Two years ago, Final Fantasy XVI launched as a PS5 exclusive. It was generally well received by critics, scoring 87 on both Metacritic and OpenCritic, and our official review from @Chary gave it a 9.2/10 at the time. A year later, the game landed on PC, and it became accessible to even more players when it shadowdropped on the Xbox Series X|S and Xbox PC a few weeks ago. Having finally been able to play the latest mainline entry to the Final Fantasy franchise thanks to its Xbox release, I will share my impressions of this version here.

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Set in the fictional world of Valisthea, where nations are warring over clashing ideologies, Final Fantasy XVI focuses on the story of Clive Rosfield. The young, but skilled warrior, is the elder brother of Joshua, the Dominant of the Phoenix, and is sworn to protect him. But on a fateful night, he fails at this task, leaving him powerless in the face of a great tragedy. This sets Clive on a path of revenge as he navigates through the disrupted power balance in Valisthea.

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While Final Fantasy XVI looks like a Final Fantasy game, with stylish character designs and a detailed fantasy world, it feels different compared to traditional titles. This is in large part due to its adoption of a more action-RPG design, with a focus on the protagonist rather than a whole party, and a more streamlined equipment and upgrade system. These design choices have been expertly integrated with the game’s overall cinematic presentation, feeling fluid and engaging. It’s not lacking in terms of epic cutscenes, boss fights and even Kaiju-esque Eikon (this entry’s terminology for GF/Summons) face-offs.

While the Final Fantasy inspirations are present, it feels more like an inspiration than anything. I certainly don’t mind such experimentations, but this puts FF16, and maybe the future of its franchise, in a delicate position. The action-oriented gameplay might appeal to newer audiences, but the deviation from traditional mechanics might alienate older fans. This might be among the reasons that Square Enix did not consider the game to have met its sales expectations.

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In any case, FF16 remains a great game and has an intriguing plot with well-written characters driving it. It plays well on the Xbox Series S, although I did encounter some framerate dips during cutscenes. Inconsistent framerates were an issue back when it launched on the PS5, so it’s somewhat surprising that they persist; but then again, my experience is based on the less powerful Series S console, where the graphical and performance options are limited (to say the least).

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On Xbox, Final Fantasy XVI is available as a single purchase for the base game, and the DLCs Echoes of the Fallen and The Rising Tide can be purchased separately. Final Fantasy XVI Complete Edition bundles the base game and both DLCs together and also includes redeemable weapons and items. It’s a nice option to consider if you want to see everything that Square Enix has to offer for Final Fantasy XVI, but you can simply start with the base game and see if you’d like to spend more time in the world of Valisthea.

With the Xbox release of Final Fantasy XVI, I found myself enjoying the game through cloud gaming (via Game Pass subscription), as the game is included in the Xbox Play Anywhere feature. This enables me to play the game on an Android gaming handheld like the AYANEO Pocket S, which is incredibly convenient if you’re travelling over the summer and don’t want to drag a whole console with you.

If traditional Final Fantasy games and their often-complex mechanics have felt intimidating to you, then Final Fantasy XVI is a great way to experience what the series has to offer in terms of grand narrative and unique designs. I’d also recommend the game to those who are already familiar with the franchise and don’t mind a new take on the gameplay. But it will be challenging to get into if you want more of a traditional Final Fantasy experience. Be sure to read our full review of the game before jumping in!

Final Fantasy XVI Official GBAtemp Review

 

[RyanTheArchivist]

FFXVI was definitely a game I tried to get into but I just couldn't. It just felt too.... linear and simple for me. The story content was fun for sure but the gameplay really disappointed me.

 

[MariArch]

FFXVI was definitely a game I tried to get into but I just couldn't. It just felt too.... linear and simple for me. The story content was fun for sure but the gameplay really disappointed me.

Classic Yoshi P

 

[Chary]

I really liked the story and the setting and the general vibes. Part of that was me really craving something in that style, but I had a great time with it. The gameplay started really strong, but in retrospect, I do think it was the weakest link.

 

[Naster]

Too bad that the game SUCKS

 

[Robert Newbie]

Thanks for the write up. I didn't play the game, but I've been getting the same impression as your review. It sounds like Final Fantasy XVI doesn't feel like a Final Fantasy game in presentation or in gameplay.

It reminds me of Final Fantasy XII. It was well-received by fans and critics, but the community did feel like the gameplay was a bit of a deviation. Of course, in the those days, some experimentation paired with the best presentation and graphics the PS2 could afford kept customer confidence high.

That doesn't work these days. It feels like the new industry standards and push for wide appeal have taken Final Fantasy out of its roots.

It's strange because Dragon Quest XI was much more traditional, and the game did well. Maybe Square-Enix executives feel that they can experiment with one and maintain a status quo with the other.


EDIT: Evidently, Dragon Quest XI sold really well compared to the rest of the series. Data from VGChartz:

Dragon Quest - 2.0 million
Dragon Quest II - 2.5 million
Dragon Quest III - 3.9 million
Dragon Quest IV - 3.2 million
Dragon Quest V - 2.8 million
Dragon Quest VI - 3.2 million
Dragon Quest VII - 4.3 million
Dragon Quest VIII - 4.9 million
Dragon Quest IX - 5.5 million
Dragon Quest X - 1.0 million
Dragon Quest XI - 8.5 million

 

[Ligeia]

Funny I started this game a week or two ago, I've been wanting to try it since release but was waiting for a complete edition. Turns out I'm not disappointed, the story is surprisingly good, at first glance it's all very classic politic stuff but there's a lot to read between the lines as far as personal relationships go. The story is also very mature and I was very pleasantly surprised by the general lack of the usual mandatory politically correct checklist stuff that plagues every story nowadays, it felt like an actual story and not like an inventory catalog of current social issues condescendingly put out to "educate" players. The one thing that stood out in that area (the gay relationship) was actually good because it didn't feel like some box to tick, it felt genuine and I loved it, it definitely was a highlight for me.

Battle gameplay is generally solid, I loved having the option of simplifying things because I don't like having to learn tons of new gameplay mechanics, here I was able to do it at my own pace while enjoying the game, it was great. I'm loving the action-RPG direction the series is taking, turn-based battles are getting very old and stale in my opinion. Combat, ability management and inventory management generally reminded me a lot of Strangers of Paradise.

The exploration gameplay has a few oddities (unable to manually select your walking speed, needing to press R2 to open some doors), but nothing major. The game is generally very linear and if you do every side mission you basically never need to stray out of the main path, rewards are generally terrible but I didn't mind since I like exploration for the sake of it, so I used every opportunity I got to do it.

One thing I feel the need to rant about is that "hold the button instead of pressing it" current trend. It's just so annoying. I'd rather make a mistake once in a while by pressing a button by accident rather than having to deal with the hassle of holding it for the most mundane actions, I don't need that kind of babying.

All in all this is definitely gonna be my favourite 3D Final Fantasy.

 

[pustal]

While the Final Fantasy inspirations are present, it feels more like an inspiration than anything. I certainly don’t mind such experimentations, but this puts FF16, and maybe the future of its franchise, in a delicate position. The action-oriented gameplay might appeal to newer audiences, but the deviation from traditional mechanics might alienate older fans. This might be among the reasons that Square Enix did not consider the game to have met its sales expectations.

Final Fantasy is being deviating from traditional mechanics and experimenting since XII. From hybrid combat, turn based where the game battles for you to other action variants that try to have a many system that breaks flow. This is nothing new and as much as I like turn-based combat and still think that nothing topples the golden era games, between hybrid experimentations and closeted action games, I much rather a full-fledged action game. Pick one or the other and stick with it. XVI picked the latter and stuck with it, and I'm glad it did.

As for linearity, it's also not the first linear game, but that doesn't mean it's bad. X was linear and was great, as it had a great delivery, XIII was linear and painfully so. XVI, like X has a great delivery and, specially unlike XIII the world actually feels complex with somewhat intricate maps, unlike the corridor feel.

 

[Ulieq]

horrible game. Played it through the end and regrated it. Ff7 rebirth destroys it.