Potions and High-Potions, there are no Phoenix Down as there are no party members, no Antidotes as there are no status effects like poison or haste or anything similar. Therefore, there is no incentive at all to detour your linear path and waste a lot of your time exploring an empty environment just for additional crafting material that you will never use.

    The boss fights are a visual spectacle as mentioned, but in the end, it feels more like a missed opportunity as they mostly drag out too long and present no real challenge. I wish they'd allowed the hardest difficult to be played since the beginning to make these fights a little more interesting.

    FF16 leaves me feeling that it would fit better as a spinoff rather than a mainline game. I don't mind the experimentation but if this is the formula intended moving forward than as a hardcore fan it gets me worried about the future of the series. In the end it feels the gameplay are just there to fill the gap between a movie and a game, because that's ultimately what FF16 feels like, a huge movie with a lot of filler battles in between.    … Expand
  66. Rainpresis
    Aug 7, 2023
    6
    One of the most boring Games I’ve ever played……I am a big fan of Final Fantasy since FF7 for PS1….. I played every FF after the 7 on the release and have been always hyped about it. FF16 is a phenomenon, the game have the most epic scenes of all the series and has a great story also…. But everything else is really boring, all NPCs are boring , every dialogue in the game is boring, even theOne of the most boring Games I’ve ever played……I am a big fan of Final Fantasy since FF7 for PS1….. I played every FF after the 7 on the release and have been always hyped about it. FF16 is a phenomenon, the game have the most epic scenes of all the series and has a great story also…. But everything else is really boring, all NPCs are boring , every dialogue in the game is boring, even the main missions that lead to a main quest are boring….. the battle is something else apart, in the beginning is fun, but after 10hrs you just can’t support anymore….. it is a endless square button hit with some variances between, zero strategy…. Just hit that button like crazy…..I thought it couldn’t be worst than FF15, but actually is…. FF15 problem was the lack of storytelling and good cutscenes….. FF16 only have storytelling and cutscenes, nothing more….. probably if you combina the Good parts from 15 and 16 it would be an awesome game….. unfortunately I don’t think square is able to make epic games anymore….… Expand
  67. GamesEater
    Jun 23, 2023
    6
    Disappointing. The combat system is over-simplified, and lacks of variety. Armors and weapons are just improved versions of the previous ones without specificities, no magic and abilities are reduced because of the combat system. The game is a big corridor, with no exploration. Environments graphics are just mediocre+ for such a high budget game, animations are MEH, and designs aren'tDisappointing. The combat system is over-simplified, and lacks of variety. Armors and weapons are just improved versions of the previous ones without specificities, no magic and abilities are reduced because of the combat system. The game is a big corridor, with no exploration. Environments graphics are just mediocre+ for such a high budget game, animations are MEH, and designs aren't original much. I felt like i wasn't playing a Final Fantasy at all, and my excitment just dropped after 6-7 hours when i understood this would be all of it. At least actors are very good and dialogues are decently written. Facial expressions are somehow good, and narration is nice. The scenario is OK, but where is the FANTASY ? Staging and dramatization lack of strength. There was once a time when Square Enix wanted to make a masterpiece when they made a Final Fantasy game : this time is gone. Now, they want to make anything to sell more copies, whatever it is, and during the game you can feel and see the specifications book being checked. What a shame for such an excellent franchise. So sad that this company has lost its pride… Expand
  68. Ophenix
    Jun 24, 2023
    6
    The game isn’t bad but it isn’t worth paying 70$ for. The combat is boring, like, really boring one button combo, and the story is fun but nothing special.

    The game just doesn’t have a lot to offer in terms of story so it’ll throw bosses at you in groups of 5 hoping you don’t notice there’s not much happing there. Graphics are gorgeous in terms of graphic fidelity but the design is very    The game isn’t bad but it isn’t worth paying 70$ for. The combat is boring, like, really boring one button combo, and the story is fun but nothing special.

    The game just doesn’t have a lot to offer in terms of story so it’ll throw bosses at you in groups of 5 hoping you don’t notice there’s not much happing there.

    Graphics are gorgeous in terms of graphic fidelity but the design is very gray, brown and black. The lack of color in the game is hard to miss, it’s like the decided we should have a throwback to the PS3’s brown days.

    I’d wait till they patched in more content, maybe fleshed out the battle system before paying for the game, and even then I would wait for a sale.    … Expand
  69. Dejey
    Jun 24, 2023
    6
    After dedicating 10 hours to the main story of Final Fantasy 16, I am eager to share my initial impressions. For context, the full story is estimated to be around 40-50 hours long.

    **Background**: I entered the world of FF16 with a clean slate, having shielded myself from media and fan discussions. Consequently, my expectations were somewhat malleable, and I was surprised to discover that    After dedicating 10 hours to the main story of Final Fantasy 16, I am eager to share my initial impressions. For context, the full story is estimated to be around 40-50 hours long.

    **Background**:
    I entered the world of FF16 with a clean slate, having shielded myself from media and fan discussions. Consequently, my expectations were somewhat malleable, and I was surprised to discover that FF16 leans heavily into the action genre.

    **The Highlights**:

    *Story*:
    With a creative lineage tracing back to the renowned Final Fantasy 14, FF16 delivers a promising narrative. Though only in its early stages 10 hours in, the story is engaging and shows potential for greatness. However, the absence of party members and side characters is palpable, and the side stories thus far are underwhelming. The side quests seem like an afterthought and do not contribute meaningfully to the narrative.

    *Soundtrack*:
    The soundtrack of FF16 is an auditory delight. I find myself consistently immersed in the game’s music, a noteworthy achievement considering my usual habit of muting in-game sounds in favor of my own playlists.

    **Room for Improvement**:

    *Combat*:
    The combat mechanics in FF16 are simple yet somewhat satisfying. However, having recently played Ghost of Tsushima, the combat in FF16 feels less fluid and polished. While the abilities are enjoyable, the combat system lacks depth, especially for ardent action game enthusiasts.

    *Party Dynamics*:
    A cornerstone of the Final Fantasy series has been the camaraderie and strategic interplay between party members. FF16’s lack of controllable party members is a missed opportunity. Witnessing an AI-controlled ally unleash impressive abilities only underscores the absence of player agency over the party.

    *Customization and Economy*:
    Customization in FF16 is virtually non-existent. The game offers no substantial gear, party, or appearance customization options. Additionally, the in-game currency, Gil, lacks purpose. There's little challenge in acquiring gear, and the game does not incentivize exploration.

    **The Drawbacks**:

    *Pacing and Cinematics*:
    The pacing is a major detractor; it is marred by an excessive number of cutscenes that disrupt the flow of gameplay. There are instances where cutscenes are placed too closely together, which detracts from the immersion and feels like poor design.

    *World Building and Side Quests*:
    The game world feels barren. While populated with creatures, there is a dearth of meaningful content or discoveries. Side quests do not remedy this issue, as they neither offer substantive rewards nor enrich the lore.

    **Final Verdict**:
    As an action game, Final Fantasy 16 garners 7/10, potentially stretching to an 8/10 if one can overlook the simplified combat system. However, as a member of the Final Fantasy lineage, it falls short, earning a 6/10 in my book.

    There is a solid foundation here, but the game needs refinement. A more intricate combat system and the inclusion of party mechanics could elevate the experience.

    While the story is a focal point, the game leans too heavily on it at the expense of other elements. For some, watching a “YouTube movie” compilation of the game's story might prove more enjoyable than playing it firsthand.

    In conclusion, Final Fantasy 16 is an adequate action game with an engaging story but fails to live up to the storied legacy of its predecessors.

    Future games looking to build on this foundation have a lot of work. This will be a forgettable game in final fantasy's history.    … Expand
  70. nomaddc
    Jun 24, 2023
    5
    I have not finished beating the game yet, but here what I can say so far:
    - Story is compelling and captivating enough for me to enjoy it.
    - A lot of good UI additions, such as in-cutscene access to lore. - Combat is easy to pick up, but has a nice amount of depth. - That said I'm not sure that will last until the end, combat is getting rather repetitive and new batches of abilities    I have not finished beating the game yet, but here what I can say so far:
    - Story is compelling and captivating enough for me to enjoy it.
    - A lot of good UI additions, such as in-cutscene access to lore.
    - Combat is easy to pick up, but has a nice amount of depth.
    - That said I'm not sure that will last until the end, combat is getting rather repetitive and new batches of abilities don't seem to be enough to keep it fun and interesting.
    - Performance is horrible for the level of graphics they have. Performance mode makes it even worse without giving even a stable 60fps. God of War Ragnarok had much more compelling graphical fidelity while also running fairly well on performance mode, for comparison. FF16 perf is insulting and is easily why I took off 2 points.
    - It is a departure from the classics in almost every way.
    - There is no party really.
    - Equipment is rather uninspired and boring, with amulets maybe being the highlight and we're talking here about an exciting "X ability does 10% more damage".
    - You also only get to equip the main character.
    - Only weapon has visuals, rest of the gear does not change the character look.
    - I feel like I would rather have something closer to FF6 gameplay, the action twist has not been working for mainline FF entries so far (IMO) and seems to still be a failure.
    - Cutscenes are great, QTE are fine and don't (so far) get overused.
    - Characters are interesting and a lot are well written.
    - Most of the levels are extremely linear for better or worse.
    - Open areas are a chore to explore early on because of all the running you have to do. This is addressed a bit further into the game, so I would suggest waiting with exploration until then.
    - That said there's not all that much to explore.
    - Side quests are hit or miss. Some are good and have nice little stories. Some are blatant fetch quests.

    Overall I feel like it's a decent game, but it's nowhere near GOTY or 10/10. If they fix the performance I would give it back its 2 points and it would be a solid 7/10. It does what it sets off to do fairly well, still hits that FF story feel. I play these games mostly for the story, and that's the part that is good here too, hence potentially 7/10. Combat is really a miss I think, and RPG systems are shallow and disappointing, I doubt I will be replaying this one. I've expected more from the talented team behind it, especially since they seemed to have demonstrated in the past that they understand what is it that people like about older FF games. They don't. It's a bit sad to see FF slowly lose its JRPG DNA. There are way better action games out there, I don't understand why do they want to shoehorn themselves into this already overpopulated genre.    … Expand
  71. Kroztty
    Jun 24, 2023
    7
    Just another game inflated by the press, came out broken and shut up, it seems that the PS5 was going to take off.
  72. Dubs27
    Jun 24, 2023
    5
    The gameplay is amazing the story and cinematics is amazing. Loving it so far best final fantasy since X. Can't wait to get further in the game. Will be sad once it's over
  73. knight69
    Jun 24, 2023
    6
    Good gaming but not a Final Fantasy, a Clone of Devil May Cray, no Party members, only some companions (One at time) not upgradables and not changing weapons/armours, too Easy, only After ending game there Is a game+ with difficult selecting, RPG section are very low, Battle sustem are pure action, no magic ( Fira Blizzard ultima), no status altered, no fire/water/ICE/earth weakness. Very,Good gaming but not a Final Fantasy, a Clone of Devil May Cray, no Party members, only some companions (One at time) not upgradables and not changing weapons/armours, too Easy, only After ending game there Is a game+ with difficult selecting, RPG section are very low, Battle sustem are pure action, no magic ( Fira Blizzard ultima), no status altered, no fire/water/ICE/earth weakness. Very, very disappinted, Very good graphics, fantastic soundtrack, good story (already seen).… Expand
  74. yatoff7
    Jun 28, 2023
    5
    Increible el sistema de combate, la historia 10/10 sinceramente de las mejores historias de un videojuego puede ofrecer. Si fixean lo del rendimiento del juego y den la opcion de quitar el motion blur.
  75. Nimmer
    Aug 2, 2023
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I really liked the demo and, generally speaking, the first half of the game. The characters were very interesting across the board, the story had me very emotionally invested, the politics between nations was amazing, the world building was excellent. Yes, the side quests and RPG features were pretty lame, but the fantastic gameplay in the fantastic story with it's fantastic characters made none of it matter. If the game kept up with it's quality throughout the entirety of it, I'd be giving it a 9, despite the flaws.

    But the story falls off a cliff at some point as they've built up a "big bad" enemy. Characters that were once interesting either cease to exist or become very bland and predictable. The convoluted politics disappear and the story begins to drag as each and every objective is guessed ahead of time. I was excitedly playing every chance I got and then I was forcing myself to play the game so that I could complete it. And if the big bad was satisfying to kill, I'd maybe be okay with the ending, but the only feeling the ending left me with was dissatisfaction. I didn't care about killing the big bad in this game, at all, and the ending is set up to make the player satisfied with the death of the MC and his pals because they stopped the big bad. But the big bad was lame and uninteresting, so the MC and pals that were the last things I was emotionally invested in died killing a mostly faceless enemy that I didn't care about.

    Also, while the general gameplay is fantastic, the eikon fights were absolutely boring to play comparatively and I found myself disappointed when having to switch from human combat to eikon combat when it really should have been the opposite. Overall, I feel like they fumbled their execution on what could have been an amazing game, leaving the game feeling generic and unsatisfying.    … Expand
  76. Galazar
    Jun 23, 2023
    5
    It's a 5/10 at best, not the 10/10 all the review sites are throwing out.

    I won't repeat all the other others have said, but post demo.. This game is boring af! It's literally point A to point B, every single aspect is dull as hell!
  77. gasherz
    Jun 25, 2023
    5
    Written after apx. 12 hrs of play.

    In many ways XVI follows the same graphical and narrative formula found in XIV and XV. Class-leading graphics, an at least decent-sized main story quest line and battle systems "innovations". I found the audio experience to be acceptable however several of the musical pieces are too repetitive and most of the music is blanketed with the same or    Written after apx. 12 hrs of play.

    In many ways XVI follows the same graphical and narrative formula found in XIV and XV.
    Class-leading graphics, an at least decent-sized main story quest line and battle systems "innovations". I found the audio experience to be acceptable however several of the musical pieces are too repetitive and most of the music is blanketed with the same or similar "bombastic orchestra" touch.

    The story is "decent". The demo really hit a home run here. It presented what was to become an epic tale and really built up to an awesome cliff hanger. In my opinion and in order to not spoil anything - the "rest" of the game as far as I have played does not deliver on those promises. It's not bad - but it is in my current (I hope I can find it in me to finish the game) opinion not good or great either.

    The latest SqE innovation in battle system leaves little to no impression. It is a mix of DmC with a touch of Soulslikes (timed parries and whatnot) and the "epic" Eikon battles feel more akin to a static on-rails VR shooter than an actual innovation. Perhaps the exclusion of the auto-battler accessories would make battle _slightly_ more challenging - however I found no major difference using them vs not using them. It's an "OK" battle system, nothing ground breaking. Just to be clear here - it all looks _FENOMENAL_ ... however there is a cost to all this phenomenal looking graphics.

    Setting the game to performance mode I was expecting the PS5 to deliver 4k60fps without any issues - that is certainly not the case in the majority of scenes. Expect 4k 48-59.9fps. Is that terrible? Well, it sort of is if that is how this console generation was sold to players. And while we are on the topic of performance - the constant shifting between "60fps" mode in normal play and "cinematic mode" (which perhaps is something like 30 fps?) leaves me even less impressed. Further more, the world map that players use to select a region to travel to is mindbogglingly slow/laggy. Sure - I can buy the argument that the cinematic experience is better at 30fps for several cinematic/human eye reasons... but the world map?! Come on...

    Looking a bit deeper one soon finds that the levels are extremely linear and every level are littered with in-modeled immersion breaking invisible walls , be it indoors or outdoors (although outdoor level suffer more apparently from this). Couple this with the overwhelming majority of geometry props also being hard modeled into the level and thus not available for geometry breaking actions (eg smashing boxes, tables, bookshelves etc) - note that I write majority here... there are situations where this is setup to occur however it is nowhere near at the level of say Diablo IV or similar ARPG titles. And since the developers have been quite clear with XVI being a "new direction" for Final Fantasy - I would have liked to see a _much_ greater degree of geometry interaction than what is currently present. To me, the world is way too static. Main hub zone have some voiced NPC's scattered around the area which help to alleviate the static nature.

    My god, man... this became a literal wall of text. Anyways - in short it's an acceptable, awesome-looking JRPG-KINDA-ARPG that innovates in battle systems and delivers a decent story at sub-par performance... in performance mode. All in all a 5/10.    … Expand
  78. DingerDonger
    Jun 24, 2023
    7
    Why must they use the Final Fantasy name for this game? Both 15 and 16 (and that remake I guess) have morphed the series' combat into an unrecognizable atrocity when compared to the games of the past. Thankfully Square is still putting out games like Octopath Traveler, I Am Setsuna, and Triangle Strategy for the real RPG fans. The visuals and music are stunning, and the story is epic. BestWhy must they use the Final Fantasy name for this game? Both 15 and 16 (and that remake I guess) have morphed the series' combat into an unrecognizable atrocity when compared to the games of the past. Thankfully Square is still putting out games like Octopath Traveler, I Am Setsuna, and Triangle Strategy for the real RPG fans. The visuals and music are stunning, and the story is epic. Best of all, though, is that Square did not fall victim to the woke nonsense that poisons every new game franchise. The Japanese are not as easy to compromise their integrity as the spineless cowards in the West.

    If they released this game under a different moniker, it'd be at least a 9/10 from me. This is not a Final Fantasy game, though, and as such I cannot give it a higher rating.    … Expand
  79. DarkAuron90
    Aug 8, 2023
    7
    Millenials will tell you this is the best FF ever made. For me is one of the worst. Don't get me wrong, the game is not so bad. I am 33 and i play FF since i am 12. Im not judging the evolution in action style, it's just that this game is really boring. It has so many cons if compared to the the FF pillars. Huge lack of contents, no mini games, no secrets, the combat system that is greatMillenials will tell you this is the best FF ever made. For me is one of the worst. Don't get me wrong, the game is not so bad. I am 33 and i play FF since i am 12. Im not judging the evolution in action style, it's just that this game is really boring. It has so many cons if compared to the the FF pillars. Huge lack of contents, no mini games, no secrets, the combat system that is great but really usless, the game is to easy and the FF mode it's an excuse to make the game longer. It miss all the RPG components, and there is no effective magic in this game, no parameters. Is too linear, even the crafting is linear as hell and so basic. This game has good particles system, good combat system, good boos fights and a great story and technically it is good but this is by no means enough if compared to the best Final Fantasy games. I feel to much laziness in some comparts of the game and in my opinion the graphic of the 15th is even more enjoyable. Even if the 15th (in the windows edition) with all its flaws in my opinion is more FF and more funny than the 16th chapter. Im not satisfied considering the hype.… Expand
  80. Wunpleum
    Aug 15, 2023
    5
    Mediocre game. Boring story and gameplay. Okay Graphic. Performance below average.
  81. JoeSaw
    Jun 25, 2023
    5
    Is too much just for the ps5 engine. Maybe should be OK in a computer with a good graphic card or for the xbox series X that is absolutely more powerful than ps5.
    De verdad que hay mucho fan poniéndole un 10 a un juego de 6 o 7 como mucho. A la ps5 para verlo a tope se le queda grande. Sobrevalorado, aunque estará en mi colección porque soy fan de la saga. Pero nada más.
  82. CyberNettrix
    Jun 26, 2023
    6
    Good story, great voice acting. Unfortunately it's smothered with badly implemented: cut scenes, music, side quests, generic bad anime tropes and strange graphical changes throughout the whole game.

    The whole experience felt like it was getting pulled in too many different directions and besides the story and VA work it felt very cheap and messy. You can see these problems in the demo    Good story, great voice acting. Unfortunately it's smothered with badly implemented: cut scenes, music, side quests, generic bad anime tropes and strange graphical changes throughout the whole game.

    The whole experience felt like it was getting pulled in too many different directions and besides the story and VA work it felt very cheap and messy. You can see these problems in the demo where they pull the very cliche "player wins fight but loses the battle in the cut scene after" similar to what you'd find in a badly written anime. And when a character says something along the lines of "hurry, we can't let them get away!" And the gameplay instantly stops you, forces you to read a tutorial about something unrelated before you can "hurry".
    Just messy for a AAA game.

    I also found the combat very boring. All flash no substance.

    Without just going on a mad rant about every thing I didn't like, I'll just leave it with this. This game isn't worth full price, I'd say try get it for about £40.    … Expand
  83. Rpgcrow
    Jun 26, 2023
    7
    I'm giving the game a very strong 7
    It deserves all the praise it is getting but it does have one very big glaring flaw.
    That's how long and frequent the cutscenes are and the game feels very unbalanced with its gameplay to cutscene ratio. It feels like the game is 50% cutscenes 40% gameplay. Now that can make this game someone's new favorite final fantasy game expecially if someone enjoy    I'm giving the game a very strong 7
    It deserves all the praise it is getting but it does have one very big glaring flaw.
    That's how long and frequent the cutscenes are and the game feels very unbalanced with its gameplay to cutscene ratio.
    It feels like the game is 50% cutscenes 40% gameplay.
    Now that can make this game someone's new favorite final fantasy game expecially if someone enjoy cinematic game experiences.
    Sadly I am not one of the.
    And I personally can't give the game anything higher then a 7.
    But what the game does well it does really well.
    The combat is fun, the story and characters are great, the world in engaging .
    Clive is the best Final fantasy protangists we had in a long time.
    The action set pieces are spectacular But sadly the game constantly slows down and a crawl and I personally can't give it anything higher then 7 despite my praise due to how much I'm forced to put the controller down. Overall a good game and I recommend it to most people it just has its glaring flaws like most modern final fantasy games    … Expand
  84. YukioD
    Jun 24, 2023
    6
    Cara esse final fantasy parece um light returns com devil may cry e asura's wrath, a questão e só que tem uma historia muito boa, não que seja ruim mais não tem como dar uma nota maior que 6, a batalha muito simplificada, falta elementos de rpg, linearidade, missões secundarias pobres e fora de ritmo e muitas outras coisas, fica complicado defender.
  85. richomack360
    Jun 26, 2023
    6
    Great looking, but weak side quests, questionable voice acting and the usual poor storytelling by Square Enix let this game down. Not as good as FF7 Remake, but better than FF15
  86. alomarin
    Aug 12, 2023
    6
    I had big expectations for this game and, in the end, I kind of hated it.
    I wanted to so bad to finish it and sell my physical copy (which I did).
    The first 3-4 hours are amazing, especially the boss fights, then you have to deal with the silly secondary missions, the boring story and the empty world, ugh…
  87. qosimo
    Jun 24, 2023
    6
    25 hours in - probably 2/3 done. Once again I think media site reviews have been paid for. This game is a 6. It strays so far from what Final Fantasy is... the gameplay is not an RPG. Crafting is a waste of time, gear is extremely simple, you can beat all action by just spamming square button. The graphics are good - BUT - it is a game on rails/corridors. Which really kills the RPG25 hours in - probably 2/3 done. Once again I think media site reviews have been paid for. This game is a 6. It strays so far from what Final Fantasy is... the gameplay is not an RPG. Crafting is a waste of time, gear is extremely simple, you can beat all action by just spamming square button. The graphics are good - BUT - it is a game on rails/corridors. Which really kills the RPG part for me - no exploration, no surprises. Going to trade this one in - I honestly dont care about the story going forward would rather play Witcher 3 or RDR2 - real RPGs.… Expand
  88. Givos
    Aug 4, 2023
    7
    After the demo I had very high expectations. They were only partly fulfilled.
    it's a very linear cut scene heavy action game
    not much replay value for core games a bit too easy The story is ok, but after the demo I expected a GoT-like one - it's not. Loot is very seldom really useful or rewarding Bad 60 FPS Mode (switched to 30) Poor facial animations Great Music and the action    After the demo I had very high expectations. They were only partly fulfilled.
    it's a very linear cut scene heavy action game
    not much replay value
    for core games a bit too easy
    The story is ok, but after the demo I expected a GoT-like one - it's not.
    Loot is very seldom really useful or rewarding
    Bad 60 FPS Mode (switched to 30)
    Poor facial animations

    Great Music and the action was quite good    … Expand
  89. ZajebioSSa
    Sep 5, 2023
    7
    The game is very uneven, from the storyline to the quests but still i was nice adventure.
  90. LunaresArienal
    Aug 23, 2023
    6
    I can't believe how this game is both the best and the worst FF of all times.

    All exaggeration apart, it really has some fantastic features and some terrible ones, particularly for a game that was shipped in 2023 rather than 2003. The game is fantastic because the story is epic and melancolic, the combat design is great and dynamic (although sometimes repetitive) and the art is    I can't believe how this game is both the best and the worst FF of all times.

    All exaggeration apart, it really has some fantastic features and some terrible ones, particularly for a game that was shipped in 2023 rather than 2003.

    The game is fantastic because the story is epic and melancolic, the combat design is great and dynamic (although sometimes repetitive) and the art is amazing. The eikon battles are really great and memorable video game moments. The dynamic battles were a surprise but quite satisfactory in the end. As a souls player, having to learn patterns and parry / avoid felt familiar.

    The problem is all that greatness comes between a lot of mediocre content.
    Most of the secondary characters are not memorable (to say the least : let's not even talk about female representation). Most of the side quests are really, really lame (come on, so many fedex quests in a AAA game from 2023 ?). Also the bestiary is disappointing, there are just variations of like 10 enemies in the end.
    Apart from the main story, most of the dialogues were just variations of "the world is ending but please help me find my dog", but much longer and more boring. All of the story's epicness is swallowed in dullness.

    Finally, some features just really suck ?

    Two examples that just add unnecessary friction :
    * When you are doing one of those fedex quests and collect three items for someone, when you have them, the game opens a pop-up menu where you have to manually click each of those three items, to end the quest.
    * Some doors (probably to change zones and load the new zone) require that you push R2 for a couple of seconds.

    I really had trouble reaching the end of the game because of all the friction and boring moments but I HAD to reach the final battles and the end of the story.    … Expand
  91. Zfong4
    Aug 22, 2023
    5
    The demo was the most interesting part of the game. Bought the game and hated virtually every minute of the repetitive game - from lacklustre game of throne wannabe main quest line to stupidly dumb fetch quests. Major regret!
  92. CrazedBuffoon87
    Jun 25, 2023
    5
    Its an amazing story with awesome graphics and fun gameplay. I never thought id play another final fantasy that made me feel like when I was a kid... Best of all: it's devoid completely of wokeness
  93. fishhelmet
    Jun 26, 2023
    5
    The story and graphics are pretty great but everything else about the game is mediocre at best and tedious at worst. The combat is repetitive, the progression system is about an inch deep and I would barely call this an RPG let alone a final fantasy game. This is about half of a great game, the bones are there but there's little else.
  94. bonnieloup
    Jun 24, 2023
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Fantastic combat and even more fantastic storyline. A total new vision for Final Fantasy which is worth trying and embrace.… Expand
  95. Falconis
    Jun 24, 2023
    5
    Massively over hyped. A well made but shallow action with no meaningful RPG mechanics. All flash, no substance.
  96. Elite_Soldier
    Jun 27, 2023
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The game started off strong, with solid pacing, a strong premise, interesting characters and dialogue, but the game's quality quickly plummets. Themes of War, Racism, Classism and Environmentalism all take a backseat to the typical “diety is an ass" plot. They had a chance to keep this story grounded in the human conflict like the precious Game of Thrones they admire, but instead go for this nonsensical villain who can't mind break Clive when he had ample chances to do so.

    Spoiler Thoughts:
    The story
    -They ruin Joshua's character; as an adult, he just waffles and riddles all the time; he'd talk about his brother's fate as if he had some revelation to reveal to the player when we first meet him, but he didn't; he's just some clueless wanderer with awful dialogue.
    -Annabella appeared to be a really interesting character at first, but by the end, that wasn't the case; she did things that seemed like she had knowledge that would be revealed later on, but instead, she was just a generic evil mother with no depth, no redeeming qualities and no character arc.
    -Speaking of character arcs, they don't exist in this game. Clive had one at the start where his motivations changed from vengeance to saving the world, but that was the only interesting one; otherwise, all the characters are one tone with no development.
    Endgame Story
    -Ultima and Barnabas, were disappointing villains, just generic bad guys.
    -Ultima was just a generic monotone evil deity who wants no free will. So the game's theme is "defying fate". What interesting thing can we as players take away from it? Absolutely nothing!
    The Sidequests
    -The sidequests are terrible; I completed them all and regret wasting my time; they are simply fetch quests or killing generic bandits/monsters. There were no interesting side villains or plots. At least some companions had tailored sidequests, but it was such a waste of time as there was no character arc or deepening of our understanding of the character in a MEANINGFUL way.
    -The sidequests were also always low budget, with everyone just standing there with 0 expressions and talking monotonously, it was a real snoozefest. We didn't need 100 different sidequests; Focus on Quality over Quantity!
    The companions
    -The companions don't even have their own opinions; they just suck up to Clive or exist. The vendors, Joshua, and Jill are dull and with no development. Jill has some but it was just to be a damsel and do nothing by losing her powers.
    -Gav and Cid were the only interesting hideaway companions.
    The protagonist
    -Clive was interesting as a kid and in his twenties because he had interesting exchanges with everyone, but he becomes boring in his thirties. I wish he had a smidgeon of personality or depth but he stays flat, anyone who could have had an interesting dialogue with him is gone like Cid.
    The good
    -I will say that the boss fights with Benekdita, Hugo, and Dion were spectacular, but with the main villains being ass, the sidemissions being bloated, and none of these characters getting proper development, it just feels like this game is just short-lived spectacle with no depth.
    The Gameplay
    -Combat was pretty good at first, but after you've mastered everything the combat has to offer by the 20 hour mark, then onward it just feels like you turn your brain off and use muscle memory to get a victory. This combat would have felt more appropriate for a 20-hour experience like DMC rather than FF, which was 50 hours long for me. You gain new abilities, but it doesn't make the game any more enjoyable; you still have to dodge and spam supers to reduce health, because your normal hits barely do anything anyway.
    -Gameplay could have had longevity if there were RPG elements in it, but without them, the game's combat drags. Weapons and armour were simply chosen based on higher stats, and rings had minor effects such as +5 damage, which were completely useless when your base damage is like 400.
    -The maps have no interesting loot. Chests contain useless items such as +5 salt. You realise the illusion of exploring pretty quickly, where you find you are wasting your time and are best off doing objectives.
    Conclusion
    Overall, the game was interesting until Anabella died, after which it died. Sidequests are a pain. The gameplay becomes monotonous. Pacing is hampered by some main quests that also have long fetch quests. There were no interesting characters left alive. Interesting characters such as Benedikta, Hugo, Cid, and Anabella perish. Dion was interesting but becomes lifeless when joining the crew.
    Marketing
    -I don't like how marketing lied about the sidequests being deep.
    -They also made it appear as if there would be a deep story, instead, it was a straightforward story of man versus deity, but with tedious Kingdom Hearts waffle dialogue. They didn't even use flashbacks for Valthesia in the past, instead, we just get boring exposition from Ultima. The game struggles with telling but not showing.    … Expand
  97. George_Jungle
    Sep 5, 2023
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Another disappointing entry since FFXIII and another AAA bumble that shows how far the gaming industry has fallen.
    Visuals are fine I guess though the facial expressions of characters remains unchanged since the PS3 era. Music is mostly good with highs and lows. Story is somehow better since the Devs understood that they don't need to shy away from mature themes and presentation. Still underdeveloped though.
    Characters are mostly empty husks except for Clive and Cid and that is very obvious with Jill that simply exists in the game just for the hero to have the most boring romance ever made in a videogame. The fact that you don't have a proper team like every other mainline entry to follow you at all times doesn't help either.
    Combat is one of its strongest points, indeed plays like DMC but suffers from the fact that it takes too long to acquire new Eikons which give you new abilities to experiment. Areas are either straightforward or some semi open spaces that offer nothing for those who search every nook and cranny. Just empty MMO garbage with a bit of FFXIII feel.
    As for it's best aspect, that is the main story boss battles that look and play gorgeously, even the Eikon battles that don't exactly offer any difficulty or skill to prevail, just spectacle. It's probably the easiest FF I ever played and even action mode(normal) offers almost no challenge at all.
    It's worst aspect and that which infuriated me the most are the unnecessary and immensely boring side quests (around 100 of those, excluding monster hunts) that along with some tedious story moments made progress a slog. Around 50% of the main story I started skipping every cut scene from the side quests. Videogames are meant to be fun above everything else and to me it felt like doing work/chore of the worst kind. Game Devs, we don't need an RPG to be a 100 hours long to think that our money is well spent. With 30 hours of quality we're content, something you don't seem to understand and for that you'll eventually go out of business. Fun and escapism are the key words,got it?

    PS. People who give FFXVI 0-1 are dumb, but those who it 9-10 are window lickers and paid shills and deserve every garbage AAA title that comes their way. As for me this Final Fantasy is the Final nail in the coffin, I've had enough really.    … Expand
  98. Chrisanity
    Aug 23, 2023
    6
    Where do I begin here, having loved the FF7 part one remake I have been looking forward to this game. I’ll start with the positives, the story was immersive with great graphics on the cutscenes and great voice acting. you grew a bond over time with the characters, the main objectives were clearly marked and progressed the story appropriately, and although I saw instances where cheery musicWhere do I begin here, having loved the FF7 part one remake I have been looking forward to this game. I’ll start with the positives, the story was immersive with great graphics on the cutscenes and great voice acting. you grew a bond over time with the characters, the main objectives were clearly marked and progressed the story appropriately, and although I saw instances where cheery music was playing when something tragic or intense was happening during a few cutscenes or right after the cutscene it was great music for the most part. The eikon battles had me feeling like I was controlling a power ranger megazord so that was pretty fun and exiting. -As much as I tried loving this game I simply found too many things that I personally didn’t enjoy, I couldn’t explore the beautiful world as much as I wanted too since there was no incentive to do so! You would find like 2 Gil in a corner of a map or a few steelsilk after defeating a tanky creature.
    -The side missions are absolutely mediocre, take plates of food to 2 people… take apples to 3 people. I couldn’t believe how lazy and uncreative these missions were written into the game, there’s a handful of decent ones but for the most part they’re terrible.
    -The combat was somewhat new and refreshing at the beginning but I didn’t really feel any reward for defeating a majority of the bosses in the game, instead of making them challenging to fight it feels as though they just slap more HP on them.
    Overall the game consists of watching a 30 minute cutscene then you fight a few enemies in between, do/or don’t do some terrible side quests, reach your new destination/objective and watch another 10 minute cutscene. Rinse and repeat.    … Expand
  99. DeathSpiral
    Jun 26, 2023
    7
    Very excited when Yoshida released 16... I Pre-ordered game because of faith of him.... and.... sigh

    Graphic: (9/10) Great and stunning scenes. Very nice. But the frame drops frequently. Story: (3/10) Telling is very bad. Does this guy want revenge? Why did this guy give up so easily? This guy wants to save people but not himself and his loved ones? Added sub-stories to the main    Very excited when Yoshida released 16... I Pre-ordered game because of faith of him.... and.... sigh

    Graphic: (9/10)
    Great and stunning scenes. Very nice. But the frame drops frequently.

    Story: (3/10)
    Telling is very bad. Does this guy want revenge? Why did this guy give up so easily? This guy wants to save people but not himself and his loved ones?
    Added sub-stories to the main story so they extended play time. Have to stop or drop the game because of storytelling. Sub-stories are boring but it is rewarded at the end.
    But the ending is............ It doesn't have depth of story and also not enough narratives to convince the player. Ending makes it even worse.

    Music: (10/10)
    One of the main reasons to play ff16. Normally music reminds me how great the game was... but I don't want to think about this game

    Battle: (8/10)
    Not an easy game, but there are modes and items to make the game easy. Which was very good. Button pressing game but it has more depth in 2nd playthrough.
    However, do they expect us to play the 2nd playthrough with this? Also, you can't play with other team members.

    GamePlay: (7/10)
    UI is not comfortable. No running in the village. Can't mark the object if you are not on the map. Useless Trophies. Some of the event scenes are too long or short of explanation. Couldn't balance the events.

    Overall: (37/50)
    Very disappointing game from Yoshida. He told us he focused on the story. But it's not good. It's for him and his team members only. I don't mind if it's not a RPG, or old FF style. But this was a failure of the FF franchise.
    The game wants to be a 'Sony' style game. I see why. It worked somehow, but lost FF styles. Yoshida called himself a gamer, but I think he misunderstood.
    His ego and mind just works with his team mates, but not work with FF fans or other gamers. It's about time to let the FF franchise go. Never going to buy the game from Yoshida again.    … Expand
  100. DanijelM
    Jun 26, 2023
    5
    I wanted to give it a 10 but then I saw gay characters in the game and NO! I don't play games with this woke BS.
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.
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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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