“...and shield the Firebird’s flare forevermore.”

Final Fantasy XVI sheds the series’ legacy like that of a Phoenix, rising from the ashes to live anew. In some ways, this is distinctly a Final Fantasy experience: a tight-knit cast of characters venturing headfirst into global catastrophe, clinging to whatever comforts possible whilst truly learning what it means to live, and discovering how nations, and their rulers, break when exposed to the prospect of the apocalypse. In other ways this is anything but Final Fantasy: a character action game, focused on the internal struggle of a single man, and his journey of self discovery, by understanding that he can not hope to ward off aforementioned apocalypse on his lonesome, and can rely on those around him; a trope quite common in these types of experiences.

It is this duality that lies paramount to the conflicted nature of Final Fantasy XVI, wrestling with the series’ JRPG legacy, whilst desperately trying to modernise systems that worked extremely well in games past. Whilst overall I enjoyed my 40 hours with Final Fantasy XVI, it is hard to not feel as if the game is struggling under the weight of its ambition to change series traditions. One one hand, Final Fantasy XVI has some of the most extreme and impressive spectacle driven sequences of any game released to date, and a flashy and functional combat system, reinventing the series’ turn-based gameplay in a meaningful capacity, however, some extremely dated quest-design, underdeveloped and dysfunctional RPG elements and seriously poor pacing weigh the experience down.

You play as Clive Rosfield, the firstborn son of the Duchy of Rosaria, who plays the role of shield to his younger brother Joshua, a Dominant - one born with the ability to transform into and wield the power of an Eikon, a massive, mystical creature that series’ veterans will recognise as the summons from prior games. These Dominants are a source of protection for the nations of Valisthea, and act as a sort of mutually assured destruction for their peoples. Sending Dominants to battle is seen as a last resort, as the destruction caused in the conflict would do little but decimate the surrounding area and the people residing within it, and may invite retaliation from neighbouring factions with Dominants of their own.  

The story begins with a border skirmish, with the Duchy wrestling for control of a Mothercrystal, a tall, crystalline structure the size of a mountain which give the land and those within its power. Much of Final Fantasy XVI’s narrative rests on geo-political intrigue in regard to these Mothercrystals, as Machiavellian tactics are employed by nations in order to secure territory around them, leading to much dismay for the Nobles as those borders are slowly encroached by a Blight, leaving the land barren and resource starved. Some have been given the ability to wield magicks by the crystals, labelled Bearers, but are treated as aberrations by most of the world and effectively pushed into slavery. Tragedy soon befalls the Duchy, and Clive is cast into Valisthea to enact vengeance, and finds himself locked in conflict with the leaders of aforementioned nations in an effort to bring down a regime condemning Bearers and Dominants to a life of servitude, allowing them to live, and die, on their own terms. 

Clive’s characterisation here is rather interesting. Voiced by Ben Starr, Clive’s journey is not just about enacting vengeance on those who wronged him, but in typical Final Fantasy fashion, learning that despite being gifted immense power, nobody can face Armageddon alone. It not only explores the tragic backstory that has befallen him, but allows for genuine personal growth, exploring the isolation that comes along with being “the Chosen One.” FFXVI’s narrative is definitely a highlight; filled with complex political intrigue, building up not only its world but the individuals within it.

Its cast of characters is also great, yet feels surprisingly knee-deep contrasted against previous entries. Valisthea’s rulers are heavily inspired by that of actual medieval Europe, taking every opportunity to backstab and pillage, using their power to wreak havoc not only on other nations, but on their own people as well. It feels very Game of Thrones-esque, in the best way possible. Other characters who join Clive’s quest include Jill, Clive’s love interest but also an incredibly capable fighter - a Dominant herself, with a genuinely moving arc about her coming to terms with her past, and the quirky Cid, who acts as the gang’s leader and also provides a fair bit of comedic levity to the rather bleak situation they find themselves in. 

It is these elements that deliver the most in terms of FFXVI’s story, spinning an intriguing tale of a world marching ever closer to demise, and the sacrifices our heroes must make in order to prevent this. It is poignant yet hopeful, without ever falling too far into grim-dark fantasy tropes. Unfortunately despite these strengths, the back half of the narrative definitely loses steam, and while its conclusion is rather satisfying, the lead up to it definitely feels somewhat out of place in an otherwise gripping experience.

“FFXVI’s narrative is definitely a highlight; filled with complex political intrigue, building up not only its world but the individuals within it.”

Final Fantasy XVI’s combat is where the game truly shines. Without being overbearingly complex, it manages to weave together some interesting mechanics as the game progresses. Clive’s moveset starts out rather simply: a light attack, a ranged projectile that can be charged as well as a forward dash and dodge. The system feels tight and polished, and opens up decently as the narrative marches forward. It is this fundamental framework that leads to this system being rather accessible for those new to character action games. While it still provides some challenge in later encounters, those unfamiliar with these types of games will be sure to find something they enjoy here, at the behest of some mechanical depth.

Clive is able to use the abilities of Dominants he has felled in combat, which adds to his moveset as you progress through the story. I found myself gravitating towards a few staple abilities, but it was definitely exciting to experiment with differing move-sets. Titan’s guard-based play-style with slow but devastating charge attacks feels very fresh when it is awarded to you, as do the damage-over-time abilities of Bahamut, shaking up the flow of combat even more-so.

Perhaps the most pressing issue with combat however is a distinct lack of enemy variety, especially towards the later stages of the game. Whilst every enemy type is distinct and beckons a different approach, late game combat encounters often feel like the game is simply trying to overwhelm you with more numerous enemies, rather than more difficult ones. This unfortunately made the final act’s combat encounters feel rather dull, and further exacerbated the pacing problems alluded to earlier in the review. 

These issues are further compounded by the strangely absent RPG systems in place, with very weak itemisation and a skill tree that both feel shoehorned into the game just for the sake of being able to call this title an RPG. Items feel practically worthless, touting nothing more than a meaningless stat-increase that bears no impact on your play-style whatsoever. The game’s skill tree suffers the same issue, where all abilities that meaningfully alter how combat plays out can be unlocked almost immediately, sparking confusion as to why these systems even exist in the way that they do. This is simple quasi-progression and has little to  no impact on gameplay, the game loses a lot of potential complexity because of it.

Perhaps the biggest draw of this game however is its truly bombastic boss encounters, pitting Eikon v Eikon in some of the most spectacle driven, absolutely insane moments in any game, let alone Final Fantasy. To avoid spoilers, I will avoid discussion of anything specific but these Eikon battles are truly a sight to behold, and honestly the game is worth experiencing just for these boss encounters. Whilst some might view them as cutscene heavy, the pure spectacle makes them a worthwhile experience. It feels almost sacrilegious to suggest a Final Fantasy boss battle akin to something from Sonic the Hedgehog, however Square Enix succeeds expertly in making these encounters work.

Your moveset becomes somewhat limited in these encounters as you take control of an Eikon, however the abilities you do possess feel all the more impactful due to the sheer scale of the events taking place. Sound design here is excellent, also, making every impact feel punishingly weighty as these hulking beasts duel it out. These fights are honestly the most attractive aspect of the game, and you will certainly find yourself waiting patiently in anticipation for when the next encounter will play out. 

“These fights are honestly the most attractive aspect of the game.”

This unfortunately leads into the biggest problem that befalls FFXVI: its structure. Whilst any narrative will have peaks and troughs, the vast contrast between said events here is so stark that it may spoil the experience for some. In between these heavily structured and meticulously paced main story events and dominating boss encounters, exists some of the most bland expository content I have seen in a long time. It is no exaggeration to say that after one of the most thrilling and climactic encounters in the whole game, not twenty minutes later a main quest will have you collecting bags of sand from the desert, or soil from a vineyard. 

It is not just the stark tonal contrast that causes this to be an issue, the problem is these scenarios don’t make sense in the context of the game’s world. As to why a band of outlaws would send Clive, a man of considerable prowess in combat, able to fell demigods, and possibly the sole solution to the coming calamity,  to collect sand from the desert honestly baffles me. The contrast between these incredible linear levels and mind-numbingly boring open world busy-work sticks out like a sore thumb, and is possibly what hurts the game the most. The highs here are so high that they make the lows feel even worse, and honestly lead to a sense of dread every time those great experiences come about, as you can almost always be sure that something abysmal lurks just around the corner. 

This is only worsened in the game’s sidequests, which are almost exclusively a method for delivering dialogue and almost never provide any interesting scenarios or meaningful loot upon completion. If a main quest has you collecting bags of sand, just imagine what is in store in said side content; a seemingly endless list of meaningless fetch-quests, touting nothing more than more dialogue meant to flesh out characters that you will only speak to once or twice. This might be reconcilable if the rest of the game wasn’t also so exposition heavy, and thus this seriously dated side-quest design is a stain on what could have otherwise been extremely compelling. Honestly the only redeeming quality to this side-content is that you aren’t required to engage with it, and it is a shame to say as such.

These issues are compounded further by some rather bland and uninteresting semi-open world sections. Whilst these sections might be interesting to travel through once due to the game’s fantastic presentation, being asked to re-tread ground through a large open field in these seriously dreadful sidequests is just not interesting, and sullied my perception of these otherwise sumptuous areas because of it. 

This presentation however is a distinctly redeeming quality. Final Fantasy games have always been defined by their cutting edge visuals and this here is no different. Forested vistas dotted with the fallen ruins of an ancient civilisation, crystal adorned caves and vast citiscapes, the art design and visual presentation here is truly unmatched. Beautiful in-engine cutscenes transition seamlessly into gameplay segments, with excellent framing and direction. 

The sheer variety of environments you will encounter and the visual density of them deserves to be applauded. One particularly memorable mission sees you traipsing stealthily through a moonlit dock to infiltrate a city built into the inner walls of a volcano, and the transition between these spaces, the clash of red and blue is executed masterfully. This presentation is truly remarkable to behold and deserves to be lauded on every level.

Final Thoughts

It is intriguing to think about Final Fantasy XVI in the context of the rest of the series. Quite possibly the quintessential RPG franchise, Final Fantasy has built a fanbase and community on strong design principles: tactical and strategic turn-based combat, a party of characters coming together to face adversity, and specific RPG systems allowing for a certain level of buildcraft and character expression. It is curious to see a mainline entry forgo these bedrock fundamentals in order to appeal to a wider audience, possibly alienating the very fanbase that elevated the series to its position in the first place. 

There are certainly great aspects to FFXVI: Clive is a compelling protagonist and Valisthea might be one of the most interesting settings of any Final Fantasy. The combat system is tight and responsive, allowing for some fun, flashy encounters that never really lose steam, culminating in the technically impressive and spectacular Eikon battles, which are a high that cannot easily be replicated. A strong emotional core laces its narrative, with poignant character moments and a message that not only feels earned, but is well weaved into all aspects of this story. 

In some aspects these great elements are unfortunately overshadowed by some seriously questionable design choices: seriously poor quest design, utterly dull and boring side quests and some pacing troubles, especially towards the back end of the game. 

Final Fantasy XVI feels conflicted, looking to shed its JRPG legacy in favour of a more modern, character action experience. In this pursuit of modernisation, unfortunately it fails in these key areas, and thus feels quite dated in comparison. There is a good game in here, yet its effort to reinvent itself does more to hide this fact than showcase how stellar it can be.