70%PlayStation 5

Great plot, amazing art and graphics.
Bland combat though, almost zero impact on enemies.

85%PlayStation 5

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75%PlayStation 5

This was the first Final Fantasy game, though I can’t say it was a definitive experience for me because it’s closer to an open-world action-adventure game than a JRPG. Nonetheless, I had a great time. Medieval Shonen Avatar the Last Kaijubender is an awesome premise, and the action set pieces, score, and performances were killer. I usually dread needing to watch cutscenes, but these were so entertaining and melodramatic that I couldn’t look away.

Now, if I were uninformed and stopped playing this game at the midpoint, it may be a game of the year for me. But sadly I wanted to finish it since it starts off so strong. Very quickly after Cid dies does the story and its themes get muddled. It drags because characters we spend a long time with are removed from the story too early like Hugo Kupka and the quality of side quests and gameplay shows its cracks.

There are so many side quests in this game- and the quality has range. Reuniting with Ambrosia or helping Quentin stand his ground at Lostwing are touching and help flesh out Clive’s character, but most are otherwise boring and kill the pacing of the story. It’s predominately because the structure of these quests are Go to Person A > Talk > Go to Person B > Talk > Collect/Kill 5 of Something > Return to Person A. Most, if not all side quests are this format. It’s boring and repetitive, and feels especially so during the ones where Clive doesn’t grow as a character or learn about the world in a meaningful way.

As for the main quest design, its structure is also repetitive because it doesn’t reward the player with changes to gameplay, just a new power to slightly mix up their play style. Main quests are usually like Go to Person A > Talk > Repeat for 3-5 More People > Go To Area > Kill Everything > Boss Fight > Get Dominant/Destroy Mothercrystal. The sheer amount of slowly walking to another character to get a mission-related item slows down the pacing so much that the game becomes a chore to play. And this is exacerbated by how the powers you get don’t synergize enough during fights. The hack-and-slash combat is interesting enough but isn’t focused on chaining combos. And what could have been a diverse set of moves and combinations could've invited a level of strategy to the game with builds or match-ups with powers that work better on certain enemies. What I'm saying is that both Devil May Cry and Doom Eternal laid out different blueprints for how this game could've approached its combat and find they just have Clive output a small amount of damage the entire game and as a result he never feels strong enough. You just finding what powers do the most (it'll never not feel like a lot) stagger or damage and spam them as they refresh. For a game that borrows so much design from its open-world action-adventure contemporaries, I would’ve liked to see more things that make those games so great and diverse.

I do appreciate the game’s story, though, and its allegories for extraction-based wealth and how it weaves into the stratification of our socioeconomic classes is pretty cool for a JRPG. I love how it plainly states that changing the world is no job for just one person. However, the very non-JRPG design seems to be antithetical to the messaging, as you never really have a party of equals that you’re working alongside, Clive very often is fighting by himself or with Jill and Torgal who do such an inconsequential amount of damage that you realize they're just there so the enemies don't realize they're better off rushing you all at once. While the story FF16 tells is touching, its game and story design could’ve been reworked to further underline its themes.

Overall, I’m complaining a lot but I did have a great time playing, and the first act really holds up a lot of these issues. FF16 might be told better in multiple parts, one to set up the world and the rise of the Dominants as socioeconomic and military leaders/pawns, and the sequel, what the game currently is, to show the consequences of a society stratified like this. Perhaps it’s too big and too bloated for its own good, but I’ll be checking out the other games nonetheless.

65%PlayStation 5

Less than the sum of its parts. It's unfortunate that such a strong start combined with some incredible high points still couldn't FFXVI from the dullness of the combat and the story. The strength of its opening hours (the demo) sold me on the game and middle 20-30 hours slowly made me question why I kept playing it? Perhaps the sunk cost fallacy bubbling to the surface again? There are lots of things to love about this game. The visual style is incredibly polished and well rendered, the boss fights are ridiculous in the way that tickles that DBZ centre of my brain and combat seems to have so much depth and variety. "Seems to" is the operative phrase as the combat is actually very simplistic. The closest points of comparison I can think of is somewhere between Final Fantasy XV and Devil May Cry but a VERY simplified version of DMC. Maybe DMC1 level of complexity. The abilities working on cooldown timers instead of some sort of MP meter than you could regain based on combos just feels like I'm waiting to have fun in the game. Even during the final boss, I still only had that same 5 hit combo with Clive's sword and few other options in between ability cooldowns. It's fine if you're making a 20-25 hour action RPG...but this clocked in at 47 hours for me and that's skipping a lot of the later side quests (because they're incredibly dull and it wasn't worth the time sorting through the ones that seemed interesting). No playable party members wouldn't be a problem if Clive had a massive toolset at his disposal but he kinda doesn't. Sure there's like 20+ abilities in the game but you can only equip 6 at a time and you have to rotate through your active Eikons to use each one. Compared to the strategy juggling and fast pace reflexes FF7 Remake and Rebirth ask of the player, it's a real letdown that FF16 limits itself like this. It feels like more must have been played for the combat system, either controllable party members or all Eikons available in combat but having neither makes so much of the combat repetitive and dull.

Story wise this game is like a reverse bell curve where I was most invested in the story near the beginning and the end with the middle dragging horribly. Once the full proper set up of the story is established which is about 8-10 hours in, it basically tells you how the story will play it from there and there's no real surprises on the course. The story plays out exactly as you would expect. There's an early reveal that I'm not sure if it's suppose to be a reveal with Clive being the Dominant of Ifrit (the Eikon that killed his brother, meaning Clive killed his brother except of course he didn't because his brother is the Phoenix and can just resurrect himself). It's odd how it plays out because this is an earth shattering revelation to Clive while the player is sitting there going "Yeah, no shit." And then the best character in the game dies and you're left with Edgelord McBroadchest and his "Will they or won't they?" totally not in love friend, Jill the chill queen. They're fine when you're not screaming at them to just kiss already (they eventually do around the 85% mark).

It's a strange game to talk about because objectively there are many high quality aspects to it but as a whole, it just doesn't come together. The story isn't invested in the characters enough to bring the player along and the combat is terrified of overwhelming the player so it commits the opposite sin of being incredibly easy and simplistic. I wanted to like this game a lot. Hell, I wanted to love this game. It had everything going for it that I love: stylish over the top action combat, dark fantasy setting focused on war and politics and brooding protagonist hellbent on vengeance. But it just doesn't work. I'm sad to say this is probably the most disappointed I've been in Final Fantasy since 13. While 15 was a very compromised game, they understood the fundamental thing that got people emotionally invested in Final Fantasy: the characters. The plot can be an incomprehensible mess but if we have characters we love or are deeply interested in, we will care about what happens. By the end of FF16, I was sprinting past combat encounters to just roll credits and get that nagging sensation of my chest that I haven't technically beaten the game. Was the final boss fight enjoyable? Yeah, I really wish I had that full toolset and that kind of fight way earlier in the game. It feels like a mountain a missed opportunities culminated in the ultimate missed opportunity that will be Final Fantasy XVI.

80%PlayStation 5

Final Fantasy XVI is a controversial title in the franchise, but it's one that I enjoyed quite a bit. Story is mature and grand in scale, but it does drag quite a bit after the time skip. Clive makes for a fantastic protagonist (IMO the best FF protagonist), and most of the rest of the cast is also strong (except Jill and Ultima). Soundtrack is, as always with FF titles, phenomenal and epic. The action combat, a major source of controversy, is flashy but easy and repetitive. Future FF games should take more inspiration from the VII remake games if they want to continue with the action gameplay. That said, this game might have the most epic (in scale) boss fights in video game history (Titan and Bahamut in particular).

Overall a very solid game that I don't regret playing.

95%PC

More action than RPG. But does not deviate from the Final Fantasy genre.

85%PlayStation 5

verry good

95%PlayStation 5

Final Fantasy XVI is such an amazing game!
The story is a sheer overflow of emotions and the graphics are so stunning too. And even though it has different gameplay than all other FF games, it can still be considered a mainline final fantasy.
But that doesn't change the fact that the game is actually quite bad. Don't get me wrong, the battles themselves are great, but overall the progression in upgrading your weapons and skills is incredibly poor. It feels like you are playing a mobile game.

All in all, it's one of my favorite Final Fantasy games, and if the progression system is improved and the story of FF16 is further expanded, FF17 could be a great next Final Fantasy game.

75%PlayStation 5

Good main story with scenes constantly outdoing the previous one. Good combat. Mediocre side content. Kind of empty world.

100%PlayStation 5

Extremely fun game. i was a little wary at first because of the change in gameplay but it was easy to learn and a lot of fun

95%PlayStation 5

Fantastic combat, story, and mostly good voice acting. Movement systems are a pain in the butt, but everything else here is incredibly well done. The kaiju battles are amazing. The music is epic as hell. The visuals are just plain incredible at times.

80%PlayStation 5

A solid action game, with stunning visuals and an expectedly phenomenal soundtrack. In fact, it would easily have a higher score if the whole thing wasn't so damn dour as the general misery of the narrative really made Final Fantasy XVI an unenjoyable slog at times. I did applaud when a certain character died though, so there is that.

60%PlayStation 5

Los cambios siempre generan controversia y Final Fantasy XVI es, sin ninguna duda, la entrega de la famosa franquicia que mas cambia con respecto a entregas anteriores. Con una jugabilidad propia de un Hack and Slash (aunque bastante simplificado) y donde la parte rolera queda muy en segundo plano, Yoshida y su equipo nos dan un juego que encantará a unos y decepcionará a otros. Con un total de 58 horas y tras haber completado el juego al 100%, estas son mis impresiones organizadas en los bloques que considero más importantes: jugabilidad, historia, gráficos y banda sonora.

Con respecto a la jugabilidad me gustaría destacar que el juego no es para nada un "machaca botones" (cosa que se puede pensar viendo trailers). El combate consiste en hacer combos encadenando habilidades que se realizan solas, por lo que no requiere la habilidad con el mando de un DMC. A partir de aquí, la dinámica es la misma que en FF7 Remake o incluso que FF XIII, combinar ataques para bajar, primero, la barra de aturdimiento y, posteriormente, la de vida. Las batallas de Eikons, si bien son muy espectaculares, acaban pecando de ser excesivamente largas y, por momentos, demasiado cinemáticas, de modo que el jugador pasa muchos minutos mirando a la pantalla y participando únicamente mediante QTE, un recurso tan vago como arcaico. Por último, la dificultad del juego es muy asequible, incluso para alguien no acostumbrado al género como es mi caso. Apenas hay 3 o 4 combates que te pondrán en apuros y, en la mayoría de los casos, lo harán por desconocer los patrones de ataque, no por que sean difíciles per se.

La historia de FF XVI es sin duda uno de sus puntos fuertes, una historia de venganza, de muerte, de guerra... pero también de lucha por la libertad, de buscar lo mejor del ser humano. Toda ella relatada a través de muchos personajes, casi todos ellos muy buenos y muy bien escritos a excepción, tal vez, del villano principal, el cual deja mucho que desear y que no está a la altura del juego en muchos momentos.

No obstante, la historia tiene muchos altibajos, con momentos muy buenos que van seguidos de horas de recados obligatorios que querrás pasar lo antes posible. El contenido secundario es bastante regulero y el diseño de niveles es muy similar al de Tales of Arise: amplias zonas abiertas con un diseño lineal, sin mazmorras y que invita poco a la exploración. Personalmente creo que la primera mitad del juego es excepcional, directa y con buen ritmo, mientras que la segunda pierde fuelle al aumentar la cantidad de relleno que, encima, es obligatorio.

A nivel gráfico y de rendimiento el juego está muy bien pulido, más aún si tenemos en cuenta lo rotos que están saliendo los juegos en los últimos años (cyberpunk, jedi survivor, redfall, etc.). Cierto es que tiene sus bajones de frames pero nada grave, al menos jugado en el modo rendimiento. En cuanto a la calidad gráfica, el juego no tiene unas texturas excepcionales pero, sin embargo, el uso que le dan y el excepcional arte del juego crean entornos que realmente atrapan al jugador, dando la sensación de tener un nivel técnico mucho mayor del que realmente tiene. Por poner una comparación, transmite algo parecido a lo que hace Ghost of Tsushima: si te fijas en los detalles no es gran cosa, pero las panorámicas globales son realmente impresionantes.

Para finalizar, la banda sonora es muy buena y compite de tu a tu con las mejores de la saga, un piropazo si tenemos en cuenta que FF es una de las franquicias con mejor música de la historia de los videojuegos. Los temas épicos y cargados de coros erizan la piel a cualquiera y no faltan las nuevas versiones de temas emblemáticos como el "victory fanfare" o el "final fantasy theme", es más, el battle theme principal está inspirado en el de FF VIII. Además, el uso de ella dentro del juego también es muy buena, de modo que sabe perfectamente cuando añadir eso que la escena necesita, ya sea tensión, epicidad, ternura, etc.
A pesar de todo, cierto es que se queda algo corta de composiciones, tendiendo mucho a la repetición de varias de ellas. No es que sea algo malo, pero es cierto que a veces se agradecería algo de variedad, especialmente de battle themes.

Como conclusión final, FF 16 es un buen juego pero tiene luces y sombras, siendo capaz de ofrecer momentos excelentes y otros que no están a la altura del juego que muchos esperaban. No obstante y, al igual que me pasó con el XV, no acabo de encajar el cambio de género hacia la acción frenética. Los fans del H&S puro pueden encontrar el combate algo simple y los fans más nostálgicos de FF (como es mi caso) pueden echar en falta demasiadas cosas (una party controlable o con la que interactuar, estados alterados, magias de apoyo, reacciones elementales y un largo etc.). Dicho esto:
- ¿Es recomendable?: si, especialmente para fans de juegos como GoW, Jedi Survivor, etc.
- Nota personal: Notable bajo (6.5/10).

85%PlayStation 5

After getting into the series with Final Fantasy VII Remake and working my way through some of the older games afterwards, the Final Fantasy series quickly became my favorite videogame series of all time.
I had very high expectations for Final Fantasy XVI, not only because I'm a big fan of the series, but also because it looked absolutely breathtaking from the trailers.
Surprisingly enough, the story and the characters are actually better than I expected, and the character writing, dialogue, world building and lore are some of the best in the entire series.
The gameplay is basically a streamlined version of Devil May Cry 5's gameplay; it lacks depth and challenge, but I still like it nonetheless because the action combat system works well and the Eikonic abilities are great. With that being said though, I wish it had more base combos and slightly deeper RPG elements.
The visuals are gorgeous, the soundtrack is easily one of the best in the entire series, and the boss fights... oh my god! The Eikon boss fights are the most spectacular fights I've ever seen in a videogame, period.
Unfortunately, however, Final Fantasy XVI has some noticeable flaws as well, such as mandatory fetch quests that slow down the pacing of the story at times, inconsistent framerate even in performance mode which is borderline unacceptable for a PS5 exclusive title, and underwhelming side-content that needs more variety and better rewards.

Pros:
+ Engaging story
+ Likable and compelling characters
+ Fun gameplay
+ Wonderful visuals and music
+ Jaw-dropping boss fights

Cons:
- Pacing issues
- Minor performance issues
- Lack of meaningful side-content

Final Rating: 8.5/10
- Really Great -
By trying to diverge from the main series in many areas, Final Fantasy XVI is a divisive Final Fantasy game, however, it's the best mainline Final Fantasy game since XII by far and a flame of rebirth for the main series.

Do I recommend it?:
Yes, to both fans and newcomers.

100%PlayStation 5

This is great game

85%PC

Aunque la optimización sea una ♥♥♥♥♥♥, es un juegazo que me ha hecho soltar una lagrimilla
Se ha convertido en uno de mis Final Fantasy favoritos. Historia atrapante, momentos memorables y batallas super epicas acompañado de una banda sonora y graficos muy benos hacen de el un verdadero juegazo,
Ademas, tiene al mejor prota

85%PC

Great game let down by some wonky pacing and technical problems.

80%PlayStation 5

A game carried by its combat but for the first 20hrs the combat is a slog. The sheer amount of boss fights is staggering. Some of the best set pieces in gaming bar none.

90%PC

História muito boa, mas as Side Quest são uma perda de tempo e sem criatividade, mas para o 100% precisa fazer elas.

70%PC

the game is too long. Epic battle and fedex quest.

80%PlayStation 5

There was a lot I enjoyed about this game, but there were things I didn't like too - the game definitely feels less RPG and way more action though, which erodes a bit of the franchise identity away in my opinion. Lore, characters, graphics and story were all pretty solid. Not the worst, but not the best FF for me.

85%PlayStation 5

Haven't finished it but I really want to pick it back up and finish it.

90%PlayStation 5

amazing combat system and heartbreaking story with an ending which i did not expect and it fucking broke me... side quests kinda stink though

100%PC

Um dos, se não o meu jogo favorito

65%PlayStation 5

Repetitve, boring gameplay and boring long cutscenes.

90%PC

Unfortunately, HLTB doesn't allow for longer than 5,000 character reviews so I've had to put my review through ChatGPT to condense it down. If you want the whole review, you can check it out on Steam: https://steamcommunity.com/id/beardalaxy/recommended/2515020?snr=1_5_9__402

Final Fantasy XVI is the first Final Fantasy game I’ve beaten, and it’s an incredible experience that kept me hooked for over 60 hours—a rare feat for a single-player game. While I’m tempted to dive back into NG+, I’m holding off to savor the memory and explore other games for now.

Graphics:
While regular gameplay visuals are on par with Witcher 3, lacking ray tracing and suffering from low-resolution textures, the battle sequences, especially boss fights, are a visual spectacle with stunning particle effects and excellent art design. Occasional ghosting with DLSS and blurry textures detract slightly, but the overall presentation is grounded yet stylish.

Audio:
The soundtrack is fantastic and catchy, with themes that stick in your head long after playing. Sound effects are on point, though Clive’s squeaky boots can be a bit annoying. The voice acting is flawless, with believable performances from the main cast and even side characters, enhancing the emotional depth of the story.

Story:
Despite pacing issues and the occasionally awkward integration of side quests, the main story is compelling, with strong themes of resilience, freedom, and unity. The characters are well-written and endearing, with natural relationships and dialogue that elevate the narrative. While I have mixed feelings about the ending, the story and its characters make the game unforgettable.

Gameplay:
Although it is inspired by Devil May Cry, combat focuses on timing and efficiency rather than flashy combos, offering fun but limited depth due to the absence of classic RPG elements like status effects and elemental strategies. While quests lack variety, the engaging story and spectacular Eikon battles make up for it, even if they lean more on spectacle than gameplay complexity.

Performance:
Performance is the game’s weakest point, with stutters and hitches in towns that feel out of place given its otherwise solid optimization during chaotic boss battles. Despite having decent hardware, I found the performance underwhelming, suggesting the PC port could have used more polish, especially for its modest graphical demands.

Summary:
Despite its flaws in pacing, gameplay variety, and performance, Final Fantasy XVI reaches incredible heights that make it an unforgettable experience. Its engaging story, excellent soundtrack, and lovable characters will stick with me, and while traditional Final Fantasy fans might be divided, action game fans and lovers of those good old JRPG stories are in for a treat.

90%PlayStation 5

a lot of interesting quests, but I wish there were more outfit options for the characters.

90%PlayStation 5

Pro:
- Actionreiches und forderndes Echzeit-Kampfsystem
- Episch inszenierte Monsterkämpfe und In-Game Zwischensequenzen
- Mitreißend erzählte Story mit Interessenten Charakteren
- Sehr gute deutsche Sprachausgabe (vorallem Hauptcharakter Clive)
- Exzellente und passende Musikuntermalung

Contra:
- Nebenquest größtenteils standardkost
- Rollenspielaspekt könnte größer sein (sehr simple Anpassung des Charakters, Ausrüstung der Nebencharaktere kann nicht angepasst werden)
- Framerate im Performance-Modus oft nicht konstant

80%PC

Estimate time it took to complete and collect everything in a playthrough:
Base game: ~63 hrs
Echoes of the Fallen: ~2-3 hrs
Rising Tide: ~5-6 hrs

This game has plenty of apparent flaws, but despite all of them I still really liked this game. The high points are astronomically compelling and memorable, while the low points can be deflating and mind-numbing. I feel like the game can be enjoyable if the player is willing to be patient and have a genuine curiosity when approaching the content, because underneath all of the slow pacing and non-thrilling quest designs there is a fascinating, immersive world to uncover with interesting characters to learn about. Without that patience you're left struggling to crawl your way through between each peak moment.

The gameplay alternates between exciting and braindead, but ultimately the game kind of ended up being too easy. The combat is more Devil May Cry action than it is typical JRPG, which is fine because the combat itself is fluid. It feels really satisfying to perform combos and perfect dodges/parries. However, the enemy design is very lacking. While the main and side bosses are mostly fun to fight, the fodder enemies are about as passive as Dynasty Warrior fodder; which basically means they just stand around and do nothing for the most part. Some bosses are kind of pushovers at times too because their attacks are just too easily readable and predictable. RPG systems that are in place also feel shallow because gearing, leveling, stats, and items feel entirely negligible; plus the lack of controlling other party members makes it feel less interactive.

The story and characters are generally good. Clive is a cool and compelling main protagonist, and the supporting cast are also strong but some could've also use a bit of more spotlight in the main story. Even though I really liked the direction and overarching theme of the story, my biggest problem I have with the storytelling is its pacing. During those peak moments in the story where a spectacle happens and you are in the moment where hype levels are through the roof, once its over you are dragged through a period of fetch questing and slow buildup until you reach another key moment. Those slow moments felt like they were superfluous padding that went on for way too long. They may have provided valid reasoning for the fetch questing to exist, but they really could've saved more time by grouping them into cutscenes or have it done offscreen. At least the writing was still consistently good.

In terms of presentation, it's also really good. Art direction feels less memorable with it's color saturation, but there are still plenty of beautiful landscapes and dungeons to look at. Graphically it all looks great. Voice acting across the board was absolutely fantastic. The music was also amazing. All of the epic tracks that occurred during Eikon battles just heightened those moments to greater levels, and the slower background music during exploring are can range from beautiful to relaxing. I still listen to this OST on a daily basis.

80%PC

I am really happy it isnt open world.

I have a few complaints about the incentive to explore which is not much, you get yet another sharp fang which I dont need since I have like 600 already. I like the world but there is rarely anything waiting other than visuals. The gears are really boring, which I dont mind, but beating multiple marks to craft a weapon that is +5 attack and then within 5 mins that weapon is replaced by another which has +5 attack.

Really hype moments with a good bit of really boring stretches.

And finally the most infuriating thing is the long pauses when clive gives an item to anybody or when a battle ends and it just takes like 5 seconds to close that or the long time it takes for run animation.

I also had crashes every 30 mins to an hour in the pc version which is pretty dogshit.

But I still really like the game and the world both visually and the world building. Characters aren't the most interesting but they have grown on me. I just wish I had a smoother and faster experience of it.

80%PlayStation 5

This is a long game, with a bunch of filler side quests, but it's very much a good Final Fantasy game. The story, while drawn out, is interesting & heartfelt, and the combat gameplay is super fun. There were so many "Hell yeah!" and emotional moments in the story that were just great. It's not a top tier FF game, but it's a damn good one.

85%PlayStation 5

eu joguei no lançamento a minha coisa favorita na serie final fantasy são os summons/Eikons e esse game é totalmente isso a minha nota pro meu gosto é super sincera pra mim

95%PlayStation 5

Gameplay 2.5/3
Story 3/3
Visuals 2/2
Audio 2/2

70%PlayStation 5

Good

- incredible looking game. Top notch visuals. Top notch character movements. Top notch combat animations. Top notch cinematics and cutscenes.
- amazing sound track and voice acting.
- some really interesting characters
- story is great for the most part

Bad

- [spoilers ahead] they killed off too many well developed and interesting characters, too soon. After the first half of the game, all that were left were the more bland and serious characters. Cid was snarky and kept things interesting. The story between him and Benedikta was interesting and I thought would be dived deeper into. But they were both killed off so fast. Titan was a ball of rage and a good villain. Also died too soon. Clive's mom was the best villain. She did so many things to make you hate her. Only cared about Joshua but didn't give a damn about Clive. Even left him to die. She was very hate-able. But they took her out in the most anti-climatic way. Ultima is an ok villain, but nothing special. Just your typical evil god villain that gets overpowered through the power of friendship.
- the side quests were terribly repetitive, and mundane. After doing a handful, I didn't want to touch anymore. Plus the icons will stay on screen until you finished it, with no way to turn them off, which was very annoying.
- even though I love parry reflex attack gameplay, the combat loop got extremely repetitive. The random battles became a slog. As epic as the boss fights were, I got bored of it eventually. It just got way to repetitive. And there was no real challenge, cause every retry will put you at a checkpoint in the battle with all your items refilled. This gave me no incentive to learn the timing of the battles, as I can just bulldoze through a phase, die and respawn new phase, with all my healing items
- ability tree and equipment system is extremely basic. Very uncharacteristic of a FF game. I'm not into deep customization, but even I thought it was a bit too shallow. There was almost no point in having the system there, as every time I went to the shop or blacksmith it was just mash buy and equip to see if anything new.
- the game is so easy, there's no point in trying to find materials for upgrades.
- Overall, this was more focused as a cinematic experience than a gaming experience.

95%PC

Loved every minute of the game! Story was fantastic! Nothing mind blowing in the gameplay itself but it was very good and perfectly functional. Beautiful game! The two DLCs were very good and different from each other... But they weaved into the lore of the main game seamlessly. Can't recommend this game enough!

85%PC

was good not the best.

90%PlayStation 5

A brilliant game with fun combat, an engaging story, and stunning visuals that leaves your breath taken away at times.
No game does cinematic cutscenes like Final Fantasy, and this game really proves that. There are too many moments to count where I just had to stare at the beautifulness of the game or had my heart pumping from the action.

The combat is also very fun, however, outside of some DLC fights, the game can get rather easy once you learn how to dodge and parry and the Side Quests could really be paced better, as they are all mostly really well done and almost essential to some character's stories, but having them all appear in large chunks, especially near the end, was frustrating.

Still, any fan of beautiful games, Final Fantasy Games, or just Fantasy Stories in general should give it a try.

70%PlayStation 5

Let's start by saying that Final Fantasy XVI is a GREAT game. However, it is also one of the worst games I've ever played as someone who can't just let go of side-quests, especially in RPGs.
First, the story. This is FFXVI's pride and joy, being one of the best stories in a solo FF game since the tenth installment in 2001. The whole plot is great and the messages it wants to pass on are displayed on plain sight since the first hours of the game, allowing the player to easily understand what's at stake here and doing so in one of the best dark fantasy settings I've ever seen in a videogame (not counting souls games, those are on another level). Additionally, this is one of the very few FF games to have a grown up protagonist instead of a wining teenager or young adult, which makes the whole tone of the story much more mature. Lastly, the presentation is stunning, so stunning infact that I highly discourage those with epilepsy to play this game as there are a LOT of flashing lights and sometimes, both in cutscenes and gameplay, even my eyes could barely keep up with what was actually going on.
As for the gameplay, this time the team decided to focus on a purely action mechanic, reminiscent of the great hack and slash games such as DmC and Bayonetta. As i remember correctly, the team that worked on one of the DmC games actually built FFXVI's combat so it's no wonder they are so similar. However, don't go in there expecting the same level of depth: the action mechanics are oversimplified as to welcome newcomers to the genre. Moreover, you should also avoid expecting the same level of difficulty DmC and Bayonetta give the player, as I found myself not dying a single time during my 50-ish hours journey into the lands of Valisthea.
Let's now talk about the soundtrack. As for every FF game, it's a banger. Master Satoshi Koen masterfully crafted a soundtrack on par with the ones from master Uematsu himself, achieving the impossible by making the main theme of the game, Find the flame, one of the best FF songs to ever grace a FF game. As for the other tracks, they are very good too.
Lastly, let's cover the graphics compartment. Let's start by saying that the cutscenes look absolutely stunning and the whole is pretty damn good, BUT I have to point out a couple things. Firstly, it is clear as day when a character you interact with is a side character you won't ever see during the main quest, as they whole appearance is pretty forgettable and "standard issue". Secondly, even though the sky is one of the most important elements in FFXVI as to set the mood of the various scenes and to assess the progression of the player throughout the main quest (If you play it you'll know what I mean), it is one of the worst things to look at when playing, especially the clouds. At least on ps5, you can see the polygons making up the clouds and some other sky elements. The only saving grace is the moon, whose texture is always immaculate both during gameplay and cutscenes.
In conclusion, FFXVI is a very good entry in the FF franchise, feeling fresh both from a gameplay perspective and character-wise too, but falls short on some aspects, probably due to hardware limitations or just budget limitations, making the sidequests one of the worst aspects of the game, bland and boring. The game is a solid 7.5/10, but as I have to go for a full mark, I decided to go for a lower score as, at the end of my experience, I really can't see myself playing the game once more.

90%PlayStation 5

Final Fantasy XVI - это увлекательное продолжение серии с интересной боевой системой, впечатляющей музыкой и эпиком и неплохим сюжетом с некоторыми интересными твистами. Средневековый сеттинг и дизайн локаций впечатляют. Некоторые персонажи выделяются своей харизмой, в то время как главный герой оставляет смешанные впечатления. Сайд-квесты похожи на квесты из Якудзы, но без своего прикола и могут показаться однообразными, но некоторые из них интересно раскрывают мир и второстепенных персонажей.

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Итоговая оценка: 92/100

100%PC

Final Fantasy XVI provides dynamic gameplay mixed with engaging storytelling and stunning visuals. The combat feels fluid, combining action with RPG elements, thus allowing for a variety of playstyles. The Eikon battles are the pinnacle moment of this game, offering lots of excitement. Although, some players may find the action style and linear progression a departure from the series' traditional elements. I'd say this game is a must for newcomers and fans alike, as it offers something new to the franchise.

80%PlayStation 5

It's honestly an overall good game, especially when you take DLC into account. Gameplay is fine, the music and acting is amazing, but the pacing of both the story and the game can be questionable. Combat took a while to really get going for me, but when it finally clicked, I was enjoying myself. Maybe not necessarily the best FINAL FANTASY game out there, but it's alright.

80%PlayStation 5

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this game. The main cast of characters was fantastic—Cid, in particular, stood out as a highlight. While opinions may vary, I found Clive to be a compelling protagonist. He had the right mix of grit and depth, and his backstory kept me invested in seeing where his journey would ultimately lead. The game’s presentation was phenomenal, as expected from a mainline Final Fantasy entry. The score, graphics, environments, voice acting, and art direction were all exceptional, easily deserving a 10/10.

The gameplay marked a significant departure from the series’ traditional turn-based combat. While it leaned heavily into action-oriented mechanics reminiscent of Devil May Cry and Kingdom Hearts, both of which I enjoy, it didn’t quite reach the heights of the combat system in Final Fantasy VII Remake. That said, it was still engaging and far from boring.

Where the game faltered for me was in its leveling system. Unlocking skills and Eikon abilities felt too simplified, with minimal impact on strategy or combat style, leaving the progression system feeling a bit underwhelming.

World navigation was solid but not as refined as Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. For me, that game set the gold standard for open-world exploration in the series. Here, the experience felt like a middle ground—good, but not fully realized. The areas we explored were beautifully crafted, but the heavy reliance on fast travel detracted from the sense of discovery. While fast travel is an essential quality-of-life feature for large RPGs, this game didn’t do enough to reward exploration or make side content feel meaningful.

Overall, I enjoyed the game and its story. While it may not rank among the legendary entries in the series, it’s still a solid recommendation for JRPG fans. It’s a beautifully presented, action-packed adventure worth experiencing.

90%PC

Really enjoyed my time with FF16, and i like the direction they are going game is not too hard but still can pose a challange every now and then.

100%PlayStation 5

Best written story and characters of the series.
Absolute classic.

90%PlayStation 5

스토리가 흥미 있었다. 마치 왕좌의 게임을 파이널 판타지 세계에서 플레이 하는 느낌이었다.
1점 깎은 이유는 불필요하게 왔다갔다 시키는 구간이 있었고, 점프 기능이 전혀 쓸모 있다고 느끼지 못했기 때문이다.
캐릭터를 육성하는 재미는 거의 없었지만, 액션 자체가 너무 좋아 전투하는 재미가 있었다.

80%PC

FF16 is the culmination of all Square has learned from their "recent" failing from 13 to 15. While not without flaw 16 is a phenominal game that justifies its existance and makes me want for 17. Although, I do have to wonder if the same result could have been accompleshed in less than 7 years had they cut down on many detailed hallways between fights and removed some particles from every fight. While I love the game seeing that it took only 8 months to go from Doom to Doom 2 hurts. Imagine the stories that could be told had this game only had 3 or 4 years of dev time instead of chasing graphics. Final Fantasy, despite what people claim, has never been about graphics first, it has always prioritized the characters and the world to which they belong.

90%PlayStation 5

Pros:
- Story
- Characters
- Music
- Combat
- Voice Acting
- Ending
- Lore Systems

Cons:
- Level Design
- Side Quests

65%PlayStation 5

Started out with a lot of promise, but it became very derivative very fast. I hated the MMO quest design and the amount of boring dialogue you had to go through with NPCs. The soundtrack was also the most disappointing FF soundtrack I've heard with some tracks not even feeling like they were made specifically for what's going on screen and some of the mixing being a bit dubious. The combat controlled well, but in the end just felt like an endurance run to see how long I could survive until my hands or controller gave out.

85%PlayStation 5

Great production, visuals. Lacking gameplay, got boring after a while

85%PlayStation 5

FF16 has some of the best boss battles I’ve witnessed/played. From Garuda on the bosses didn’t disappoint outside of Odin, not to say I didn’t enjoy it but in comparison to the other main boss fights in the game it’s probably the least hype. The abilities in the game were fun to use and adds an element of diversity outside of your normal spam attack button. Story wise I’m upset at the final villain, personally I don’t like “higher” beings taking over antagonists in a game. Mostly because it takes away from antagonists. The plot was okay, the reason being it falls off when the main antagonist shares his villainous philosophy. Clive was a standout primarily because of his growth. There was plenty of room to better showcase Clive’s personality but that gets pushed to the side in favor of its combat. Jill and Joshua probably share the best side character award, others that interested me were; Gav, Tarja, Torgal, and ofc Cid. Lastly, frame rate which outside of combat is pretty bad.