Final Fantasy XVI (2023) [PS5] critique

Final Fantasy is a big deal.

It’s one of those franchises which are essentially ubiquitous in game culture, and people take notice when a new installment is released. People who may not even be fans of the RPG genre take interest, just because FF games are so highly regarded in general. With all the attention and renown comes great expectation, from devoted fans and newcomers alike. It’s also a franchise that seeks to do different things with each new entry; with change comes great uncertainty.

As soon as trailers and other material from Final Fantasy XVI were made available, the FF way was on full display. The series has excelled at carrying recurring fantasy themes and references in many of its games, but each one also contributes something wholly unique that sets it apart. And true to Square Enix’s form, FFXVI looked, seemed, and felt different. Naturally, questions arose: Is it an action game? Is it an RPG? Can you pet the dog?

After all the credits have rolled (twice), it’s clear that Final Fantasy XVI does what FF games do. They bring us fantastic tales with many memorable characters, riveting battles, and chocobos. This is a Final Fantasy game on its own terms.

The 8-bit Review

Narrative: 10/10

“Fate Will Fall.”

The tagline for Final Fantasy XVI is simple but very bold and promises us a story of great scope and gravity. It does not disappoint.

In the world of Valisthea, the power of magic is its most valuable commodity. The skyscraping Mothercrystals are the source of this magic, and they are mined to enable the common folk to use magic with handheld crystal shards. However, some people called “Bearers” are born with an innate ability to use magic. In most places, they are treated with scorn at best, but often their fate is far worse. Valisthea has become dependent upon magic in daily life, and that makes it the most powerful and valuable resource in the world. Still fewer individuals are chosen to become Dominants, and they wield unfathomable, godlike magical power granted by one of eight entities called Eikons. The realms of Valisthea have varying attitudes towards Dominants, ranging from exaltation to outright hatred. Nevertheless, each Dominant and their powers exact tremendous influence and consequences upon everything in Valisthea, whether they like it or not. Additionally, a mysterious force called the Blight, which completely drains the land of all life and magical power, is creeping inexorably across the land. Magic and habitable land are both slowly dwindling, and the powers that be are all fully engaged in geopolitical maneuvering and outright warfare to control as much as they can.

Clive Rosfield and his cohorts are thrust into a whirlwind, a cruel world where the worst of humanity often comes to the fore. The cruelties of overwhelming guilt and grief are also constant weights upon our heroes, but this is where the very best of humanity rises to break through the dystopia. That the characters of the story must rely on each other to navigate the conflicts of the world is not a new concept in RPGs, but Final Fantasy XVI is unapologetically raw in its depiction of each character. Kindness and justice are still possible and present in an unforgiving world, and it starts on a very personal level between individual characters or between the protagonists and NPCs. This reinforces that these bonds enable our cast to fight as hard as they can to cast off the chains of this oppressive world and protect those who need it most.

Clive and his allies are all incredibly lifelike both psychologically and emotionally, creating a profound degree of immersion in their plight and a massive personal investment in their welfare. The customary doses of whimsical fancy that are often present in Final Fantasy games are very few and far between in FFXVI, but the moments of banter between characters pierce the looming shadows brilliantly to provide much-needed levity.

From the high grandeur of kingdoms at war and battles between demigods to simply helping a refugee find food and shelter, Final Fantasy XVI delivers on the promise of an absorbing narrative. The story finds a marvelous balance between otherworldly and relatable, exploring the juxtaposition of global and personal conflict with unflinching depth. The objectives of “save the world and protect your friends” are familiar and straightforward at first glance, but the internal and external journey to arrive there in FFXVI is anything but.

Visuals: 10/10

The gaming space is becoming increasingly spoiled for choice when it comes to advanced graphics, so it takes something special for a game to distinguish itself. Final Fantasy XVI is highly ambitious in what it attempts to accomplish visually, and the game follows through. From the characters’ facial expressions and the breeze ruffling Torgal’s fur to the apocalyptic scale of Eikon battles, FFXVI is an aesthetic masterclass. The game looks and feels truly cinematic, down to the last detail.

The environs of Valisthea are well crafted and serve to drive home the urgency of the party’s imperative to save this world. Playing the game in performance mode at 60 frames per second, it ran almost flawlessly with only two or three small clipping moments after 100+ hours of gameplay. Character movement and abilities in battle all look fluid and flashy, and it is a joy to unleash a series of Eikonic abilities simply for the spectacle. It also includes some of the most visually stunning and unique visual sequences ever seen in the franchise and allows the PlayStation 5 to really stretch its legs.

Audio: 10/10

The Final Fantasy franchise has always been hallmarked by outstanding soundtracks, but the soundtrack of FFXVI stands out as one of the best that the series has ever produced. Spearheaded by composer Masayoshi Soken (of Final Fantasy XIV fame), and including collaborators on several songs (Nobuo Uematsu among them), the soundtrack absolutely soars. Incorporating a wide array of sound profiles, from high classical to synth-rock and everything in between, Soken finds a way directly to the heart of every situation and setting by way of sound. No matter which mood we can feel through music, it can be found here.

Since Final Fantasy X, voice acting has been the norm for the series, and there have since been countless remarkable performances in Final Fantasy games. Final Fantasy XVI is the finest collective acting performance of them all. Ben Starr (Clive) delivers a tour de force, and the performances of Susannah Fielding (Jill), Jonathan Case (Joshua), Ralph Ineson (Cid), Stewart Clarke (Dion), Nina Yndis (Benedikta), and Alex Lanipekun (Hugo) are all truly exceptional.

The sound design of FFXVI is also exemplary. The tones of battle and of the world around us all make Valisthea feel much more alive and intense. When immersion is so critical to the impact of a story, great sound design like this genuinely elevates the experience.

Gameplay: 9/10

After the release of gameplay trailers, the combat system of Final Fantasy XVI was immediately compared with that of the Devil May Cry series, especially considering that Ryota Suzuki of Capcom (DMC’s combat design director) was brought in for the project.

The influence of Capcom’s smash-hit action franchise is immediately apparent. Clive can utilize all of his combat prowess in conjunction with visually impressive Eikonic abilities to unleash long and punishing combos, make use of his ranged arsenal, acrobatically juggle enemies in the air, and dodge or parry attacks to inflict powerful counterattacks. The combat options available to Clive are vast, and each player will find a particular kit that works best for their own playstyle. Switching between Eikons with a quick trigger pull is very reminiscent of Devil May Cry V’s weapon switching. But FFXVI makes the combat system its own: rather than using combinations of button inputs to execute attacks, Clive can chain devastating combos together using Eikonic abilities which only require one button press, but take careful skill and timing to pull off. It’s an artfully crafted system that certainly differentiates itself from DMC.

Movement and move execution are fluid and stylish, and that includes the party members not controlled by the player. The various characters who join Clive at different points in the story can all be relied upon to more than carry their weight, especially in battles with non-boss enemies. The lack of a “sprint” button both in and out of battle is one shortcoming, but that is a matter of convenience rather than an actual impediment to gameplay.

There are additional similarities to Devil May Cry, such as the inclusion of multiple in-game modes. A stage replay mode (during which you can collect missed items), and an arcade mode which enables stage replay with performance scores are both familiar to DMC players.

Challenge: 8/10

The challenge level of Final Fantasy XVI is largely dependent upon the player’s experience with other games utilizing action-based combat (think Devil May Cry, God of War, or even Kingdom Hearts). For players who aren’t as well-versed in this type of gameplay, the battles will be reasonably challenging; for those who are aficionados of the genre, FFXVI will not be nearly as high on the difficulty scale. Ultimately, the challenge of the game lies somewhere in between these two. Gamers who have some experience with action games will find the game’s difficulty to be well-balanced. The most difficult setting, Final Fantasy Mode, is not available until after the player finishes the game once; enabling this mode right away would go some way to making the game a greater challenge, but it’s certainly not a deal-breaker.

Replayability: 9/10

With highly memorable characters, multiple difficulty modes, nearly limitless variations on using Eikonic powers in battle, and a smorgasbord of fascinating lore, Final Fantasy XVI fairly requires more than one playthrough to fully appreciate the experience. So many nuances of the game which could go unnoticed on a first run (totally understandable; there’s a lot happening in this game) will crop up in subsequent playthroughs, bringing new sparks of satisfaction.

Accessibility: 9/10

Quite rightly, accessibility in video games is becoming more of a priority to developers and publishers, and Square Enix has done a respectable job at incorporating such features into FFXVI. There are multiple difficulty settings available at the outset: a “story mode” which makes enemies easier to vanquish, and the “action-focused” mode which essentially serves as a “normal mode” or base difficulty setting. Additionally, Square Enix added a very creative way to make the game more accessible and tailored to personal preferences. Equipping certain accessories will enable settings like single button presses for longer combos, automatically using potions, and causing dodge prompts to appear before an attack strikes Clive. These accessories are all immediately available from the beginning of the game, and you can use as many or as few of them as you wish. There are multiple control settings available to use, but these are restricted to a few preset controller maps, so full controller customization is omitted, unfortunately. The game is fully voice-acted in several languages with subtitles, making FFXVI inclusive to a broad international audience.

Personal: 10/10

Make no mistake: Final Fantasy XVI is a very powerful emotional experience for various reasons, and the raw, vulnerable spirit of the human condition is directly at the center of it all. As the stories and experiences of the characters play out within a grand conflict against an approaching doom, the struggle of being human and navigating life is presented fully. While many of the people and powers in Valisthea incline themselves towards selfish or outright destructive motivations, the very best of humanity still pierces through it. Confronting hard, painful personal strife and moving through it with the help of others is at the fore of the narrative, and such bonds enable our cast to continue fighting to help those who need it most. It’s not simply a tale of good versus evil; it is a story of finding self-acceptance and remembering why you fight in the first place.

The principal characters of the game elicit empathy because they all have pain. As backward as that may sound, we can very easily relate to it because everyone has their battles. In Final Fantasy XVI, relying on others isn’t just a matter of survival; it’s the path of growth. We see both the positive and negative responses to the challenges of the world in visceral detail. While that may venture into territory too dark for some (absolutely no shame in that), it’s a must-play and a personal all-time favorite. It’s not only a tremendously fun game, it’s something that challenges us to think and feel deeply. Stories that help us really learn about ourselves are of great worth.

We knew Final Fantasy XVI was going to be different from anything else we had seen in the series. Amidst all the doom and gloom commentary (asking if FFXVI is even a Final Fantasy game, as our own EiC discussed, or declaring the end of “true” FF games), Square Enix delivered us a title that is Final Fantasy through and through. FFXVI does what it sets out to do, which is what every game preceding it has done: bring something new to a series that has become so extensive and rich already. It’s Final Fantasy on its own terms, and it has personally revived my enthusiasm for the series as a whole, celebrating what each game brings to the franchise and appreciating it all.

Aggregate Score: 9.3/10

JRPG fiend turned Twitch streamer, Mystraker (Myst for short) turned his childhood love for role-playing fantasy adventures into the driving passion of his life! You can find him on Twitch, usually waist-deep in a sprawling epic tale with more than a few anime tropes thrown in. His love for RPGs even inspired him to earn a degree in religious studies, so you can also expect some deeper thought on his favorite games as well as an appreciation for references to real-world cultures and connections.