Final Fantasy XVI Review (Spoiler Free) - An Action-Packed Upgrade for a Beloved Franchise

in this Final Fantasy 16 review we'll be taking a look at the latest entry to the final fantasy series which is developed by creative business unit 3 and published by Square Enix what does this game have to offer what makes it Stand Out Among the other Final Fantasy games what is the gameplay like and what are things that you can do for both side and post-game content we'll answer these and cover all your questions in this review before we get further into the video however I do want to note that this is a story spoiler free review I will not be going into details of the characters and the story but I will be discussing slightly the setting of the game so players can get an idea of where they will be playing in Final Fantasy 16. the storytelling and fictional world of Final Fantasy 16 are both well-realized breathtaking and compelling and as a player who finds single player and story driven games right up their alley this game does a fantastic job of reeling you in to the unfolding plot making you fall in love with its characters and stays well on your mind long after you've played making you want to come back for more and this is what Final Fantasy is known for delivering a solid story with a world that fits together and Final Fantasy 16 is no exception and create a business unit 3 and Square Enix have nailed this aspect Final Fantasy 16 is set in a medieval period within valicia divided into two continents of Ash and storm and a land scattered with Mother crystals that provide the people with magic and energy that drive civilization through the power of Aether in the present day of the game the nation is divided into six kingdoms that are fighting to gain control of their respective mother crystals with different goals of Alliance conquering and surviving the corruption of the blight that continues to threaten and destroy valicia a lot of the storytelling in the game revolves heavily around the political aspects of the different kingdoms their military leaders and dominance who are humans that have been chosen as hosts to the different Elemental icons these dominants are capable of using magic without the crystals and can transform into their respective icons marking them as the Ultimate Weapon used in war but excessive use of their gifts can lead to Serious implications for their lives and ultimately their death you'll be taking a journey with the main protagonist and throughout your journey by stepping into different phases of his life you'll learn more about the game's lore through story progression interacting with different NPCs side questing and using the game's unique feature of the ATL or active time lore we won't be getting into more details about that aspect in this review but just know that you will enjoy it and just before we get into the gameplay wrapping up the story and setting it should be known that Final Fantasy 16 has a much darker tone and we are definitely here for it it may not be what you're accustomed to to a traditional Final Fantasy game but for this installment The Game of Thrones inspiration and grittier Vibes seemingly Works video games in general are another form of Storytelling and overall story and setting this game are one of its strongest suits combined with superb voice acting and a well-written script the story of the game will definitely leave new and veteran players of the final fantasy series in shock and awe as I sat down and played for this review I was worried that the pacing would be slow for me and eventually bore me since there was a lot of cutscenes and dialogue especially at the prologue but with a little patience I was unaware of the amount of time I had spent playing and how drawn I was to the tension of the story that started to build and more gameplay mechanics eventually became accessible as I progressed yes it can be slow during the prologue but it immediately opens up to more once you start in the present day and there's a generous amount of content when it comes to the key features and combat mechanics of the game let's talk more about those let me start by clarifying that Final Fantasy 16 is not an open world game and this could divide players since the open world setting was already done in Final Fantasy XV so why not make it possible here well honestly it doesn't need to be for this installment it reminds me of classic Final Fantasy games and it feels like the developers decided to go back to their Roots which works for this game in Final Fantasy 16 locations to explore become available through story progression you'll gain access to the world map and from there you do have some sort of freedom of traveling to different areas provided that it is unlocked and that it can be traveled to during some parts of the main story the locations you explore are divided into sections that are pretty much linear where you start from point A and ultimately reach point B which is your objective as you Traverse these areas such as forests runes Village settlements the desert and even more you'll encounter enemies that vary from Beasts to humans including flora and fauna discover different Loot and fight against bosses some areas do feel large when it comes to their space but it can easily be cleared out by looking at the location's map as you tackle main quests you're not obligated to go directly to the location where the objective of the main quest takes place but instead you can always go back to other explored areas and the main Hub of the game to do some side questing bounty hunting upgrading equipment and do some training or just explore yes it might feel underwhelming for others due to the limited space you can explore but I still admire the design from each location and the interactions with different characters and personally in my experience I didn't feel overwhelmed and distracted by much larger spaces on the other hand in areas that do require much more exploration sections can easily be traversed upon discovering obelisks these allow the player to easily fast travel from one Obelisk to another as long as they are active through story progression the world and its characters change so it's important to always revisit pivotal locations such as the Hub to discover more Wares that the shops can now sell new recipes that are available for crafting more side quests additional NPC interactions and much more overall for exploration searching areas as I progressed while fighting enemies and bosses including interactions with the environment and characters left me satisfied and I appreciated how easy it is to use both the world and area maps as well as having a convenient and simplified feature for fast traveling moving along to the combat if there are three strong suits to Final Fantasy 16 these are story visuals and sound and the combat when you first start the game combat could be considered slow but be patient learn the basic Maneuvers and experience the journey as you unlock your full potential as a skilled Warrior without a doubt the combat reminded me of a combination of games such as stranger paradise and Devil May Cry where you can execute different combos that involve melee attacks and abilities as well as on the Fly switching of icons to unleash unique Elemental skills the fluidity of combat is what made it even better since I could instruct torgle to jump into attack heal and launch enemies in the air while simultaneously using combos of melee magic ultimately finishing off enemies with a cheeky little mortal blow finisher during minor and major boss finals I constantly found myself picking my jaw up off the floor due to the smooth transitions of fighting then jumping into cinematics that involve qtes and the exhilarating Kaiju experience of Icon vs icon combat the arpg elements for this installment fit perfectly and it felt rewarding whenever I perfectly dodged Perry staggered and executed combos using different combinations of iconic abilities icon combat in Final Fantasy 16 plays a pivotal role in the game due to their breathtaking and Majestic sequences as you embody an icon you'll have access to their unique controls and mechanics if rate for example is capable of lunging toward the target delivering heavy blows and control Fireballs from a range distance while Phoenix is agile as it flies in the air evades and shoots a barrage of flames unfortunately summoning or embodying an icon does not work like a traditional Final Fantasy game where you can summon these powerful creatures at any given time in a battle instead it only happens during Monumental moments of the game and as I mentioned before you'll have to progress the story in order to unlock your full capabilities in combat but early in the game players will have access to a set of basic combat skills and the icon abilities of the Phoenix abilities in Final Fantasy 16 are unlocked by spending AP which is acquired by defeating enemies and completing quests you can learn these and improve the effects or potency by upgrading and mastering them in exchange for more AP for each iconic power that is equipped you can choose two abilities that are mapped to either the square or triangle buttons and by pressing R2 with square triangle you'll unleash the icon's ability these have a cooldown and they will refill over time one thing that I want to note here is that you'll need to get used to how to use combos yes it's an arpg game but it doesn't mean you can keep mashing buttons and hope for the best I had to learn through the training mode and constant battles that chain and combos while giving commands to torgle and switching between icons requires timing and situational awareness the number of combos that you can do both on the ground in the air is staggering and it was refreshing to see in a Final Fantasy game it also features a recommended string of combos which you can view in the details of the ability by pressing triangle making it easier to try a mixture of the moves and abilities and just like other Final Fantasy games you'll have access to equipment such as Weapons armor and accessories that improve your offensive and defensive stats once you unlock the forge you can craft new weapons or reinforce them to increase their level and stats in exchange for materials or you can purchase equipment and items from the general Merchant I do wish they'd added some cosmetic items like costumes to change your appearance or the party members clothing but I'll let it pass since there's still that slight Touch of customization where each weapon that is available has its unique appearance which is a staple for Final Fantasy games when it comes to party members you only get to take control of your main character throughout the story but you are joined by different characters who join your party and act as AI companions battle though they cannot be controlled nor can you switch between party members and the act of their own free will AI companions do not have health which means they won't die but they can get hit with attacks that can interrupt their actions on the other hand you do have some control over the greatest companion in the game torgel torgel is a Hound who will most of the time be your trusty companion he has access to three moves such as sick a basic attack that can be used to extend combos he'll recover some of your health and ravage which launches small enemies into the air if you have torgle present during your battles his pedigree level improves which increases the potency of his attacks and Effectiveness in combat if I had one complaint about the AI companions it's that they sometimes act slowly when I need them to follow up with attacking a staggered enemy or even to help with healing the party and I wish I could also customize their equipment to improve their effectiveness in combat besides the normal progression of the main campaign Final Fantasy 16 offers a considerable amount of side and post-game content we can't disclose in this review the number of side quests that are available but there is a generous amount of them and there is also an arcade mode Bounty hunts and collectibles defined including New Game Plus or further challenges await new game plus is unlocked upon completing the story and through New Game Plus you get to relive the story in a new mode that tweaks gameplay adjustments such as difficulty behavior and more but also gives access to better rewards that can help with fewer upgrades moving along to the design audio and visual elements of the game the design for Final Fantasy 16 is without a doubt beautiful and is well-rounded to fit the medieval setting as I progressed and visited different locations each one felt unique where I admired the surroundings of a lush green forest that included dangerous fauna and inhabiting beasts cowering medieval castles and ruins with impeccable details bustling cities that were heavily surrounded by market stalls small and quiet towns where you can find its citizens living their lives and even areas that were once bright have been turned lifeless after the blight passed and consumed its Vitality each character and even NPCs are well thought out and have their unique choices of Wardrobe when it comes to the audio of the game music composer masay Yoshi soken has outrageously delivered by creating an orchestral score that boosts the adrenaline of the player in combat as well as making each piece of music suitable for the different locations you get to explore from the sound of intense drums violins and brass instruments as well as the singing voices of angelic choir the music naturally adapts and builds tension according to your gameplay thank you as far as voice acting goes the game is available to play in different voice languages such as English Japanese French German Italian and Spanish during the time reviewing the game I started off by playing in Japanese and somehow found it distracting that the words didn't match the movement of that character's files I eventually changed it to English and found it better both Japanese and English voice acting was delightful to listen to since the directing was well done and the actress fully realized their characters being able to deliver Splendid performances Phoenix's evil twin now probably May another rumor proven true when it comes to the graphics of the game final fantasy 16 is currently exclusive to the PlayStation 5 which provides the option of playing in frame rate or Graphics mode I mostly played in frame rate mode which I think is better for this game since I wanted to have the cap of 60fps considering the fast-paced action and over-the-top scenes and effects but of course playing in graphics mode improves the clarity of the game's visuals by adding more quality and lowering the frame rate to 30fps which is problematic when it comes to battle sequences as you'll most likely experience less fluidity to movement and input responses and lastly the transitioning of combat cut scenes to cinematic UTS just shifted effortlessly loading times are pretty much non-existent and fast traveling work almost in an instant overall the game performed great and the only minor issue I experienced was a few seconds of frame drops during a specific cut scene in one of the early chapters of the game it's not that much of a big deal and I think it will eventually get fixed through post-launch patches moving to replayability and price point according to game director Hiroshi takai in an interview Final Fantasy 16 will take about 35 hours to complete the story and about 70 to 80 hours if you're to include all of the other side and post-game content but in my opinion it could take about 90 hours if you're to start New Game Plus on the harder mode which tweaks enemy and boss behaviors and difficulty in combat the physical and digital standard edition of Final Fantasy 16 is priced at 69.99 USD while the physical deluxe edition is 99 USD which includes pre-order dlc's a cloth map of alistia and a steelbook case the digital deluxe edition on the PlayStation store is 89.99 USD and that includes the digital bonuses such as an art book and soundtrack a price point of 69.99 USD is something that most of us take into consideration before buying a game but if you were to ask me if you're someone who has had their eye on this game if you're someone who was convinced to buy it after playing the demo or you're simply just a fan of Final Fantasy in general I think it's fair for Final Fantasy 16 considering how exceptional the quality is presented for gameplay storytelling and audio and visuals luck locally if you're still feeling torn there is a demo that you can download on the PlayStation 5 so you can experience and have a better understanding of what the game has to offer final thoughts jumping into it I was skeptical at first since I wasn't a huge fan of the direction that Final Fantasy XV went where it leaned in a New Direction which is action role play I'm one of those players who was accustomed to traditional turn-based combat mechanics and even Final Fantasy 7 remake was action oriented but it still gave the option of experience the game similar to a turn-based system but when I played the demo for Final Fantasy 16 and eventually the full game my perspective changed and I finally accepted and embraced the fact that this is the new direction that Square Enix is leaning into so it can be accessible to a wider spectrum of people regardless if you're a new or veteran fan of Final Fantasy I highly recommend this game to you Final Fantasy 16 combines new features while keeping the core elements of Final Fantasy the game refreshingly has a grittier and darker tone storytelling continuously builds tension and Revelations unfold the gameplay is satisfying thanks to the different types of action sequences and fluidity of combat and it's fascinating to play at its fully utilized power of the PlayStation 5. Final Fantasy 16 has become one of my favorite Final Fantasy games as it won me over with its well thought out story and breathtaking gameplay [Music] foreign [Music] [Music]

Channel: Fextralife

Views: 149,647

Keywords: final fantasy 16, final fantasy xvi, final fantasy 16 combat, final fantasy, final fantasy 16 demo, final fantasy 16 ps5, playstation 5, final fantasy 16 review, final fantasy 16 gameplay, final fantasy 16 preview, final fantasy 16 new details, final fantasy 16 release date, final fantasy 16 hands on, final fantasy xiv, final fantasy xvi combat, final fantasy xvi review, final fantasy 16 no spoiler, final fantasy 16 no spoiler review, final fantasy xvi gameplay, review

Id: BgIH6vQK9SU

Length: 15min 1sec (901 seconds)

Published: Wed Jun 21 2023