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. NeverCasual
    Jul 3, 2023
    7
    The game is great if you enjoy story driven games. Based on the story I would rate it 9/10 (side characters could have used slightly more depth and there are some pacing issues). Setting is much darker than previous FF-Games, which has been a welcome change for me.

    Unfortunately, as much as I liked the story, it often feels like grinding through video sequences to get to the actual    The game is great if you enjoy story driven games. Based on the story I would rate it 9/10 (side characters could have used slightly more depth and there are some pacing issues). Setting is much darker than previous FF-Games, which has been a welcome change for me.

    Unfortunately, as much as I liked the story, it often feels like grinding through video sequences to get to the actual gameplay. The story and side quests/bounties take about 60h if you are not skipping dialog/sequences. 30-35h are dialogue/sequences and about 10h running through empty corridors to the next pack of enemies. Killing these with massive AoE-Damage-Skills from Eikons is fun tho'.

    The actual gameplay is decent. Combat system is really engaging if you are not using the "cheat rings" - they should never have existed! If you are playing without the rings dodging skills can sometimes feel somewhat overwhelming because many enemies have multiple visual effects active simultaneously making it super hard to time your dodge. Still I would recommend to unequip them at the start, as they make the game way too easy (almost effortless).
    Enemy variety is quite low and you will be fighting the same enemies just in differing colours all the time . Since even on "Final Fantasy"-Difficulty most of them pretty much just exist so that the player can execute extremely satisfying AoE-Damage-Combos, skipping all enemy mechanics, they could have added a little more variety there.
    Boss fights are engaging as long as you play Clive. Being massively rewarded for landing an Eikon-Ability that has a carging time or positioning-condition feels great. Sometimes it can be frustrating to dodge tho when ground and charge attacks overlap (assuming you play without "time... rings".
    Once you play as your Eikon it gets monotonous quickly as the difficulty drops massively, the abilities at your disposal are reduced to 4 (6) and the Boss-Eikon HP feels massively inflated.

    Early side quests are horrible. Yet, since their structure is mainly "Go-Kill 5-Return-Reward" (max. 1-2 min time investment) and they do not even count toward 100% completion, I do not really understand the fuss there. It does get better tho and eventually you'll end up in side quests that almost have too much dialogue.

    I would rate the game higher based on the combat (9/10) and main story (9/10), but it forces you into so much downtime that I have spent more time without my controller in my hand than I have spent actually using it... and when I was using it, it was often to get to the next npc to put it away again.    … Expand
  2. 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
  3. Gosticouilles
    Jul 16, 2023
    7
    Great game? Yes. Great Final Fantasy? Absolutely not.

    Goods - Amazing and satisfying Combat system - Great Cinematics - The Eikons are epic - Fantastic music Cons - Pacing is weird. When I play a final fantasy, I'm going on an adventure. In 16, you'll go back to a boring HQ in between every missions. - Enemies (FF have a huuuuge log of epic enemies and 16 barely uses them. - Some of the    Great game? Yes. Great Final Fantasy? Absolutely not.

    Goods
    - Amazing and satisfying Combat system
    - Great Cinematics
    - The Eikons are epic
    - Fantastic music

    Cons
    - Pacing is weird. When I play a final fantasy, I'm going on an adventure. In 16, you'll go back to a boring HQ in between every missions. - Enemies (FF have a huuuuge log of epic enemies and 16 barely uses them. - Some of the worst side quests in the gaming history. (Fetching, back and forths, speaking with 3 npcs, saving npcs from the same 3 types of enemies, etc.) - Exploration is not rewarding. Overall, FF16 is amazing but has so much undercooked ideas it makes the game fall short. Some of the main story quests feel like chores and it sadly really breaks the pace of an amazing story.    … Expand
  4. DreamCore90
    Jul 12, 2023
    7
    Too start off, much better than the joke of a game called FF15.

    However, the game has 3 major flaws: 1. Performance issues, even on Frame Rate mode. The frame rate is frequently in the low 40s. I would expect a performance mode to manage 60 fps most of the time. 2. The side quests are as bad and tedious as ever. Combine this with the fact that you get little to no rewards for    Too start off, much better than the joke of a game called FF15.

    However, the game has 3 major flaws:

    1. Performance issues, even on Frame Rate mode. The frame rate is frequently in the low 40s. I would expect a performance mode to manage 60 fps most of the time.

    2. The side quests are as bad and tedious as ever. Combine this with the fact that you get little to no rewards for doing them. It's unfortunate they didn't learn from FF15.

    3. TOO. MUCH. FILLER. The main story has lots of amazing moments, but suffers from too much tedious filler content in between. This makes parts of the story a real drag and makes the pacing very uneaven.

    Overall, a big step up from the FF15 trash, but far from the FF golden days (FF7, FF8, FF9, FF10, FF12). The FF7 Remake is by far a better game.    … Expand
  5. UhtredTheGreat
    Aug 28, 2023
    7
    game bugged and glitched so bad during the first 40 min. The story was rushed it seemed as well.
  6. 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
  7. 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.
  8. siegdubhy
    Jul 2, 2023
    7
    This is a very good game... but from mainline FF titles I expect no less than greatness.

    Audio and video (10/10) - I don't think further comment is needed. Combat gameplay (10/10) is great. It is fun, fast, fluid, challenging (at least in NG+) and it simply works. RPG elements (5/10) - here lies my first issue. It is both too simple and too complex. FF games work with relatively    This is a very good game... but from mainline FF titles I expect no less than greatness.

    Audio and video (10/10) - I don't think further comment is needed.

    Combat gameplay (10/10) is great.
    It is fun, fast, fluid, challenging (at least in NG+) and it simply works.

    RPG elements (5/10) - here lies my first issue.
    It is both too simple and too complex. FF games work with relatively complex RPG elements (FF8, FF10 and FF12) or with simple ones (all the others). This is somewhere in between.
    Crafting (and looting material) before NG+ feels pointless. It does pick up later on, but still, not that much fun.
    The skills themselves could use more customization (upgrades).

    Side quests (4/10) - probably my biggest issue.
    Some side quests are great in building up the world, most of them feel just like generic fillers and some (the big quest chains) in the end feel pointless.
    FF never really was about all those long winded side-stories and stretched out world building through long dialogues.
    Honestly, 90% of side quests simply bored me. The other 10% I consider great.

    Open world (4/10) - bad move.
    Open world games are usually bloated with content of varying quality/repetitiveness, that's pretty much the point of having an open world.
    Here we simply have a web of linear narrow paths (FF XIII anyone?) with a bunch of backtracking and barely any point in exploring unless you are told to by quests or marks.
    Lack of typical FF endgame content is also a big problem.

    Main story (8/10) - well it is epic, but...
    In all honesty - there's not much of it at all. Lots of character building, lots of world building, but the crisis story itself - not only it doesn't feel like it's in the spotlight, but also it is incomplete.
    We were promised a "complete experience", yet I feel we didn't get it at all.
    The questions it left unanswered will probably require FF XVI-2 to resolve - not a terrible thing, but I would rather they said it's not a fully closed composition from the start.

    All in all I give it 7/10 .
    I am slightly disappointed.
    I don't feel the pull to replay the story or try to shove it down someone's throat as a must-see.
    I'm not sure there were any really memorable moments there. Sure, the Eikon battles were epic, but that's not enough.
    The game feels like it tries to be a few things, but stops halfway through (especially the open world RPG bit), as if being scared that going all the way would be a bad thing (who knows, it could have been worse like that).
    For me FF games were always about the story, about finishing a game and feeling content with the conclusion and everything leading up to it. This one didn't scratch that itch at all.
    Hoping for FF XVI-2 to redeem this.    … Expand
  9. Kalnivia
    Jul 11, 2023
    7
    100% complete. The overall gameplay and main story is fantastic, probably 8-9/10. Unfortunately it's let down by subpar side quests and far too easy mob fights. The RPG side is the worst part of the game which is odd for an FF game, albeit FFXV had the same issue, although even the gameplay didn't make up for it there.

    All you need to know is the highs are incredibly high and the lows are    100% complete. The overall gameplay and main story is fantastic, probably 8-9/10. Unfortunately it's let down by subpar side quests and far too easy mob fights. The RPG side is the worst part of the game which is odd for an FF game, albeit FFXV had the same issue, although even the gameplay didn't make up for it there.

    All you need to know is the highs are incredibly high and the lows are mid at best.    … Expand
  10. Diablorate
    Jun 23, 2023
    7
    It fails to deliver at many points and the main one is performance which is atrocious, it kinda feels scammy that they did implement performance mode which should be 60 fps but in fact it's 30-40 for the majority of time.
  11. 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
  12. Gipsojo
    Jul 27, 2023
    7
    This game has some of the most epic boss encounters I've ever played. That makes it all the more disappointing that you spend a couple of hours or more in between boss encounters doing boring fetch quests and watching people talk. The side quests are poor and I would recommend skipping them!

    I think they could have cut about 5-10 hours of fetch quests and dialogue from this game and it    This game has some of the most epic boss encounters I've ever played. That makes it all the more disappointing that you spend a couple of hours or more in between boss encounters doing boring fetch quests and watching people talk. The side quests are poor and I would recommend skipping them!

    I think they could have cut about 5-10 hours of fetch quests and dialogue from this game and it would be an 8 or 9 out of 10. As it is, Final Fantasy 16 is one of the best games of the year, but definitely not the best game of 2023.

    Pros: Amazing boss fights, good graphics
    Cons: Hour after hour of dialogue, boring fetch quests    … Expand
  13. kratosmuscle
    Jun 25, 2023
    7
    Right now after playing like 30 hours and reaching lv38 I feel like this game is a 7,5 at this moment. If the port wasn't 720p 30-60fps in performance mode but a steady 60 fps this would be an 8 for me. So this number can still change to 8. Now you may ask why not a higher score well the reason is there is too much filler content. If they got rid of all the dumb side content except for theRight now after playing like 30 hours and reaching lv38 I feel like this game is a 7,5 at this moment. If the port wasn't 720p 30-60fps in performance mode but a steady 60 fps this would be an 8 for me. So this number can still change to 8. Now you may ask why not a higher score well the reason is there is too much filler content. If they got rid of all the dumb side content except for the bounties this would have been like a 9 but those side missions really drag down the pacing because the main story is really interesting and the setpieces etc are really a feast to enjoy. But those side quests missions are also a part of the main story where you have to gather stuff to continue the main quest which also feels like stuff that would have been better to get rid of. If you take all the missions from the arcade mode with only the bounties in some of those open spaces then the game would have been a much better experience. So yeah right now I'm really enjoying the game when it comes to the story parts because those are super epic the other stuff should just be rid off. Also the combat is awesome but I feel like being able to put 4 to 5 eikons on the d pad instead of 3 eikons that you can switch through with l2 would have made the combat experience and depth much better as well as an extra button like to expand the normal moveset. Right now there is depth but doesn't even come close to the greats like dmc5. If they added all that stuff the game would have been a masterpiece but right now it's just a good game.… Expand
  14. Rafamunar
    Jul 4, 2023
    7
    The Epic fights are the only thing rescue the Game yo the hell, the rest is Bad design anda is boring
  15. 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
  16. MikeScates
    Jun 24, 2023
    7
    It's not that bad a game - it's just not an FF game. Story wise yes, it's as convoluted as any other FF game. Music is on point as always is with FF games. Just the combat is well off pace. Outside of eikon battles (just did the Typhon fight, which was awesome), the combat lacks impact. Combos are great to pull off, air juggling with Garuda brings me Nero vibes from DMC, but enemiesIt's not that bad a game - it's just not an FF game. Story wise yes, it's as convoluted as any other FF game. Music is on point as always is with FF games. Just the combat is well off pace. Outside of eikon battles (just did the Typhon fight, which was awesome), the combat lacks impact. Combos are great to pull off, air juggling with Garuda brings me Nero vibes from DMC, but enemies feel spongy. Parrying and dodging are too op and the windows should be shortened. They should of made this a non mainline FF game to appease some of the back lash from die hard turn based fans. Doesn't deserve the hate it's getting from the fanbase , but doesn't deserve the praise either. It's just a good game - 7/10.… Expand
  17. straydogstrut
    Jul 3, 2023
    7
    The game can be really fun and exciting at times but it's held back by so much bloat. It also fails to deliver on many aspects. The story starts off interesting but by the end it gets pretty anime and lame. The combat is held back by only being able to equip 6 abilities at once. Many of the side characters are under utilized and the RPG elements are almost non existent....they are justThe game can be really fun and exciting at times but it's held back by so much bloat. It also fails to deliver on many aspects. The story starts off interesting but by the end it gets pretty anime and lame. The combat is held back by only being able to equip 6 abilities at once. Many of the side characters are under utilized and the RPG elements are almost non existent....they are just there for the sake of being there. By the time I finished the game I was left disappointed.… Expand
  18. jhart24
    Jun 23, 2023
    7
    Good game overall. Shouldn't be hard to actually flesh out the RPG elements, exploration, world map, side quests, mini games, and epic dungeons with the budget Square has though. Like, you can change your game and update the combat but there's no excuse for not developing all those other things. Fun game though, combat and story are good, which again they should be with the budget they have.
  19. 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
  20. venzoah
    Jun 24, 2023
    7
    Some of the design choices in the game are downright insulting. The "Active Time Lore" is basically a rebrand of XIII's data logs that are just a very lazy way to deliver a narrative to the player. The mundane slog of fetch quests with the really basic character animations are very FF14 A Realm Reborn esque. The game takes control away from the player at the peak of action with EikonSome of the design choices in the game are downright insulting. The "Active Time Lore" is basically a rebrand of XIII's data logs that are just a very lazy way to deliver a narrative to the player. The mundane slog of fetch quests with the really basic character animations are very FF14 A Realm Reborn esque. The game takes control away from the player at the peak of action with Eikon fights featuring ridiculously long QTE windows. Most of the RPG mechanics were stripped out with almost no itemization or depth to character progression. The result is a very generic action game.… Expand
  21. mlhope0
    Jun 23, 2023
    7
    The combat is fun, but it's held back by on-rails RPG progression. It's also spaced out by chunks of fetch quests and long dialogue cinematics that are often uninteresting and padded with awkward silence between "cuts."

    Still, the teams behind the hero cinematics and Eikon battles deserve a lot of praise for making up for the game's shortcomings.
  22. PedroR0
    Jun 23, 2023
    7
    Es muy buen juego, espectacular en sus efectos visuales, buena música, buen protagonista, más que aceptable historia. Normalmente a un juego así le pondría un 8/10 pero como alguien que ha jugado casi todos los FF anteriores me molesta que se hayan alejado tanto de la fórmula original haciéndolo casi irreconocible.
    Debieron lanzarlo con otro nombre.
  23. MeowMeowMix
    Jun 28, 2023
    7
    The game is leaning towards good, but it has too many flaws, hallways with battles in circular arenas is every map it feels like. Action Combat is rarely for me too, there's a few expections, this isn't one of them, but if you like Devil May Cry this'll probably be fine for you. I also miss a real party system too much. I want to go on an adventure with a bunch of people and build them all up!
  24. Thom17
    Jun 24, 2023
    7
    The story is very interesting and good, you always want to know how it continues. The game is a story driven so I already knew it would be good
    Speaking of gameplay, i found it very easy, not boring, but even with bosses its very hard to die. Developers also decided that during boss fights you get to respawn at the moment you died with full hp, and you really have no challenge then.
    Fetch    The story is very interesting and good, you always want to know how it continues. The game is a story driven so I already knew it would be good
    Speaking of gameplay, i found it very easy, not boring, but even with bosses its very hard to die. Developers also decided that during boss fights you get to respawn at the moment you died with full hp, and you really have no challenge then.
    Fetch quests at this time should be very low or nonexistent, but this game has so many of them and it becomes very, very boring.
    Speaking about exploration is personal: I have heard many people saying they prefer this linear way to explore the world, and many others not liking it. Personally I don't find exploration very funny.
    I found very bad their decision to completely eliminate the party, you only have to build the main character and that is very unusual for a JRPG.
    The OST is amazing!
    So I think ffxvi is a good game, but it failed in so many aspects imo.    … Expand
  25. Ander_
    Jun 24, 2023
    7
    The game is flashy and grand in its cutscene and boss battle, but apart from that, it's very classic in term of game design. Classic in the mean of many boring fetch quests and the format of cutscene-corridor-cutscene-corridor-fight. It's more similar to FF13 in term of design, but with better boss battle and world setting. Ff16 is extremely linear, to the point that they should just makeThe game is flashy and grand in its cutscene and boss battle, but apart from that, it's very classic in term of game design. Classic in the mean of many boring fetch quests and the format of cutscene-corridor-cutscene-corridor-fight. It's more similar to FF13 in term of design, but with better boss battle and world setting. Ff16 is extremely linear, to the point that they should just make it a level base game like dmc or bayonetta instead. Is it final fantasy ? Kind of, it has the world, setting, tone and character, but not the gameplay characteristic. It's ok to move on from turn base, but a JRPG, or RPG in general, have to provide player with ability to make choices, in term of story or gameplay using its mechanic, team, quest, and so on. FF16 lacks that completely. I find FF got stuck in a limbo, half of it want to grow into an action game, half of it still want to keep tie with the FF name, and the result is wierd. Action-wise, it's just ok and not excelent. Rpg wise, it's weak. The only good thing remains after finish is the great cutscene, but if that's all you like, it's better to watch a movie instead.… Expand
  26. FeoGamer
    Jul 7, 2023
    7
    Lo bueno
    Una historia más adulta con intrigas palaciegas
    Sistema de combate hack and Slash
    BSO espectacular
    Doblado a español latino
    Diseño artístico de los eikons

    Lo malo
    Desenfoque de movimiento mareante
    Caídas de frames
    Misiones secundarias de recadero
  27. Valzan1a
    Jun 24, 2023
    7
    It's an enjoyable game but it's not rpg imo. It's an action hack n slash. The combat is repetitive. There isn't really a skill tree. It's just abilities which you can only have 2 per element slotted. It's boring after a while especially with how spongey some enemies are. The story is the only thing keeping engaged. I don't knock square enix for trying to appeal to a broader audience I justIt's an enjoyable game but it's not rpg imo. It's an action hack n slash. The combat is repetitive. There isn't really a skill tree. It's just abilities which you can only have 2 per element slotted. It's boring after a while especially with how spongey some enemies are. The story is the only thing keeping engaged. I don't knock square enix for trying to appeal to a broader audience I just pine for the old school Final fantasy days. It's a decent game for what it is but I can't justify all the 10/10s.… Expand
  28. 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
  29. 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
  30. raparecido
    Jul 5, 2023
    7
    Absurdo com a franquia.

    Falta inúmeros elementos de RPG. Falta variação de tipos de danos (corte, pancada, fogo, gelo), falta resistência física e mágica. Falta variação de builds e variações no estilo de combate. Não estou me referindo ao combate em turnos, mas na variação de gameplay. FFXVI é um ótimo jogo de ação linear (um irmão gêmeo de Devil MayCry) do tipo que você curte a    Absurdo com a franquia.

    Falta inúmeros elementos de RPG. Falta variação de tipos de danos (corte, pancada, fogo, gelo), falta resistência física e mágica. Falta variação de builds e variações no estilo de combate. Não estou me referindo ao combate em turnos, mas na variação de gameplay.

    FFXVI é um ótimo jogo de ação linear (um irmão gêmeo de Devil MayCry) do tipo que você curte a experiência de ZERAR ele uma vez, mas um péssimo jogo de RPG (falta expiração em The witcher 3, em FFXII, entres outros jogos).    … Expand
  31. 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!
  32. rudedude
    Jun 29, 2023
    7
    + Cool lore and gripping story (at times)
    + Great boss battles and enemy variety
    + Incredible soundtrack + Beautiful graphics and ray-traced shadows + Interesting DMC inspired take on action combat - Poor story pacing, lots of filler and fetch questing that wastes player time - Poor exploration, world feels empty and unrewarding to explore - Dungeon design is non-existent, very    + Cool lore and gripping story (at times)
    + Great boss battles and enemy variety
    + Incredible soundtrack
    + Beautiful graphics and ray-traced shadows
    + Interesting DMC inspired take on action combat
    - Poor story pacing, lots of filler and fetch questing that wastes player time
    - Poor exploration, world feels empty and unrewarding to explore
    - Dungeon design is non-existent, very linear (some thoughtful design along the lines of Elden ring/persona 5 dungeons would have been better)
    - Side quests often have boring stories and don't yield meaningful rewards
    - Extremely shallow RPG system, huge wasted opportunity with weapon smithing, no choice of builds with weapons just straight upgrades
    - Action combat system is too shallow compared to contemporaries and without a meaningful RPG system the gameplay feels watered down compared to older FF entries
    - Many boring support characters, weak party compared to all previous games    … Expand
  33. OcelotBoy
    Jun 26, 2023
    7
    I am genuinely confused why this game is being praised the way it is. While I admit that the combat was pretty good, and the presentation was absolutely stellar, I don't think the game has much else going for it either.

    Gameplay: 8/10 Combat is pretty good. Not the deepest or most innovative system, but it was thoroughly enjoyable and satisfying to pull off long combos and be treated    I am genuinely confused why this game is being praised the way it is. While I admit that the combat was pretty good, and the presentation was absolutely stellar, I don't think the game has much else going for it either.

    Gameplay: 8/10

    Combat is pretty good. Not the deepest or most innovative system, but it was thoroughly enjoyable and satisfying to pull off long combos and be treated to the audio-visual effects and numbers popping up all over the screen. Not much else outside of combat though. Sidequest stories can be pretty great, but the gameplay design is just so dated and tedious. The lack of any meaningful itemization (outside of a handful of accessories) really hurts the gameplay loop, as while the combat is quite fun, it's not quite deep or varied enough to carry the entire game by itself. If only the game was a little bit more of an RPG, it could go a long way to give it more substance in the long term.

    Story: 6/10

    Yeesh. The story felt pretty good up until the second major time skip, when the game decided to throw away all the political drama set up in favor of a typical JRPG 'save the world' plot with terrible one-dimensional villains. Many of the 'main characters' also feel quite a bit underbaked, like the game never really gave any of them enough development to properly earn their major story beats. So many dramatic moments in the game were absolutely ruined for me because characters kept saying and doing things that made no sense, with some of the worst offenders actually making me physically cringe. Can hardly believe that this was brought to me by the same people who created Emet-Selch.

    Graphics/Performance: 8/10

    The game's presentation in terms of audio and visual design is fantastic. The sound and visual effects are always satisfying, and are a big part of what makes the combat so enjoyable for me. The Eikon battles are also quite impressive, enough to make me really not care about their rather stripped-down gameplay. The voice-acting is also perhaps the best Square Enix has to offer, which is unsurprising considering that localization has always been one of FF14's strongest points. The impressive visuals even succeed at hiding some of the game's flaws, like how the vast backdrops and larger-than-life structures work to make the game's world feel larger and more open than it actually is.

    It's not all great though, and the use of the FF14 engine does make a lot of the NPC animations look rather stiff outside of animated cutscenes, leaving the game looking a bit dated at certain points. The performance also leaves something to be desired, with noticeable frame drops during key moments in both Framerate and Graphics mode. But these complaints are relatively minor in the grand scheme of things.

    Overall, I don't think FF16 is an awful game, but it's also just totally not the mind-blowing game so many people seem to be calling it. Saying this is GOTY worthy puts it on par with God of War or Elden Ring, and that is just crazy to me.    … Expand
  34. hasaat
    Jun 27, 2023
    7
    I'll rate the game from 3 different angles.

    (Main Plot - Characters) Top, the story was very captivating and the serious tone felt strange considering it's a Final Fantasy game but it was so welcome Loved it. ((10 out of 10)) (Graphics - Character Models - Music) Amazing, The music was awesome, the graphics was breathtaking. the character models was amazing for the most    I'll rate the game from 3 different angles.

    (Main Plot - Characters)

    Top, the story was very captivating and the serious tone felt strange considering it's a Final Fantasy game but it was so welcome Loved it.

    ((10 out of 10))

    (Graphics - Character Models - Music)

    Amazing, The music was awesome, the graphics was breathtaking.

    the character models was amazing for the most part, there were some parts however that felt a bit off but overall was great.

    ((9.5 out of 10))

    (Fight Mechanic - Quests - Exploration - Equipment)

    This is where the game lacks a lot in my opinion, and I'll go in details.

    Fighting system: gets better as you continue playing, but still feels chaotic and most of the time you won't understand what is actually hitting you with all the effects screen, for a game that wants you to be precise and dodge parry they sure made it hard to do that, especially when you cast some spells, you won't see anything, literally, yes I'm looking at you wind girl.

    Quests: Outright BORING, I literally felt sleepy each time I'm doing quests and with the amount of boredom I starting skipping all the dialogs just get it over with, and even with that was really bad :(.

    Exploration: Seriously, I see a shiny item guarded by a tough enemy, killed the enemy, only to find it's "2 Gil" or this damned "Sharp Fang", I lost interest in exploring mid game and just followed the main quest, really poor.

    Equipment: Man, this was soooo lazy, no interesting item whatsoever, no perks no nothing, upgrading your weapon means (from 5 to 10 attack) that's it, even the best weapon in the game, accessories the same (Increase damage - Reduce Cooldown), no creativity

    This part is where the game lacks so much.

    (( 4 out of 10))

    Overall the game gets carried heavily by the story and the graphics, the gameplay was just lacking so much unfortunately.

    Final Verdict: 7.8 out of 10, and no thanks to the gameplay of the game.    … Expand
  35. Domova
    Jun 27, 2023
    7
    The story is entertaining in this game and the Eikon battles are breathtakingly gorgeous and fun. That’s pretty much it, the game is permanently on rails with slightly open areas that give little to no rewards. There is no difficulty slider, so you have to play on Easy or Very Easy for your first playthrough.

    The RPGs elements are dumbed down and may aswell not exist. Lip syncing is off    The story is entertaining in this game and the Eikon battles are breathtakingly gorgeous and fun. That’s pretty much it, the game is permanently on rails with slightly open areas that give little to no rewards. There is no difficulty slider, so you have to play on Easy or Very Easy for your first playthrough.

    The RPGs elements are dumbed down and may aswell not exist.
    Lip syncing is off in most cutscenes.
    Gear may aswell not exist, very small stat increases for each weapon tier and accessories provide some damage % to a specific skill of a cool-down decrease.
    The ability tree also may aswell not exist.

    While named Final Fantasy it may aswell be a Devil May Cry spin off, it’s structured very similar and has about as much “RPG” in it as DMC.

    The highs in this game are extremely high, but the lows are extremely low, which sucks the enjoyment a little bit out of the game, but then a high comes again and you manage to put up with the low, mundane MMO style questing.

    It seems they took the worst of FF14 and the worst of DMC and smushed it together. The game also suffers from performance issues, several times my PS5 has told me to turn off due to overheating issues.

    Gameplay doesn’t reward exploring combat, trash will die in an eikon ability or 2, while bosses who can’t be juggled or anything are complete damage sponges. I enjoyed my playthrough, it’s not the best Final Fantasy but it’s not the worst either. If you can put up with the low periods inbetween the high periods, you’ll enjoy the game. I do have to say that anyone giving it perfect scores is completely blinded by hype. The game doesn’t deserve a 0 but it certainly isn’t a 10 by any means,    … Expand
  36. Simular
    Jun 27, 2023
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. After doing all the sidequest and main mission. I can say that this game needed more time through its concept. It has the right ideas but poorly executed. You can still have fun but that fun will deteriorate as soon as half way through. Most of the abilities you obtain are gatekeep by point system in that you can obtain by gaining reputation points by doing side quests in which most are so boring.

    Pros:
    - scenery/graphics
    - cinematics
    - world building
    - combat ( Although it gets so easy you almost don't need to use health regenation)
    - Boss battle are really cinematic.
    - Music slams. Only thing in this game that is perfect. Headquarter music was soothing. Fighting sequence is good. Everything is good in each section.
    - Voice acting is good

    Cons
    - Side character development is trash. No talking in between. Silent. Jill especially. It's silent in between cinematic. The most development they had was through side quest that will most likely be missed because of how poorly structured most of the side quests are. People will most likely miss it.
    - Combat is way too easy.
    - Side quest are too much like a worse version of a ubisoft side quest until you get to the late game in which you wrap up each character focus quest. It's get this, get that. I need help and this wouldn't be a problem if the combat was so easy. Each mission takes 1 minute combat and a bunch of talking.
    - chest that I notice that drop something good is one. Most of the time, they were materials that can be gained elsewhere
    - exploring is redundant in that most of the section are explored via quest but the things you loot is literally 10 gil. Most of the items except consumables are 10k plus. Although this is negated with the hunt system in which you hunt beast that either give you upto 20k gil and materials for legendary weapon/armor/gloves
    - Weapons are cosmetics that provide only attack/defense upgrade. The special weapons do not have any special effects. Atleast add special effects if the weapons is crafted by titan material for example
    - The torgal system should have included more characters. For example, up d pad could either be jill/torgal/etc. You can input which character are "controlled" in which could have mediated that fact that there isn't a party system.

    Thoughts that I really did not mind
    - Some people want more rpg elements but that's fine with what they are trying to build. It's an action-adventure game.    … Expand
  37. TooBarFoo
    Jun 28, 2023
    7
    So this is not a bad game, far from it, but it's also not a great game. As a FF game it is even weaker. While I've never been a turn based fan I did like the FF7 remake blended gameplay, I think it's aa shame that was not developed further here. This is a fairly good action game dragged down by a below par open world with quests from the early 00's and mostly bland NPC's. But the game isSo this is not a bad game, far from it, but it's also not a great game. As a FF game it is even weaker. While I've never been a turn based fan I did like the FF7 remake blended gameplay, I think it's aa shame that was not developed further here. This is a fairly good action game dragged down by a below par open world with quests from the early 00's and mostly bland NPC's. But the game is hidden within hours and hours of cut scenes with a few QTE at the best moments. I think SE needs to play God of war to learn how a story can be told in modern games. I've given it a 7 as when it's good it can be very good but I'm being generous as you have to wade through hours of mediocre to find the good bits. I'm thinking those giving this a 10 have only played COD and FIFA up till now… Expand
  38. neqlol
    Jul 10, 2023
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Graphics account for 90% of FF16. The graphics are insanely good, but other than that, I have nothing to praise.

    Producer Yoshida and many other key staff said, "This is a dark fantasy for adults. We put the most emphasis on the story. We are very confident in this work."
    However, what I saw was an incoherent and childish story.
    The end of the story? I don't really understand, but I beat the final boss and solved it with god-like power! Maybe, maybe.
    Is this for adults? No, unless you're a child, you'll frown.
    Even the end of the hero and heroine was ambiguous. I want my dozens of hours back.

    I think it's worth the price, but honestly it's a waste of time. I recommend watching a video of someone playing.    … Expand
  39. 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.
  40. 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
  41. potus83
    Jul 2, 2023
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Would have gotten higher if it wasn't for the ending. I didn't want another Notcis but that's what it is. Stop killing the protagonist. Watching Joshua and Dion die was hard enough but then Clive dies alone on some stupid beach instead of old age with Jill. F that!

    Otherwise, the story and game play were great.    … Expand
  42. fabianop
    Jul 4, 2023
    7
    The game is very linear. Items acquired around the world and in battles are practically useless. It has no puzzles or challenges. The character evolution system is superficial. There are many, many cut scenes. It doesn't feel like Final Fantasy.
  43. Rdotsmith
    Jul 6, 2023
    7
    I'm giving this game a seven out of ten because it lacks the RPG mechanics that I've come to love in Final Fantasy games. The combat feels more like Devil May Cry than a traditional Final Fantasy game, and I think that's a mistake. They're trying to appeal to new players, but they're alienating fans of the series in the process. The story is excellent, and the characters are amazing, butI'm giving this game a seven out of ten because it lacks the RPG mechanics that I've come to love in Final Fantasy games. The combat feels more like Devil May Cry than a traditional Final Fantasy game, and I think that's a mistake. They're trying to appeal to new players, but they're alienating fans of the series in the process. The story is excellent, and the characters are amazing, but it's still missing that sense of wonder that I felt when I first played the original Final Fantasy VII. The world feels smaller and more linear, and the sense of exploration is lacking. I'm not saying that this is a bad game. It's just not the Final Fantasy game that I was hoping for. If you're a fan of Devil May Cry, then you'll probably enjoy this game. But if you're a fan of traditional Final Fantasy games, then you might be disappointed.… Expand
  44. Rix91
    Jul 9, 2023
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game tells a great story, and it does it in a visually stunning way. I cannot think of any modern game that does spectacle combat as well as FF16 does. Underneath that, however, is a really shallow game. The combat receiving so much praise has felt strange to me, because while it is beautiful and bombastic, it’s flawed in design. The stagger system encourages you to *not* use your abilities until your enemy is staggered, due to the often long cooldown times. So during boss fights, you will find yourself just smacking the boss with your sword forever while you chip away at their stagger bar so you can drop all of your big abilities at once. Rinse and repeat usually 2-3 times before the boss dies.

    The Eikon combat feels even more shallow, offering basically no challenge and instead serving as eye candy while you press one button over and over, occasionally dodging attacks or charging to the enemy. There’s no room for customization here, and I can’t help but feel like this could’ve been something more than a spectacle.

    The game feels like it’s teetering on the edge of being an action game and an RPG, but ends up lukewarm in both regards. The RPG elements are mediocre at best, and they feel sacrificed to transform the game into an action game, but it feels like they were hesitant to make the game challenging in that regard, and it suffers as a result. The shallow RPG elements, the lack of agency on how you build your character, and the flashy but simple combat keeps the majority of the game feeling like a chore to carry you from plot point to plot point, because the plot is the only thing holding this game up. It’s fantastic, with lots of twists and turns up until the very end. Unfortunately those amazing cutscenes keep getting interrupted by mediocre combat and long hallways full of forgettable enemies. The side quests feel so bland and chore-like, I can’t help but feel that the game would’ve been better off without them. There’s a few decent stories hidden in there, but across 50+ side quests, only about 10 of them felt worth doing, not including the ones that directly benefited Clive with upgrades and such. For the most part, they fall flat. I beat the game less than 12 hours ago and honestly cannot remember the majority of them.

    If you’re into a good narrative experience and don’t care how you get there, you will love this game. If you enjoy a challenge or the RPG elements that have been present in most numbered FF games to date, this game is gonna disappoint you. It feels like playing a movie.    … Expand
  45. hypnoticVGK
    Jul 9, 2023
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Final Fantasy Mode should be the base game difficulty; although challenging in some stages, I felt that the game was way too easy. Side missions are a great way to see more of the world, but they are repetitive and boring after a while—great story, very grounded and dark with specific themes. One of my favorite parts of the game was explaining the branded and the quests. Overall good game but after one playthrough, I felt that's all you need.… Expand
  46. Pacmania
    Jul 12, 2023
    7
    At times I felt that I was not playing the game that others had reviewed. I had a good time but nothing more, the secondary missions were a bit strange, it got repetitive (because of the change to an action rpg maybe) and it never managed to captivate me. This without counting some issues that are related to the operation of the console.
  47. oYazmat
    Jul 12, 2023
    7
    Now that I have finished it, I can give my honest review:

    Visuals 10/10
    Storytelling 9/10
    Combat System 8/10
    Side quests 8/10
    Story 6/10
    Monsters Variation 5/10
    Abilities System 4/10
    Side content 3/10

    In terms of a general appreciation, I can give it a 7/10
  48. BrettScr1
    Jul 12, 2023
    7
    As always with Final Fantasy games, the music, story, and characters are top notch, with beautiful visuals and textures and well-designed enemies. The environments are varied, and there was just enough exploration to keep them interesting despite being a linear game. At its core, though, there are really only two aspects to this game, the story (told primarily through cut scenes) and theAs always with Final Fantasy games, the music, story, and characters are top notch, with beautiful visuals and textures and well-designed enemies. The environments are varied, and there was just enough exploration to keep them interesting despite being a linear game. At its core, though, there are really only two aspects to this game, the story (told primarily through cut scenes) and the combat (character action game combat with relatively few RPG elements and only one playable character). For me, many of the battles were more long and drawn out than they were challenging and rewarding, the enemies were just a bit too samey with little need to change up strategies, and the excessive particle effects made some battles a strain to my eyes. Overall, this was a good game for me, but not a great one.… Expand
  49. Udr
    Jul 29, 2023
    7
    Final fantasy is awesome in important moment of the story. But, after… This is not a final fantasy. This is not a RPG
    Fake utility of gils, exp, exploration, équipement, craft…
    You can avoid everything, run face of you to thé end, you’ll never need anything.
    The gameplay ? Like DMC, but with One weapon and 4 spell ; boring
  50. HopeLastReward
    Jul 23, 2023
    7
    Algo que ha caracterizado los videojuegos de los ultimos años es el relleno para hacer que los videojuegos duren mas y Final Fantasy XVI no es la excepcion fuera de las misiones secundarias hay algunas principales que tambien lo parecen y se diente que hacen perder tu tiempo, en cuanto a la historia principal los personajes no son de los que te encariñas y los mejores son los villanos queAlgo que ha caracterizado los videojuegos de los ultimos años es el relleno para hacer que los videojuegos duren mas y Final Fantasy XVI no es la excepcion fuera de las misiones secundarias hay algunas principales que tambien lo parecen y se diente que hacen perder tu tiempo, en cuanto a la historia principal los personajes no son de los que te encariñas y los mejores son los villanos que desafortunadamente despues de derrotarlos ya no siguen en el juego, la jugabilidad parece hack and slash pero no se siente tan lleno de posibilidades como un devil may cry/bayonetta esto cambia rn la recta final cuando ya cuentas con todos los poderes, la historia esta bien pero pudo ser mejor aprovechada si hubieran mas personajes jugables al menos 1 por cada reino pero bueno lo mejor del juego son sus cinematicas y el soundtrack utilizado en estas aqui esta lo epico inclusive las batallas de las invocaciones estan igual de epicas, si bien no me gusto tanto el juego si pulen o mejoran la secuela sin dudas jugaria el XVII… Expand
  51. InfinumKitsune
    Sep 12, 2023
    7
    The story was great and the mechanics were... interesting. The overall issue I had with the game is the same issue that most AAA games, especially those coming out of Square Enix lately (mind you this is my favorite studio and favorite franchise of all time), it's more of a movie than a game. There is lackluster exploration with little no reward for. Back to the mechanics, whileThe story was great and the mechanics were... interesting. The overall issue I had with the game is the same issue that most AAA games, especially those coming out of Square Enix lately (mind you this is my favorite studio and favorite franchise of all time), it's more of a movie than a game. There is lackluster exploration with little no reward for. Back to the mechanics, while interesting, they lacked any real substance. I have a love for magic in my fantasy games and there is that element in the game, but honestly it's so underwhelming. Square said they would return to their roots with this game and in a lot of ways, they did, but not enough. This cinematic beauty still leaves a lot to be desired.… Expand
  52. GuitarGog
    Jul 27, 2023
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Pros: Amazing plot, characters, music, boss fights.

    Cons: Dead large areas
    very shallow combat system
    very weak item diversity.
    very weak equipment depth.
    Buffing is pointless.
    the game’s skybox changes to grey and keeps it that way even after you finish the game making it hard to see and very annoying.
    Lacks a RPG game elements.
    Too much uninteresting dialogue in the sidequests.
    Chocobo music is absent.
    **** crafting system.
    No manual sprinting.    … Expand
  53. Kailo09
    Aug 1, 2023
    7
    I'm a huge FF fan, especially of CBU3 as I have put in over 800 hours into FF14. So I went into FF16 with high expectations. The game has the highest of high's but is drastically brought down due to poor pacing and terrible side quests.

    Pros The Eikon encounters are absolutely amazing and an superb spectacle. Even some of the normal boss encounters are incredibly well done. I have no    I'm a huge FF fan, especially of CBU3 as I have put in over 800 hours into FF14. So I went into FF16 with high expectations. The game has the highest of high's but is drastically brought down due to poor pacing and terrible side quests.

    Pros
    The Eikon encounters are absolutely amazing and an superb spectacle. Even some of the normal boss encounters are incredibly well done. I have no faults with this.

    The story and quality of writing is excellent, at least for the main scenario quests. Scenes are emotional, exciting and some really great voice acting work.

    The music is top notch, classic Soken quality that I have come to expect from his work in FF14.

    Cons

    Graphics and Performance - This is a big disappointment to me with the poor frame rates and jerkiness. The developers really hyped up how the game is in a complete state and has had plenty of time for polish so I was expecting a solid 60fps experience. They definitely delivered on a bug free game though!

    The graphics are amazing but there are too many dark and muddy areas, it really reminded me of the early PS3/360 era of gaming in terms of the colour pigment. I get its a serious dark fantasy medieval tone, so I understand the choice. I just wish there was more colour to it.

    Side quests - I did about the first half of the games side quests before giving up and just skipping the rest. It was really hurting the games pacing. The pacing loop went like this:

    Build up of interesting narratives and travelling to a new area to do something important
    Epic boss fight happen with extremely amazing spectacles
    Great story cut scenes to follow that change the world and the overall situation
    Then it drops massively by going back to the hideaway, helping the locals with fixing a fence or something really mundane.

    The amount of side quests really increases as the game goes on and I was overwhelmed with green dots everywhere on the map by the end. I am sure there are some really interesting side quests within the sea of green but the sad thing was, I stopped caring. This was really sad, especially for someone who looks to complete every side quest. I gave up and kept on at the main story to avoid these drastic slow downs in the pacing.

    Combat - I enjoyed the overall combat mechanics, they were fun and engaging. However, it was sad the system couldn't accommodate things like status effects, buffs, debuffs and making it a bit more strategic. The game attempts to make use of enemies using buffs like Protect, but this is few and far between. A Marboro's bad breath, just damages you and will not give you status effects like poison and sleep.

    Crafting and Items - This is probably the weakest aspect of the game. Crafting feels absolutely pointless. You are showered with crafting items at all times and you will upgrade your gear. But its all very linear, by the numbers and ultimately pointless. I think they should have taken this feature out entirely honestly.

    I sound very negative on the game but the game makes it through to a 7 out of 10 thanks to its excellent characters, main story and spectacle of events. The pacing and RPG elements of the game really drag it down due to their poor execution and I almost wish they just made a full on action game that is 25 hours long with none of the filler and weak RPG elements.    … Expand
  54. Katsutoro
    Aug 5, 2023
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Finished after 50 hours, with all quests and hunts.

    A good action videogame... but sadly a really bad RPG. And for me that is the reason why it becomes one of the worst games in the main saga.

    The combat system is easy and very simple and the plot has a great start but after Cid's death and the introduction of one of the worst villains in the saga, it loses quality and pace.

    There are no towns or memorable locations, the exploration is terrible and the quests are bored except for the last ones.

    Not all is bad, Clive is a good main character, and we have the best Cid, in the saga, the soundtrack is top and the eikon boss fighs are crazy, Bayonetta style.

    Like i say, a good narrative (and easy) action hack'n'slash game, but and horrible RPG.    … Expand
  55. Cc2680
    Aug 17, 2023
    7
    FF16 is An interesting take for the new addition to the FF series but ultimately I found it to be in the middle as far as the series goes.

    The game excels with music and over the top graphic spectacles but I found the games pacing to be really rough. I felt like the story got worse the further It went but overall it’s solid enough. It’s pretty nice graphically but the world felt a bit    FF16 is An interesting take for the new addition to the FF series but ultimately I found it to be in the middle as far as the series goes.

    The game excels with music and over the top graphic spectacles but I found the games pacing to be really rough. I felt like the story got worse the further It went but overall it’s solid enough.

    It’s pretty nice graphically but the world felt a bit boring for a FF game. The combat was fine but it wasn’t a really big point for me since it’s only kind of interesting during the bosses. I’m fine With it but I don’t think The system is super amazing and I felt like this game is often fighting it self.It feels too long for this kind of combat but it wants to avoid your standard rpg elements that you would see in other ff games. I think it would have been better if they just stuck to making it an action game without all the half hearted “rpg elements” which don’t really add anything like the itemization and crafting mechanic that feels there for the sake of it


    I also feels there’s just too many cutscenes or they’re way too long. I realize ff has had a big focus on them since ff7 but those felt way more natural and it’s not nearly as over whelming compared to this game where there’s so many scenes and just constant dialogue.

    I don’t think it’s a bad game but I don’t see it as a great game either. 7 to 7.5 out of 10    … Expand
  56. Lidso
    Aug 19, 2023
    7
    FFXVI is a devolution away from a strategic turn-based JRPG adventure into a cinematic romantic dramatic conversation simulator with occasional button mashing action battles sprinkled in. Compared to older FF titles, the overall story, environment, and theme seems rather tame to the epic imagination of the previous entries in the series. You will most likely find yourself spendingFFXVI is a devolution away from a strategic turn-based JRPG adventure into a cinematic romantic dramatic conversation simulator with occasional button mashing action battles sprinkled in. Compared to older FF titles, the overall story, environment, and theme seems rather tame to the epic imagination of the previous entries in the series. You will most likely find yourself spending countless hours doing MMO type messenger boy side quests and wondering if your time is being well spent.

    Many of the combat mechanics ideas are borrowed from other action adventure games and don't really add anything unique to the gameplay element. There is little room for customization or building your character as most items are better than their predecessors. Many elements of the game are repetitive and honestly a bit boring. Much patience will be required to complete this title.

    However, the environments seem well designed and the graphics for most areas are great with much detail and atmosphere. While some of the NPCs seem to be often too generic, the primary characters seem to be very well designed with detail to their persona. The cinematics of most of the battles including the boss battles are extremely well done and bring the excitement back to the game as what is mostly advertised in the trailers. Key moments in the main quest line do make the overall story more interesting and create more of an immersion of real world symbolism. Some dialog lines are great and will be moments to remember.

    Overall, I don't feel like FFXVI lived up to the older titles in terms of greatness. However, if you are looking for a passive FF title with great cinematics and long dialog sequences then get ready to invest about 50-60 hours to complete this title.    … Expand
  57. Bigbozz
    Aug 27, 2023
    7
    This game makes so much wrong, its insane...
    Mainstream at fullest, it's a **** joke for a final fantasy game. And I am not talking about the combat system. The quest are so bad even for jrpg standard, its really sad.
    This game does not deserve the name rpg, but it also don't deserve the name hack and slash. This game does not know what it want to be. I only can say something positive    This game makes so much wrong, its insane...
    Mainstream at fullest, it's a **** joke for a final fantasy game. And I am not talking about the combat system. The quest are so bad even for jrpg standard, its really sad.

    This game does not deserve the name rpg, but it also don't deserve the name hack and slash. This game does not know what it want to be.

    I only can say something positive about th music and some cutscenes , which are great.    … Expand
  58. Cxden
    Sep 8, 2023
    7
    ff16 is a welcome addition to the final fantasy lineup taking you on a quest through the medieval time period set in a fantasy world. whilst the combat lacks compared to ff7r the story creates intrigue learning all about the mothercrystals and political state of the world. one drawback of the story was the unnecessarily long cutscenes which took up half of the playthrough wanting to get toff16 is a welcome addition to the final fantasy lineup taking you on a quest through the medieval time period set in a fantasy world. whilst the combat lacks compared to ff7r the story creates intrigue learning all about the mothercrystals and political state of the world. one drawback of the story was the unnecessarily long cutscenes which took up half of the playthrough wanting to get to the next icon fight which was the highlight of the graphical showcase paired with an epic soundtrack. Overall I found the traversal limited to linear world which felt more confined then open and rpg mechanics that felt empty and more linear feeling like a chore to upgrade equipment and no sense of exploration. Side quests felt repeated fetch quests and lackluster story additions.… Expand
  59. So8
    Sep 6, 2023
    7
    Acheté le premier jour de sa sortie, après des années de développement et un budget alloué conséquent, je vais faire une liste des forces et faiblesses :

    Forces : - Les combats de boss, c'est ce qui fait monter la note. C'est pour moi la grande force, les combats ont rarement atteint ce niveau épique. En particulier deux combats. - Les musiques, certains thèmes sont très bons. D'autres    Acheté le premier jour de sa sortie, après des années de développement et un budget alloué conséquent, je vais faire une liste des forces et faiblesses :

    Forces :
    - Les combats de boss, c'est ce qui fait monter la note. C'est pour moi la grande force, les combats ont rarement atteint ce niveau épique. En particulier deux combats.
    - Les musiques, certains thèmes sont très bons. D'autres ont une boucle trop courtes et deviennent redondantes mais c'est rare. Le parti pris de la musique qui devient un genre d'électro ne m'a pas plu.
    Mais de façon générale ça va.
    - Le gameplay, style DMC, m'a plu, les combos s'enchaînent très bien et visuellement ça envoie.


    Numéro d'équilibriste :
    - Le scénario oscille entre le bon et le moins bon. La fin je l'ai trouvé très bonne et sujette à des interprétations. Cependant je trouve le coeur de l'histoire pas assez développé. Des batailles sur tout le continent à la GOT, et en quelques combats c'est vite expédié...
    - Les personnages principaux sont très inégaux, j'ai trouvé Shiva très fade. Joshua, à l'inverse, est réussi.
    Clive, du mal à m'y attacher...
    - Les graphismes, ça oscille entre le magnifique sur certains plans et sur le dégueulasse sur d'autres plans.

    Faiblesses :
    - La DA, deux ou trois lieux ont mis une petite claque, mais pas plus. C'est pourtant une force des FF. - Les quêtes secondaires infâmes, je n'en pouvais plus, c'est à 90% du temps de la livraison. -Les PNJs, aucun effort. C'est générique est trop ancien. - L'aspect "cinématique" quand ce n'est pas important, c'est vieillot encore une fois. On sent que le budget est passé dans les cinématiques de boss. - La facilité du jeu même en new game +, c'est le FF le plus facile que j'ai fait.
    - Pas de faiblesses/forces chez les ennemis, donc autant utiliser les attaques les plus puissantes.
    - L'aspect RPG, la montée de niveau, les armes et l'arbre de compétences j'ai trouvé ça pitoyable. On sent que ce n'était pas la priorité, voire même pire, ça a été délaissé.

    Le ressenti que j'ai eu c'était les montagnes russes, avec des phases excellentes pendant une heure suivi de deux ou trois de platitude.

    À faire si vous avez la PS5, à ne pas acheter la PS5 pour ce jeu si vous ne l'avez pas.    … Expand
  60. Ptallica
    Sep 7, 2023
    7
    Eu definitivamente não sou jogador de final fantasy, o jogo e lindo, a história tava boa, a jogabilidade... ok pra boa, mas e muitaaa história, não consegui terminar, sou com 26 horas e com 70% da campanha e não aguentei mais. Vou dar uma pausa e tentar terminar depois
  61. KAMANAYEEEEEEHA
    Sep 8, 2023
    7
    Kinda linear but I had fun. Not your typical Final Fantasy but I it’s pretty good.
  62. 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
  63. xabbott
    Sep 7, 2023
    6
    Great visuals, sound, and overall presentation. However, the gameplay is pretty basic, it's a simple action game. Even if you aren't good at real time combat, you'll be fine if you spam dodge and avoid stepping in fire. The bigger issue is the story and characters were like a basic cable version of Game of Thrones. The boss fights are awesome and one of the only reasons I kept going. I didGreat visuals, sound, and overall presentation. However, the gameplay is pretty basic, it's a simple action game. Even if you aren't good at real time combat, you'll be fine if you spam dodge and avoid stepping in fire. The bigger issue is the story and characters were like a basic cable version of Game of Thrones. The boss fights are awesome and one of the only reasons I kept going. I did every quest and every side quest. A lot of the side quest are bad but some of them are the only good quest in the entire game. I enjoyed FF15 and FF7R more than this and I would only recommend this to die hard FF fans.… Expand
  64. Thanos616
    Sep 9, 2023
    6
    I really do not understand, why user and critic review are so high. This game is for me, the worst game in FF saga I ever played. The graphics is awful and old, in some occasions it is a dissaster, I could close my eyes and pretend that visual doesn't matter to me, but what I can't really stand is horrible combat system, I don't know how they could release something like that, it's boringI really do not understand, why user and critic review are so high. This game is for me, the worst game in FF saga I ever played. The graphics is awful and old, in some occasions it is a dissaster, I could close my eyes and pretend that visual doesn't matter to me, but what I can't really stand is horrible combat system, I don't know how they could release something like that, it's boring and repetitive as hell. The only one thing I really love about this game is boss fights, and great story, but gameplay and visual is horrible disaster.… Expand
  65. damahala
    Jul 10, 2023
    6
    Overall game play is fine but the story is just incomplete. Subtasks are mostly repeating same thing over and over. The game has a good start but just end poorly. If this is not main FF series, it will be maybe score an 8, but for a triple A game and call itself FF 16, this certainly is not a game I would recommend.
  66. TerrenceG
    Jul 7, 2023
    6
    Just okay. Lots of cutscenes and decent action but personally find the game loop a bit one-note. Story quest, 3 side quests, a couple bounties, then on to the next story chunk.

    Worth checking out but not at the full price point
  67. Soulsweeper
    Jul 18, 2023
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I want to love this game so much but there are some issues we need to talk about. I have played all the main entries of FF games and I enjoyed every single one since FF7, however despite having moderate expectations, FF16 falls a bit flat in important bit while it shines in big moments.
    This review is only about the first run (i don't have the motivation for the New Game Plus)

    Starting with Pros:
    - Almost every single cinematic moment is an absolute master class in direction.
    - The music is another huge highlight (except the music during Titan fight, that felt off for me). For me music is really important when being used in a story background and they don't miss here.
    - The combat feels really good, specially in a long run when you unlock more eikon powers that help stun, special dodges, etc, during fights.
    - You can use different abilities from Eikons to see the best combos you can use.
    - Eikon fights are visually amazing.
    - Character design feels more contained, compared with many FF titles but each character is well designed and easy to identify.
    - The story feels more mature than usual, I am glad they made a more adult story.
    - Game design is phenomenal, the visuals are another big highlight, I can't count how many times I stopped the game to take a screenshot.
    - Cid is probably the best Cid iteration we have ever had even if the character didn't reached the end of the game.
    - Monster design feels grounded but I think it's good.
    - High rank monsters feel like good challenges.
    - Best characters: Benedicta, Anabelle, Cid, Kupka, Gav.

    Now the Cons (this is going to hurt):
    - Gameplay, I kid you not, you can literally fight enemies with one hand and win, just use attack and dodge.
    - First part of the game is good since it teaches you about the world, world rules, characters, and life changing moments at the end of First Act.
    - Second part of the game is almost unnecessary, you continue your journey through the world with the story more focused on saving bearers. Some side quests are good but in general it just felt the same over and over with no impact in a long run.
    - Third part of the game felt much better as a closing act, however there is no closure for a game of such magnitude. All the work done around, secondary characters is worth nothing, Bearers have zero impact and in the end there is zero explanation of what happened to the world. You have a small epilogue and that's it. WTF?
    CHARACTERS! Holy s*** this is my biggest issue. You have characters like Cid, Dion, Joshua, even Byron, Wade and Gav. You can't use a single one of them. They could have made the same system like Torgal but no, sure you have Torgal but it's so basic and his abilities are the same from beginning to end.
    -Jill survives the whole game and could have easily been used as a secondary playable character. So much potential lost in terms of gameplay and story, she literally feels like a female token npc. Even Benedicta or Anabelle are more complex and interesting.
    -Barnabas, I literally skipped his dialogue whenever he appeared, I couldn't handle the way they made the character speak like he's reading Shakespeare the whole time. This character felt important at first but in the end it was just a big empty fart when it came to character building.
    - Dion could have been managed in a better way (big potential as a playable character).
    - Do not play in Performance mode because the frame drops are quite distracting, locked 30 fps makes it more bearable and still I had drops below 20 even in dialogue moments. It shows that the optimization isn't very good.
    - There are ZERO mini games or any kind of puzzle mechanic. Not even Chocobo racing, nothing.
    All side quests are all FETCH Quests, at some point it bored me to death. The only side quests that have real impact are the upgrade ones (potions, recipes for weapons).
    - There almost no magic to use, the world exists around magic but Clive can only use little balls of fire, or wind, etc, from little to no impact in gameplay.
    - Rpg elements are almost non-existent, don't expect to see special stats on weapons or accessories, it's just the basic stats and that's it.
    - The customization in Clive is just the sword, nothing else is visible in your character. You have one playable character and you can't even change the look of armor, bracelet, not even the story items given by npc's are visible.
    - I used my first Potion at the big Bahamut fight, I'm not joking. The game is very easy and the potion system is almost useless.
    - Second Hideway, There are too many Npc's that only give you information that is literally useless. Sure you can learn about characters and the state on the world but there is zero substance. The area it self is so big and forces you to walk so much to reach characters.
    - Maps are big despite being semi-open but they just feel so empty, some map areas like the region next to Dragon Talon just feel bland and rushed.    … Expand
  68. 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.
  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. BadLarry
    Jul 29, 2023
    6
    A pretty weak and forgettable entry in the core Final Fantasy series. I've through all of the numbered FF games since the first one released on NES. The good stuff first: I do enjoy the action based combat which has a crisp and quick feel like Devil May Cry or Bayonetta. Boss fights are particularly enjoyable and you can scale the difficulty to suit how deep you want to go. GraphicsA pretty weak and forgettable entry in the core Final Fantasy series. I've through all of the numbered FF games since the first one released on NES. The good stuff first: I do enjoy the action based combat which has a crisp and quick feel like Devil May Cry or Bayonetta. Boss fights are particularly enjoyable and you can scale the difficulty to suit how deep you want to go. Graphics are very good and there are some truly stunning sequences. Now on to the bad. 16 might be the most boring of the bunch outside of the huge but few cinematic clashes. You spend a lot of time in the generic swamp or grasslands fields fighting repetitive enemies. A lot of RPG elements have been stripped away to the point that there's very little use for the money that you earn in the game. Only 3 pieces of equipment with essentially only 2 stats each. Side quests are really afterthoughts that add little to the plot or universe and aren't very rewarding. I really missed having a cast of protagonists that you team up with, have their own unique stories, and you come to love as they develop. This game seems much smaller since it's really a one man show. You get temporary sidekicks but you don't have any control over them at all. The biggest gripe i have which is worth 4 points off the score alone is how the game cheats you out of really experiencing the world it's set in. The world is broken up into kingdoms each with their own mountain sized crystal shards. It's clear from a distance that the fantastical cities sprung up around these crystals. When you see the cities at a distance, you get excited to finally leave the generic wilderness that 90% of the game takes place in. Eventually you go to these crystals as part of the main plot, so you assume on the way you'll get to pass through these amazing looking cities. You'd be wrong. The first time, your allies talk of a secret tunnel to sneak in. Once you initiate that key mission, you literally warp from home base to within a stones throw of the objective, skipping over ever getting to see that city or any of the world on the way. They cut a big chunk out of the 'adventure' of this well....adventure. Kinda like Frodo and Sam setting out to Mordor and five minutes later they're there dropping the ring in Mount Doom. This was disappointing the first time. It's downright insulting that this happens every time you have a big 'mission'. There's a secret tunnel, back entrance, or mine shaft that you end up sneaking right up to the boss through and never get to see any of the locations. It's generic fields, or generic dungeons, and not much more. Almost as if the devs blew their budget on the big 'eikon' battles and didn't have any time or money to develop the rest of the world. A truly shameful design tactic.… Expand
  71. Gofrein
    Jul 11, 2023
    6
    The game is not that very bad - but absolutely mediocre.
    1. There is no difficulty - the whole game is completed by pressing one button, square button. Why did not they implement full autoplay then?
    2. Character builds are completely unimportant, as is leveling. 3. Craft is not needed - you will just be given better weapons 4. The game is one continuous deserted identical repeating    The game is not that very bad - but absolutely mediocre.
    1. There is no difficulty - the whole game is completed by pressing one button, square button. Why did not they implement full autoplay then?
    2. Character builds are completely unimportant, as is leveling.
    3. Craft is not needed - you will just be given better weapons
    4. The game is one continuous deserted identical repeating corridor - killed a pack of enemies, killed the boss. Reminds me more of the Diablo series.
    The game is incredibly boring and monotonous. The plot is +- ok, some blood, some drama. Good for 14-16 year kids.    … Expand
  72. Kaseladen
    Jun 29, 2023
    6
    As a very quick breakdown:
    Pros:
    Voice acting is solid Gameplay works great for bosses Eikon fights after the first two start getting super fun Cid and Byron are great characters Good music Cons: Inconsistent writing (We have no proof on crystals being an issue, but we're gonna nuke them all even though nothing's improving as we do so. Why does only one eikon summon egi's or offer    As a very quick breakdown:
    Pros:
    Voice acting is solid
    Gameplay works great for bosses
    Eikon fights after the first two start getting super fun
    Cid and Byron are great characters
    Good music
    Cons:
    Inconsistent writing (We have no proof on crystals being an issue, but we're gonna nuke them all even though nothing's improving as we do so. Why does only one eikon summon egi's or offer blessings. Where the **** is Leviathan)
    Pacing is garbage, you'll get cool scenes and plot rolling then you're suddenly set to go do MMO fetch quests for the next 2-3 hours
    Non-bosses are literally nothing
    Clive somehow manages to be super passive despite spending the first part of the game on a revenge quest. Even later he's just kind of swept along
    Side quests suck, I've found 4(?) well written ones. The rest are throw away and rewards suck. Post timeskip you start getting 'renown' for them which is a promise that maybe someday you'll get a good reward if you do enough
    Crafting sucks, all items are super boring and thats all you find with explorign
    As mentioned above, exploration, even for more linear structured areas, is non-existeint
    Characters that are interesting like Benedickta don't get enough screentime
    Characters that DO get screentime like Jill are nothing characters
    Eikon unlocks are very drip fed throughout the story (with only 4 options per Eikon)
    Lack of customizable controls    … Expand
  73. visiblelight7
    Aug 9, 2023
    6
    As a 36 year old who played FF7 to FF10 , the demo had gave me hope this game was going to bring back the ''feels'' and yes it did but only superficially and perhaps 50% of it. It shines in it's music and visuals and EXCELLENT story-telling. Even the cast and characters are well done but the game feels like an empty shell. The towns look good on the outside but there is no interiors toAs a 36 year old who played FF7 to FF10 , the demo had gave me hope this game was going to bring back the ''feels'' and yes it did but only superficially and perhaps 50% of it. It shines in it's music and visuals and EXCELLENT story-telling. Even the cast and characters are well done but the game feels like an empty shell. The towns look good on the outside but there is no interiors to the buildings. There is nothing there to explore. The world has no exploration. I love that they didn't go ''open-world". I was so relieved about it, it was a great decision. However, there's also a fine balance of mystery which is completely lacking from the world. There is no exploration because the world is simply a shell to progress the story. It lacks substance. Do you remember Final Fantasy 7's overworld and sense of mystery? Forget that. There's no ''extratowns'' which are there for you to uncover a mystery, find new camarades to adventure with. All this game does right is 1) Story-telling 2) Voice acting 3)Music 4)Ambiance of old-school final fantasy. That's amazing but that's also only 50-60% of a masterpiece. You are still left with frenetic combat with too many spell particles, no depth at all. It's just not satisfying and becomes boring fast. I promise you after 15-20 hours, you will be sick of the combat. Final fantasy 16 is a great 10 hour experience until you realize that it's not bringing you to the next-level. Your anticipations are crushed. You realize all you are going to do is try to mindnumbingly go through from A to B just so you can see the story unfold in it's greatness but sadly that's not enough. It only temporarily or momentarily capture the ''magic'' of Final fantasy 7,8,9,10 but very short-lived and I really think they nailed 60% of it and did a 10/10 job on those(such as story-telling)...but everything else is just there as a shell. It's sadly so boring I am contemplating skipping everything now. I don't find the repetitive combat any fun anymore. I just want to hear the story it has to tell...I'm considering using youtube for all that. That's what Final Fantasy 16 is for me. I regret spending 103$ canadian for it. I wish I was more patient , that's just too much money but I wanted to support the publisher to tell them they were going in the right direction. Sadly, being in the right direction doesn't mean much when 50% of your game lacking the greatness that was at hand. They needed to build DEEPER story intertwind with DEEPER cities, overworld , MORE MYSTERIES.
    Why they cannot recreate the epicness of Final fantasy 7,8,9 ? It's not just the mediocre combat either. There's something substantial missing about the world exploration....and no I don't mean useless fetch-quests or tedious side-quests that waste your time for hours like most open worlds do(which it avoided)...We needed a spaceship and a world that opens to you which have their own cast of characters to ''find''(Remember FF7? NO not the re-make for Gen-Z adhd).    … Expand
  74. 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
  75. 17_jrpg
    Jun 23, 2023
    6
    FF16 will certainly not meet the expectations of all long-time FF fans because FF16 is completely different from what FF used to be. For newcomers, who are not too familiar with the FF series, this game will surely be just some interesting new action game for them to play.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    So some long-time FF fans will most likely not be very satisfied because they will notice the flaws, while for newcomers FF16 will certainly be new & exciting game.    … Expand
  76. ozumakuma
    Sep 1, 2023
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Up until the part where Jill gives Clive her powers I would have given this game a 9, possibly 10 but when they completely sideline her before the final hours of the game, it didn't go down well with me at all. She and Torgal should have been there for everything in the end. Origin was just an annoying plot device ending.… Expand
  77. gingersnap225
    Aug 18, 2023
    6
    I've played FF games since I could hold a controller in the early 90s and this was one of the biggest disappoints to me. I enjoy action games, I enjoy RPGs, and I enjoy dark fantasy stories, but I don't enjoy a mediocre attempt to mash the three together to 'modernize' a series by doing none of them justice.

    FF16 had a coherent story, I'll admit that, but it fell short of other similar    I've played FF games since I could hold a controller in the early 90s and this was one of the biggest disappoints to me. I enjoy action games, I enjoy RPGs, and I enjoy dark fantasy stories, but I don't enjoy a mediocre attempt to mash the three together to 'modernize' a series by doing none of them justice.

    FF16 had a coherent story, I'll admit that, but it fell short of other similar dark fantasy stories. It obviously wanted to be GoT but instead came up with a story that ignored the amazing world building erected around it. This world has a lot of interesting ideas and people, but the story decides to focus on flat characters who don't have a range of emotion and it constantly ignores the bigger picture in lieu of shallow political intrigue. The second half of the story completely ignores the day-to-day perils the branded face that was built up in the first half to instead focus on a power of friendship saves the world feel. Not to mention that the story doesn't even take the time to consider how pivotal of an event the loss of a mothercrystal would be to any average peasant's livelihood.

    The RPG elements might as well not have existed. I liked the first 5-10 hours where I was still unlocking and messing around with the base abilities, but those quickly dried up and you are only left with a slow trickle of new Eikon abilities. By end game, there's hardly any variability in the skills you obtain and you are left with defeating every enemy in the same manner. Not to mention that your 'stats' upon levelling up were meaningless and each new weapon or armor you obtain is always objectively better than the last. There's no choice in play style, no builds, and no replay value here. Once you learn that you can precise dodge everything the game has nothing left to give.

    What I was hoping for was what previous FF games gave me; namely, a deep RPG system, lots of choice in builds/weapons/abilities, and satisfying game play that made want to just play the game to have fun. Instead, there was too much focus on the cinematics and the gameplay only served as a buffer between cutscenes.

    The largest fault in my mind is that the best battle took place halfway through the game, and nothing else could hold a candle to its epic proportions - certainly not the final fights. Each Eikon battle was a high for the game, but putting up with the other 40+ hrs of half-baked mediocre RPG did not make it a worthwhile experience.    … Expand
  78. Kearne
    Jul 24, 2023
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. So I'm just after gaining Shiva Eikon powers, before final showdown with Odin and I have to say that.... it was the most boring Final Fantasy in my career. I'm fresh after finishing FF6 and repeating 9. My God... so many things went wrong in this one. Plot was great until Cid's death, then suddenly game lost all its pacing. Dozens of completly random side quests (talk to 1st person, talk to 2nd person, kill something, bring item to 1st person). And there is more and more of those between almost every bigger main mission. Even main mission are all like: run through corridors, valleys, kill every group, 2 mini bosses and main boss. Rinse and repeat. Characters are boring. Jill is there just to be a meatshield and show Shiva from time to time, Clive is so cliché with his "I have to save the world and let people choose their lives". Boss Eikon fights are really good, so is the graphics. Fighting itself is .... meh.... I would rather prefer what they did in 7 remake. As there is absolutely nothing left of rpg tactical thing. FF16 is just Devil May Cry, so if you like action hack and slash mashers you will probably like the game. I'm not even sure if I will have enough will to finish the game. And that's really bad if you have to make yourself finish something that should be fun. Plus for graphics, eikon fights and powers, moogle and first half of the plot.… Expand
  79. 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
  80. PrImevibrations
    Jul 2, 2023
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is actually really bad. I made a longer review, but it deleted it, so **** it. Game sucks, crafting is pointless, the story is drawn out more than the DBZ cell saga, items are useless and pointless, you walk 10 feet from cutscene to cutscene, about the most random useless **** Bad game, bad story, fun boss fights, great visuals.

    I forced myself to finish the game because I paid $70 for it. Don't make the same mistake as me.    … Expand
  81. 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.
  82. And92
    Jul 6, 2023
    6
    Too easy, even on the highest difficulty I never died.
    Of RPGs it has nothing, much less excels as hack & slash, this game is a limbo where it fails at nothing, I give enough only for the fairly accurate story.
    The FF saga died with 12, a real shame.
  83. Vvm92
    Jul 2, 2023
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is the weakest Final Fantasy I've ever played. I'll break down my gripes with the game in sections:

    Graphics: Frame rate dips and motion blur are terrible. And the skybox in some areas looks like something straight out of PS2 era games. See, for instance, Shiva vs. Titan segment.

    Story: The beginning of the game is amazing, but later on, the story becomes horribly paced, with periods of lull that do not feel good. Mithril engine quest, I'm looking at you as one of many examples. Clive is a leader of a rebellion and possesses the most powerful eikon. Sure, let's have him run chores and do menial tasks. That's what leaders do, right? Oh, and let's use FF14's like cutscenes for those segments, with long fade to black moments and characters reaching out behind their backs to pull out bowls of soup, lumber, weapons, etc and etc. Oh, and a lot of back and forth between points A and points B in the base, filling Otto on every sneeze our character makes, and repeating same points again and again. It kills all momentum and turns the game into an outright slog.

    Game has two timeskips, one that lasts 13 years, and another lasts 5. We do not see Clive grow up at all during those 13 years of enslavement, his struggles, his adaptations, his pain. It's all just black screened away. Similar for the other 5 years.

    Ultima's involvement in the plot brings an unnecessary degree of convolution. Instead, why not spend more time fleshing out the Dominants and Anabelle (who ends up as naught but a moustache twirling shallow villain)? Benedikta had so much potential, as did Cid, but both got killed very early in the game.

    Some plot points are quite terrible as well. If Cid cared so much about Benedikta, why did he not give her a proper burial and just left her laying in the field? Why does no monarch in Valisthea concern themselves with a very prominent rebel group that is destroying the crystals across the world, and their actions remain unhindered for years? Why does a scar in the exact shape of a Bearer tattoo not raise any suspicion from observers whatsoever? I could go on and on.

    The world: The world of Valisthea as described in the lore is rich and magnificent. Valisthea we get to see is naught more than a linear corridor, that does not reward exploration, and is not fun to navigate. You get to ride a chocobo after a very touching sidequest. But the game will dismount you automatically in settlements and you can hardly traverse the world vertically. On that note, Clive's jump animation is atrocious. He performs incredible feats of agility in the cutscenes. Why not give him a double jump, or a flip of some kind at least? Also, where are the iconic Final Fantasy monsters such as cactuars and tonberries?

    Characters: Clive feels flat as a protagonist, especially without characters like Cid to balance Clive's stoicism. After confronting Ifrit, Clive also becomes a regular goody two-shoes character, without much depth. Jill is poorly voiced and her development arc is rather flat. Two saving graces are Cid (best FF Cid, imo) and Byron, but there's too little of their overall involvement in the game.

    Gameplay: Eikon abilities look and feel great, respeccing for free is also a welcome feature. But the gameplay is otherwise shallow. Enemies are low in variety, do not allow for much strategy, and often become nothing but damage sponges. Gear system is bad, with nothing but flat stat increases that do not alter the gameplay in want way. Weapons look uninspired and are replaced at very confusing intervals. Some of Clive's animations do not change with eikon change, like blade infusion. Also, the basic spell still remains just a recoloured fireball. Some variety there would have helped.

    Most Eikon battles are great, but some fall flat, such as the Barnabas fight. We hardly see Odin himself, while the eikon was previously shown to split the ocean in half. Why couldn't we get a similar spectacle in the actual fight? Mmo-style sidequests are also terrible. Some of them do build up the world, but the majority simply draw out the game time for no good reason. And what rewards do you get for doing them? In majority of cases, those will be crafting materials, employed in a shallow crafting system.

    Sound: Sound design is good. There are some memorable tracks, and high-octane themes such as Titan Lost (which I wish there was more of). Voice acting is good, with Clive, Cid and Byron giving outstanding performances. But with some characters, the voice acting did not hit the mark, as with Jill, for instance.

    I could go on and on, but listing the game's flaws would require much more space than Metacritic allows. Overall, the game is extremely mediocre. 6/10    … Expand
  84. 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
  85. cid33
    Jul 24, 2023
    6
    The good? epic boss battles, amazing music, interesting story. The bad everything else. It feels like bootleg Witcher.
    Combat is repetitive and boring, way to easy with enemies having excessive hp, fighting the same 10 enemies the entire game, small enemy vith axesword, big guy with hammeraxe, flying bird, wyvern, bomb, and then some of the worst reskinre color I have encountered a AAA    The good? epic boss battles, amazing music, interesting story. The bad everything else. It feels like bootleg Witcher.
    Combat is repetitive and boring, way to easy with enemies having excessive hp, fighting the same 10 enemies the entire game, small enemy vith axesword, big guy with hammeraxe, flying bird, wyvern, bomb, and then some of the worst reskinre color I have encountered a AAA game. Boss battles consist of on the rails QTE nightmares. They do look epic tho, but this is not supposed to be a interactive movie. Sidequest and exploring feel like a chore and reward nothing but crafting materials that you craft 1 thing with at start of chapter then they pileup in inventory by the thousands. Enemies level with each chapter making leveling irrelevant as they stay at your level and you don't feel like you grow in strength. Visuals are amazing if it wasn't for choppy framerate and horrendous blur, the blur got patched tho, still sucked for half the game Animation is horrible reusing the same animation for 90% of the game, zoom in on Clive he waves hand zoom in on NPC shoulder shrug zoom to Clive reaches for camera to giveget item. Main character voice is like the town drunk woke up in the snow to cold to express or speak words instead of mumbling them. Barely showing feelings true game except for some random times in battle. The rest are good voice acting.    … Expand
  86. Benderthefourth
    Jul 2, 2023
    6
    Long time fan of Final Fantasy. I was excited for this one. I was ok about the shift to action JRPG. But I gotta say, I'm disappointed. The game graphics look really good, the story is interesting and the concepts are good too so it's a shame that it didn't delivered in many aspects.
    Many of the aspects it disappoints are actually very surprising. Lets dig them out:
    - Corridor levels.    Long time fan of Final Fantasy. I was excited for this one. I was ok about the shift to action JRPG. But I gotta say, I'm disappointed. The game graphics look really good, the story is interesting and the concepts are good too so it's a shame that it didn't delivered in many aspects.
    Many of the aspects it disappoints are actually very surprising. Lets dig them out:
    - Corridor levels. How can you do this in 2023? After FFXIII... After all these years of game design and plenty of examples/Inspiration ( also from old FFs)? Didn't they took inspiration from God of War too... I was totally fine with the news it was not an Open World game... but man level design!!!
    - Combat system... It doesn't fell right. It really feels like they weren't totally sure about going full action and then decided to go full at a certain point in the development. There's no strategy, There's no good feeling of anticipating the enemy's moves and worst of all it's too easy. Didn't SquareEnix received the memo that easy games are over? It was sent years ago! We need a challenge. It could have less enemies, but more challenging ones... But of course if you don't have any exploration you gotta have hordes of easy bait that can be overcome by mashing square.
    - UI... Damn people. Again, this is 2023 and there's so many good examples and yet we receive a game where you can't toggle of UI elements like: goal arrow, text that tells you exactly what to do. Like, you end up in the hideout, you have a map of the place and there's a text telling you all the time what to do and also a pointer!!! Why some games treat gamers like handicapped monkeys? It's not enough that the NPC tells you what to do??? So frustrating, what's the point of playing if you can just watch it... like a movie or something. By the way: the arrows you see around the "corridor levels" that supposed to indicate a jump or a crouch?? Why? The character jumps, crouches automatically, no need to press a button... why are you putting them? And why such evident designs?
    - Active Time Lore. Just a fancy name for that which every other JRPG has been doing since forever. But what's the best thing here? Well you can't access the lore through the menu... No! You need to go talk to an NPC at the Hideout... So no revisiting some info while you're outside. This is nuts, but wait:
    - No Bestiary. A JRPG without a bestiary! Even Action games have them these days...
    - Loot is mostly a cone of light in the corridor... and no button pressing to obtain it, it just come to you while you're passing by. You can spot the loot in a distance... This is mad. Walk simulator, corridors, little button pressing to interact with the environment and mashing buttons. Ah right that's why loot is automatic they knew you'd be mashing button in the fights... or?
    - Yet again: 2023 and there's this Motion Blur that makes you sick. No option to turn it off. It feels like there's no gained experience from the past (Like decades of making games SE!) in the team on this game. Which takes me to my next point:
    - EXP and the usual stats we so much love about JRPGs... Useless.

    There's more. But let's stop here. With FFXV was clear that they had (the team, the game, the company) a lot of existential crisis. This one feels a bit the same. Other than that the games is fine! Eheh.
    It's still interesting but it raises questions about the future of Final Fantasy. Where do they go from here? Embrace action ok fine, but you can do it and have JRPG DNA intact and, you know, make exploration appealing. Just look at Jedi Survivor did with exploration! Even God of War, a super linear game, they found a formula that works. The new era of Final Fantasy it's not here yet. The formula needs a lot of tweaks still. I sense fear of failure conditioning innovation. Somehow a game like YSVIII had a 10 times better exploration and that's a low budget JRPG!
    Godspeed SE.    … Expand
  87. 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
  88. 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
  89. 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…
  90. Raul0582
    Jul 8, 2023
    6
    Bonjour .... personnellement ils bcp de défauts qui compte pour moi . Map vide mécanismes dépasser les combats répétitif. L'histoire est bien les cinématiques magnifique mais le jeu couloir est mal amené. En résumé je trouve que le jeu est largement surcote sur la presse un très moyen final qui depuis un moment n'arrive plus à trouver la recette.
  91. 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
  92. Fkuitsguud
    Jul 7, 2023
    6
    Boss fights are good, story is mostly interesting, everything in between put me to sleep. Combat is just "use abilities and hit square while they're on cooldown" which would be fine if 30 hours of pointless wandering was taken out of the game

    Looks pretty, but it's a mile wide and an inch deep. You can feel what they meant when they said this one was "an action game for younger audiences"
  93. Vantasia
    Jul 2, 2023
    6
    Final Fantasy is no longer Final Fantasy. However, it is still enjoyable for what it is, a mediocre action game. This is coming from a man who played who the FFs in the mainline. They really need to up the story telling to make the characters fall more alive, I felt no attachment to anyone in the game (maybe a small one to Cid), but the story telling was trash compared to what FF fansFinal Fantasy is no longer Final Fantasy. However, it is still enjoyable for what it is, a mediocre action game. This is coming from a man who played who the FFs in the mainline. They really need to up the story telling to make the characters fall more alive, I felt no attachment to anyone in the game (maybe a small one to Cid), but the story telling was trash compared to what FF fans expect. I can see why this game is receiving raving reviews. To non die-hard FF fans, this game is an epic action game with a cool story. Unfortunately, the FFs of old set a bar with storytelling that cannot be explained, only experienced at the time, to really understand how high story telling can go in video games.… Expand
  94. 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
  95. 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
  96. 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
  97. 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
  98. 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
  99. 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
  100. 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
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 146 Critic Reviews

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