Final Fantasy XVI Reviews
Final Fantasy XVI is an exceptional departure from Final Fantasy’s RPG roots, showing the series can excel in the Action genre. From a gripping story to the epic Eikonic battles, this entry into the mainline series is one of the better ones in recent years.
Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Final Fantasy XVI does what it needed to do – breathes new life into a series that had fallen from its once lofty position at the pinnacle of RPGs. The story returns Final Fantasy to its roots as a true medieval era inspired fantasy adventure with dark and mysterious undertones. While not flawless, Final Fantasy XVI’s strong points overshadow its minor shortcomings, solidifying its place as a must-play entry for both fans and newcomers alike.
Final Fantasy XVI is a game with some structural issues and a lack of situational variety, but with an excellent combat system, thoughtfully designed with balance and layering in mind. While it wouldn’t have taken much to resolve the initial issues, it is also true that the gameplay and narrative peaks of Final Fantasy XVI will set a new benchmark—not just for the genre, not just for the series, but for the industry as a whole. For this reason, we consider Final Fantasy XVI a masterpiece and are confident it will make history in our favorite medium, despite its flaws and its less "immediate" choices.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Despite the lack of heavy RPG elements, Final Fantasy XVI is a fine enough addition to the series. In the future, however, Square Enix should focus even more on making sure that its computer ports can be enjoyed by as many people as possible.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
After over 2500 characters, I'm not sure I've fully answered the opening question. The only certainty I have, after all these words and 50+ hours with Clive, is that I've experienced an unforgettable journey, despite its highs and lows. Final Fantasy XVI isn't the best in the series, but it's bold and coherent. More polished than its predecessor, Yoshida's work aims to broaden the audience. The result is divisive but deserves your time and affection. Not the GOTY 2023, but Clive and co. are worth the journey.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Final Fantasy XVI Complete Edition is a celebration of everything that makes the franchise so beloved: a compelling story, a richly detailed world, thrilling combat, and unforgettable soundtracks. For fans of the series and new players alike, this is an adventure worth experiencing (or reliving) and one that cements the title as one of the best entries in the saga.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
A fun action RPG and a good introduction to Final Fantasy, just as long as you have a beefy system to run it.
The PC version of the sixteenth Final Fantasy chapter is the best currently available, but leaves a bitter taste in the mouth due to a barely sufficient quality of the porting and some unexpected shortcomings in a saga that had always represented excellence on a technical level.
Review in Italian | Read full review
While FFXVI is a fully functioning PC Port without any glaring technical issues, it is a very basic one that misses a lot of the features that PC gamers have come to expect. It is hard not to be disappointed with what could have been a technical showpiece but is instead just acceptable
Square Enix has managed to bring one of the most dynamic and rich RPG experiences of 2023 to PC in a very, very right way.
Review in Greek | Read full review
Final Fantasy XVI dares to offer a new direction for Square Enix's legendary franchise, and the result is an unmissable title that gets almost every crucial aspect right. Now in its definitive version on PC, Clive Rosfield's journey gains a new chapter that even the occasional slip-ups in the adaptation work can't compromise. In the end, like a certain Eikon of fire, here is a flame bright enough not to be easily erased from memory.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Overall I’d reckon that Final Fantasy XVI’s PC port IS a good one, albeit with the caveats that it has some beefy requirements to run at higher frame rates and resolutions. It’s a phenomenal game that is now available to a wider audience, so I’d highly recommend checking it out if you’ve got the hardware.
Final Fantasy XVI, which follows a different path from the series' usual path, has been properly ported to the PC platform and made available to more players, and we recommend it with peace of mind.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
Putting the side quests aside, Final Fantasy XVI can be considered a truly great game with its new theme and epic gameplay.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
Though Final Fantasy XVI departs from the franchise formula, it still maintains so much of what makes Final Fantasy such a beloved franchise. It has easily become one of my new favorite entries in the series. The game does its own thing, and while I do miss some classic Final Fantasy RPG elements, I certainly enjoy the cinematic action Final Fantasy XVI has to offer.
Final Fantasy XVI feels absolutely at home on PC. With excellent optimisation that’s bolstered by impressive Frame Generation technology, it’s a relatively smooth sailing experience if you have the hardware to handle it.
To sum up, I’ll quote myself from a tweet I posted when I happily traded the game in after finishing it. “Bloated beyond any resemblance of fun, unlikeable characters and incoherent pish for a story.”
Final Fantasy XVI is the pinnacle of the franchise, the fantasy genre, and gaming overall.
At its core, Final Fantasy 16 is a glorified amalgam of the best action-RPG games of the past decade. It’s a stunning work of art which thanks to its enthralling narrative, phenomenal orchestra, stupefying boss fights, and amazeballs combat, shines amongst its lineage as a worthy, yet different addition. Final Fantasy 16 is an Eikonic adventure, and while it has severely lackluster RPG elements, it’s still the best mainline Final Fantasy game we’ve had in a long, long time.
Final Fantasy XVI is the JRPG of the year, and maybe even of the next five years. It's hard to imagine any game in the genre that could measure up to it.
Review in Slovak | Read full review