Final Fantasy XVI Reviews
Final Fantasy XVI may not be perfect, and surely some changes may not be welcomed by the fans of the older games, but these changes are necessary to push the series forward, and one day, all these new changes will be the ones that we know and love the Final Fantasy series for.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Final Fantasy XVI continues to push the series into a new direction. While it has a well-realized setting, good characters, satisfying combat, and excellent cinematic large scale battles, the slow pacing, lackluster RPG elements and barebones optional content grind the excitement to a halt too often.
Final Fantasy XVI is one of those very rare masterpieces with issues. Developed by a stellar team, the game shines when it comes to story and combat, but fails in other aspects like narrative structure, itemization and RPG elements.
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.
This is how big-budget games should be. They should feel like they’ve had time, effort and money thrown behind them, but they should never feel like the “business” side of things is more important than the “creative” side of things. So many modern triple-A games get that completely wrong, and Final Fantasy XVI puts those titles to shame. It’s an absolutely magnificent video game, and one I hope is looked back on as a major milestone in the series.
Final Fantasy 16 is without a doubt one of the most epic video game experiences in recent years. From Great story to loveable characters and amazing combat, Final Fantasy 16 gives us ample reasons to adore it. That being said, disappointing side quests and performance issues are noticable issues that no one can ignore. Nonetheless, Final Fantasy 16 delivers one of the most enjoyable experiences of recent years.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Darker, bolder and faster than ever Final Fantasy XVI is a fantastic return to form for the series. After years of trial and error this would be the absolute outcome but some light RPG elements and bland level designs puts it a little farther from perfection. Yet mind-blowing spectacles and a memorable story makes this entry one of the best of the series in the end.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
Final Fantasy XVI is a brave new direction for the long-running RPG series, and one that pays off. We haven’t been this engaged by a Final Fantasy title in quite some time, and we absolutely love the new action-focused combat system. Sometimes elements of the new and old Final Fantasy clash, and the story has some elements that left us scratching our heads, but overall this will be remembered as one of the greats. With stunning visuals, a rousing soundtrack, a fun combat system and an engaging politically-driven story, Final Fantasy XVI is quite simply a triumph.
Final Fantasy XVI is magical. Final Fantasy XVI is raw, Final Fantasy XVI is hopeful. Final Fantasy XVI is everything I expected and much more. Creative Unit Business III created a game capable of lighting a flame in your heart and stay there forever.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Players will experience a superbly told and presented story, which is decorated with visually beautiful and exquisitely dynamic duels. From time to time, the writers serve us unnecessary breaks that knock out the rhythm, but when the story falls on the right track, it's hard to tear yourself away from the screen.
Review in Polish | 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 far too early to determine where Final Fantasy XVI sits in the ranks of Square Enix’s venerable series. However, this is an engrossing, entertaining and, most importantly, fiercely intelligent game. The developers have taken the AAA-blockbuster budget they had to work with, and used it to craft an experience with a strong, provocative and timely message, and then backed it up with some of the most entertaining action combat we’ve ever seen. Not a second of the game’s runtime is wasted, there’s not a single dud character, moment, or scene, and the plot is a riveting epic “page-turner.” If only more blockbuster games were like this, game development would be a far more mature art form.
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.
Inspired by the past but modern at every turn, Final Fantasy XVI is the overhaul the series needed with unparalleled quality. Driven by a fantastic story and charismatic characters, built on accessible, exciting gameplay and impressive graphics on the PS5, it consolidates itself as one of the best games in the franchise history.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
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
Final Fantasy 16 is as good as it is not because it strays from what has come before it, but because it embraces its roots. Everything the series has done, gameplay-wise, over the last few mainline releases, has all set up for what FF16 pulls off with its fantastic-feeling combat. For all the focus on its maturity and shocking narrative, the things that FF16 does with its impactful story have been present in games all throughout the series. And by letting a team like Creative Business Unit 3 take the reins, the best aspects of Final Fantasy 16 feel like pieces of one of the most beloved games in all of the franchise: Final Fantasy 14. I won't deny the series is heading in a new direction, but have no fear, the ways in which Final Fantasy 16 succeeds are deeply rooted in the series' greatest traditions.
Final Fantasy XVI is a page-turner. Better still, it's the beginning of a new book. Although there are some things that still bring to mind the weight that the name carries, Square Enix takes a completely different path in almost everything this experience gives us. It's a good story, with its exceptional peaks, but the climb up there is quite boring and difficult to digest. It feels that, somewhere in middle of the story there are repetitive moments of sloppiness that greatly undermined everything good that this Final Fantasy could provide us. I accept that the changes had to happen, but it leaves a bittersweet taste in the end.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review