Final Fantasy 16: The Rising Tide Review - The Final Verdict

[Music] Clive the sky it's blue but how is that possible you do know what a glamour is don't you ours just happens to work both ways and a good thing too I wouldn't fancy staring at those sickly clouds every day about 10 months after Final Fantasy 16 launched its second and final paid DLC the rising tide is now available the first Echoes of the Fallen served as a solid dungeon romp with some pretty good bosses but not much else especially with its narrative and level design to say nothing of the lack of additional content this time the development team focused on the campaign delivering a separate taale that complement the base game without impacting its outcome after completing the main quest and indulging in a few side quests the rising tide feels like the true end to Clive's Journey which is sad in a way because it does a pretty good job with its plot it presents such a compelling Standalone tale wrapped in real twists and turns backed by well-written new characters and excellent boss fights weaving them into the overall lore that it's a shame further stories like this aren't in the works at least not presently the rising tide sees Clive and Friends receiving a request from an unknown individual to save leviathan's dominant despite not hearing about them for nearly 100 years earning at the name Leviathan The Lost Their interest peaked they ventured to North reach and rendevu with the new character Shula whose Clan also went missing around the same time and ventured together to midia the overall pacing of the main quest is great and while it may feel somewhat short I'll take well-executed emotional beats and genuine surprises over something with too much padding furthermore it ties back to the base game in some unexpected ways perhaps the only real shortcoming is that one of Clive's companions doesn't do anything in the campaign or have that much involvement no spoilers but you can probably guess who based on screenshots released thus far I also didn't think the characters needed to try and justify the dlc's existence it comes about naturally and ties into another key occurrence during the main quest so it makes sense for the cast to at least touch on it however by that point it felt like the campaign stood out enough based on everything else though A minor quibble that doesn't attract from The Experience one iota it still stood out for me unlike the dreary and blight ridden regions of valisia midia is Lush and vibrant with extensive forestation and Clear Blue Skies the sweeping waterfalls and cliffs make you want to stop and admire the environment when you're not fighting for your life the art and Graphics teams have flexed their talents throughout development but the brighter color palette feels like a revelation for Final Fantasy 16 some sites like The Surge an enormous seemingly Frozen tidal wave are all inspiring but even Haven the quaint village where the Moes of light reside is gorgeous the atmosphere and calm as various NPCs go about their business is a refreshing departure from everything happening back on the mainland performance is also pretty decent obviously there are still frame drops on performance mode so if not having a consistent 60fps annoys you then be warned another great thing about midia is how the characters approach Clive there's a curios it and wonder especially since he is their first Outsider in years and it influences the different side quests though you shouldn't expect anything out of the ordinary with the latter go here and there to collect something or slay some Monsters the writing and voice acting in these are good they introduce you to all of the different NPCs weave some pretty taught and enjoyable Tales which aren't afraid to get a little silly and expand on Haven's lore one such side quest showcased the treatment of bearers versus their state in valisa without beating you over the head with it some more Unique Mechanics to the side quests or at least a new miname would have been nice though how extensive it could get given the overall size of the region is questionable then again while a card game or something similar wouldn't have worked in the base game Haven's General Vibe could have made it work as for other characters schula is a notable addition to the crew mixing deadpan delivery with dry wit the evolution of her behavior is also well done going from guarded and skeptical of Clive especially given his Outlaw status to slowly opening up and showing her soft side when discussing leviathan's dominant the subtle shifts in tone with the voice acting from being taciturn to more snarky but friendly are Stellar in this regard and make her come across more naturally for all its focus on setting the rising tide is still very combat Centric things kick up a notch when Clive gains leviathan's abilities and they're unlike anything else in the game Leviathan is more of a projectile Focus icon Clive's left arm transforms into a mini serpent that can fire a shotgun-like spread of water bullets or stream that explodes on impact the former is ideal for building stagger on bigger foes but the latter can take out weaker crowds very quickly leading to amusing instances where you're just constantly juggling groups of enemies with exploding streams however you can't just fire shots continuously Leviathan has ammo management and an active reload button time the reload properly and you get infinite ammo for a period though you can gain some back by Perfect dodging at the right time furthermore you get two Dodges in a row with the ability to fire mid Dodge surely that extended Dodge distance wouldn't come in handy later the iconic skills include a machine gunes spray which is once again great for building stun and summoning two columns of water orbs to push enemies together before exploding dealing extensive damage the latter is once again ideal for slaying hordes but chips away at an enemy stagger gauge pretty well while the slower movement speed with Leviathan can take some getting used to dodging twice for greater distance and having more ranged icon damage is great the development team promised more challenging content with the rising tide and wasn't kidding some enemies like wolves and spiders are still easily dispatchable fodder but the bosses are no joke hedar may feel like a carbon copy of fafner but it covers the arena in Deen zones and can potentially take you out if you're not paying attention then there's the timekeeper which you should experience for yourself not only does it bring a particular punishing Gray Raven boss or bosses to mind with one of its mechanics but tests your ability to precisely Dodge at Key moments also it looks amazing which is always a plus there's also other bosses to face some optional and in terms of sheer quantity it's a step up from Echoes of the Fallen granted more than one Elite mark would have been ideal but at least the other bosses make up for it also shout out to the creepy looking tonberries and new foes like the ice bomb for mixing up certain encounters the highlight of all of the bosses is undoubtedly the icon battle against Leviathan the fight is visually stunning from start to finish but also challenging almost overwhelming you with each subsequent phase it can get a little ridiculous especially since Leviathan has not one but two massive area of effect attacks involving circles one seemingly impossible to dodge if you don't know what to do and a damage check the latter is funny because while I can understand the intent it'll probably lead to failure once or twice which triggers an instant game over still it's a great battle and probably the best icon fight yet in terms of gameplay with its minimal Reliance on qtees and a plethora of mechanics that push players to the brink once you've cleared the rising tide the new endgame activity opens up cairo's gate it's a run-based sequence of 20 stages known as circles with a major boss encounter on every fifth stage though you can fight some Elites and bosses in the others the regular stages usually toss three waves of enemies and you're scored based on iconic abilities damage taken Dodges counters Combos and more each offers rewards from new accessories and weapons to materials and you recover some HP before tackling the next The Twist is that none of your regular gear or weapons are usable you get a default set with no accessories instead you're tested based on your iconic ability usage which you can freely change between stages this is where the new skill sets for creating and swapping between iconic skill loadouts come into play clearing each stage gives you enhancement points to spend on stat increases for Clive's damage defense health and whatnot but it's the Boon where things get interesting Boon points allow purchasing Buffs like decreased damage taken when below a certain HP percentage HP regain on Precision Dodge increased potency for limit breaks and stronger counters which applies to iconic abilities that counter as well like guda and Titan certain Boons are ideal for increasing the score bonus or different actions essential for higher scores and achieving that coveted S rank however all Boons only last for a limited number of circles so planning accordingly and knowing when to spend your Boon points is important if you're confident then you can forgo upgrading Clive's other stats and go for Boon potency and duration instead maximizing those gains if you die the Run ends and it's right back to the beginning with all enhancements reset free boon with functions similar to the timely accessories are available for those who want to see what the stage is offer however they result in lower overall scores and aren't eligible for leaderboard placement overall CYO gate is a solid addition to the game that tests your knowledge of different enemies and how to best maximize iconic skills for the highest score while I would have preferred some Randomness to enemies or even modifiers during the battles this is more of a skill-based challenge which is fine there's one more element to DLC unlocked after completing its main quest while it's worth discovering yourself it's a fun surprise to allow further experimentation with one's combat abilities of course above all else it also looks stylish Final Fantasy 16 the rising tide doesn't deviate from the base game much in terms of overall design the main quest still offers plenty of walking through mostly linear areas battling groups of enemies then traversing forward and repeating the process the dungeons as they are lack any puzzle mechanics or intriguing secrets to uncover though they look and feel as appropriately epic as possible one theme has this Aura of calm and mystery yet maintains a fast-paced and steady tempo which steadily builds throughout then you have leviathan's boss theme another level of Epic orchestration and parts of previous themes alongside its unique hooks suffice it to say that this is yet another top tier soundtrack and complements the base game exceptionally well those craving more variety and something wildly different may not gel entirely with the rising tide however for everyone else who appreciates an action-packed adventure that ties neatly into all the lore while presenting some fun side quests challenging bosses and fun new abilities to play with it is everything that I wanted from Echoes of the fallen and then some though it stands firmly on its own that feeling of one final adventur still resonates throughout from call backs to the base game events to referencing other icons on battles combine all of this with the presentation and the rising tide is a fitting sendoff to Clive and his friends and fans who stuck with the title that's all for now if you enjoy what you saw please hit the like button and if you're new to the channel now is a great time to subscribe we upload brand new videos every single day after subscribing don't forget to enable all 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Id: DK76RS9GFdI

Length: 11min 59sec (719 seconds)

Published: Mon Apr 22 2024