Final Fantasy XVI Reviews
The latest marquee RPG from Square Enix goes for broke at every opportunity and then some.
Final Fantasy 16 is incredible when it doesn’t try to say anything meaningful
Final Fantasy XVI will change what we think of the franchise moving forward.
With a cast of characters that are easy to invest in, a story that pays off the promise of its impossible scale, and one of the best action combat systems ever committed to disk, Final Fantasy XVI is a game that you owe it to yourself to indulge in.
I was worried about the series shedding more of its JRPG roots when this title was first introduced, as recent entries have been straying away from more traditional forms for years. But my fears faded in the first five chapters of FFXIV; the essence of what makes Final Fantasy so great shines brightly here, and as such, this is one of my favorite high fantasy adventures this generation.
Final Fantasy XVI is a complete package with a refreshingly mature storyline, full of surprises that keeps raising the stakes. The switch to real-time fights is daring step, but works most of the time, as long as the graphical effects don't blur what's going on. The game can be greatily adapted to facilitate those that mostly play for the story, but also those that are looking for a real challenge. The most epic fights, those between the Eikons, are visually impressive, but a bit too hands-off.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
A smart combat system straining under the weight of a characterful but ponderous pseudo-medieval soap opera, with some of the grandest bosses and dullest sidequests in FF history.
Final Fantasy XVI is by no means a perfect game, but it is an exceptionally good one. The engaging plot, beautiful visuals, and enjoyable gameplay all combine to create something that feels special. It can occasionally be a little long for its own good, and the combat system is slow to get going, but once it hits all the right marks, it knocks them out of the park. I left Final Fantasy XV disappointed by how unfinished it felt, but Final Fantasy XVI is a true rarity these days: a fully finished game that is satisfying from start to finish.
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 melds the best of the series’ themes with a modern, malleable take on combat—creating a heartrending, generation-defining tale of revenge, fate, and freedom.
With an incredible score, an enthralling story, and an eccentric and electric gameplay approach, Final Fantasy 16 is, quite simply, a modern masterpiece.
If you're a fan of strong narrative experiences, Final Fantasy lore, breath-taking graphics and a particularly sassy Moogle, and you don't mind a sprinkling of The Witcher, The Handmaids Tale and the many accents of Old Blighty, then Final Fantasy XVI is the game for you. Heck, it might just be the best Final Fantasy yet!
Final Fantasy XVI is a stone-cold masterpiece, and the new high-water mark for the series.
Featuring fast, reflex driven, action heavy combat, Final Fantasy 16 is certainly a departure from what fans may expect out of a Final Fantasy game, but its excellent story, characters, and world building are right up there with the best the series has to offer, and the innovative Active Time Lore feature should set a new standard for how lengthy, story-heavy games keep players invested in its world.
Square Enix's latest Final Fantasy borrows liberally from Western fantasy, including Game of Thrones and The Lord of the Rings. Read more.
Final Fantasy 16 isn't just a stellar video game with gorgeous graphics and incredible combat. It's also an emotionally engaging experience and the absolute peak of everything the series stands for.
Spectacular, with an epic story and astonishing graphics: and yet, Final Fantasy XVI forgets what is really important for the series. It's impossibile to create a build and there's nothing important left for you to manage through the menus. Proper RPG options are gone, dungeons are just banal corridors, players are forced to play the entire game in easy mode and you can beat the game with literally no effort. There's a decent base for the future, but it's not enough to see a real rebirth for the saga.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Great worldbuilding and a peerless battle system, albeit one that rarely gets challenged, set in a static world with competent storytelling but of a cliched story. Still great fun but it could've been oh so much more.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
It's the kind of gamble that Final Fantasy has happily made in the past so that the series may reinvent itself to execute the type of story its creatives want to tell. Time will tell if Final Fantasy 16 pays off, but history certainly supports it.