User reviews

Okay, this game is amazing. My favorite Final Fantasy games are 7 and 14. This is much more darker and mature. It's very, very brutal. But i love it. Story is emotional rollercoaster, combat is so amazing, world is big, music is one of the best i have ever heard. Soken is on fire!! There also many amazing characters. Clive is a very strong character, but my favorite is Cid and Jill. And of course Torgal. Such a good boy. Graphics and visuals, top notch, and voice acting is so good too. Anyway, time will tell if this is a best Final Fantasy game. Right now, for me it is!! Thank you Business Unit III, Yoshi-P and Square Enix. Masterpiece 10/10.

I'll admit that I wasn't too excited for this one, mainly because the series had kind of lost it's way, and I feel that XV, while fun, was ultimately a step down from what made the series amazing. I was also a little worried when people said it wasn't going to be open world, I thought that was a bad idea. But then I actually played it, and in no uncertain terms, I was honestly blown away. I just misunderstood what people were saying earlier, it's technically an open world, just with a smaller one separated into more detailed sections, which I prefer to a big empty world. In a lot of ways, this is kind of a return to form for the series, definitely going for quality over quantity, even with a gameplay style somewhat reminiscent of Kingdom Hearts, which I thoroughly enjoy, it changes the formula while still bringing in some core features to the series. But what makes it even better is the story, they finally put more effort into all of that than the gameplay, the world building, the characters, even the progression, I can honestly say it's the best story in an FF game since X, and I'm not saying that ironically. There are genuinely parts I don't expect and a deeper tone to the whole thing.

My one gripe about it is the change to an M Rating, not just that, but the added violence and swearing, and to a lesser extent, sex. A lot of this can feel kind of out of place to a long time fan of Final Fantasy, and I honestly think they could've just as easily made it rated T. But ultimately, I'm not all that upset about it, because they don't just decide to fill it chock full of excessive swearing, sex, or overly gorey violence, they just put little bits of that in, and it still overall feels like an FF game with all the adventure, lore, and stakes in it. It doesn't try too hard to be dark and edgy, and keep in mind this isn't the first FF game to get an M Rating.

Overall, I think it is well worth your money, whether you're a fan of the series already or not, and I hope they maintain the direction of quality over quantity with future games, because one's like these prove that the series is not yet past it's prime.

Ff16 sets the bar high for rpgs and other games for its storytelling and gameplay.

It has learnt from the mistakes of ff15, and has majorly improved, the only slight issue the game has, it is that the frame rate drops in some sequences but overall top notch!

The creators have announced that the game will receive an update which will fix many of its issues especially motion blur and frame rate issues.

Old fans may or may not like the game's new mechanics because of no turn based one like the old games. But, for new comers, they will definitely enjoy.

I highly recommend this game! Perfection.

I will admit going into this that I may be fully biased. Final Fantasy is one of my favorite game series of all time with 10 being my favorite game. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed 16. The story, the combat, the music. All of it was a home run for me.

The combat director formerly worked on Devil May Cry 6 and it shows. It feels fluid and clean just like the former. It can feel simple yet as you progress and become more comfortable with it; you can pull of more complicated combos and weave together more powers. I found it a much more engaging solution to FF15's leave from the more original combat of Final Fantasy. Eikon battles are absolutely insane and truly take the game to a higher level. There are plenty of accessibility accessories you can equip that modify the combat to be easier. This is great for those either newly interested players or those that struggle with this gameplay.

The story is absolute dynamite. A fantastic cast comes together to bring this to life. Clive's actor definitely understood and added so much subtext to it all that came through. The relationships between all the characters as they progressed were wonderful to watch. Even comedic relief was incredibly well done and well timed. As always, the strongest suit of Final Fantasy is a story that engages you and makes you feel many emotions while playing. Simply a fantastic cast of characters.

Overall, some may be upset with the combat changes or diversion from the FF norm. Lots of reviews claiming that the game is too easy!! (While playing with every easy modifier). This is a Final Fantasy that anyone can truly get into and enjoy. As always, fantastic work to Square Enix, congratulations to the production and cast, and, finally, enjoy the journey.

Final Fantasy XVI is a perfect game. The story is well written and thought out, compelling, invokes emotion, and knows when to add humour that will not take away from the tone.

You are immeditately thrusted into the combat so you can feel the sense of what the game is all about from the word "go". All of the characters are either relatable, sympathetic, or hated in some way.

The dialogue is well written, and the voice acting carries the weight very well.

The combat is amazing, it is easy to pick up if you're a new player while also adding a challenge for those experienced in action games, and the eikon kaiju battles were nothing short of epic in different ways.

XVI leaves no loose ends except for the questions it did not answer. You can pet the dog.

The graphics and visuals are absolutely gorgeous, and even though we are not able to touch the water this game hands down has the best water physics out of any game I have seen.

XVI likes to throw cliches at you only to completely subvert your expectation because it knows that you know what should happen, for example; the final boss is well established and doesn't get outshone by a surprise villain irrelevent to the established plot.

And finally, even though there are some moments where visuals frame drop or the characters move like they're in Final Fantast XIV it is completely outshone to the point that it is only a very minor issue that can be made at best.

It's perfect. Everything, down to the last minute details. 10/10 the best game ever made.

I have played hundreds of games in my lifetime and this is the best thusfar. What a combination of the things that made FF7 great and an epic movie, you get to play yourself. The only thing for me that comes somewhat close is The Witcher 3, but this is so much more epic (visually and in total). If you're reading this, to decide whether you should buy it... let this be your signal. Enjoy, you won't be disappointed!

And for all the people who always want to look for the negatives or points of improvement.. yes, the hp gating is not ideal, but it doesn't matter, because it makes sure the story stays up, despite exp and ap farms... and yes, the itemization could be better, including the whole buying and selling system, which is now to linear and simple compared to games like WoW.. and yes, the game offers a lack of customization.. but if you are bothered by all these things, you are missing the point.. you are playing a movie.. you are in control for some parts, but never was it intended for you to be able to change the whole movie.. just sit back and enjoy this awesome ride :-)

Hey folks, I'd say I'm a pretty average Final Fantasy Fan. Haven't played all of them, but have beaten my fair share of FF titles that I feel confident enough to give a solid opinion on Square Enix's newest edition to the series.

It's been about two months since I beat this title and usually after I beat a game, I just go on to the next and enjoy it. FFXVI has managed to have a solid impact on my life, at the moment, and the characters feel very real/fleshed out for me. I haven't been so immersed in game side characters since Red Dead 2; not to compare the two, they're vastly different games. Everything about the cast, from Cid's voice performance to the designs of the bosses, is amazing and so unique. While I think I enjoyed VII remake and XV's soundtrack a bit more, this game was not short of some AMAZING pieces.

If you're on the fence about playing this game, just do yourself the favor and get it. If you're not sure, just wait for a sale and see what you think. In case anyone is wondering how long it is, I had about 76 hours by the time I uninstalled it from my PS5. Can't wait for the DLC!!!!

This game should have been marketed as a system seller for the PlayStation 5 because it shows what the console is truly capable of. There were so many moments where my jaw hit the floor while watching and playing parts of this games sequences, boss fights and cinematics. Adding to that praise a truly mesmerising soundtrack, this game is simply one of the all time greats from all things technical.

The only bad marks it gets is how it builds a very interesting and in depth story of politics, wars and regicide from all different angles but then almost drops this to focus on the more mythic and other worldly elements of its story. I feel like the story chiefs were caught in a tug of war between grounded political intrigue and remembering this is a Final Fantasy game and therefore needs a cosmic entity to define the whole picture.

While this isn't necessarily a bad thing, I do think more could have been done to have the games multiple antagonists have more of an impact on our hero's actions and 'destiny' than they did. They end up being stepping stones, only to be rendered narratively obsolete by there being a bridge further down river. But really, come the end of the game there are numerous call backs that make it not too much of an egregious misstep.

The only other criticism is a nitpick, as mentioned at the start, this game is a technical marvel, but to its detriment at times as there are so many particle effects, flashes and chaos happening on screen that, if you're using multiple abilities at the same time, it can become extremely difficult to tell what on earth is going on on your screen. Certain abilities had me turning my camera to an upward angle so I could see what the enemy was doing as I was charging up a latent power that took up much needed space. Also considering the enemies also have their own particle effects and attacks that leave impacts on the ground, it's a confusing and chaotic melee on screen. Thankfully the combat is extremely fun and intense so again, it's a nitpick.

The strength of this game quite rightly is the technical flexing it pulls off with ease. I had zero crashes which is extremely impressive considering everything that can be happening everywhere, all at once on my screen. Unforgettable boss battles and brilliant performances from all casts members. This is a one of a kind fantasy epic and I will always look back on it with excitement.

This game has a lot of the same old tropes of past Final Fantasy games, long boss battles, long cinematic cutscenes, and a story that's too complex for it to be compelling. The big problems are the following: 1-The story is uninspiring and difficult to follow. So much is going on, that you have to do a lot of reading to figure out why these people hate these people and who are these people.

2-The main character is whiny. Other characters are flat and lack depth. Previous FF games had some great characters that added to the story, this one does not.

3-Hack and slash with the occasional dodge not only tires your thumbs and gets old fast, but especially in boss battles. Bosses are difficult and morph, followed by cutscenes, followed by more button mashing.

4-Graphics are good, but nothing out of the ordinary on most games now days.

5-The game is violent for no reason other than to be violent. This produces the conundrum is it good to add violence to a series that has childish side stories of chocobos and moogles? Some stories in the game are too violent for kids, and others are too childish for adults.

This game follows a lot of the same patterns of previous Final Fantasy games but with the added violence and button mashing it does nothing to improve previous games. If you love Final Fantasy games chances are you will like this one, but nothing new here and lack of a good story and characters really hurts this game.

I may have jumped to conclusions and reviewed the title too early. I will say however that it starts out eye gouging-like slow and generic. However, after more thorough and longer gameplay, it wasn't as bad as my last review had made it out to be.

Once you do open up the world a bit as you progress through the story, it does become rather enticing and "spacious." I am not used to the base infrastructure used in the FFXVI title, so it threw me off.

As I progressed the world opened up, and the story improved dramatically.

I am changing my rating from a six to an eight.

I do standby a lot of the negatives mentioned in my old review below.

Still not GOTY material.

8/10

------- OLD REVIEW BELOW -------

I am not impressed with the iconic titles being released lately. It all seems either like they're in experiment mode, or just becoming developmently lazy.

Seven hours in and the story is great so far, but it just doesn't seem like a main Final Fantasy entry.

1) No open World

This was mentioned in early development, but I didn't expect it to be this restricted. It seems like it's so linear that your items give you no joy when obtaining them. A lot of Final Fantasy games are based on discovery, with their witty activities and sidequests. Speaking of, the sidequests have absolutely no meaning or purposeful chain that affects anything in the story.

2) Leveling System

This leveling system is grossly generic. You have very little to actually level your character in, except one skill wheel with a handful of skills. Then, you have one for your nonhuman npcs and abilities, which is also generic.

I do not get the joy out of this Final Fantasy as I did previous ones. This game just comes off as flat out lazy to me.

If they would've combined somewhat of an openish world with this storyline, and implemented more Final Fantasy characteristics, this could've easily been GOTY material. I am disappointed.

To be fair, if you enjoy 'souls like' games (eg. Dark Souls and God of War), you'll probably find a lot to like on FF16. It's a basic hack and slash in which the most important thing is perfectly timing parties and dodge rolls, just like those games.

But on top of that, the world/setting is stunning and unique; the cinematics are blended in alongside some of the gameplay, and are crazy impressive; and there's a wider range of combat abilities to sprinkle in here and there between the perfect timing hack n slash.

Some people might also enjoy the massive battles between the latest variation on summons/eidolons/guardian forces. They're big and beautiful like most of the game, and tie in fast-paced cinematics with combat.

Personally, I found both so boring that I couldn't play through much of the game. The hack n slash is both repetitive in and of itself, and doubly so for people like me who are already tired of the same kind of stuff in a million other games (Dark Souls, God of War, Devil May Cry, Assassin's Creed, Horizon, Batman Arkham, Spider-man, and so many more all end up feeling samey). And the eidolon battles are just jazzed up quick time events. It feels like 'how fast can you ignore all that's going on to press this particular button that's displayed on the screen'.

Basically, all the tactical decisions of choosing from a wide range of spells, attacks, and abilities you might expect from Final Fantasy has been replaced with twitch timing. On top of that, the exploration, mini-games, and multi-character parties that truly make a game feel like 'Final Fantasy' are completely gone. All the variety swapped for speed.

The story and characters are typical of Final Fantasy, but in gameplay not at all. Such a shame that Square Enid didn't just start a big, bold new action series with this under a different name, and let FF be FF.

Final Fantasy 16 is a fun, flashy fantasy RPG that's a little lighter on the RPG than its predecessors. With a seamless balance of player engagement and cinematic clashes, the world of Valisthea is vividly realised in all its Game of Thrones inspired glory. Not to be bogged down by all those grey tones, 16 showcases some of the best visuals yet, with stunning vistas and soaring soundtracks to hit the player right in the heart.

For some, sadly, its hack 'n' slash gameplay is a long way from the turn-based action of old and might disappoint the latter's more hardcore fans while the more streamlined nature of the game sacrifices substance for style.

You can barely PLAY this game: with so many cinematics and enemies with cool visual design but unimaginative mechanics, you fight every boss in pretty much same way. Even on "hard" mode (can't recall how they called it) you can wipe every enemy on the first try even without rings, but if you dare to use 3 rings the game will literally play itself. Also performance is terribly inconsistent and they hadn't fixed it even a month after launch, FPS dips as low as 48 and usually fluctuate around 54.

Is my first FF so I don't know if this is normal for the franchise.

Characters are good, this could better have been a great animated series.

One of the most boring games I have ever played. Not even the characters made this game interesting in anyway, and especially the Devil May cry "inspired" combat got old really quick. The only parts of this game that were actually good Were the set piece boss fights. Compared to the final fantasy, seven remake it's terrible. I would say Final Fantasy 15 was a better game. And there is so much filler and fluff in between the main set pieces. And wow, those boring arse side quests were terrible. I just stopped doing them. Anyway, you probably shouldn't play this game because it's bad and stuff Final Fantasy 15 was better and 7 remake. Clive is a boring main character.

Nothing about this game worked for me. The combat was fresh and fun to start with, but it has no depth and no strategy - not to mention, the lack of challenge on display discourages you from ever mastering the combat. The story has one of the strongest starts in any Final Fantasy game and had me immediately hooked; I preordered shortly after playing the demo and was excited to see where the story would go. This is the first "mature" Final Fantasy in both rating and nature. Critics compared it to "Game of Thrones" in tone... but later in the story, it definitely begins to feel like a JRPG in terms of characters and story. It might be my personal preference, but I wish the development team had committed fully to telling a Western fantasy-inspired story. The characters are all bland, forgettable, and their character designs are even uninspired - so much so that I had a hard time telling characters apart or remembering characters as they were reintroduced in the story. While this is also a personal preference, I became sick of how much of the game played out in cutscenes which would often last for minutes at a time, jumping from scenario to scenario. It made me long for Final Fantasy XV, which allowed at least some autonomy during exposition-heavy segments by allowing you to control the character or the camera. But the worst offender is that the story ends up being run-of-the-mill JRPG fare. Nothing we haven't seen before but also, not even delivered in a captivating way. The music is overall unremarkable - my favorite piece, one of the battle themes, is lifted directly from a random Final Fantasy XIV track that originally scored one of the optional areas in that game. Those who didn't play XIV wouldn't notice it, but to me, reusing a random track is very odd. As a big fan of XIV's music overall, I'm disappointed that I didn't enjoy this game's soundtrack more since it's by the same composer. There's a lot more to say about this game, but for now, I'll end by saying that I haven't given up on the franchise - I do appreciate the switch to action combat and the potential for future entries. But this game is even bad as much as it is bland. Which, for a series as important to me as Final Fantasy, is almost heartbreaking.

This final fantasy game Is visually impressive, however... The introduction is poor I'm about 6 hours into the game with no idea who I'm fighting, who the various factions are that are at war.

It's go here, kill a small group of enemies for 2 minutes then cutscenes for 10 minutes.

I really don't think it's important to be stopped mid battle everytime I level up, the spoils screen after every battle is annoying as hell.

When I'm battling all I see if fireworks, so when in large groups. I have no idea what I'm actually hitting.

Storyline is bland, but potentially get better.

I love the world building in this entry.

I wish they had of focused on producing ff7 remake pt2 over this.

I'm so sick and tired of these handsomepunk powder skin emo characters with their ridiculous massive steel swords big as a treetrunk. It's just hilariously bland. Ff16 is also made much worse because it lacks its own identity. I don't want a gameofthrones, thewitcher cgi dark boringness while playing a ff. But then again i haven't played a good ff since X.

The ff series has become such a tiresome trope that I can't tell the videogames heroes /heroines apart anymore. None of these adventures sticks in my head cause of how familiar they look. It's like FF visual identity got stuck after that terrible movie and nothing since then has changed much. Gone are the days of mechs and playing as a chubby cook. Or a manufactured wizard. Where are the ghibli esque heroes and imperfect characters i could feel for?? The games have had the exact same annoying looking cosplay hairdos. Only difference really is the hair color. Why can't the devs change up this tired formula? They should make some playable characters with a darker side to them instead and completely change the artistic style and concept of FF alltogheter.

Maybe im the minority but almost every jrpg the last few years looks the same, plays the same, feels the same. A bland looking hero with a ridiculus name doning a pair of leather gloves wielding a huge piece of garbage brick. Im so tired of FF. This will be the last game i ever play.

Liberating slaves, that's what they came up with after several years of working after FFXV. Every character is predictable, man children thinking they can save the world. Even boss lacks depth, just like every other cliche boss in a average story. Every fight is alike, repetitive. When every boss was at their last HP, it just became way stronger than before, then what's the point of fighting at the first place? Every time player fights a good fight, a CG would tell you every level you went through is worthless, BORING STORY DICTATES EVERYTHING.

Clive is always thinking like a child, putting the people around him at risk especially jill.

Although FFXV's story was dismembered badly, at least it was epic and moving. This felt like a boring version of Game of thrones. And there were way less things to explore in this world than FFXV's.