Final Fantasy XVI is a curious entry in the series that is filled with both excellent and somewhat confusing ideas. Once you get past certain elements that might feel odd for a Final Fantasy, there’s an overall strong experience to be had.
Final Fantasy XVI
Developer: Square Enix Creative Business Unit III
Price: $70
Platforms: PS5 (reviewed)
MonsterVine was provided with a PS5 code for review
In my time reviewing Final Fantasy XVI, I’ve gone back and forth in regard to my feelings about it. Given I got an appendectomy midway through that delayed things a bit, I’ve had a fair amount of time to play and think about the title, and as a longtime Final Fantasy fanatic, I’m pretty content with the game – despite some missteps.
Regular combat is excellent once you get accustomed to it, though this is a far more action-oriented Final Fantasy than the other mainline titles. It’s more loose and akin to a character action game than even Kingdom Hearts, which always felt like the most action-based Square Enix JRPG to me. It took me some time to accept this, but for what it is, Final Fantasy XVI’s gameplay is very enjoyable.
Mastering and mixing different Eikon abilities as you proceed throughout the game is very satisfying, as you can freely experiment with different combos and attacks until you find the grouping that’s perfect for you. The skills are all diverse enough to make such experimentation consistently fun, while the measured speed at which you obtain Eikons ensures there are always new attacks to test out for the entirety of your experience.
Eikon battles are a bit less exciting than regular combat, as there are fewer movesets and combos to use despite the more visually impressive clashes themselves. They tend to go on a bit long, but the spectacle of it all is at least pleasant enough to make them worth experiencing once each.
The cutscenes in Final Fantasy XVI can be quite effective, but a good chunk of them seem to go on for longer than they need to. This is particularly evident at the start of the game, which becomes a series of stops-and-starts with little meaningful gameplay. The story itself is intriguing and tackles heavy themes like many other Final Fantasy games,
Similarly, I’m not fond of how many quick-time events are littered throughout combat – especially in Eikon battles. I can understand that they allow for more bombastic scenes, but too often in big fights was I interrupted to watch a cool movie and press two buttons. I don’t mind short events now and then, but these would often become diet cutscenes in Final Fantasy XVI.
The main characters of Final Fantasy XVI are highlights of the game, with Clive, Joshua, and Gav standing out the most. There are lots of touching character moments between the cast that strengthen your attachment to them, with many being attached to side-quests. Granted, a good chunk of the side quests are fairly boring fetch quests, but the ones that aren’t tend to add a fair bit to the story and the cast’s characterization. The ability to check relevant story and character details is a very nice touch that I hope other RPGs implement going forward, as it makes clarifying things after a long break or during a confusing moment easier than it’s ever been.
The acting is some of the best the series has ever seen, with Clive’s actor – Ben Starr – being the best of the bunch. Plenty of moments throughout the game are especially emotional purely because of how much effort Starr and his fellow actors put into their performances, with the ending standing out especially in this regard.
Another strong aspect of the game is the visuals, which are of remarkably high quality. The environments are diverse and interesting, the character designs are memorable, and the particle effects – as is often the case with Square Enix – are brilliant. I found the soundtrack to be overall less memorable than previous entries, though the songs that did stick in my mind are top-notch.
The Final Word
Final Fantasy XVI admittedly isn’t what I’m accustomed to when it comes to mainline Final Fantasy games, but it’s still strong. Though it can get in its own way from time to time with overly long and interruptive cutscenes, the gameplay, story, and characters ensure this is an overall enjoyable entry to the Final Fantasy series.
MonsterVine Rating: 4 out of 5 – Good
