Final Fantasy XVI Review

Final Fantasy XVI was a very highly anticipated entry within the series. The game was originally announced in September of 2020, but didn't get released until three years later in 2023. It was developed by Square Enix Creative Business Unit III, the same team behind the popular MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV, with Final Fantasy XIV's lead Yoshi-P heading this project as well. Because of this, many fans were excited for the game the moment they heard about it, but others couldn't help but wonder what it would be like.

Similar to Final Fantasy XV before it, XVI was going to be an action focused game, and have a large focus on giant monster fights with its summons. It was also set to be the first mainline Final Fantasy to receive an M rating, after the side game Type-0 received the same rating years before. All of this made XVI appear to be quite different from what fans had come to know and expect, and that is what worried people. Was it going to be too different? Was it even Final Fantasy anymore?

Well, Final Fantasy XVI is actually a lot of things, and honestly, not everyone will be open to the changes.

The Story:

Final Fantasy XVI takes place in the world of Valisthea where the world itself is slowly falling into ruin. As the world decays around them, nations plot against each other, and they hold their "secret" weapons close and ready to strike back. While these nations have massive "Mothercrystals" which provide them power, a select few people are also born with the ability to use magic without it; those who are "cursed" with this gift are known as Bearers. It is these Bearers who can be used by each nation as pawns, and are discriminated against due to their very nature of being different. They receive a mark on their face to let the world know who they are, and are then used by whoever "owns" them.

(Get ready for a lot of name drops...) 

The story itself opens with young Clive Roswell who serves as a bodyguard to his very own brother Joshua. Joshua is a Bearer who is blessed with the power of the Eikon Phoenix, making him what is known as a Dominant. They both live with their parents, alongside a young girl named Jill, who serves as their ward. The three are quite close, but their official status does make things a bit weird. The eldest son, Clive, is to follow his younger brother, while their friend Jill is a servant to them both. Their relationship works, but in the public eye Clive is seen as a failure and the lesser of the two brothers.

To complete Joshua's awakening with the Phoenix, he, his father, Clive, and their close ally Elwin set out to perform a ceremony; however, upon arriving at their destination they are ambushed by Sanbreque soldiers. This results in Elwin's death, Joshua loses control of the Phoenix's power, and a second Eikon named Ifrit appears and kills Joshua as well. Clive is helpless to watch as this all goes down, and is then met with the surprise of his life... The one behind it all is someone he knows oh so very well...

Jumping ahead thirteen years later, Clive is a marked Bearer and a slave to Sanbreque's military. He is sent out on a mission to assassinate the Iron Kingdom's Dominant, but upon arriving he realizes their Dominant is none other than Jill. Clive eventually breaks away from his captors, and with the help of a mysterious man named Cid, they rescue Jill and return to Cid's hideout. It turns out that Cid too is a Dominant, and he is out on a quest to destroy the Mothercrystals, free the Bearers, and put the world in a much better state. Clive and Jill end up joining Cid in his endeavor, and they, along with the rest of Cid's group, set out on an adventure to go against the very world itself.

The Lore and Timeline:

One thing that makes Final Fantasy XVI so unique is the fact that it has a built in Lore Book and Timeline that can be viewed basically at any time. This is an extremely developed world with tons of background information, and events that are happening outside of Clive's point of view. Clive and his group are just one small piece in a world filled with many factions, and during a time of war. Countless battles happen throughout the story, and the state of the world is constantly changing because of that.

The good news is, by pausing the game during any cutscene, it is possible to learn and read more about the characters on screen. Not only that, but you can read more about the key terms being discussed during the scene, and check out character connections. It allows you to fully understand the context of the scene, in case you forgot something, while also diving deeper into the overall history of the world. Later on the timeline also becomes available, which details every event in the world that is currently happening. Again, Clive is just one small part of an overall picture, and the rest of this story is told by reading about the events; almost as if it is a newspaper and Clive himself is just like any other citizen living in this world. It is extremely helpful, and a nice extra for anyone who wants to get more out of the game besides just the standard plot.

(Honestly, it is something a lot of games would benefit from.)

The Gameplay:

Final Fantasy XVI is not fully like other Final Fantasy titles. Since it is developed by the team behind Final Fantasy XIV however, it shares a lot more common with that than anything else.

The World:

Like in XIV, XVI is split up between the overworld regions, and dungeons that play out a lot like stages in an action game. The regions themselves are interconnected maps with smaller camps and hub towns at key points, and a large city associated with each one. Unlike in XIV however, the large cities in XVI cannot be visited as hub towns, but instead are only featured in cutscenes and as dungeons. As for the actual mini towns and camps, they serve the same role as in XIV, with NPCs to talk to, shops to buy items from, and a handful of sidequests to be accepted from time to time. 

 
It is a pretty standard setup for most RPGs, but unlike in other games, you really do not spend a whole lot of time in these town areas. Instead (and once again very similar to XIV) a home base serves as the main hub to the entire game, and is a place Clive will return to after every single mission. It is where all of the major characters can be found, where a vast majority of side stories and content in general is started, and it contains the only shops truly worth visiting; as Final Fantasy XVI doesn't fully double down on the RPG mechanics.

Streamlined RPG Mechanics:

Rather than constantly buying new gear, and getting a stockpile of items to counter every possible status effect or issue you run into on the road, Final Fantasy XVI really only has a handful of usable items. You have your basic healing items, and you have your basic equipment. The equipment itself gets upgraded and crafted into new items using material you gather, but other than that... That is really it. There are no real status effects here to worry about, and the level system is once again handled the same way as in XIV. Sure, you get stronger as you level up, but in general the level is just a number that prevents you from accessing later content until the time comes. 

The main story will take you from 1 to 50 (the normal cap) naturally, with it also handing out better gear and weapon upgrades when it is needed. There are high-end end-game sets once everything is said and done, but in general gear isn't something that is much of a focus either. Instead the game wants you to rely on your skills, and smartly use the power of the Eikons.

Abilities and Using Eikons:

Although Clive was originally a failure, he gains the ability to absorb the power of other Eikons. He begins the game being able to use Phoenix powers, but he also gains the ability to transform into Irfit and use his powers while fighting. Other than that you have the Eikon Garuda early on, and she brings a completely different set of powers on top of the previous two's fire-based attacks.

Each Eikon is unique, and gives Clive access to different attacks and abilities when using them. Only three can be equip at a single time however, and it is by switching between these three that Clive can use different attacks. Each one has a standard special mechanic that can be freely used, but they also have skill attacks that are more devastating and work on a cool down mechanic. This means that these attacks cannot simply be spammed over and over again, but instead are designed to be used when the moment is right to create combos. This is the core of Final Fantasy XVI's battle system, and where the main RPG elements come in as well. As abilities need to be unlocked by spending points, and can then be upgraded even further; players have to decide what is worth getting, and what is best left for later. 

Thankfully skill points can be taken back at any time if things need to be changed, but which skills and which Eikons to use still require planning to make the most out of them. This customization allows everyone to build Clive up in their own unique ways, but there is no denying that some Eikons will always outclass others.

As for the Eikons themselves... The game does feature massive kaiju style boss fights. During these moments Clive transforms into Ifrit itself, and goes up against other massive Eikons. These fights are full on set pieces with their own mechanics, and often play out as crazy over the top cinematic battles. While you can fail these parts by not following the fight mechanics, they are more like playable cutscenes that are also some of the most memorable moments in all of Final Fantasy history.

Devil May Monster Hunt:

One of the unique aspects of the gameplay comes from the designers behind it. For this project Yoshi-P recruited Ryota Suzuki, the lead designer behind Devil May Cry 5. Along with Suzuki, team members from Monster Hunter World, which previously crossed over with Final Fantasy XIV, were also brought on board to help with the monster fights. Even without knowing the history behind the game's development, it becomes very obvious very fast that this group of people played a part in XVI's gameplay.

Clive himself controls very much like Nero from Devil May Cry 4 and 5. With Garuda's power, he can pull himself towards enemies, or pull enemies to him as well. This also works in the air, which allows for air combo attacks that juggle the enemies for an extended period of time. Clive also has standard sword strikes to mix things up, with chargeable slashes, and ranged magic shot attacks that can also contribute to the combos. Throw in the skills each Eikon brings to the table, and Clive becomes a force to be reckoned with. Some of these combos are very similar to what can be done in Devil May Cry 5, but of course Clive has his own unique moves as well. Although Clive does get to take party members with him, and his trusty dog Torgal, they cannot be controlled, making Clive basically a one man army. Torgal can be ordered around for some basic support moves, but everyone else is simply fighting along side Clive as an NPC. While they are helpful in fights to an extent, Clive is the one and only main focus in battle.

When it comes to the bosses, they follow similar mechanics as seen in Final Fantasy XIV, where learning where to go and what to do is key to actually surviving. Some bosses have DPS checks, which require the full use of Clive's combos to meet, and others will simply kill you if you aren't in the right spot at the right time. Ultimately most fights come down to building up a stagger bar to deal additional damage, but sometimes this is easier said than done.

As mentioned before, monsters and monster style bosses were handled by the Monster Hunter World team, and those familiar with the series will already be familiar with these bosses as well. Their attack patterns and tells are nearly identical to what is seen in the Monster Hunter series, making them much easier for long time players. Those without Monster Hunter experience however, they will get to see first hand the hype behind fighting such bosses. These fights are a lot of fun, and can be replayed thanks to dungeons being repeatable. Others are hunted out in the wild though, and some can only be fought via the hunt board.

Side Content:

While the hunt board offers special targets to take down in the semi-open world, there are plenty of other side activities to partake in as well. Again, dungeons can be replayed with a scoring system now being applied (again, a Devil May Cry designer was involved), and the world becomes filled with side quests during the second half of the story. Many of these are generic fetch quests or monster hunts, but some of them do have some surprising moments and rewards that are very much worth obtaining. There are also special challenges that are focused on each Eikon Clive receives, and they require full knowledge of said Eikon's mechanics to complete. Other than this most side content relates to building relationships and helping the people back at the home base, and reading the background history that continues to get unlocked as you play.

Once everything is said and done however, there is one major piece of "side content," that completely alters the game... New Game Plus.

New Game Plus:

While the main story has a level cap of 50, New Game Plus allows players to reach level 100. This is actually the game's "hard mode," and is designed in a way where level 50 is the new level 1, and players get to start this mode with all of the abilities and equipment obtained in their first playthrough. In this mode not only are enemies stronger and harder to kill, but level design is altered, with different enemy placement, and new bosses to fight along the way. It is basically a full on extension of the main game, but uses the old dungeons to do something new. It lets players use Clive to his fullest, and replay levels with a twist. Again, this type of gameplay feature is no stranger to Final Fantasy XIV players, and it technically doubles the length of Final Fantasy XVI.

Should you play it?

Final Fantasy XVI is not a game everyone will enjoy. Classic Final Fantasy fans who want an adventure across a world map, towns to visit, hundreds of NPCs to talk to, countless secrets to find, level grinding, and party building... They will not find that here. Sure there are NPCs and hub towns, but they are not a big focus, nor will a lot of time truly be spent in them. No walking in every building to talk to everyone, no trying to find false walls, and no returning to them because you need something specific. They are here to serve their role in the story, and for a handful of side quests, and that is it. Those wanting to fully jump into the roleplaying aspects of the game will also see they are missing, as this is a story fully focused on Clive, and there are very little choices to make. It is a linear experience with a semi-open world, and a full on action game.

With that being said, the game is a lot of fun! While the story itself may not stay as strong as that opening the entire time, it is an entertaining tale, with a great cast of characters. Cid especially is a highlight of the story, and Jill is a great companion for Clive. The Eikon fights are completely insane as well, and the highly combo focused combat feels great. Of course those who actually enjoy games like Devil May Cry 5 will resonate with this game much more, but it eases newcomers into it quite nicely as well. There are even settings to help make the game easier for anyone not used to action based games. It might not make a turn based fan into an action combat fan, but at least it is there to help them experience the story; which is for sure worth seeing.

The real down side to Final Fantasy XVI is something a lot of people may not even realize at first, and is unfortunately only something that can be turned off by modding the PC version of the game. At one point in the story the world's sky becomes foggy with a purple tint, and that turns the entire world purple as well. This means all of the once lush beautifully crafted areas all suddenly look dull. It is really sad that this occurs right before 20 + hours of side content becomes available, and plenty of the game's main plot is still ahead. It makes sense for the game's story, but it means players never get to explore or experience most of the game's world without seeing it in purple, and old areas look just as bad. While this may not be a big issue for many, it is simply disappointing that such a nice looking game stops looking... Well... Nice! That being said it can be modded out in the PC release, but it would've been nice for it to be a toggle in the settings. It is also a bit of a let down that the large cities are mainly just for show, but that has sadly been a pattern with Final Fantasy for many years now.

Looking past the toned back RPG elements, Final Fantasy XVI is a solid entry in the series, that also might not be for everyone. It has fun and addicting combat, the Eikon fights will leave a lasting impression, the story is interesting enough to keep driving you forward, and the New Game Plus mode gives players a reason to come back for more. Even so, some fans might have a hard time looking past it being an action game, and that will ultimately decide if it is worth playing or not. Still, it is a game I recommend checking out if you are interested at all, as there is in fact a lot to love here. 

VERDICT: Recommended