Final Fantasy XVI is the long-awaited entry in the franchise that offered a true rebirth worthy of the Phoenix. This game is full of compelling storytelling, mind-blowing cinematics, deep and complex characters, and a complex combat system that continues to evolve as the story progresses.
Final Fantasy XVI aligns with a similar trend of popular video games like God of War (2018) and The Last of Us by focusing on a narrative-driven game. PlayStation exclusives have become known widely for possessing some of the best storytelling in gaming and Final Fantasy XVI is no exception. However, this game manages to flourish where others seem to fail thanks to its combat. The combat of Final Fantasy XVI is full of possibilities that provide the player with combinations that best fit their playstyle. The Eikon abilities that Clive utilizes in the game are incredible, but unfortunately, the combat is almost too reliant on them.
The combos which Clive can perform on basic attacks are rather limited and it can make the combat feel stale and fresh. While players of course are encouraged to utilize the Eikon abilities to keep the gameplay exciting, one can't help but feel as if the core basic attacks couldn't use a few more combos. This feels especially noticeable and repetitive when playing as Ifrit.
The boss battles in this game are some of the most exquisite in gaming and really only fall short when compared to major franchises like FromSoftware's Souls games and The Legend of Zelda series. These boss battles are epic cinematic events with riveting background music and unique gameplay. The only major flaw of these boss battles is the numerous cutscenes which often make the player feel as if they're watching a movie instead of playing a game. While the game does offer inputs to dodge or attack these cues are extremely easy to perform and offer zero difficulty. The gameplay also has a tad too much of the cutscenes where the player is just watching and not even inputting the dodge or attack buttons. However, each of these major boss battles is full of numerous phases that last a while, so there is still plenty of gameplay involved.
The story overall is excellent and the character work is the best Final Fantasy has received yet. The side quests lack variety in terms of their objectives but the stories surrounding each one are incredibly interesting and provide some of the best content in the game.
The biggest issue the game suffers from is its performance and there seems to be barely a difference when switching from Graphic Mode to Performance Mode, at least gameplay-wise. Motion Blur is also an eyesore and this has been fixed to be adjustable in the game's first update.
Overall the game is a phenomenal experience and the best Final Fantasy has to offer. It's difficult to imagine that the franchise will ever top this game's storytelling, character work, or cinematic beauty but it's definitely likely that the core gameplay will be improved upon in the future.
Score: 96/100
