Final Fantasy XVI Review

Sixteen entries (and a bounty of spin-offs and movies) in and players are still enamored by the Final Fantasy franchise. Titles like Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy X, and much earlier pixelated iterations have gone down as classics that fans constantly clamour about. The question is, can Square’s latest foray into a disconnected series brimming with crystals and characters named Cid stand up to its predecessors? It’s a tricky question to answer because, in some ways, Final Fantasy XVI holds its own and will be revered for years to come. In other ways, though, it falls flat, sometimes veering into awfully-written soap opera drama.

While one can compare narrative design and the like of early Final Fantasy games to XVI, that’s where the similarities primarily stop. Square went in a new direction for XVI, setting aside the cartoonish whimsy that often pops in with characters like Cait Sith and replacing it with a heavy, melodramatic experience. It’s Final Fantasy as we’ve never seen—mature, brutal, and delivered with a hint of Devil May Cry.

Eikons May Cry: A New Direction for Final Fantasy

There’s a lot to discuss when it comes to Final Fantasy XVI, but there are two core elements that will make or break the game for you. First and foremost, Square swapped out all semblance of turn-based combat and took a cue from Capcom. The game’s protagonist, a brooding flawed hero named Clive Rosfield, is less pulled from a land of vibrant fantasy and more dropped from the most depressing moments of Game of Thrones. And with what Square aimed to achieve, he’s the perfect fit for the world of Valisthea.

According to Final Fantasy XVI’s developers, HBO’s hit series was a big inspiration, and it’s evident in the world-building and less so in how some of the characters are treated. Before getting to the meat of the title, it’s worth noting that Final Fantasy XVI completely sidelined the bulk of its female cast. Outside of how this can (and has been) perceived, one of the bigger issues is that much of the cast winds up feeling like a throwaway, and the only character we should care for is Clive.

This highlights the game’s weakest point—its story. Ultimately a tale of revenge and then redemption and then salvation, Final Fantasy XVI hits a lot of mundane notes and doesn’t quite do enough with its world or offer a significant payoff. The story revolves around Clive, first on his quest to locate the murderer responsible for his brother’s death, but as with any Final Fantasy game, things branch off and get a little more complicated. Clive is a fine enough character, but definitely, a far cry from what Clouds and Tidus’ Square has produced. If there’s one thing Clive does have over earlier Final Fantasy heroes, it’s how he handles himself on the battlefield.

Action-Packed Swordplay…

Along with its surprising Mature rating—and the swearing and partial nudity that comes with that—Final Fantasy XVI featured a completely revamped combat system. That can be a terrifying thing for any Final Fantasy fan to hear, but it is, by far, the best thing about the game. And we’re not talking about “best of the worst” elements. It’s very well executed and designed in such a way that it can’t be a “just press the attack button” simulator.

Clive is a beast with his blade, which players can upgrade throughout the game as expected, but players will need to master a range of combat techniques, from fiery spells to defensive abilities, to take on new and familiar Final Fantasy foes. Many of Clive’s techniques are imbued upon him by Eikons or Final Fantasy XVI’s summons. The Eikons are integral not only to the combat but also to the story as it’s the Eikon Ifrit that Clive is so angrily after.

As if the strategic swordplay wasn’t thrilling enough, pulling out an Eikon ability, like Ramuh’s time-slowing lightning attack, energizes the game’s combat. You’ll toss potions at Clive and get caught in lengthy duals with impossibly-durable health bars, so there’s still some essence of Final Fantasy for legacy fans. The new combat design is a breath of fresh air and shows that the series doesn’t need to follow close to the original formula.

And it really doesn’t in many ways. There are RPG elements basically pulled from the same bag so many copy-and-paste RPG games pull from. The focus on action kind of pushed aside role-playing, so don’t expect to do much more than upgrade weapons and gear. Elemental weaknesses and status effects are completely gone, which kind of feels wrong for a Final Fantasy game. But Final Fantasy XVI has another trick up its sleeve to bring itself into a whole new category for the series.

… And Kaiju?

Not only do the Eikon empower Clive, but they also enhance the combat by actually taking to the battlefield. Throughout the game, Clive and his party will come across antagonistic Eikon and Dominants, or characters that essentially control these powerful elementals. In most of these encounters, the game shifts from its fast-paced swordplay to monster vs. monster brawls. Players will primarily control Ifrit during these battles to duke it out against classics like Bahamut and Titan. While the Eikon fights start a little too simplistic and on the rails, they eventually open up, giving you more control over the behemoth.

For all of the faults in the game’s story, the combat makes up for it. That’s a rarity, as one often isn’t strong enough to compensate for the other, but Square put its all into delivering electrifying fights that go beyond anything that Final Fantasy has delivered before.

A Mixed Bag of Greatness

For the combat alone, Final Fantasy XVI is a must-play for a range of players. It’s not just for legacy fans anymore, as the action-packed combat is sure to appeal to a broader audience. While a lot of the game gets bogged down by its droning story, some of the characters are at least interesting enough to make it worth paying attention to. But, really, you will be sitting there anticipating the next bout.

The fluidity of Final Fantasy XVI’s evolved combat mechanics will have you pulling off incredible combos in ways the series has never let you do before. While the comparison to Devil May Cry was made before, it is such a surface-level analogy.

Yes, XVI is an action game akin to Devil May Cry, but it does so much differently that it stands alone—and likely will for a while. Square found a brilliant formula for taking its beloved series in a new direction. It’s just a shame that the narrative and the big open world of Valisthea weren’t given the same care and attention.

Anyways, if you’re interested in grabbing the game to experience what Final Fantasy XVI has to offer for yourself, be sure to grab a PlayStation Gift Card from OffGamers here.