Final Fantasy XVI Reviews
Final Fantasy 16 is a tremendously disappointing JRPG with a clunky, shallow narrative, unengaging characters, lifeless environments and overly simplified combat. It's few redeeming qualities, namely its visuals and occasional intriguing story moment, are overshadowed by its plethora of flaws. Final Fantasy 16 is a hard game to recommend, even to diehard fans of the franchise.
Final Fantasy XVI offers epicness in its story, massively fun action in its battles, and a magnificently crafted world with an enormous amount of variety and seriousness. If you're looking for a gritty role-playing game of the highest order and you own a PS5, this is a must-have.
Review in German | Read full review
Final Fantasy XVI has epic scenes with combat system, story, Eikon battles. The fact that it is almost completely disconnected from RPG dynamics and important mistakes puts the game in a good game mold rather than a classic.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
Final Fantasy XVI is an incredible action game that offers an epic tale with gorgeous visuals and an amazing soundtrack but lacking content will be noticeable to fans of the series.
Final Fantasy 16 has become one of my favorite games in the series and despite the problems of inconsistency in pace and quality (those fetch quests are really banal), the good is really good and that's what prevails. I confess that the linear design with larger areas is a breath of fresh air in the middle of the huge open worlds and I loved the action combat that pulls for your talent. The Game of Thrones-style storytelling and the use of Final Fantasy lore in such a bold way are worthy of applause.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Final Fantasy XVI isn’t perfect. Its smaller battles can get a bit monotonous. The world arguably isn’t open enough for today’s standards. And the game takes far too long to reveal itself. But when you do hit those mega battles after hours of plugging away, the win tastes that much sweeter. And the combat, visuals and audio all work so well together in delivering a frantic action role-player that’ll give you tons of fun.
Final Fantasy XVI is a great RPG in nearly any aspect, concerning atmosphere, graphics including spectacular effects, twistful story or the fantastic soundtrack and voiceover. But the real star of this epic adventure is the combat system with its fast, fluid and diverse action, inspired by Hack-and-Slash dye games. Any fight is fun peaking in overwhelming bosses and mind-blowing Esper battles.
Review in German | Read full review
Final Fantasy 16 redefines the series with a new twist on the gameplay system and a dark narrative that will keep you engaged throughout.
Final Fantasy XVI, going by the sums, represents one of the most interesting and fascinating experiments on the part of the saga, which manages to raise the bar on the maturity of the narrative plot and to propose a gameplay structure capable of going to remodel the proposal of the last chapters.
Review in Italian | Read full review
The combat isn’t turn-based, and you don’t control a huge party of characters… Yet, Final Fantasy XVI is still very much a Final Fantasy game through and through. Some fans, both long-time and more recent, will have a hard time accepting the fact, but there’s no denying the work that Yoshi-P and the team have done here. Final Fantasy XVI is a damn masterpiece of epic proportions. This is the future of Final Fantasy’s artistry – an ever-changing canvas that can be what the team wants it to be and at least, for Final Fantasy XVI, this exercise has proved to be a triumph.
This is one of the most polished AAA releases we have in recent memory. I encountered no major bugs, major performance issues, or even visual pop-ins. Final Fantasy 16 feels like a game that was made the way the creators intended it to be with the utmost care. There are no compromises made here for artificial extensions or hidden profit-making agendas. Final Fantasy 16 is a complete experience from start to finish and it is one that I’d say is worth taking.
Final Fantasy XVI is a well-crafted experience and a strong Game of the Year contender. Not only does it have a gripping narrative that restored my faith in Square Enix’s ability to tell a gripping story, but it also features several improvements that fans and newcomers alike will enjoy. This isn’t just improved visuals that scream Final Fantasy and a combat system balanced with players of various skill levels in mind. Hardcore players have a robust system to explore that expands on higher difficulties, with less skilled individuals having various paths to experience all that Final Fantasy XVI has to offer.
An epic that closes its magnificent ending in a single piece. You can still feel and sense the taste of its creators, Naoki Yoshida and Creative Business Unit 3. Even in both strengths and its flaws.
Review in Korean | Read full review
Final Fantasy XVI is a triumph that firmly moves Final Fantasy forward for a new generation.
Final Fantasy 16 is a stellar and noteworthy entry in the series that's just as impactful as Final Fantasy 6 and Final Fantasy 7's debut back in their respective heydays. And that is not a statement I make lightly.
While Final Fantasy XVI didn’t meet this fan’s expectations for a new series entry, newcomers to epic fantasy and action games will be swept away by the eye-melting combat and enormous-yet-approachable scale.
With an incredible score, an enthralling story, and an eccentric and electric gameplay approach, Final Fantasy 16 is, quite simply, a modern masterpiece.
Final Fantasy XVI is technically impressive and an amazing action game, though the Game of Throne elements do hinder it a bit. However when the team does get to be original, the story can be absolutely engrossing.
Final Fantasy XVI is a weirdo black-sheep entry for the series. It won't be for all nor what all fans necessarily want for the franchise, but I also love it for that boldness. It's a gripping and harrowing page-turner of an epic high-fantasy story with plenty of heart the series is known for. Complex too are the characters, even if not all see their justice by the end. Valisthea is an eerily gorgeous setting, providing some of the most memorable vistas you'll have seen in a Final Fantasy game yet. Accessibility might not be at the forefront of the combat in-game but on offer is some of the most stylistic, and satisfying gameplay we've ever seen in an Action RPG. Even if you take further umbrage with its small flaws, there's no denying that Final Fantasy XVI is a special and memorable event. Through thick and thin, that franchise magic is captured once again. Frankly, you can't ask for anything better than that.
Final Fantasy 16 largely shines as an epic-length action game, though the places where it attempts to find a comfortable compromise between action game and RPG feel largely unambitious, and certainly fade into the background against aspects that are approached with gusto. But it’s difficult not to get swept up by the earnest saga that Final Fantasy 16 eagerly lays out for you, and the egregious heights of spectacle it displays.