Final Fantasy XVI Review in Progress

Final Fantasy, probably one of the most prolific gaming franchises in the world, is wildly hard to judge by whichever trailers and teasers are released for the newest game because it all looks so good.

Final Fantasy really is about the time you invest in playing it, and most importantly, it’s about a story that grips your interest and leaves you burning to discover what happens next.

Keep reading below or watch our review instead!

So far, FFXVI has managed to do this for me. I have played relentlessly since release (amid my other adulting duties) and find myself drawn in by a good, but very fragmented and convoluted story. It’s like watching Inception for the first time. If you missed that top spinning, the rest of the movie made not an inch of sense.

Final Fighter

The combat looks amazing, and as you progress you gain more and more powers, which continue to look great and make you feel strong. All of this doesn’t matter though if the user action in combat involves 2 or 3 buttons at a time. I feel like I am playing Street Fighter XVI in that I am repeatedly mashing the same buttons, over and over. I think the fact that it looks so good has kept me going.

I am also really not a fan of QTE’s, which do occur in some big moments of the game. I have always felt they pull you right out of the moment, and in FFXIV, a game that relies SO heavily on story, pulling a player out of a BIG moment is an issue.

Not So Open World

The game is sold as an open world, but I would rephrase that to a linear open world. Clive (worst hero name ever) can choose areas on the map to fast travel to, and then explore those areas freely. There is little to be found in terms of loot, which is also a disappointment. Also, as in most FF games, there is no character customisation, and the only thing that changes the way it looks per what you have equipped is your weapon.

The environments are beautiful, and the game takes you from forest, to volcano, to deadlands.They all look different, but somehow feel the same. Like I am always running forward. There is never a corner I find that I want to take a detour to, no matter where I am. There is little variety in terms of mobs from biome to biome as well, so once you’ve seen one monster, you will repeatedly see, and kill that type of monster, all over the world.

I haven’t encountered any bugs, and the game has not overheated my PS5 in frame rate or graphics mode.

Verdict So Far

In my 27 hours, I find myself on the fence between FFXIV being a good or great game. There are disappointments, but special moments too. Once I finish the game, I will update this to reflect the side of the fence I have landed on, but if you are a FF fan, I see no issue with this being a game in your library right now. If you’re new to the franchise, the game holds up okay as a standalone, and measures well against other games we’ve seen come out this year. It’s a good place to start, and there’s tons more to go back on if you find yourself a fan.

Verdict: ✪✪✪ (Good)

✪ Poor (0-5) ✪✪ Mediocre (6-7) ✪✪✪ Good (8) ✪✪✪✪ Great (9) ✪✪✪✪✪ Must-play! (10)