REVIEW: Cinematic clashes adorn FINAL FANTASY XVI

Final fantasy has always been a franchise that pushed boundaries by enveloping players in strong gameplay, creating compelling worlds and memorable characters. From the original pixelated games to the many crazy spin-offs, Final fantasy he’s never shied away from going all the way on any given project and this year is no different. Final Fantasy XVI is another great example of the franchise diving into a new genre while still feeling like a part of the Final fantasy universe. It can be a little slow at times, but overall this game is a great way for anyone to approach or continue their love of the Final fantasy Games.

Final Fantasy XVI offers an action RPG worthy of the next generation of consoles and technology. Between the huge variety of attacks, unique ways to interact with combat, precision dodging rewards, and creative combos, every battle feels exciting, engaging, and dangerous. I also like how punishing the game can be if the player wants to. It can also be just as forgiving. Players can choose from various equipment right from the start that can help them with dodging, potions, and other things to keep the game as easy or as complex and difficult as they want. The only gripe I have with the gameplay is that there are a lot of cut scenes that interrupt the flow of exploration/combat. I don’t think I’ve ever gone twenty minutes without some sort of cutscene forcing me to hold or put down the controller, whether it’s a short conversation or a long, drawn-out, choreographed fight. The story is really great and can help the fight not feel so exhausting, but after a while it feels very normal to fight some people for ten minutes, watch a ten minute cut scene, fight for another ten minutes and have five more.. minute cut scene and so on and so forth. Fans of JRPGs or other RPGs, in general, may be used to this to some extent, but it happens often in Final Fantasy XVI.

This brings me to the actual story. It’s really good, it really is. Seeing real character growth and a more mature approach to Final fantasy the franchise is refreshing. It just takes longer than I would have liked to really engage with its drama and significant plot points. I wish some of the story beats had happened much earlier and the pacing and little filler bits were tightened. However, this game is much more like something like this game of Thrones than your traditional “hero fights main villain to save the world” kind of story. And for that level of complexity, it makes sense that the game would have so many cut scenes, so much story, and a slower pace for it all to make sense.

The last thing to really address here is the game’s graphics and audio. The soundtrack is great, the battles beautifully enhanced by epic soundtracks of intense music. Also, every slash of the sword and burst of fire sounds incredibly sharp and terribly tangible, as if I could close my eyes and feel those things happening in front of me in real life. And the images are stunning in ways I didn’t expect. All the leather, metal, distant sights and lighting are nearly perfect. But the faces and animations of the characters still seem to come from the queue of last generation consoles, not cutting edge. They’re not bad, don’t get me wrong, it just looks like there’s a soft filter on anything that isn’t perfectly sharp to hide imperfections, like you’re looking at a mediocre Instagram makeup filter on every character’s face.

Overall, Final Fantasy XVI it’s extremely exciting, wonderfully engaging, and one of the most fun I’ve had this year, period. There are just little bits of story that I wish were a little more streamlined, but I also gasped or gasped with excitement as I gained new powers, watched some cut scenes, or engaged in mind-blowing battles. All in all, Final Fantasy XVI offers players a chance to truly experience the sense of climactic battles that players have always imagined or seen in the past Final fantasy games and movies.