Final Fantasy XVI Reviews
An action packed Final Fantasy with incredible set pieces and over the top fight scenes that would make the God of War games blush.
Final Fantasy 16 is sure to split fans down the middle as it pushes toward a more mainstream audience, watering down some franchise staples, while removing others entirely. It is, however, a great entry point if you’ve never played the series before and one of the most spectacular-looking games so far this generation, accompanied by an enjoyable core loop that kept me invested for over 80 hours and some of the most memorable characters the series has produced in years. The localization is the best I’ve seen in FF history, with some incredible performances, and its breakdown of world history and character development is sure to be emulated and studied for years to come. Perhaps not the strongest instalment by its own huge expectations, with story that gets tonally confused, grindy quests, and some characters getting sidelined, but it is a remarkable achievement all the same.
Square Enix deserves kudos for not being afraid to make such big changes. That being said, for all of its grand spectacle and bombastic Eikon battles, Final Fantasy XVI turns its back on many of the themes and mechanics that brought it to the table in the first place. Whether this decision was right or wrong is debatable. Fans who have grown up with the series are entitled to feel more than a little disappointed though. Ultimately, much of what many love about this series has been mercilessly swept aside in Square Enix’s attempt to attract a bigger audience.
Final Fantasy XVI is a beautiful game that takes a slightly different approach than its predecessors. Brutal, tempo action with accessibility for everyone is what you can expect.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Final Fantasy XVI has over 25 years of history to live up to, largely acting as the culmination of the battle systems and dramatic storytelling from that time. While the animation and combat are truly extraordinary, the pacing in the quests and drawn-out cinematics often left me hungry for the next fight.
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 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 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.
While it would be easy to look at Final Fantasy XVI from certain angles and proclaim something looks rough when looked at as a single package and a sum of its whole, this is a fantastic game. The cinematic flair, crazy action combat and extremely involved story with a nice side dish of world building make this a game worth playing. This is likely to appeal to fans of most character action games but also to those who just want another cool Final Fantasy to get lost in. Absolutely get this game.
My tastes have changed over the years, and I neglected certain franchise titles in that time. However, despite its missteps, I can wholeheartedly say Final Fantasy 16 managed to bring together in one title the things I loved about the earlier series’ entries, all while making most of the experience fresh and entertaining. The grim-dark tone, spectacular “kaiju battles,” and grandiose transformations with over-the-top action kept me entertained.
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
Still, it is an excellent action game with perhaps one of the medium's most likeable protagonists in recent times. Final Fantasy XVI is a worthy return for an iconic franchise — that much is clear. Whether this success can light the path for future Final Fantasy games and elevate the series to its past heights, is perhaps a trickier question to answer.
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
Final Fantasy XVI is a confident game with amazing combat, an earnest narrative, and unbridled spectacle. Faults in pacing, RPG depth, quest design, and all those other nagging criticisms be damned - this game is special.
The most fundamental flaw of Final Fantasy XVI is its inability or unwillingness to delve too deeply into the machinations of inequality, but its greatest strength is how the story details the way that people march forward toward freedom. There’s absolutely no doubt that Clive believes in his home, and while he may be one of only a few to swing a sword, bringing houses and bridges and feeding those with empty stomachs is the work of many. Watching Clive’s work come to fruition and build the world for future generations may be the most powerful summoning spell ever cast in the entirety of Final Fantasy.
Final Fantasy XVI for the PlayStation 5 marries iconic series elements with brutal political intrigue and intense action to create a gripping entry unlike any other in the franchise.
Final Fantasy 16 is more an evolution than a revolution. It's an ode to the license, a reinterpretation of the myth as rarely seen, and a spectacular game. It's an accomplished modern vision, an assertive turn to action with a near perfect gameplay but which has almost nothing left of an RPG. A remarkable game full of sincerity.
Review in French | Read full review
Final Fantasy XVI is a hard-to-judge beast, a divisive experiment that would have been more comfortable as a spin-off, rather than in the uncomfortable shoes of the last official chapter of a much-loved series. A passionate plot and a successful combat system keep the attention high for the approximately 30 hours necessary to finish the game, but unfortunately they are forced to divide the scene with rosewater "role-playing" mechanics and a sadly arid and artificial world, net of a commendable artistic direction. On the JRPG front we are facing a very controversial result, but overall a more than decent game.
Review in Italian | Read full review
A more mature and realistic tone, stunning performances, a rounded likeable hero and a fully realised world make up for moments when this epic 40-hour game becomes a chore
Final Fantasy has never played better, and 16’s cast is destined to be fan favourites. We just wish that when they are outside of the Hollywood blockbuster-tier adventures of the main quest, they were given some more interesting adventures to pursue.