User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 8567 Ratings

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  1. Aug 2, 2023
    8
    La historia principal me ha parecido increíble, con unos personajes carismáticos y únicos. Un gran final y unas batallas increíbles.

    Lo que más echa para atrás son la misiones secundarias, ya que cortan mucho el ritmo y la mayoría de ellas son ridículas e innecesarias. El rendimiento es bastante mejorable, pero ojo, su diseño artístico deja unos paisajes top.
  2. Aug 2, 2023
    9
    Pros

    - Combat gameplay: it's new, it's refreshing and it's spectacular. Fat plus, that outweighs many minuses. - Game tries to be comfortable and flexible for player in every aspect. Starting from difficulty, ending with descriptions of everything in the game. - Again, game has many spectacular episodes: starting from cut-scenes, ending with boss fights. Sometimes you do not fully
    Pros

    - Combat gameplay: it's new, it's refreshing and it's spectacular. Fat plus, that outweighs many minuses.
    - Game tries to be comfortable and flexible for player in every aspect. Starting from difficulty, ending with descriptions of everything in the game.
    - Again, game has many spectacular episodes: starting from cut-scenes, ending with boss fights. Sometimes you do not fully understand of what is going on the screen, but, who cares, just press square. :) Many cut-scenes, i like cut-scenes.
    - Interface is ok.

    Cons

    - IMHO, main story is too long, too many side quests. Structure and content of side quests are simular and repetitive.
    - I like to explore, and game do not encourage you to do so
    - Mob hunting, no direct mark like in sidequests. I think perfect game do not require you to google, this activity require you to google rather often. It's tiresome to run through whole location in search of the monster, especially when you do not have any other incentives to do so.
    - Pathos of NPCs.

    Neutral

    - Story is interesting to follow, but... it has novelty is under the question, main motive of story is somewhat similar to FF7 (doh...). From logical point of view of NPC behaviour and reasoning not everthing is perfect also.
    - Semi-open world. It's hard to build good open world. And you do not need to, to make RPG good.
    - Hero progression and abilities: are simple and straightforward. Many abilities to choose from, but my top was unambiguous.
    - Some characters are charismatic, some are not not: for example, main hero.
    - Soundtrack is... meh

    Overall, game is great and I advice you to try it, it's a new level in terms of spectacular combat and cut-scenes in action RPG.
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  3. Aug 2, 2023
    9
    Great high quality game with Epic battles and good story. Highly Recommended!!!
  4. Aug 2, 2023
    0
    Metacritic has now deleted 3 of my accounts because I called out this game for dropping to 720p and sub 30 fps. At least I now know for a fact this site is paid off
  5. 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.
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  6. Aug 2, 2023
    10
    Man all of the music in that finale was amazing. So many great cinematic clash moments
  7. Aug 2, 2023
    10
    A game which made me cry plenty times. Greatest action show in the video game history. The plot is wonderful and touching.
  8. Aug 1, 2023
    10
    I love this amazing game!!
    this game is so addictive!! ..
  9. Aug 1, 2023
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Final Fantasy 16 has completely fulfilled my expectations. The story is captivating and, despite clear Game of Thrones parallels, still deviates well from G.R.R. Martin's influence towards the end of the story. The Eikon fights offer a good change within the gameplay, although the fight against Kupka was much too long. Especially the fight against the final boss was absolutely brilliantly staged.
    The side missions increase in value as the story progresses and are no longer quite as trivial as they were at the beginning. Important: Play the many side missions before the end of the game. They hide a lot of information about the lives of the individual characters, and you'll learn to love them even more.
    If you like DMC5 and Final Fantasy, you will absolutely get your money's worth and love the game. The Final Fantasy mode in NG+ massively increases the replay value.
    IMHO: Simply a perfect game!
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  10. Aug 1, 2023
    10
    This Game is a 10 out of 10 for me.

    From the moment the game starts, you're going to feel this sense of Excitement, action, and adventure. this game never disappoints. The story is well made, and the combat feels amazing, what you see in the cut scenes, you can do them in the game while fighting enemies, so there is no disconnect. The Characters are well-written, they almost feel like
    This Game is a 10 out of 10 for me.

    From the moment the game starts, you're going to feel this sense of Excitement, action, and adventure.
    this game never disappoints. The story is well made, and the combat feels amazing, what you see in the cut scenes, you can do them in the game while fighting enemies, so there is no disconnect. The Characters are well-written, they almost feel like real people. The world feels alive, and the world-building is amazing. This is my new Favorite Final Fantasy game. This is a classic and don't let the negative reviews sway you from trying this game. one of the best stories ever told in a final fantasy game, best characters, and no Harem crap, or moe crapping the seriousness of the story. it's perfect.
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  11. Aug 1, 2023
    10
    Final Fantasy music is really beautiful always hit my heart deeply .
  12. Aug 1, 2023
    10
    This game compelled me to create a metacritic account, because I am overwhelmed how good this gaming experience was overall...

    It is just amazing. The story, the characters, the world, combat system, visuals, UI, presentation and especially the music... are all phenomenal. I would deduct 0,5 points, because I think the crafting is lackluster and sometimes the exploration does not
    This game compelled me to create a metacritic account, because I am overwhelmed how good this gaming experience was overall...

    It is just amazing. The story, the characters, the world, combat system, visuals, UI, presentation and especially the music... are all phenomenal.

    I would deduct 0,5 points, because I think the crafting is lackluster and sometimes the exploration does not feel rewarding. And I would prefer if the harder game mode were available from the start,
    But honestly the positive points outweigh this so much.

    Btw I grew up with turn-based games, but this iteration into the action combat system felt really good. The accessibility options made the game enjoyable for my wife as well.
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  13. Aug 1, 2023
    7
    Long time fan of the series, I've finished every mainline entry except 11 plus many spinoffs. Personally found 16 to be a mixed bag. The combat is fun but does get repetitive and lacks any strategy. It's mostly a case of waiting for cooldown timers. Very surprised there's no elemental damage, you can literally fight fire enemies with fire and it works fine.

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

    Personally didn't like the characters, they seemed kinda tropey and dull. 15 had its flaws but that was a charming crew. I did quite like the new Cid though. The story also felt a bit generic. I had high hopes for this one with YoshiP leading the project but it wasn't for me. Looking forward to the next ff7 remake game though.
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  14. Aug 1, 2023
    10
    Wspaniała gra najlepsza jaka grałem w tym roku gra ma pewne problemy ale zasługuje na 10/10
  15. 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.
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  16. Jul 31, 2023
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Best ending ever!!
    the ending left me shock with a little bit of tears .. .
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  17. Jul 31, 2023
    10
    For me personally, I'd list it as one of the best games I've played. Certainly, it has its low moments- but those highs, those oh so perfect highs shatter the atmosphere and make you feel "this was all worth it". Not to mention the stellar combat that never gets old due to build variation, the amazing story that moves you to tears, the well written characters that carry so much depth andFor me personally, I'd list it as one of the best games I've played. Certainly, it has its low moments- but those highs, those oh so perfect highs shatter the atmosphere and make you feel "this was all worth it". Not to mention the stellar combat that never gets old due to build variation, the amazing story that moves you to tears, the well written characters that carry so much depth and attachment. You owe it to yourself to at least try this masterpiece- it's that good. Expand
  18. Jul 31, 2023
    0
    I finished the game but can't get myself to do NG+, but I will do it anyway since I already paid for this game.

    I'm happy that this is catering to the vast majority whose standards are low. At least Square-Enix will thrive. But for anyone with even an inkling of having a critical eye, it's not difficult to see that this game has deviated so much from what the whole franchise was all
    I finished the game but can't get myself to do NG+, but I will do it anyway since I already paid for this game.

    I'm happy that this is catering to the vast majority whose standards are low. At least Square-Enix will thrive. But for anyone with even an inkling of having a critical eye, it's not difficult to see that this game has deviated so much from what the whole franchise was all about. Sure, I did get excited when you got to the new hideaway, and when a certain uncle went with you. But that was all the takeaway. The high-octane battles and "story" that everyone else were praising were really lackluster to me. I give it a zero the same way unjustified 10s are being thrown in this utter disrespect to the legacy of Final Fantasy.

    If they really cared, they should look at what the negative comments are highlighting (there's already so many valid points raised) and publicly address whether they're justified or not.
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  19. Jul 30, 2023
    8
    I did enjoy playing the game. Very mature set of tone compared to their predecessor and loved it.
    Story wise, it was interesting while the game was building it's momentum of the story. After the character arc ends half way into the game, it gets pretty stale. This is pretty much an issue with every recent Square Enix title. The rest is this is how it suppose to be because we told you type
    I did enjoy playing the game. Very mature set of tone compared to their predecessor and loved it.
    Story wise, it was interesting while the game was building it's momentum of the story. After the character arc ends half way into the game, it gets pretty stale. This is pretty much an issue with every recent Square Enix title. The rest is this is how it suppose to be because we told you type of game. There is no dept to it other than it's main story. Everything else feels like a chore.

    Combat was really satisfying to play and is what brings up from being a 7.
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  20. Jul 30, 2023
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I just love how this game's ending has made us all cry like babies. Yoshi-P enjoying our collective suffering. Expand
  21. Jul 30, 2023
    10
    This game is a masterpiece. It took me 70 hours to finished the game. It is unbelievable much money, energy and love they have put into making this game. The art style is 10/10
    Story is 10/10
    Characters 10/10 Combat 10/10 Music 10/10 Boss fights 10/10 Optional bosses 10/10 Side quests: 8/10 If someone plays this game from beginning to the end and thinks this game is not 10/10 that person
    This game is a masterpiece. It took me 70 hours to finished the game. It is unbelievable much money, energy and love they have put into making this game. The art style is 10/10
    Story is 10/10
    Characters 10/10
    Combat 10/10
    Music 10/10
    Boss fights 10/10
    Optional bosses 10/10
    Side quests: 8/10

    If someone plays this game from beginning to the end and thinks this game is not 10/10 that person has a very very terrible taste.
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  22. Jul 29, 2023
    0
    Regretting purchasing this game, poor frame count, poor combat experience, poor side quests, poor ending, and the gameplay made people feel sleepy.
  23. Jul 30, 2023
    10
    La scrittura dei personaggi, la trama, gli intrecci, le dinamiche dei personaggi, la loro evoluzione durante la storia, è da applausi. Degna di tanti film o libri che hanno avuto riconoscimenti importanti. Il comparto sonoro è assurdo, le musiche, gli arrangiamenti (con le citazioni ad altre soundtrack del passato), il mixaggio sono sbalorditivi. Inutile sottolineare come anche quelloLa scrittura dei personaggi, la trama, gli intrecci, le dinamiche dei personaggi, la loro evoluzione durante la storia, è da applausi. Degna di tanti film o libri che hanno avuto riconoscimenti importanti. Il comparto sonoro è assurdo, le musiche, gli arrangiamenti (con le citazioni ad altre soundtrack del passato), il mixaggio sono sbalorditivi. Inutile sottolineare come anche quello video sia alle stelle. n un panorama videoludico sempre più povero di idee e valori, volto sempre di più al gacha, al pay to win, alla tossicità, al rendere il player uno schiavo dipendente a cui spillare soldi, a giochi senza un minimo di anima, senso ed amore, un’opera come questa è la SALVEZZA. Perché oltre a divertire, intrattenere e fare il videogioco, ha l’intenzione e cerca in tutti i modi di trasmettere un'idea, un messaggio, delle emozioni al player, come un romanzo di formazione cerca di fare. Vorrei dire tantissime altre cose, approfondire ogni sfaccettatura data ai personaggi, ogni passaggio della colonna sonora, ma risulterei tedioso. Non mi soffermo neanche su tante cose lette nelle recensioni italiane perché si capisce benissimo la povertà degli scriventi, forse perché non più abituati a scrivere mossi dalla curiosità verso l’opera e la voglia di analisi, anche se, visto il pubblico sempre più pigro, non posso biasimarli più di tanto, sono anche loro figli del loro tempo. CAPOLAVORO Expand
  24. Jul 30, 2023
    10
    El juego me sorprendió para bien, historia madura, gran gameplay, buenos gráficos, la música es maravillosa y Clive es el mejor protagonista de la saga. Las misiones secundarias al fin importan algo y no son simple relleno, realmente hacen que sientas que importe que las hagas, juego lleno de plot-twist, no me importaría comprar DLCs para ver la historia del resto de Eikons ya que losEl juego me sorprendió para bien, historia madura, gran gameplay, buenos gráficos, la música es maravillosa y Clive es el mejor protagonista de la saga. Las misiones secundarias al fin importan algo y no son simple relleno, realmente hacen que sientas que importe que las hagas, juego lleno de plot-twist, no me importaría comprar DLCs para ver la historia del resto de Eikons ya que los personajes del juego son simplemente una maravilla. De 10. Expand
  25. Jul 30, 2023
    10
    One of my favourite games ever made. It blends stellar action combat with fantastic writing, a well fleshed out world, captivating characters, and a banging soundtrack all wrapped up nicely with callbacks and references to previous titles to really make it scream "this is final fantasy!" My experience was completely bug free, but performance mode does suffer from frame drops at times. IOne of my favourite games ever made. It blends stellar action combat with fantastic writing, a well fleshed out world, captivating characters, and a banging soundtrack all wrapped up nicely with callbacks and references to previous titles to really make it scream "this is final fantasy!" My experience was completely bug free, but performance mode does suffer from frame drops at times. I urge anyone with a PS5 to pick up this game and I truly hope it gets ported over to more systems so more people can experience this near masterpiece! Expand
  26. Jul 30, 2023
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. So, I spent a lot of money on this game, only to find out the game was as empty as it gets.

    Music was good, graphics were good, but gameplay was TOO EASY, to the point that by the 30 hours gameplay I stopped using completely potions or items.

    There was no use of getting new equipment, unless you got it from the Blacksmith after defeating some boss on the hunter board (Which I used to do, each time a new one would appear, since those were the only challenging monsters you could fight after 40 hours into the game).

    The story, is almost a carbon copy of Tales of Arise, but with minor differences and generic tropes (FF: Slaves are used for their magic powers = TOA: Slaves are used for their Astral Energy. FF: There are 5 Crystals in 5 kingdoms = TOA: There are 5 master cores in 5 Kingdoms. And I could go on and on). But, alas, it's not as good as Tales of Arise, which in that game, once you get to the end of the story and beating the 5 Kingdoms it opens up a new story. In this one, you just fight a one last boss, some silly explanations, "sad" ending, curtains.

    Yeah, this is not a game I recommend for $70+taxes. Once you see it on sale for $40, perhaps.

    But, it's an empty game. Barely 100 hours of "gameplay" (I put that between quotes, because once you get the Phoenix Wings, Garuda Tornado and the Bahamut Ray, the game ends. Everything gets beaten in less than 5 minutes. Most fights or scenes, last more than 5 minutes thanks to the dialog and cut-scenes. No joke).

    I don't recommend this game honestly. If you want to play the same game, but with better characters, a better more enriched story and better gameplay, do play Tales of Arise. It's the same story...and no, I'm not joking. FFXVI just added the Eikon fights to the story. That's it.

    OHHH! and as a PS: You only play with Clive the entire game. You can't change characters nor give orders to your companions. Only to the Wolf that accompanies you. Which...I barely used, after I found out monsters died with three powers...
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  27. Jul 30, 2023
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. As a long time FF fan and having just completed the game. Overall, I feel this game follows the franchise well but does strip away a few things which makes FF games what they are. For example, if there were no chocobo's or a moogle (which I feel they just threw in to hang around a hunt board just for the sake of it) in the game, then I would not know that this is a FF game.

    Firstly, the story is very good, the first few hours as demonstrated in the demo for me was pretty mind blowing and I was hoping it would keep this trend throughout, but it does drop and picks up its intensity once more near the end of the game.

    The combat is very Devil May Cry-esq as we were expecting. It is fun to experiment with the different variations, but I feel can get quite repetitive after a while. The fights and bosses weren't really that much of a challenge and there wasn't really a consequence if you were get to get a game over, as you just jump straight into the fight again but with full health whilst the enemies health is how it was before you died.

    The voice acting for the majority of the game is excellent. Credit to SE for getting the right people for the job.

    The music is brilliant. But then again I expect nothing less from SE. For me, they never fail to disappoint.

    There were a few things that I found a little disappointing with the game. Firstly, I find it very one dimensional with not much variety. Story - fight - story - fight and so on. I miss the relaxing side challenges; the chocobo breeding, the card games, the blitzball. It would have been nice to see something like this and would have boosted my ratings on this game for sure.

    Secondly, other than Clive and Joshua, I didn't fully connect with a lot of characters. I was thrilled to hear that Clive's sidekick would be a dog. But I honestly felt nothing for Togul, he didn't have any sort of personality which I felt would have been easy to put in with just little things, most of the time I forgot he was with me. All the other interesting characters were soon killed off, so they never had a chance to be fully memorable.

    The ending. I'm not into these 'open for interpretation endings'. I get that it gets people talking about the game further. But come on, at least give us closure on something we've dedicated hours to playing.

    Overall, I enjoyed this game and it was well worth my time. However, I just hope the franchise can return to it routes a little more and not continue to create games that aim for the wider audience. I get from a business perspective that doing this brings in the ££. But don't forget the fans that loved the previous games for what they were and have given the platform the franchise has today.
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  28. Jul 30, 2023
    10
    Final Fantasy XVI is definitely off tone in direct comparison to the other games. That much is true. It wants to establish atmosphere and does that by forcing itself to be as "mature", dark, gritty and miserable as it can be by having graphical violence, sex and other elements all the time that DID exist in FF but wre glossed over by the fact it was in the old games that were from the 90s.Final Fantasy XVI is definitely off tone in direct comparison to the other games. That much is true. It wants to establish atmosphere and does that by forcing itself to be as "mature", dark, gritty and miserable as it can be by having graphical violence, sex and other elements all the time that DID exist in FF but wre glossed over by the fact it was in the old games that were from the 90s. This makes it very hard to enjoy some scenes if you expect something similiar and that is the one thing that I fully admit can be too off for an FF. Nevertheless for what it wants to tell you, it utilizes these things well but I think this would have fit better for a Drakengard game because Drakengard and Nier are full of misery, violence and sex.

    Action combat: It is true that this is vastly different but if we are being honest, this is nothing new. Final Fantasy since XII re-invents its combat system all the time. XIII had a teeny-tiny bit of its system but XII was different, XV war different and heavily action focuses - and you could also only control Noctis before the patches, btw. - and here it is even more action packed. The switching of the summons is nothing special. They did that in Lightning Returns with the immediate costume changes for Lightning. Whether you like the change or not, you must be extremelly picky to say the combat and the boss battles are bad. However I would have liked if they at least gave the other party memvbers a small health bar below Clives and rudimentary commands that Clive could give them - similiar to Torgal. Their AI also needs improvement.

    Sidequests: Yes, it is undeniable. There are sidequests, especially early ones that do not tell a rewarding enough story but the ones that are good, are really good. A few of the bounties are also good and if can even do the time attack monoliths if you want a challenge. Overall I like that the sidequests and bounties made use of every single "somwhat of a village or bigger space." Especially some of the villages you might not even know of. They are not really there for much but it is a nice discovery. And again if people want to complain: Elden Ring and Zelda is full of repetitive, no value tasks. That is not an opinion. I played them for long enough and I would criticise them for that as well, because a lot of it is also "just there." So all of those games and not just Final Fantasy could do better. FF especially should bring back some minigames for the sidequests. In their essence repetitive sidequests that are drawn out because of constant conversations are not necessarily greatly executed.

    Story: Touching as always - especially the further it goes. A good chunk of it was in Lightning Returns as well. But what it wants to tell and how it presents it is beautiful. It gets a little corny but THAT is Final Fantasy. But it has pacing issues.

    Characters: Clive and Joshua and their dynamic are really good.

    Music: The boss theme, prelude and main theme are all fantastic and properly used.

    Metacritic is extremely pathetic and deletes everything I mention about the idiocies of the review bombs, so I will mention it again: The review bombs of 0s are extremely idiotic and pathetic. Even if you do not like the game, there is no reason for it to be a 0. This is still a high-quality game. People are also foolish enough to claim this is not an RPG just because it is pretty action-heavy. The game has everything that an RPG has. If you want to see which kind of people downvote the posts and the game, check their profile. Many of them were just here to give Zelda a 10 and have nothing else - at least a lot of the older reviews. That should tell you everything.
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  29. Jul 30, 2023
    9
    This game had a clear idea in mind and on that notes is truly a masterpiece.
    Story, characters, world building are the one of the best in the franchise: real, mature, credible; a couple of soft "holes" but nothing breaking.
    The combat system has the incredible property of being easy to pick up but a ton of mastery is required if one wants to dig deeper; unfortunately true difficulty only
    This game had a clear idea in mind and on that notes is truly a masterpiece.
    Story, characters, world building are the one of the best in the franchise: real, mature, credible; a couple of soft "holes" but nothing breaking.
    The combat system has the incredible property of being easy to pick up but a ton of mastery is required if one wants to dig deeper; unfortunately true difficulty only comes up in NG+ or arcade mode. Still it's deeply satisfying.
    The OST is as usual godly, Soken is quickly ascending in my personal pantheon of musicians.
    The graphics are nothing mind blowing but the artistic direction is incredible.
    And this was the goal, a good and satisfying story, relatable characters and fun combat: a complete hit.
    Final Fantasy 16 falls flat, unfortunately, on mainly two other aspects: side quests and RPG systems.
    Side quets are not overall "bad": they do what I care the most, the world building, and they do it perfectly. In fact I highly suggest to do them, because they expand the world a ton. But they are mechanically uninteresting. A minigame or something different from the usual game play would have a huge impact.
    The RPG systems instead are a complete failure in my eyes. There is a levelling system and stats, they have impact sure, but you don't have control over them, there is no choice to be made and thus no consequences. An example: on the "offense" side you have "attack" and "stagger" as stats, but ALL weapons have the same value for both, this means I'll always equip the best weapon available and I cannot "build" a "heavy attack" or "heavy stagger" Clive. Same idea goes for belts and bracelets regarding HP and defense. The accessories, on the same vein, do not impact stats heavily, so you end up equipping the ones that give extra XP, AP, etc. This, by consequence, kills the utility of crafting and looting/exploring, especially because you naturally get the best equip by simply playing the story.
    Fortunately this is an easy fix since is mostly dependent in on tweaking stats, and I hope CBU3 makes a balance pass on items.
    The RPG part basically comes down to Eikon and skill selection: all are different and interesting, but without other layers like elements or statuses, they do not have the impact they could have had in a more complex system.
    This is not a dealbreaker but with better systems in place, the game would ascend to the masterpiece level.
    Given the quality of the main goals the dev had in mind, it would be criminal not to still give 9 to this title: I enjoyed the ride very much and it landed in my top#3 FF tier list easily. If you pick this up, just do not expect deep RPG systems and you'll enjoy it too.
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  30. Jul 30, 2023
    9
    Die Story hat mich sehr überzeugt und das Kampdgameplay ist auch ziemlich gut. Es gibt jedoch so ein paar Aufgaben die mich gelangweilt haben
  31. Jul 30, 2023
    8
    Pros
    -Nice story -Badass characters -Intense soundtrack
    -Epic boss fights Cons
    -Repetitive combat without any strategically thinking on it
    -Use only of one character -Extremely boring side quests and filler moments
    -Some Eikon battles are too long over 20-30 minutes fight
  32. Jul 30, 2023
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I cried every times and the ending gutted my heart so bad .. Expand
  33. Jul 29, 2023
    9
    Al netto di qualche mancanza come: danni elementali, parametria e secondarie un po' più coinvolgenti il gioco fa di tutto per farti immergere nel Regno dei gemelli. Apprezzabile l'inserimento di un npc in particolare come narratore della lore,il gioco ha boss fight incredibili che non vedevo da God of war 3 (eccetto qualcosa in God of war del 2018). Uno dei pochi titoli nel quale ogniAl netto di qualche mancanza come: danni elementali, parametria e secondarie un po' più coinvolgenti il gioco fa di tutto per farti immergere nel Regno dei gemelli. Apprezzabile l'inserimento di un npc in particolare come narratore della lore,il gioco ha boss fight incredibili che non vedevo da God of war 3 (eccetto qualcosa in God of war del 2018). Uno dei pochi titoli nel quale ogni personaggio ha una storia da raccontare,il valore di produzione e di scrittura delle cutscene è ai livelli dei giochi più chiacchierati e apprezzati del medium. Questo gioco potrà far storcere il naso ai fan di vecchia data ma offre,allo stesso tempo, un memorabile benvenuto ai nuovi Expand
  34. Jul 29, 2023
    8
    Upon release many claimed that VII wasn't a true FF as it ditched the fantasy aspects, that VIII wasn't one as it was just a "glorified teen romance novel", that IX wasn't one a it was "too cartoony and childish", that X wasn't one is it ditched the traditional levelling system, that XI wasn't one as it was an MMO, that XII wasn't one as it ditched random encounters, that XIII wasn't oneUpon release many claimed that VII wasn't a true FF as it ditched the fantasy aspects, that VIII wasn't one as it was just a "glorified teen romance novel", that IX wasn't one a it was "too cartoony and childish", that X wasn't one is it ditched the traditional levelling system, that XI wasn't one as it was an MMO, that XII wasn't one as it ditched random encounters, that XIII wasn't one as it was just a hallway, that XIV wasn't one because it was another MMO, that XV wasn't one because you had a car and it was an action game, and now that XVI isn't one because it's also an action game and you can't control your party members. Ultimately it depends on what you value; for me, that's a world and narrative that mixes fantasy and science fiction and provides meaningful and emotive interactions between characters in a way that makes you feel as though the unique world your experiencing is actually real. Is it Final Fantasy? To me, 100%.

    Last piece of advice for anyone thinking of picking up the game - Ignore the reviews (including mine if you so choose). The 10/10 reviews generally come from a place of people already deciding that the game was great before it was even out purely because of the team making it, and the more negative reviews tend to come from a place of people already deciding that the game was bad before it was even out mostly because of 'ists' and 'isms', none of which were true. (There's a reason that most negative reviews come across as incredibly pretentious and condescending) The objective truth lies somewhere in the middle - that it is a flawed but ultimately fantastic game worthy of the Final Fantasy title. Not quite on the level of IX or VI, but leagues beyond the likes of VII, XII or even X. If you think this game might be for you, give it a shot and form your own opinion. If it doesn't look like if's for you, then that's a shame, but give it a miss. If you've already decided that you don't WANT it to be for you in classic FF fan fashion, then what are you even doing here?

    Final score - 8.5/10.
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  35. Jul 29, 2023
    10
    Great game! Really nice gameplay. Epic fights, excellent music. Side quest could be better, but it can't decrease my perceiving of the game.
  36. Jul 29, 2023
    5
    Just finished the game with all quests done and hunting after more than a month.It was very painful. Honestly, it felt good to be in this world. I remember being at Martha’s inn and thinking ”this is nice” (because of the music, lighting etc.). The main story was enjoyable but not ground breaking. Some of the side stories were enjoyable as well BUT 100% of them were ruined by the fact thatJust finished the game with all quests done and hunting after more than a month.It was very painful. Honestly, it felt good to be in this world. I remember being at Martha’s inn and thinking ”this is nice” (because of the music, lighting etc.). The main story was enjoyable but not ground breaking. Some of the side stories were enjoyable as well BUT 100% of them were ruined by the fact that they always ended in a fetch quest or a lame combat encounter.
    Speaking of combat, when you finish the tutorial 1 hour or 2 in, you’ve seen everything. You get flashier moves for sure but the game doesn’t get more mecanics. The game systems in general are a disaster, indie game levels kind of disaster! Be it loot, crafting, quest design, skills, everything is garbage.
    The world, although engaging, is also shalow. All the big buldings and towns are just decoration. You never get to explore more than 2 or 3 streets, and this is in the very best case scenario.
    It frustrating because the game keeps remind you of great things from previous titles (big cities, magic, dungeons, character parties, ships and so on) but none of those thing are in the actual game.
    I honnestly don’t understand how the game has 80+ scores. As an rpg, it’s bad and as an action game it’s mid at best. Don’t even compare it to DMC.
    Anyway, at this point I’m no longer expecting SE to produce the kind of FF’s I liked or FF’s that are not half backed. But who knows. See you in FF7R 2 I guess
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  37. Jul 29, 2023
    10
    Final Fantasy XVI é o melhor exclusivo do PS5 até o momento, narrativa e trilha sonora épica, amei cada minuto desse jogo.
  38. Jul 29, 2023
    6
    Boss battles and music score is a 10/10. Really enjoyed the Titan boss fight. But the side quests were pointless and mind-numbingly repetitive fetch quests with dialogue that felt like it never ended.

    The story also goes downhill about midwway through the game and becomes really dull. The world itself was the biggest major disappointment. There was no attempt to make the world feel like
    Boss battles and music score is a 10/10. Really enjoyed the Titan boss fight. But the side quests were pointless and mind-numbingly repetitive fetch quests with dialogue that felt like it never ended.

    The story also goes downhill about midwway through the game and becomes really dull. The world itself was the biggest major disappointment. There was no attempt to make the world feel like a lived-in world. This game is a huge step backwards for Square Enix after making FF7 Remake.

    The RPG aspect regarding gear customization and play style abilities were superficial. Doesn't matter what boss you encounter, just spam the same combos to defeat. The game is incredibly easy.
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  39. 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
  40. Jul 29, 2023
    9
    Amazing experience might be one if not the best character action game. In terms of an RPG it has only a few flaws which really seem like nitpicks. Story is mostly amazing minus a few pacing moments and really brings emotion and epic moments. The characters even just side ones are all so amazing. The battles and bosses in this game put alot of games to shame they really bring the mechanicsAmazing experience might be one if not the best character action game. In terms of an RPG it has only a few flaws which really seem like nitpicks. Story is mostly amazing minus a few pacing moments and really brings emotion and epic moments. The characters even just side ones are all so amazing. The battles and bosses in this game put alot of games to shame they really bring the mechanics and cinematics and are just fun to fight, with abilities all feeling great and satisfying. The world building and lore is top notch. The voice acting is amazing seriously give ben Starr an award cause it sets a precedent.. The music is beyond amazing, best soundtrack this year. Late game the Sidequests get really good though its definitely an uneven balance where some feel a little fetch quest and underwhelming. Definitely you can see how mmo it feels from Yoshi P and his team but that doesn't always go perfectly. The environments and lighting at times are amazing in this game holy crap. The rpg mechanics are a bit light but the hideaway is great and learning about world and Side content feels good. The game keeps consistent tone of dark events and finding hope its really cool, though i do think it goes between game of thrones and anime a bit for some. It all comes out well in the end for a really excellent return to form for FF spearheaded by addicting combat and amazing moments. The protag Clive is one of the best protags in FF and in gaming for me his range pathos and genuine side are so good and Ben Starr again knocks it out amazingly. This game definitely sticks to its guns and feels like an uncompromised vision and hits excellence joining some of the best FFs in a new different way. Its just AWESOME. GOTY worthy please play it! Expand
  41. 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
  42. Jul 29, 2023
    10
    Unforgettable experience. Top-tier storyline and characters. Dynamic combat system. 10/10
  43. Jul 29, 2023
    10
    La narrativa es la mejor de la saga, los personajes atormentados y con evolución, los combates son los más épicos que he jugado en un final fantasy... Menuda obra de arte
  44. Jul 29, 2023
    10
    perfect game, from the plot at the combat system. i had a lot of fun playing it and after finishing it I have a beautiful and intense memory of this fantastic adventure. thank you
  45. Jul 28, 2023
    9
    Whilst the map is quite linear, this actually feels refreshing given how bland open worlds have become and how majority of developers don't understand how to create a unique open world that isn't riddled with meaningless endeavours and horrendous side quests.

    The story has some of the best character development I've seen in recent years. Side quests start of basic as you start off
    Whilst the map is quite linear, this actually feels refreshing given how bland open worlds have become and how majority of developers don't understand how to create a unique open world that isn't riddled with meaningless endeavours and horrendous side quests.

    The story has some of the best character development I've seen in recent years. Side quests start of basic as you start off basically putting you in Clive's shoes to see if you want to commit to belonging, but if you do the rewards get better and better with unlocking top tier swords, increasing potion count, unlocking accessories which can be used to modify actions, moves, damage and evasion in combat, to unlocking materials for upgrading weapons. One of the biggest complaints I've seen is the claim that it's not an RPG (Role playing game) yet by definition you're playing as Clive who grows emotionally, takes on responsibility, grows in strength whilst supporting those around him, all of this takes place in the span of around 20 years. With some characters changing for the better, others for the worse.

    On top of that Eikons abilities can be upgraded and even well into the game 60+ hours I was still unlocking abilities not tied into the tier unlocks in the menu. This replaces the standard in other RPG's (Particularly in Final Fantasy games) where you unlock abilities / strengths / perks in weapons, here it's Eikon abilities.

    Music is phenomenal, I even brought the Ultimate edition that comes with 8 cds.

    There's actually a lot of content in the game from unlocking character bios, unlocking music that can be played at the hideaway, arcade mode, Eikon Challenge gateways, Hunts, side quests, tomes, observing the political landscape bios etc.

    Boss battles (Eikon Battles) are possibly the best I've seen in a long, long time and are actually rewarding.

    The story is told in a way where you can empathise with Clive's cause and want to accomplish his story so that the world is rid of the prejudices and evil that plague not, it's not just about ridding the world of the shadow evil figure. This always makes for a great story when you have to deal with the prejudice that the character has to deal with because you actually grow alongside the characters.

    Combat is amazing and has multiple variations that players can go about, some critics complained all they had to do was hold a button, whilst failing to mention that this was an accessory they had equiped.

    Progressing through the story and map, at times I'd get to a point where I think "I've seen all I have to see in this" then something new happens. The best way to explore the maps though would be when you have the green marker for a side quest show up, as discovering the full map in the areas before the side quests become available kinda makes the world somewhat empty, but once that side quest becomes available that area is given meaning.

    Definitely looking forward to what is in store for the future of FFXVI, even though I'm just over 60 hours in, I'm still be amazed at what I'm finding and seeing.
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  46. Jul 28, 2023
    0
    This is not a game, it's a movie.I got bored after about 10 hours and could not finish the game. The fights, especially with the summons, are tedious and awful
  47. Jul 28, 2023
    10
    Uno de los mejores juegos que se han hecho nunca, Merece por lo menos que le deis una oportunidad. Solo tiene odio por ser exclusivo de PS5.
  48. Jul 28, 2023
    10
    Me giving final fantasy a second chance after my disapointment from ff15 might have been one of the best choice i made in a while. Very good story with great voice acting. This game has some flaws especially rpg wise. (lack of custom and clearly needing to play with pretty specific builds in ng+). However they are greatly surpassed by all of its qualities. For me ff16 is a masterpiece thatMe giving final fantasy a second chance after my disapointment from ff15 might have been one of the best choice i made in a while. Very good story with great voice acting. This game has some flaws especially rpg wise. (lack of custom and clearly needing to play with pretty specific builds in ng+). However they are greatly surpassed by all of its qualities. For me ff16 is a masterpiece that should be experienced at least once ! Expand
  49. Jul 28, 2023
    9
    Final Thoughts:

    Final Fantasy 16 is a fun, flashy fantasy RPG that's a little lighter on the RPG than its predecessors. With a seamless balance of player engagement and cinematic clashes, the world of Valisthea is vividly realised in all its medieval-inspired glory. Not to be bogged down by all those grey tones, however, 16 showcases some of the best visuals yet, with stunning vistas
    Final Thoughts:

    Final Fantasy 16 is a fun, flashy fantasy RPG that's a little lighter on the RPG than its predecessors. With a seamless balance of player engagement and cinematic clashes, the world of Valisthea is vividly realised in all its medieval-inspired glory. Not to be bogged down by all those grey tones, however, 16 showcases some of the best visuals yet, with stunning vistas accompanied by a soaring soundtrack that hit the player right in the heart.
    For some, sadly, its hack 'n' slash gameplay is a far cry from the turn-based action of old, something that might disappoint the latter's more hardcore fans as the series sacrifices substance for style.

    For the full review and more posts like it, visit my site: https://thephoenixprjct.com
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  50. Jul 28, 2023
    5
    Un très beau final fantasy dans tout ce qu'il y a de graphique, technologie et une très bonne story comparé à l'opus précédent qui été vraiment bâclé. Cependant il manque quelque chose pour être un vrai ff. J'ai fais le jeu car grand fan de la licence et il m 'as couté cher mais comparé aux autres je ne le ferais qu'une seule fois.
  51. Jul 27, 2023
    9
    Beat the game few hours ago and these are my thoughts.

    Pros : - Best looking game this year so far, everything is extremely detailed and look great. - Mature storyline and dialogue, great voice acting from the cast as well. First time I choose to play in ENG VO - Awesome gameplay, if you like DMC gameplay then this is pretty much in your alley. I would say it's much more easier to
    Beat the game few hours ago and these are my thoughts.

    Pros :
    - Best looking game this year so far, everything is extremely detailed and look great.
    - Mature storyline and dialogue, great voice acting from the cast as well. First time I choose to play in ENG VO
    - Awesome gameplay, if you like DMC gameplay then this is pretty much in your alley. I would say it's much more easier to execute certain combos, parries than DMC5 itself.
    -The boss fights
    -The Music

    Cons :
    - Uninspired early side quests, but it gets slightly better towards the end game.
    - Some performances issue or maybe the PS5 is just not powerful enough to carry the game , framerate drop in gameplay/combat are barely noticeable.
    - Equipment upgrades / weapons are pretty much too simple. Not much RPG-ness to it.

    Closing statement :
    The good outweighs the bad at the end. I hope Yoshi P and his team would direct the next FF17 as we all could see the production value and passions that have been put into the game itself.

    If Yoshi P or any FF16 team member is reading this, Ignore the trolls. They can't recognize a good game even if it's in front of them. I hope you guys could make a DLC/Story expansion for Clive to give him the Geralt treatment in Blood & Wine.
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  52. Jul 27, 2023
    3
    Combat is decent but the game is a slog to get through thereafter. Progression is basic, traversal is slow/clunky, and the story is dull.
  53. Jul 27, 2023
    10
    35 hours into the game and I am still not done. Everything is peak. The boss fights, the stories, the combat system, the characters, I loved everything. The eikons are cool and overall this game is amazing. My favorite game right now. Def my pick for game of the year. I would fight people over that opinion.
  54. 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
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  55. Jul 27, 2023
    9
    Excellent title, phenomenal story, great combat, and a good cast. Well rounded final fantasy title.
  56. Jul 27, 2023
    10
    Final Fantasy 16 is an amazing game yet people seem to under appreciate the beauty of it. It has beautiful story, graphics, characters, and modernized combat system that could be a hit or miss for longtime fans of final fantasy. Not to mention the soundtrack is one of the best I have heard in a while. Although the cutscenes can be dragging, the game exemplifies that it's not about theFinal Fantasy 16 is an amazing game yet people seem to under appreciate the beauty of it. It has beautiful story, graphics, characters, and modernized combat system that could be a hit or miss for longtime fans of final fantasy. Not to mention the soundtrack is one of the best I have heard in a while. Although the cutscenes can be dragging, the game exemplifies that it's not about the gameplay that matters, but the cutscenes should also be delivered. I am at 25 hours of gameplay and although there are some minor flaws, I am enjoying every part of it. They included all the elements of final fantasy while adding simple mechanics and extensive storyline and gameplay. I can see why longtime fans might dislike this game but for me as playing ff series, (6,7,8,9,10,15) this game brings all of those elements together while removing complicated battle/item/weapon configs and adding stunning visuals, flashy moves, emotions, to mechanics. Probably my top 5 games of this year. Expand
  57. Jul 27, 2023
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. An incredibly well told story, fantastic characters, lots of heartfelt moments, great interaction between Clive and Jill and an ending that leaves me hooked and a little sad. The cutscenes are the best I've ever seen, the combat system is second to none, the esper fights are awesome, and most of the characters are damn well written. Some side quests aren't really good, but you're also missing out on real gems of the story if you ignore certain side quests. Just the quest Priceless, which is easy to miss if you don't check your mailbox regularly, touched me deeply and brought me to tears. I'm hoping for a DLC. Game of the year now. Expand
  58. Jul 27, 2023
    10
    Je baigne dans l'univers des FF depuis 1998 et j'ai grandi avec ces jeux. Ces "fans" qui parlent de "ce qui fait FF" n'ont rien compris à la série et vivent dans un passé révolu.

    FFXVI est une réussite. Le jeu n'est pas parfait, tout comme aucun autre FF ne l'est, même le vénéré FFVII a des défauts et ça en fait quand même un jeu super, pour remettre les choses en perspective. FFXVI
    Je baigne dans l'univers des FF depuis 1998 et j'ai grandi avec ces jeux. Ces "fans" qui parlent de "ce qui fait FF" n'ont rien compris à la série et vivent dans un passé révolu.

    FFXVI est une réussite. Le jeu n'est pas parfait, tout comme aucun autre FF ne l'est, même le vénéré FFVII a des défauts et ça en fait quand même un jeu super, pour remettre les choses en perspective.

    FFXVI est mature et s'adresse à un public large, mais aussi plus âgé que les anciens jeux. Il s'est modernisé dans son storytelling et ses graphismes. Il s'adresse aux adultes, est sombre, n'a pas pour vocation de censurer la noirceur de son histoire par le biais d'un style graphique daté ou des dialogues infantilisants ; ça en fait une force à mes yeux.

    Cela fait un peu plus d'une semaine que le jeu est sorti, je l'ai fini ce matin et il y a pour moi tous les éléments principaux d'un Final Fantasy réussi :
    - Des personnages attachants
    - Des musiques jonglant entre calme et grandeur épique, avec le thème des FF revenant régulièrement en leitmotiv
    - Des Primordiaux magnifiques et imposants, réellement terrifiants à l'échelle d'un humain seul
    - De la démesure dans les combats
    - Un héros humain qui ne se prétend pas dénué d'émotions pour être fort et convaincants
    - Les marques traditionnelles des FF dans les noms, terminologies et le bestiaire
    - Des monstres secondaires puissants à tuer juste pour la gloire
    - Un excellent storytelling pour une histoire épique, abordant un emblème des Final Fantasy sous un angle différent

    Un Final Fantasy réussi, donc.
    Rien à faire du tour par tour, ça n'a jamais été un critère, des jeux en tour par tour y'en a une palanquée en dehors des FF, et on peut pas réduire un jeu à ça. Les frustrés savent que c'est pas pour eux, mais ils restent, juste pour faire ouin-ouin alors qu'on savait des années avant la sortie qu'ils allaient être pas contents. Rendu là, on s'attend à rien.

    Cela dit, le jeu a quelques points négatifs quand même, pas ultra méchants mais qui peuvent baisser la note générale :
    - Les quêtes secondaires ont des animations digne d'une vieille PS3, on dirait des ports de FFXIV sur FFXVI avec des meilleurs graphismes presque.
    - Le système de craft est vraiment pas ouf, trop simpliste avec pas grand chose de personalisable, ni aucun intérêt à avoir des niveaux de rareté différents.
    - Les rouleaux d'orchestrion sont là juste pour qu'on use de nos gils, autrement on les dépense pas pour ainsi dire ; c'est dommage qu'il n'y ait rien de vraiment très important à acheter.

    Bref, pour moi c'est une réussite. Les points négatifs soulevés ne retirent rien à mon expérience de l'histoire et de la trame principale qui est époustouflante, prenant facilement une place dans mon top 3 des FF. Et mon Dieu, ces musiques, merci Soken !

    N'hésitez donc pas, si le jeu vous tente, foncez.
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  59. 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.
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  60. Jul 27, 2023
    10
    One of the best Final Fantasy . You have to embrace change, innovation and constant reinvention.
    This episode is a masterpiece, offering some of the strongest sequences and emotions of the last 10 years. Even its shortcomings become qualities: the lulls in the story and scenario are merely the pleasant paths leading to breathtaking climaxes, supported by incredible technique and OST.
    We
    One of the best Final Fantasy . You have to embrace change, innovation and constant reinvention.
    This episode is a masterpiece, offering some of the strongest sequences and emotions of the last 10 years. Even its shortcomings become qualities: the lulls in the story and scenario are merely the pleasant paths leading to breathtaking climaxes, supported by incredible technique and OST.
    We love the characters, we live with them, the script is elaborate and subtle, with a succession of betrayal, love, hatred and friendship.
    Thank you Naoki Yoshida, thank you Square Enix Creative Unit III, thank you Masayoshi Soken.
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  61. Jul 27, 2023
    3
    Such a poor entry, maybe worse than FFXV, I lasted longer there.

    It's a game of 'walk down narrow passage' see a room ahead. Know with 100% certainty that there is a damage sponge monster. Take fkn ages to down said, monster. Continue, another passage, another arena. Guess what damage sponge monster. Utterly devoid of ANY imagination. How can it be this derivative? Take a break
    Such a poor entry, maybe worse than FFXV, I lasted longer there.

    It's a game of 'walk down narrow passage' see a room ahead. Know with 100% certainty that there is a damage sponge monster. Take fkn ages to down said, monster. Continue, another passage, another arena. Guess what damage sponge monster. Utterly devoid of ANY imagination. How can it be this derivative?

    Take a break for a cup of tea, PS5 turns off, would you like to continue? Sure! Where did it save? BEFORE damage sponge monster. Swear, and turn off PS5. Sod this bag of ****

    They looked at souls likes and thought, that's what FF is all about! Lots of heavily scripted dodgy boss fights

    Last FF game for me, I'm out
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  62. Jul 27, 2023
    8
    It's a very good game, but it could have been better in my opinion, definitely not 10/10 overall, more like a solid 8/10

    The good: - The story and cutscenes are awesome - The Eikon bossfights are the most epic thing I have ever seen - Eikon skills are very fun and make you feel powerful - The combat is satisfying The bad: - Most side quests are incredibly boring fetch quests -
    It's a very good game, but it could have been better in my opinion, definitely not 10/10 overall, more like a solid 8/10

    The good:
    - The story and cutscenes are awesome
    - The Eikon bossfights are the most epic thing I have ever seen
    - Eikon skills are very fun and make you feel powerful
    - The combat is satisfying

    The bad:
    - Most side quests are incredibly boring fetch quests
    - Story can have rollercoasters, after an epic section there is usually a very boring "go around base and talk to 5 people" section
    - RPG elements are poorly implemented and feel unnecessary
    - Item and gear progression is linear, boring and doesn't enable any interesting builds
    - Performance and resolution is absolutely horrendous ( drops to 20-25 fps even in quality mode)
    - Exploring the smaller open areas is meaningless and unrewarding
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  63. Jul 27, 2023
    10
    Good game.Shame on those who **** on it,go play cyperpunk,Diablo 4,redfall,...instead ok
  64. Jul 26, 2023
    5
    FF16 had such a strong demo I was completely sold on the game. The story starts off strong and the combat seems to hold a lot of promise.

    Unfortunately, the pacing of the game is extremely inconsistent. The story will go through lows that I would consider completely unplayable for extended periods and I feel it gets weaker as it continues. The combat is fun and engaging until you unlock
    FF16 had such a strong demo I was completely sold on the game. The story starts off strong and the combat seems to hold a lot of promise.

    Unfortunately, the pacing of the game is extremely inconsistent. The story will go through lows that I would consider completely unplayable for extended periods and I feel it gets weaker as it continues. The combat is fun and engaging until you unlock most of the abilities and realize it doesn't change much and you're very much spamming square.

    The boss fights can be a sight to behold. Similar to the story I think the bosses lose steam in the second half.

    The best way I can describe this game is that it felt like separate teams made different parts of the game but didn't have anyone making sure there was consistency. If you're the kind of person that needs snappy pacing - this isn't for you. If you can ignore stretches of mediocrity for some great moments - by all means give it a shot.

    By the end of the game I was rushing to get it finished. I was complaining to my wife that I couldn't believe I spent 50 hours on this game and that it should have been between 20-30. When I checked my settings I was shocked to see I only spent 31 hours with this game. I've never had a game feel like it dragged on so much - even games double the size.
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  65. Jul 26, 2023
    3
    In order to appeal to the casual audience, Square-Enix has abandoned everything that made the FF franchise great. This is not a JRPG, it's barely even an RPG. It's more like Devil May Cry: Final Fantasy Edition.
    If you want party management, exploration, turn-based combat, etc., I recommend Octopath Traveler 2. If you want bombastic QTE button-mashing boss battles, I guess that's what
    In order to appeal to the casual audience, Square-Enix has abandoned everything that made the FF franchise great. This is not a JRPG, it's barely even an RPG. It's more like Devil May Cry: Final Fantasy Edition.
    If you want party management, exploration, turn-based combat, etc., I recommend Octopath Traveler 2. If you want bombastic QTE button-mashing boss battles, I guess that's what Final Fantasy is now.
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  66. Jul 26, 2023
    10
    Summons, magic spells, intriguing protagonists and characters, antagonists with backstories explained or you can deduce on your own, these are the aspects that make me love many fictional franchises, and Final fantasy is definitely one of them.
  67. Jul 26, 2023
    10
    One of the most breathtaking games in years. In multiple occasions I found myself laughing not because anything funny had happened, but simply because of how glorious many of the battles and scenes were.

    The over-the-top insane battles rival any in Naruto or DBZ. The battle system closely resembles that of Devil May Cry and feels responsive and tight, although a little more
    One of the most breathtaking games in years. In multiple occasions I found myself laughing not because anything funny had happened, but simply because of how glorious many of the battles and scenes were.

    The over-the-top insane battles rival any in Naruto or DBZ. The battle system closely resembles that of Devil May Cry and feels responsive and tight, although a little more customization options for abilities and equipment towards the end wouldn't have hurt.

    Story is Final Fantasy alright, at one point you feel like you know where it's going but then yeah... it was good.

    Graphics: absolutely stunning, really pushing PS5 to its limits and I'm sure could be even better once the PC release gets out.

    The soundtrack, voice acting and cinematography is some of the best in gaming to date. The music is banger throughout and is masterfully arranged and synced to fit each scene. The darker setting and more mature themes complimented the atmosphere and depth of the world without feeling forced.

    The characters had personality and seemed to have real motivations and values with quality voice acting and animation really bringing them alive

    The difficulty with the initially available options felt slightly too easy, but then you can always play for example without using potions if you want more of a challenge right away.

    Sure, many of the side quests were simple fetch/kill quests, but they also contributed to the world building and atmosphere and eventually tied together nicely with the overall plot of the game.

    There are some flaws like in any game and the genre/style isn't for everyone, but for me the highest of highs in this game were so far beyond anything I've experienced in years that I can overlook some of the flaws and the overall experience was worth 10/10.
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  68. Jul 26, 2023
    1
    Long time Final Fantasy fan starting with the Ps1era and played the older games as well. This is easily the most disappointing mainline release. The only real strong points are graphics and music. But the heart and soul of past games for me was story telling. Which this game fails horribly. Trope heavy with non of the lovable characters or world. Dark and edgy like trying too hard toLong time Final Fantasy fan starting with the Ps1era and played the older games as well. This is easily the most disappointing mainline release. The only real strong points are graphics and music. But the heart and soul of past games for me was story telling. Which this game fails horribly. Trope heavy with non of the lovable characters or world. Dark and edgy like trying too hard to appeal to a new audience at the cost of leaving older fans behind. Made worst by the games devs encouraging hateful trolls to defend the game. Making taking part of the community that much harder as they make it clear certain groups of people aren't welcomed to be part of their "new" community. Which for me is the most heart breaking aspect of xvi. Expand
  69. Jul 26, 2023
    8
    Absolutely love this game! Finished my 1st play through and IMMEDIATELY began a New Game+. Would be a 10 if Frame Rate Mode was more stable and had support for 120Hz displays.
  70. Jul 26, 2023
    4
    Wow i was very hyped of this because i thought yoshida is the god of final fantasy. But XVI is bad, even XV and FF13 is now better in my eyes. Where is the RPG in this Game everything feels fake.
  71. Jul 26, 2023
    1
    No exploration and no difficulty.
    I stopped playing after 15 hours.
    It's the first final fantasy that I will not finish.
  72. Jul 26, 2023
    9
    Final Fantasy XVI is my first game in the Final Fantasy series.
    What I liked:
    1. Interesting characters. 2. Well developed lore of the game. 3. Beautiful locations. 4. Interesting combat system. 5. Boss battles. 6. Some storyline secondary quests are very even interesting. 7. Music. 8. A system for tracking events that occur in the game. 9. You can pet a dog and ride a chocobo.
    Final Fantasy XVI is my first game in the Final Fantasy series.
    What I liked:
    1. Interesting characters.
    2. Well developed lore of the game.
    3. Beautiful locations.
    4. Interesting combat system.
    5. Boss battles.
    6. Some storyline secondary quests are very even interesting.
    7. Music.
    8. A system for tracking events that occur in the game.
    9. You can pet a dog and ride a chocobo.
    10. A dashingly twisted plot.
    11. There is a demo version and from it you can transfer progress.
    12. There are great rings for players who are new to this kind of game.
    What I didn't like:
    1. 60% of all side quests are extremely primitive.
    2. The animation of characters in dialogs is outdated.
    3. Linearity of the narrative.
    4. Little iteractivity when interacting with the environment.
    5. There are no bears in the game and you can't interact with them.

    9 points out of 10
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  73. Jul 26, 2023
    8
    +Plot has a very interesting setup dealing with multiple factions.
    +Clive is a great protagonist.
    +OST is fantastic with some excellent tracks that will rank up there with some of the best. +Loads of content and tons of towns thrown in which is something the series hasn’t done in a long time. It has a great feeling of an epic scale. + Eikon battles are fantastic. + Fun combat with
    +Plot has a very interesting setup dealing with multiple factions.
    +Clive is a great protagonist.
    +OST is fantastic with some excellent tracks that will rank up there with some of the best.
    +Loads of content and tons of towns thrown in which is something the series hasn’t done in a long time. It has a great feeling of an epic scale.
    + Eikon battles are fantastic.
    + Fun combat with some interesting ability combinations.

    - RPG elements are lacking.
    - Combat, while fun does feel very damage spongey and seems to lack a few things that would turn it into a great combat system, such as heavy-hitting attacks. Combat becomes very button mashy while your abilities cool down.
    - The story, while interesting, does feel very disorienting and it becomes convoluted near the end.
    - One of the weaker main villains in the series that is known for having great villains.

    This was a hard game to review. On the one hand, it has fantastic world-building and a great setup. Great characters, music, and the gameplay, while a tad bit shallow and severely lacking in RPG elements was a good time. The combat can be a bit spongey, but I did enjoy it regardless. The story, while starting off extremely strong, does delve into a weird plot twist that feels a bit out of place and the main villain isn’t as strong as say Sephiroth, Kefka, or Kuja. It does have some emotional hard-hitting moments and the voice cast does a fantastic job in their roles and Clive is a great protagonist.

    I feel that while it does have some missteps, I did enjoy my time with this game. It played well, and while the combat boils down to pretty much button mashing until you can use an ability and then you wait for a cooldown to use it again, it was entertaining enough, despite the combat being a bit spongey, especially near the end on some of the bosses.

    If you like Final Fantasy and enjoyed XV or VII: Remake you’ll probably like this a lot. I’d still recommend trying it if you’re a fan of the series but while the missteps do prevent it from being in my top five of the series, I still enjoyed my time with it and I do recommend it.
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  74. Jul 26, 2023
    10
    Final thought now that I am 3/4 of the game, against the last kingdom.
    It has a better soundtrack than nier automata. The music in the eikon fights is blended perfectly and the scenes are just epic. The combat gets a little confusing because of the attack effects that distract you, but it adds difficulty. Yoshi p truly demostrated how video games are art too. If this is not game of the
    Final thought now that I am 3/4 of the game, against the last kingdom.
    It has a better soundtrack than nier automata. The music in the eikon fights is blended perfectly and the scenes are just epic. The combat gets a little confusing because of the attack effects that distract you, but it adds difficulty. Yoshi p truly demostrated how video games are art too. If this is not game of the year, than I dont know what is, can you tell me? Jaja. My favorite soundtrack is the twinside rooftop, both desert themes, and oracelle. Thank you square enix
    Another review update third and final: OMG, it is a 10!
    Cant believe i am going to say this, but the story is so much better than nier automata, maybe even better than legacy of kain. YOU WONT BE DISSAPOINTED! THANK GOD I AM LIVING TO WITNESS SUCH AN AMAZING GAME.

    The eikons fight get better and better, the combat overall gets more difficult as the game progresses.

    The story is not predictable as some have said in the reviews. Can believe most kids are playing fortnite, please buy this game. 10 out of 10. I am in half of the game, and it will get so much better i am sure. Second review:
    Review update to clarify some comments i have seen against the game:

    Story being slow paced: did harry potter movies were always fast paced? Lol? Is called building up the story, characters etc. And final fantasy 16 did a good job at that.

    Predictable story: i admit that when clive was about to being killed at times, it was predictable that he was going to be saved. But is obvious that will happen, he is the main character! They never die unless context is given for his death. (Something the last of us 2 failed to do).

    Not the same as other ff games: i have been checking out the scores of other past ff games, and the only that is well received is final fantasy 9. So is not true that ff 16 is bad when compared to other ff games. However i do admit a change is never well received by others (zelda becoming open world and no more good history, i will never play it again)
    So ff16 being different should affect someone depending on how much of a fan he is to the series. I never played a ff game before, but i have played nier and dmc 3, and ff16 is similar in gameplay.

    No open world: is up to you to decide, i personally hate them because i am fan of games with a history and character development, good voice acting, and music. I dont have time to explore every inch of a map.

    Side missions being boring: at first yes, but once you reach the capital the side missions get more sad and add context to the story and how people are mistreated.

    Score is a solid 9. Is way more elaborated than those recent crappy zelda games, i promise you that.

    9 out of 10, not less than 8 Buy it! Support yoshi p, he and yoko taro are what keeps the game industry alive!

    First review:
    Played the demo and have NEVER played a final fantasy game before. First, the writing, narratives, and cinematics are wow, awesome, best i have ever seen in any video game i have played. The gameplay seems simple though, problaby repetitive, and the enemies are easy to kill. The music is wow, awesome. Will not better than nier automata, but is very nice.

    The plot is very interesting, but too pretentious for my taste.

    Mmmm idk, i give it a 8. It costs 70 dollars, but botw costs 70 dollars too and it is the same game lol. Mmmm if you have a good surround system and tv then yea buy it!. Else just watch it on youtube. But again i played the demo, maybe the game picks up better in gameplay and enemy difficulty after the demo?

    I will buy it.
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  75. Jul 26, 2023
    9
    Mon commentaire passera sûrement entre les autres, mais merci pour ce jeu magnifique. Quelle histoire !
  76. Jul 26, 2023
    10
    Possibly my favorite Final Fantasy game so far! Excellent dramatic arc, incredible graphics and animations, awesome gameplay, and a truly superb story!
  77. Jul 26, 2023
    5
    What happens to Final Fantasy?

    Since FF10 I wonder what Square is doing with its license. FF6,7,8,9 were masterpieces. The 13 very average but I had fun but the 15 and 16 looks like discount games for the series. The 15 had at least the merit of having great music and a good design chara. The 16 fails almost everywhere, an agreed scenario try to be inspired by Game of Thrones.
    What happens to Final Fantasy?

    Since FF10 I wonder what Square is doing with its license. FF6,7,8,9 were masterpieces. The 13 very average but I had fun but the 15 and 16 looks like discount games for the series.

    The 15 had at least the merit of having great music and a good design chara.

    The 16 fails almost everywhere, an agreed scenario try to be inspired by Game of Thrones. Music sometimes good but forgettable. A gameplay without depth and easy, not subtle and stupid. No alterations of states, no reflection to have. A false side rpg used to hide a linear path that makes us go from scene to scene. (well realized, we must recognize it).

    The side quests are catastrophic, the pnjs are despicable because they look like robots without souls. The chara-design is infamous, Clive is the worst main character of a Final Fantasy, his outfit is disgusting, it looks like Castlevania.

    Apart from the scenes of great shows, I found this game very poor playfully.

    I have a lot of hope with FF7 Rebirth because I loved the remake, please go in this direction for your future games. The fighting system was perfect, as was the story and the characters.
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  78. Jul 26, 2023
    9
    Great game the combat is fluid flexible and engaging. The characters are endearing even side characters which I often don’t care for in games managed to make me cry. This is really an emotional narrative experience with great boss battles.

    If you have an open mind for new experiences this is a great game, but if you have a closed mind experience and expect games to fulfill what others
    Great game the combat is fluid flexible and engaging. The characters are endearing even side characters which I often don’t care for in games managed to make me cry. This is really an emotional narrative experience with great boss battles.

    If you have an open mind for new experiences this is a great game, but if you have a closed mind experience and expect games to fulfill what others have you are looking in the wrong place no game can replace another.

    The only negative I would say is that the exploration isn’t really here to provide a meaningful gaming experience it only serves to get from point A to B and places to hold hunts/side quests. That said the series has never had a strong exploration aspect, and I go look for that in other games where exploration is the main aspect of the experience.

    I never play once game wishing it could fulfill all aspects of gaming and no one should either. You are just setting yourself up for disappointment and will be unable to enjoy anything.
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  79. Jul 26, 2023
    10
    Such a great story ! I lone this game so much! .
  80. Jul 26, 2023
    0
    The worst Final Fantasy ever, slow, boring and with characters without character and sympathy. Unattractive plot and with a repetitive and unoriginal combat system worse than any hack and slash. Beautiful only the graphics even if not very fluid.
  81. Jul 26, 2023
    9
    FF16 is up there with FF9 and FF14 as one of my favorite games in the series. The story is exciting, emotional, and engaging. It has the darkest tone of any FF game without being depressing and I love it. The spectacle and bombast definitely balances it out and it isn't like a FromSoft game where you're alone with your thoughts and don't see people for hours (still love those games). TheFF16 is up there with FF9 and FF14 as one of my favorite games in the series. The story is exciting, emotional, and engaging. It has the darkest tone of any FF game without being depressing and I love it. The spectacle and bombast definitely balances it out and it isn't like a FromSoft game where you're alone with your thoughts and don't see people for hours (still love those games). The voice acting elevates the many different emotions you'll feel while playing.
    The combat is fun to experiment with and has more depth than you realize. As someone who plays a lot of DMC 5, I wish the game didn't hold back for the sake of casual audiences and people used to turn based. It just needs a couple more melee combos and increased base difficulty. I still had the time of my life regardless, especially in the late game.
    Level design is linear, which isn't bad, sometimes i prefer linear games, but it could do with better exploration rewards for the more open areas.
    The music has some of Soken's best tracks. In a series that had Uematsu for so long, Soken has made some of the best songs in the series. My favorites are Ascension, the Eikon Boss Theme, and Titan Lost.

    TLDR: Nearly perfect. With the positives greatly outweighing the negatives, a great blend of traditional and experimental Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy XVI ranks highly in the series and compares well to FFX quality wise.
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  82. Jul 26, 2023
    10
    The game has amazing story
    Amazing characters
    Amazing gameplay
    Amazing music
  83. Jul 2, 2023
    10
    Es un juego maravilloso, muy bella su historia y su jugabilidad es muy cómoda, el rendimiento es de mejorar, pero su historia es atrapante y nunca decae, se mantiene interesante en todo momento, la pasé excelente jugando esta obra maestra, gracias por este maravilloso título. Para mi el goty de este año de lejos.
  84. Jul 25, 2023
    10
    Don’t listen to the nerds wallowing it’s not turn based, this game is a masterpiece and is the best story focused game I’ve played in years. Combat is fun and keeps giving you new abilities throughout the entire game to keep things fresh. Only complaint is that the side quests could be better. This is probably the best ps5 only game on the console right now, please do yourself a favor andDon’t listen to the nerds wallowing it’s not turn based, this game is a masterpiece and is the best story focused game I’ve played in years. Combat is fun and keeps giving you new abilities throughout the entire game to keep things fresh. Only complaint is that the side quests could be better. This is probably the best ps5 only game on the console right now, please do yourself a favor and grab this game. Expand
  85. Jul 25, 2023
    7
    Disappointing Story, Fun combat but lacks identity and depth, forgettable characters, MMO side quests.

    Story: The most generic story I've seen in a video game in some time. You could literally predict the entire outcome very early in the game. I did like the mix up by making the bigger fights radically stupid and anime in that you're literally just recreating DBZ or KLK or other
    Disappointing Story, Fun combat but lacks identity and depth, forgettable characters, MMO side quests.

    Story:
    The most generic story I've seen in a video game in some time. You could literally predict the entire outcome very early in the game.

    I did like the mix up by making the bigger fights radically stupid and anime in that you're literally just recreating DBZ or KLK or other Shonen fighting moments, but in a setting that has such a realism style to it, it feels weird jarring and extremely out of place even though I overall enjoyed it as a shake up.

    The actual story itself though was full of forgettable characters, many poor voice acting performances, and nothing to remember or rave to your friends about. The only incredible voice performance was Cid and Benedikta, the rest were very average to poor.

    One of the most important character's to the story and the main love interest Jill is the most wet blanket female MC in a long time. I absolutely hate that any and all women in video games MUST be one of two things, either absolutely useless wet blanket personality or Mario Movie Princess Peach and can literally save the world by herself because she's a super OP Mary Sue. Benedikta again had more personality and I wanted to learn more about her than I did Jill. A better voice acting performance might have helped save her character some, but she has again the most generic backstory, she gets captured, spoilered, and she's otherwise just quiet and a non-character for most of the story. She is only there to bang the MC and give up the ghost to aid his suicidal quest to stop god. No "I'll fight to the death with you" nope, with the exception of like two scenes she's just as useful as Gav the scout that get's caught and half blinded in combat. What could have been a really good potential lead character was just another pixie dream girl following a suicidal loner "I must do it all, I'm special, I'm the only one who can do it" main character.

    Gameplay:
    While the combat is by far the best and most standout feature of this game, it still feels like it heavily lacks identity and that they couldn't make decisions while developing if they wanted the game to be a serious hardcore combat game or made simple to appeal to the masses of casuals. It has this weird in-between where there are some advanced mechanics, but they are clunky at best.

    Some of the core highest damaging moves that you get at the end of the game and are meant to combo into require the most awkward inputs of all time. You have to press and hold the attack button down to do one for example, but you must also first make sure your Eikon ability is toggled on, and then the hold down duration is changed by your other hold down button skill. It is the most awkward terrible keybinding of all time for what is supposed to be the ultimate strongest ability in the entire game.

    Additionally, you only get to assign 3 of the 7 eikons you unlock, removing 99% of the customization and creativity of the game. Why give us 4 abilities per eikon if you're only going to let us use 6 of them total? That is 22 cool and unique abilities you can't use ever. The combat in this game could have just gone the Devil May Cry direction and been very advanced with a toggle for simplicty making it extremely fun, or let you cycle all eikons for a blast but they instead just decided to let you use almost none of it. I get they probably decided they wanted some but not a lot of depth to fit somewhere in the middle but it just feels like the combat designers had ADHD and half implemented things rather than making up their mind one way or the other. It would have been better to give us less ability options if they were going to so severely limit us after overloading us with cool stuff.

    An example of this poorly designed middle system where they couldn't make up their mind was air combat. They give you a double jump, eikon powers to get you in the air, and air attacks and skills, but you fall at the speed of light making air combos really irritating to perform. The air attack itself is only a 3 hit combo which if you perform it, because the endlag of the last swing is so long, you drop to the ground like a brick right after with no option to maintain your height without eikon abilities or wasting both of your extra jumps just to get one extra attack before falling to the ground. It is single handedly the worst designed air combat I've seen in any combat focused game.

    Additionally, your 5 hit basic ground attack combo, NEVER CHANGES. The ENTIRE game your primary attack combo remains the exact same with the only variation to that being when you limit break. I don't understand what in their right mind didn't think to give us a main combo enhancement, change up, or even just adding a tiny bit more to the main combo. It's so boring seeing the same attacks the entire game. At least have multiple animations for the same combo.

    I'd say more but I'm out of characte
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  86. Jul 25, 2023
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The combination of using all of the eikons during the final phases of the fight is peak video gaming experience. The visuals are stunning in this game. Expand
  87. Jul 25, 2023
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I really enjoyed this game. The fighting was a bit repetitive at first but when you start getting new eikons, it really starts to shine. The best part however was the story. I was really invested in it. There was some characters that I adored and some that I truly loathed like very few before ( looking at you there mother!) Overall a very good game with just a few long bits at the begining. Expand
  88. Jul 25, 2023
    8
    Good:
    -Story
    -Combat Abilities -Music -Epic Boss fights Bad: -Enemies are to spongy the normal ones the bosses are fine with their health I don't like the stagger system I think it would be more enjoyable not to hold out all of your abilities just to shoot it to an unmoving target -The game peaks at the 3rd. to last boss fight and i don't think its achieves its high ever again
    Good:
    -Story
    -Combat Abilities
    -Music
    -Epic Boss fights

    Bad:
    -Enemies are to spongy the normal ones the bosses are fine with their health I don't like the stagger system I think it would be more enjoyable not to hold out all of your abilities just to shoot it to an unmoving target
    -The game peaks at the 3rd. to last boss fight and i don't think its achieves its high ever again making the end of the game feel kinda less epic
    -No exiting loot u cannot get gear just resources
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  89. Jul 25, 2023
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is genuinely the best game i've ever played. The experience was unreal, it made you feel every emotion possible. first off the story, its done perfectly. the pacing is great(granted you do some side-quests lol) and a it never gets boring and every time you stop playing it leaves you itching to play more and continue the stellar story
    next the side-quests. they are some of the best side-quests i've ever seen. often side-quests just become grindy and they never have much depth but those issues aren't here.
    the quests are beautiful, happy, sad, impactful, and most importantly it doesn't feel like a completely different game from the story when you do them. it blends together so well and you actually feel like the things you do make an impact on the characters and people of the game and the amount of dialogue random Npcs have is pretty incredible. their just fun to do as well, and the rewards you get are great like various upgrades or one where at the end of a side quest line you get the best sword in the game (not counting new game+ gear) so i definitely recommend doing them.
    next the music. Jesus christ someone went hard with these. its some of the best **** ive heard in my life and when i finished the game i literally saved like 25 songs to my personal playlist so that should give you a good idea on how good the music is. As for the ending song it will make you **** cry and feel hopeful at the same damn time.
    next is combat.
    now for older and newer ff fans no it is not turn based
    however it seems like its a little harder to make turn based work in modern games( excluding persona)
    i just don't think it would work here with this game and turn based isn't nearly as popular as it once was
    it just doesn't seem like what a-lot of modern players want
    turn based fanatics can go on about turn based is better or it fits more or it takes way more skill or blah blah games aren't about being good at it or about the game being insanely difficult its about having a fun beautiful experience and this has that in spades.
    to keep it kinda short the combat is **** awesome and epic. the combos you can pull of are satisfying and i adore the eikon powers and i'm betting and hoping you will too.
    dodging feels satisfying landing strong attacks feels satisfying and its just all around super fun
    it never gets boring either, certainly didn't for me.
    the boss fights are....this game has the best boss fights of anything ever
    towards the ending i got so excited about fighting the final boss i was **** up quick time events cause i was so excited and **** and i accidentally pressed a bunch of wrong buttons. (yes it has quicktime events however they arent annoying and were actually very satisfying to pull off)
    it helps that they are paired with the most godly music you'll ever hear so..yeah.
    they are satisfying and so damn fun to fight and its also an insane spectacle cause this games graphics are **** unreal. i took so many screenshots throughout the game cause it looks too good and idk how they did this but they did and its perfect.

    now we get to characters
    holy hell where to start... how about with clive our main guy.
    hes such a good main character youll find yourself loving his interactions and personality from the start.
    he actually shows emotion too like hell cry and laugh. albiet not a loud one but he will chuckle and smile frequently and he's very logical cause sometimes you'll find yourself saying his exact line before he can.
    every other character is like this too. you'll feel for them you'll love them you'll be happy and sad for them
    Clive certainly wont outshine everyone by a wide margin, in fact you may find yourself loving other characters more than him and i certainly wouldnt blame you for that.

    for example and lets just use one cause this is **** long enough already

    Cid
    from the first line you can tell **** i'm gonna love this guy"
    and you'll be right
    everything about him, his character his humor his voice his beliefs and his interactions with other characters is done flawlessly.
    the only complaint is i want more with him but wanting more isnt really a good complaint is it
    i think it give you plenty especially since his death elevates the story

    now cid is not in the game for too long
    he dies after the first 25% of the story buut the impact he makes on the characters the world the story, to Clive and most importantly to you, is incredible.
    you just have to play it to understand

    now for the ending
    now i may have put spoilers but i will never spoil an entire ending but this had me **** crying and it was just so beautiful, the perfect ending to this game and probably anything ever.
    the songs that play at the end are literally some of the best songs you'll ever hear and the end of the story will change you.

    so thats my review
    go play this game RN
    its worth every damn penny
    just take your time and have fun with it and you wont be sorry

    ps i ain't a professional critic.
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  90. Jul 25, 2023
    0
    The game wouldn't bad if it weren't for that awful off-center camera. Character needs to be in the center of the screen.
  91. Jul 25, 2023
    10
    GOTY DEL AÑO,JUEGAZO,El FF tiene q ser el goty del año,si lo gana cualquier otra empresa ha sido con maletines negros como el tlu2 o cuando salio el FFX q se lo dieron al puto san andreas,menudo juego de mierda de disparitos y drojas,bazofia,¡Final Fantasy es la mejor saga de videojuegos de la historia!
  92. Jul 25, 2023
    10
    Stunning cutscenes, epic story and fun gameplay! This game is fantastic. Masterpiece.
  93. Jul 25, 2023
    7
    Decent story tempered by bland, repetitive side quests. Doesn't really feel like a Final Fantasy game, more like an homage to one, just shoehorning in some of the names and enemies. Engine is excellent and sadly the only real glitch I had was it hanging during one of the final battles of the game (probably 10 minutes into the fight) . If this is the last numbered FF game it'll be a realDecent story tempered by bland, repetitive side quests. Doesn't really feel like a Final Fantasy game, more like an homage to one, just shoehorning in some of the names and enemies. Engine is excellent and sadly the only real glitch I had was it hanging during one of the final battles of the game (probably 10 minutes into the fight) . If this is the last numbered FF game it'll be a real shame as this is the most mediocre one I can remember since one of the bland FF11 games or FF10-2. Expand
  94. Jul 25, 2023
    0
    A última vez que fiquei tão no hype com um jogo na vida foi com GTA V, em 2013, e FFXVI não decepcionou nem um pouco. Eu terminei o FFVIIR no final de 2022 e me deu uma leve empolgada com Final Fantasy, até então uma franquia desconhecida pra mim. Resolvi pegar o XVI por conta dos trailers e, principalmente, depois de ler mais sobre a lore. Acabei comprado na pré-venda.

    O hype era tanto
    A última vez que fiquei tão no hype com um jogo na vida foi com GTA V, em 2013, e FFXVI não decepcionou nem um pouco. Eu terminei o FFVIIR no final de 2022 e me deu uma leve empolgada com Final Fantasy, até então uma franquia desconhecida pra mim. Resolvi pegar o XVI por conta dos trailers e, principalmente, depois de ler mais sobre a lore. Acabei comprado na pré-venda.

    O hype era tanto que joguei o IV, V e VI (ainda preciso terminar) pelo Pixel Remaster e rapidamente me apaixonei pela franquia.

    O XVI é diferente de tudo, muito mais puxado para a ação, mas o que realmente me fez apaixonar pelo jogo é a forma que tudo aqui é extremamente linear. Eu sei que hoje em dia isso é um ponto negativo, mas pra mim é onde o jogo realmente triunfa. Eu não quero coletar coisas inúteis, não quero matar 9999 inimigos aleatórios para uma quest, não quero ter que explorar um mapa apenas por explorar. Esse jogo me lembra muito os jogos da era do PS2: somente jogue e se divirta da maneira que desenhamos o jogo - e tudo funciona muito bem! A lore do jogo é um ESPETÁCULO, o sistema de combate é muito bom (tanto para casuais quanto pros mais tryhard), os visuais são lindos e a música é simplesmente fantástica. Até agora é o GOTY para mim. Achava impossível que esse jogo fosse alcançar o hype que eu tava, mas ele superou em tudo. Pela primeira vez em anos eu fiz 100% (main e sidequest + hunts) de um jogo, isso diz muito. As únicas coisas negativas são o modo desempenho não cravar 60fps e as side-quests que, em alguns casos, são muito “pega isso e entrega ali” - mas mesmo assim, as histórias por trás das sidequests valem muito a pena (tanto que fiz todas e enriquecem muito a lore).

    Já estou vivendo numa depressão pós-FFXVI, que venham DLCs em Valisthea.
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  95. Jul 25, 2023
    5
    E niente ci ho provato ma alla fine la noia ha vinto e l'ho abbandonato a metà... Le missioni sono quanto di più piatto e ridicolo abbia trovato in un videogioco e il sistema di combattimento è solo un pigiare bottoni a più non posso, non capisco come facciano a dire che è divertentissimo, queste persone hanno mai giocato ad un Souls like? Peccato per la pessima deriva presa dalla saga cheE niente ci ho provato ma alla fine la noia ha vinto e l'ho abbandonato a metà... Le missioni sono quanto di più piatto e ridicolo abbia trovato in un videogioco e il sistema di combattimento è solo un pigiare bottoni a più non posso, non capisco come facciano a dire che è divertentissimo, queste persone hanno mai giocato ad un Souls like? Peccato per la pessima deriva presa dalla saga che ormai è completamente diversa dai capitoli che me ne hanno fatto innamorare. Credo che dopo 25 anni sia ora di mettere una pietra sopra a Finale Fantasy, molto meglio le produzioni occidentali. Expand
  96. Jul 25, 2023
    10
    FF16 is a masterpiece. Beautiful graphics, excellent soundtrack, and one hell of a satisfying combat system. I fell in love with not just the main cast of characters but even the side characters. The world building is complex and yet easy to understand with the Active Time Lore and side quests (later chapters) that will add to the world. Finally, this game has spectacle and some of theFF16 is a masterpiece. Beautiful graphics, excellent soundtrack, and one hell of a satisfying combat system. I fell in love with not just the main cast of characters but even the side characters. The world building is complex and yet easy to understand with the Active Time Lore and side quests (later chapters) that will add to the world. Finally, this game has spectacle and some of the most memorable scenes in all of gaming! Even with some shortcomings, the positives completely outweighs the negatives in all aspects. What an incredible experience! Expand
  97. Jul 25, 2023
    10
    Good mega cool perfect best nice super ultra beyond the human mind. 10/10 its good
  98. Jul 25, 2023
    6
    Story and music are great but gameplay lack what made FF series unique.

    - Elemental weakness/absorption went missing , casting fire on bombs = casting blizzard on bombs

    - No status effect , bad breath from malboro = fire breath from drake type enemies

    + Eikon battles are great and probably the best of all FFs
  99. Jul 25, 2023
    8
    As a big Final Fantasy fan, I was really looking forward to the new game. I have here after 90h (currently I am at the end of Final Fantasy mode) my plus and negative points recorded.

    Positives: - great characters, well developed - extremely strong story ( had once briefly cried, as a man ) - Next gen graphics, the best water I have seen - wonderful soundtrack, simply Final Fantasy!
    As a big Final Fantasy fan, I was really looking forward to the new game. I have here after 90h (currently I am at the end of Final Fantasy mode) my plus and negative points recorded.

    Positives:
    - great characters, well developed
    - extremely strong story ( had once briefly cried, as a man )
    - Next gen graphics, the best water I have seen
    - wonderful soundtrack, simply Final Fantasy!
    - great atmosphere
    - good balance between action and story
    - Esper fights
    - fighting style is fun and brings variation

    negatives:
    - too short
    - side quests partly annoying and too much
    - no real minigames, puzzles, challenges
    - too easy difficulty level
    - very linear, exploring the world is not worth it
    - the crafting system is unfortunately pointless and monotonous
    - a bit too many cutscenes

    I give it an 8.4 out of 10!
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  100. Jul 24, 2023
    10
    I love this game so much! Unexpectedly its my favourite game of the year so far
Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 146 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. 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. 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.
  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]