Final Fantasy usually danced on the border between fantasy and science fiction. The Japanese developers at Square Enix aren’t bigots in this regard, and if it’s visually pretty, then it goes together, whether it makes sense or not. But this time they went as part of a series fest into fantasy, and directly into that kind of wooden, almost European. Power struggles, betrayals in one’s own family, extermination, racism and similar pastimes for afternoon tea. Just Game of Thrones. Of course, the fantasy will not be dogmatic here either, so you don’t have to worry about losing fights with giant robots, but this is definitely probably the most classic fantasy in the series, which already has fantasy in the name, available today.
Nice from the start
First of all, it doesn’t matter at all that you haven’t played the previous 15 games with that name (or all the possible remakes and strategy or action spin-offs). Each of the games brings a completely separate story, taking place in completely new worlds. Some were pure sci-fi, some looked more like fantasy, some had a look that smelled of cyberpunk, some threw the word “steam” in front of the punk… Actually, there were quite a few points of contact. Usually more at the level of easter eggs. Some magical creatures (especially the popular substitute for horses – chocobs) and then the names of the characters (in every variant of FF you will come across a Cid, for example). So yes, there is a connection, but it’s more of a cosmetic one. And honestly, those of you who haven’t played any of the previous installments will be at an advantage. It does not come with exaggerated expectations and they will enjoy linear action full of monumental battles more.
The hero is the ruler’s first-born son Clive Rosfield. In another story, this would have given him a comfortable life, but here he only serves as a protector of his younger brother Joshua, who is the more important of the family. He is gifted with a power that allows him to summon a giant monster, a living atomic bomb that ensures that no one dares to take the kingdom lightly. But of course there are twists, problems, betrayals and tragedies, and Clive ends up branded with a tattoo in the army of an enemy nation. And that’s just the beginning of his problems. But I don’t want to reveal too much, the game gradually develops a quite complex story mixed with a Japanese soap opera. Some of the characters are nice, the main character is nice, but I have to admit that I’m getting a little allergic to female Japanese heroines throwing sad looks. Of course, the characters keep growing and your team of cats, even though you can’t direct them and everyone (except for your dog, which I think is the most important addition to the team) does what he wants.
Have something to poke at
If there are any old timers among you who haven’t succumbed to the alluring siren call of multiple sclerosis, you’ll probably remember that the original games were more of a strategic affair. You had a group, giving them instructions and fighting monsters many times stronger than you. A few were thrashing and at least one was trying to keep the others alive, hoping he wouldn’t run out of mana. Gradually, the action scenes began to dominate, but you still had partners and could use them to program, to cast healing spells at an opportune moment or to withdraw from combat and protect themselves in case of danger. But forget about it here. In Final Fantasy XVI, you fight for yourself and the only one who listens to you here is your loyal dog. And he doesn’t have such options. To bite or tear. The fights here are mostly up to you, but don’t worry, the game is so accommodating that it basically carries you to the goal. If you choose an easier difficulty, you will receive items that automatically jump with your character, deal wounds or heal you. You can just press one button, or jump for coffee during fights and come back when you’re done. But you won’t break a sweat even on the harder difficulty.
The fights are seriously all about frantic button mashing with the occasional dodge aside, but overall they feel very aesthetically pleasing.
To win, you just need to combine one button for punches, one for casting spells, one for jumping, and occasionally launch a stronger attack. Of course, the game appreciates you if you parry a blow at the right moment and return the favor by stabbing your opponent in the kidneys, but then again, it’s not that necessary. You have so many medicinals that you could open your own pharmacy, and if you accidentally die, all the medicinals will be automatically replenished. Of course, you also have attack upgrades available, after all, it’s still an RPG, but it’s not that fascinating. Mainly because the fights are seriously all about frantic button mashing with occasional dodges aside. Overall, skirmishes are more of an aesthetic experience than a challenge, but the whole thing is really only aesthetic. The creatures you meet look seriously awesome. And their and your battle antics will fill the entire screen with effects, explosions, lines of fire and other folk art. Plus don’t forget it’s a Japanese game so the fights are specific to say the least.
Anyone who has read a manga or seen an anime knows what I mean. The two fighters cut each other with crossbows for a long time until finally the positive hero knocks the villain into the mire of the big city. Zlosyn coughs up blood and some guts, but smiles blissfully: “Finally, I’ve met a proper opponent, I can finally stop taming myself!” He bursts into blue-purple flame, grows to a height of fifty meters, and the fight breaks out anew. This time it turns out worse for the hero, before he also tells himself that he could stop saving the misery and go all out in the fight. Two giant monsters are already fighting, and no, don’t think that’s the end of it. Both opponents have a few more tricks up their sleeve. In a manga like this, it’s enough for two or three books, and even here, don’t really expect short fights for one round. Even in this game, the fighters will change their forms into more and more epic and amazing forms, and the fights, which originally only destroyed the characters’ visages, will soon burn the entire surroundings and turn it into ruins and desert. This is seriously worth seeing.
Just be careful, as usual with this series, everything unfolds in front of you gradually. It’s like buying a luxury car, but for the first few hours you just had to push it and only then, on merit, they installed an engine in it. And after another twenty hours, they added the ability to shift to a higher gear than just first. This can discourage the less patient, fortunately the pros already know that it is worth waiting, and I recommend you at the same time.
A long, bumpy road
And there was another change. The original installments were partially open world. You could mostly just run around the map, but even that counted. You definitely had a sense of freedom and a chance to explore the surrounding universe, here – again – forget about it. You only have clues that you move between and that serve you beautiful-looking, but still quite narrow corridors. There’s no extra reason to explore them either, you’ll rarely find any treasure worth it. At a time when everyone is trying to create the biggest worlds possible, places where it takes you three days just to walk from the living room to the kitchen, this is a bit of a touch of the old days… And I can’t tell myself if this grab is a positive or a negative. Personally, I didn’t enjoy walking on a rope from one monster to another, especially in the underground areas, where you really just move from one arena to another without being able to do anything else.
Your character development is also linear. Don’t count on the fact that you could go your own way and make your character a philosopher who delves into opponents with thoughts about the meaning of beating (after all, he is a martial philosopher). No, every time you level up, your character will improve itself and you can just invest some experience points to increase the effectiveness of spells. And of course, to exchange weapons for better and more effective ones. After some time, you will gain access to stronger abilities, but it will not affect the game in any way. The good thing about Final Fantasy XVI, however, is that it’s quite reasonable in length – it takes about forty hours to complete the game from start to finish, and I’m guessing six in fact if you skip the cutscenes. Definitely bring a big bucket of popcorn to the game, because at every step you will come across long unplayable passages, telling you past events or just depicting the mental processes of the heroes. In terms of grandeur, it is stunning, in terms of characters and emotions, at times rather painful.
Lore for everyone and now
One of the strengths of Final Fantasy XVI is the Active Time Lore element. Every time you press the pause button, several icons will appear in front of you, corresponding to where you were at the moment, or who you are currently talking to. It can be characters, places or even objects that you can click on and read more about. This is a great service for fans who want to immerse themselves even more in the story, or get their bearings in it. The feature almost always works and serves as an invaluable guide.
You have a lot to read, a lot of information, some essential, some decorative and of course, a lot of side quests. Usually at the level of “bring the gentleman over there a beer” or “bring me the shop that fell from my tower”. Only over time will you come across some more interesting ones, still so stilted, but at least detailing the world and the events in it. It’s just a shame you don’t have many choices, no decision to side with the good or, well, the good actually. Only for people who have a slightly different opinion about slavery and the value of human life, of course. But the basic story is otherwise quite good, it does not revolve only around wars or intrigues, but also focuses on internal struggles, feelings of guilt, disinheritance – simply, the Japanese are not afraid of psychology. Of course, we are talking about Asian psychology, so the advice for everything is “shut your teeth and add”. But if it works for them, I won’t judge them… However, this brings us to probably the best that Final Fantasy XVI has to offer. Graphic processing. Here, the game seems to squeeze the PS5’s capabilities like Arnold a rotten lemon. The locations are really beautiful (albeit small) and if you ignore the slightly stiff animation of the characters’ faces, which is somewhat typical of FF, there is something to admire. From nature, through animals and monsters, costumes, to combat effects. And the music during the big fights is booming just the way it should be.
Underlined and added up
Final Fantasy XVI is definitely a big game, epic, sweeping and tuneful. For all lovers of great fantasy series, manga, anime and Final Fantasy, this is a clear choice. You have everything you need at your fingertips: suffering heroes, colorful villains with strong motivations, monumental fight scenes, diverse environments and the fate of the world in your hands. In addition, the game is not afraid of more serious topics, and it also has an impact and can lure you in with the action and plot right from the start. Plus there are a few goodies, such as the explanation system. When you’re chatting with someone and they use a term that doesn’t mean anything to you, just click away to the records and you’ll see short and punchy explanations right there. But of course, you can delve pretty deep into those notes to learn more about the history and people of each empire and the ambitions and abilities of their rulers.
And now I’m getting into a bit of trouble, because even though I objectively have to admit the game is of the highest quality, I can’t silence the part of me that has been playing FF since I was about six years old and that much preferred the strategic parts to this straightforward action. And maybe she’s already a bit overfed with Japanese pathos. It’s true that if I had to choose a more modern Japanese RPG, I’d much rather go for one of the Yakuza titles. It is too fighting game, but after all, you have more options in it, plus it mixes an emotional story with childish humor and bizarre ideas. FF 16, on the other hand, is already heading into the waters of classic fantasy full of clichés, which is taken too seriously. But seriously, take it more like the ramblings of an eyewitness. If you’re looking for a nice, straightforward, not-too-hard action fantasy with gorgeous graphics and a sweeping story – your search is over.
You have found Final Fantasy XVI.
2023-07-06 14:05:08
#Final #Fantasy #XVI #Review #Vortex
