I’ve waited with bated breath since Final Fantasy XVI saw an announcement during the PlayStation Showcase in 2020. A mature Final Fantasy with a grounded story sounded like what the franchise needed to regain its footing, especially after Final Fantasy XV left many, myself included, feeling underwhelmed.
If anyone could bring back the glory of the Final Fantasy franchise, it had to be Naoki Yoshida (Yoshi-P) and Creative Business Unit III. This same team took the rotting corpse known as Final Fantasy XIV and turned it into a feast from the gods. A Realm Reborn, Heavensward, Stormblood, Shadowbringers, and Endwalker went on to evolve the MMO into one of the best titles on the market. Yoshi-P and Creative Business Unit III are the RPG dream team, which was the sliver of hope I needed to trust in the process, though they weren’t enough to quell my worries completely.
After three years of battling optimism and skepticism, Final Fantasy XVI not only met my expectations, it blew them out of the stratosphere. The latest entry in the Final Fantasy franchise is a testament to everything that’s made the series a staple in the industry for over 20 years. Masterful storytelling, addictive combat, unforgettable characters, stellar world-building, and top-of-the-line boss battles are just some of the highlights of this game. Final Fantasy XVI builds upon its predecessors and exceeds them. The end product is a work of art that may be my favorite mainline Final Fantasy title to date.
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And Thus Did Our Story Begin
Final Fantasy XVI’s dark fantasy epic centers on Valisthea, an unforgiving medieval world where kingdoms fight for control of the five Mothercrystals. These Mothercrystals are the foundation of human life. Everything from furnaces in forges to the light of a lamp needs the power of these crystals to function. Those blessed with the light of the crystals enjoy a life of plenty and comfort, while those without suffer. With the land around the world slowly dying outside of Mothercrystal strongholds, the masses are more desperate than ever for the embrace of their light.
The need for survival has become an obsession for some, as every nation on Valisthea will slaughter another just for the crystals’ power. Some even command the power of Dominants—warriors who can transform into monsters.
These monsters, or Eikons, can crush entire continents with elemental magic and physical might, making them their nation’s superpower. Their tie to the individual that controls them is what sets them apart from your standard superweapon, though. They’re walking, talking nukes with all the flaws of a human that spend every day of their life worshipped by the nations that house them. Sounds like a great mix.
It’s an enthralling tale that takes me back to the peak days of Game of Thrones. The biggest difference? The writers actually care about giving a satisfying conclusion. Grim and grounded themes coat the world of Final Fantasy XVI and shape its characters. Thankfully, XVI hammers that point home excellently without feeling cheap or gratuitous.
The story here won’t jump through hoops for cheap shock value or defy logic to keep characters from harm. Thanks to these standards, you get a story that earns every emotion it elicits from you, and it’s the most emotional title of 2023 thus far.
Valisthea is harsh and unforgiving, and that had me on edge from the game’s first cutscene until the credits some 60 hours later. The narrative here is addictive, and thanks to an incredible cast, I cherished every moment on offer.
Clive and Company: Valisthea’s Finest
While the narrative and premise behind Final Fantasy XVI are fantastic, what elevates the entire experience above almost any other entry in Final Fantasy is the characters that push the story forward.
Clive Rosfield, son of the Archduke of Rosaria and Shield of the Phoenix, is the focus of this tale. After tragedy befalls his house, he’s thrust into the war of the Mothercrystals, but unlike many in this world, he fights for more than just power or self-satisfaction. Despite what you may have seen in advertising for XVI, Clive is far more than a vengeful soldier lost to his rage. Instead, the lead of XVI is multifaceted, growing deeper with each of the game’s chapters.
What makes Clive such a breath of fresh air for the franchise is his deviation from frustrating tropes that appear in other entries. He’s more than a single emotion or archetype, and his disposition changes appropriately based on the circumstances.
Clive exhibits genuine care and compassion with people he’s close to, expressing that affection with his words and actions authentically and naturally. Comforting his brother while he’s ill and encouraging the men under him when they’re feeling unsure are just a few examples of the kindness he’s capable of.
Those who cross Clive see an entirely different side of him. The ruthless and unrelenting anger Square Enix touts in XVI’s trailers is often aimed at these unlucky few. If his enemy is upset he killed a friend, Clive will describe their death to him in brutal detail. Stand in the way of his goal, and he will gouge your eyes from your head. The sheer savagery was shocking in the best way possible, and because he’s often such a gentle person, it was outright intoxicating to see him boil over with fury when tested.
What ties Clive’s character together and makes him stand out as a franchise favorite is his next-level voice acting. Ben Starr lends his voice as the lead of Final Fantasy XVI, and it’s brilliant in every way. From gut-wrenching wails of grief to wrathful cries for vengeance, everything Clive says carries so much weight.
I cried twice during the game solely due to Starr’s performance. It’s the best showing I’ve seen for a main character since Christopher Judge’s Kratos debuted in 2018. I pray Starr sees recognition at the 2023 Game Awards because I need to see him take on other roles.
Clive isn’t the only character that stands out in XVI either. Almost every player in this cutthroat game of crystals improves the overarching narrative. Jill, while quiet, is an elegant and deadly character—skilled with a blade and unwavering in battle. She stands steadfast in her ideals and supports those she loves with unrelenting loyalty.
The game’s antagonists are just as fascinating, as well. Benedikta Harman, Dominant of the Eikon, Garuda, is cruel and calculated, using any means necessary to outwit anyone, whether they’re friends or foes. Watching her scheme her way through the story quickly became one of my favorite narrative beats.
Excluding Clive, the true standout in XVI is Cid, hands down. This cigar-smoking, lightning-shooting rogue with a voice like gravel steals every scene he’s in. Whenever he was around cracking jokes or kicking ass, I had the dumbest grin on my face. What makes him so unforgettable isn’t his humor, though. Instead, it’s the depth of his character and his motivations. I can’t go into too much detail without spoiling, but there’s more to him than wisecracks and thunderclaps.
While every character in the game is fantastic on their own, what makes them shine is how they interact with others. It’s clear that making the characters feel connected in XVI was a focus for Square Enix. Not only that, but they did so in a way that made them far more natural than ever before.
Core character detail also feeds into several Final Fantasy XVI side missions, which expand upon the game’s many side characters. While not every side mission is exciting, those focusing on The Hideaway crew are often handled well.
Whether Clive’s having a pint with Gav or visiting flowerbeds in Rosaria with Jill, the interpersonal relationships and questlines in Final Fantasy XVI are splendid. No matter who is your favorite supporting character, you’ll remember the roster fondly. I can’t recall the last time a narrative had cast this large maintain that level of attention, but that extra level of care from the team at Square pays off here in spades.
XVI’s Stylish Action Combat
One of the most significant changes that Final Fantasy XVI brings is the shift away from turn-based gameplay. While I was skeptical of this stark change when it was announced, it feels like the perfect choice for the title in retrospect. The combat designer of Devil May Cry 5, Ryota Suzuki, crafts the fast-paced and hard-hitting real-time action combat system.
Final Fantasy XVI’s battle system is a multifaceted beast with several intricate options that allow for build variety. Each Eikon has skills that Clive can tack on and equip while he fights. Leveling up these skills with Ability Points earned in fights and through quests grants bonuses. With Mastery, Clive can provide these moves to different Eikon builds entirely.
Clive also has skills he can use regardless of his equipped Eikon. Like with other moves, they can be upgraded for increased effect. There’s even equipable gear that augments how Clive fights, boosting some skills and adding special attacks.
Like other Final Fantasy titles, enemies have stagger gauges and elemental weaknesses. Capitalizing on a partially or fully staggered enemy leads to additional damage and a stunned foe.
It might sound like a lot initially, but XVI prevents confusion by doling everything out in moderation. By gradually introducing these skills, mechanics, and Eikons, combat never feels overwhelming when browsing extensive skill trees and item choices. Because there’s no penalty for refunding skill points, you can experiment to your heart’s content when trying our new moves.
There’s near-endless potential when customizing your build, and I loved experimenting with different abilities and Eikon combinations. It might take a while to acclimate to each skill set, but once you do, it feels incredible.
Finding out what combos and skills work best and deal the most damage was a constant quest for me. I’m still refining my playstyle with stagger damage approaching 90k. And that’s with half of my skills partially upgraded. I can’t even imagine the numbers I’ll see once I max Clive out, and that’s what keeps me coming back long after finishing the final boss.
Eikons Aplenty
Though the story, characters, and combat are all excellent, its boss battles are legendary. The Eikon fighters are, frankly, the best boss battles I’ve ever played. Slugfests between titans the size of skyscrapers are jaw-dropping setpieces that serve as the icing of this masterfully crafted RPG. It’s like playing the monster in your favorite kaiju film, only cranked up to 11.
The showstoppers of XVI offer a new gameplay scheme with each encounter. Some bosses employ a Panzer Dragoon-inspired shooting gallery, while others draw from monster brawlers like Rampage. No fight gets stale thanks to each showdown’s varied and well-planned designs. You’ll be on the edge of your chair when facing the unique Eikons of Valisthea.
Final Fantasy XVI makes battles feel like a spectacle while letting you keep complete control. It doesn’t matter if you’re battering the ankles of an angry rock giant or soaring through catacombs, peppering a demon with flame arrows. You get to control just about every moment of the action. Outside a few quick time events, you’re taking charge during every particle effect spewing, magic shooting, orchestra-accompanied moment.
There’s nothing like Eikon encounters in Final Fantasy XVI. Some of these battles lasted over half an hour, and I savored every second. They had me jumping out of my seat and cheering at the tensing up like I was the one with my life on the line. They’re more immersive than anything I’ve experienced in this console generation. The elements incorporated in each confrontation are unparalleled in their effectiveness. I’m sure to only look back on these moments over a decade later and remember how groundbreaking they were.
Soken, I Will Always Love You
Every moment in Final Fantasy XVI feels like a work of art, whether it’s a conversation between characters, a fight in the wilds, or one of the game’s monumental boss battles, and that’s thanks to its otherworldly soundtrack. I have never in my 25+ years of gaming heard anything remotely close to Masayoshi Soken’s score.
Square’s in-house orchestra shines here, imbuing emotional energy into each song on the soundtrack in ways I’ve never seen before. Each theme in Final Fantasy XVI feels perfectly placed, accenting the emotional moments while amplifying the exciting ones. Over a dozen moments in the game, I would pause and listen to the music. I’ve never done that playing even my all-time favorite titles. How Soken weaves together works of art like this that I’m still reeling from weeks later is a mystery.
Clive’s theme, Find the Flame, perfectly exemplifies everything astonishing about XVI’s OST. It’s triumphant, bombastic, and flawlessly arranged.
Pick any track from the score, and you’ll see the same level of love and passion poured into music in Final Fantasy XVI. It’s another masterwork on the level of Final Fantasy VII Remake. One that shows why Square Enix games consistently win awards in this category.
The Wonderful World of Valisthea
Valisthea, the stage on which this ominous tale takes place, is breathtaking. It’s beautiful but broken by years of war and decay, and its venues tell the story of war and strife. The Empire of Sanbreque—a powerful theocracy that serves as one of the world’s most potent military forces. This strength won the security and safety of a Mothercrystal that houses their castle.
The Iron Kingdom, an isolationist society ruled by religious zealots, worships their Mothercrystal as a god. Far removed from the rest of civilization, this society’s views are often outdated, bigoted, and shaped by its religious leaders.
The Dhalmekian Republic enjoys wealth thanks to its enormous underground Mothercrystal and trade networks. Apart from their splendor, what the realms and areas of Valisthea all possess is a sense of identity. Final Fantasy XVI does a marvelous job crafting a world where every domain and kingdom stands out as its own.
It sets the stage for the events that transpire throughout this 60-hour title, and even now, I’m still shocked at how well the team at Square did, making Valisthea feel like an ever-evolving chessboard in someone’s sinister game.
At any point in the story, the tides may shift in a separate kingdom’s favor in the war for the Mothercrystals. Borders may shift, and castles may fall. Multiple powers work simultaneously, and you can feel that shift with each chapter.
There’s an NPC whose entire job is to keep Clive updated on the state of the world. Any changes since his last visit get cataloged at her desk, with the relationships between characters even having a chart to break down the massive cast and how they relate to one another.
The war table isn’t the only fantastic tool to help keep players up to speed. The Active Time Lore system is sure to revolutionize narrative experiences in gaming. During any cutscene in the game, players can hold the touchpad to bring up a glossary. That means that you can get an explanation of the characters and world at any moment to clear up confusion.
It’s a revolutionary addition that makes tracking so many events seem easy. I can’t count the number of times I pulled up the ATL menu to get a few key details right. Couple this incredible feature with The Thousand Tomes, a notebook in The Hideaway that chronicles every key piece of information on XVI’s characters, locations, and terms, and you’ve got one of the best, most immersive glossaries in gaming.
Endgame Activities
You’re in luck if you still crave more from XVI after the credits roll. After finishing the story, there’s plenty of endgame content to tackle in Final Fantasy XVI. The Arete Stone lets players revisit levels anytime with the Stage Replay feature.
I used the stone before finishing the game to relive several incredible fights and moments scattered throughout XVI. It’s an appreciated feature that many action games neglect. Now I don’t have to replay the entire game to enjoy my favorite boss fight or chase down that one sneaky trophy I missed in the first half of the game.
In true action-game fashion, Final Fantasy XVI also features an Arcade Mode where players can test their skills on each level. Here, the levels break down into legs, each with a point threshold. How many points you get in that leg dictates your rank for that segment. Every action earns you points, but the more impressive and stylish your moves, the more points you get.
Once the run trends, your scorecard makes it easy to see where you did well and where you can improve with a breakdown of each portion of the Arcade run. Players can even earn Accolades that boost the final score for a bonus, though those bonuses vary in score depending on the challenge.
There’s no better gauntlet for those looking to master Final Fantasy XVI’s phenomenal combat system. Since the XVI isn’t too challenging for action-game veterans, it’s also an excellent way to keep things interesting, setting a goal for more skilled players to strive for. I’m still testing new Eikon skills and combos to see what yields the best results. It’s a great time sink that’ll entice any score-driven, achievement-chasing player like me.
If you’re looking for a more unforgiving challenge, the Chronolith Trials should be right up your alley. During Chronolith Trials, players must take out five waves of foes using a specific set of Eikon skills each wave. The healing item ban and time limit make this series of fights harder than the other endgame offerings. Pulling off certain combos and moves can boost your time limit, but after you take a hit, there’s no regaining that health.
One mistake can make the rest of the run a struggle, so beating these waves of foes with a time limit and limited health was stressful in all the right ways. It made me think through each fight, something I didn’t have to do for most of the main story.
Apart from the activities above, hunts were where I spent the rest of my post-game journey. These optional minibosses, especially the S-rank fights, were a welcome surprise when exploring the world, and checking each of them off my hunting list never got old.
After you clear the map out on your first playthrough, there’s one last challenge to attempt. The game’s hardest difficulty, Final Fantasy Mode, also unlocks for those who beat the base game on either Story or Action Focused difficulties. Like other titles in Square Enix’s library, this hard mode adds more than just upscale enemies to fight. Throughout the story, you’ll find more formidable enemies, an increased level cap, and remixed encounters.
My favorite change in Final Fantasy Mode is easily the remixed enemy encounters, which upend the game’s overworld fights. During my first playthrough, the beginning of the game had pretty simple enemies. At the start of Final Fantasy Mode, I’m fighting Chimeras and Raptors. Changes to gameplay like this force me to switch up strategies and exude an effort the main game didn’t ask me to. That makes New Game+ feel fresh, and from what I’ve seen so far, I’m loving the changes.
Verdict
Final Fantasy XVI is a monumental step forward for the franchise. Its grim and grounded narrative, boasting some of the franchise’s best characters, music, and voice acting, is only outclassed by the masterful boss battles and addictive action combat system. The latest entry in the Final Fantasy series is one of the best comprehensive offerings Square Enix has released in the last decade and a must-buy title for RPG fans.
Masterpiece
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| An incredible story in a grounded world | Side missions are hit and miss |
| One of the strongest casts in Final Fantasy history | Occasional frame drops |
| Addictive and nuanced action combat | |
| Monumental boss battles | |
| Marvelous voice acting | |
| Heavenly soundtrack | |
| Active Time Lore system | |
| Arcade and Final Fantasy Mode add replay value | |
| Loads of accessibility options |
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