Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers Reviews

Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers is ranked in the 99th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
94 / 100
Jul 23, 2019

Coupled with a striking new world to explore, Shadowbringers' poignant and character-driven story is one of the best in the entire series.

Read full review

Kyle Campbell
Top Critic
9.5 / 10.0
Jul 12, 2019

Shadowbringers has only further solidified XIV's status as one of the greatest Final Fantasy games ever made.

Read full review

9 / 10.0
Jul 12, 2019
Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers - Easy Allies Review video thumbnail
9 / 10.0
Aug 15, 2019

Stale mechanics and features can't bring down an epic experience featuring cool characters, incredible bosses, and a spectacular soundtrack

Read full review

Polygon
Top Critic
Unscored
Jul 9, 2019

Final Fantasy 14: Shadowbringers is one of the best MMOs available for both fans and newcomers

Read full review

GameSpot
Top Critic
9 / 10
Jul 9, 2019

Even though some ambitious additions need a little refinement, Shadowbringers' fearless execution pays off in spades.

Read full review

Unscored
Sep 13, 2019

Shadowbringers’ story is triumphant, the artistry inspiring. There are rough patches—pacing woes and overzealous changes to beloved jobs—but Shadowbringers rises above those stumblings. It cements Final Fantasy XIV’s place within the series alongside cherished titles like Final Fantasy VII, and it marks the absolute redemption of an initially troubled game.

Read full review

Jul 9, 2019

Final Fantasy 14 set a high bar with its previous expansions, but Shadowbringers stands above the rest. Expected additions come in the form of new regions and the new jobs, Dancer and Gunbreaker. Both bring their own flavor to the game, though the Dancer is the standout. More importantly, Shadowbringers tells a tale that not only contains some meaningful real-world connections, but also provides an experience that's firmly Final Fantasy-esque. Great writing, solid voice acting, and an excellent soundtrack wrap Shadowbringers up in a package that should satisfy Final Fantasy 14 fans and neophytes alike.

Read full review

Aug 9, 2019

An abridged telling of the story up to Shadowbringers when you use a Tales of Adventure would go a long way towards smoothing the process. As of right now, I can’t recommend Shadowbringers as a direct starting point for Final Fantasy 14. Instead, play through the base content a bit and get a feel for it. You’ll thank yourself later.

Read full review

9.5 / 10.0
Jul 2, 2019

Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers is more XIV, and right now that's something I'm still happy with. The story delivers with its effortless whimsy and urgency, the battles are filled with spectacle, and the core fundamentals have only gotten better over time.

Read full review

Jul 30, 2019

The question that every Final Fantasy fanatic asks is probably whether it's worth taking on all the extra obstacles, just to experience another epic adventure. As an online role-playing game, it requires a standard monthly subscription and each individual expansion also has its price. Looking past that detail, Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers is yet another excellent game in the series, albeit a little too suited to online gaming to attract exactly all puritans.

Review in Swedish | Read full review

Wccftech
Top Critic
9.3 / 10.0
Jul 30, 2019

Accessibility and potential to solo aside, Shadowbringers continues that redemption saga that began with Final Fantasy XIV 2.0. The greater emphasis on story and solo play mean that even the players that haven't dipped their toes into an MMORPG recently could still get in and enjoy Shadowbringers, although much of the new content can't be experienced until level 70.The links above are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Wccftech.com may earn from qualifying purchases.

Read full review

GameMAG
Top Critic
9 / 10
Aug 7, 2019

Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers is the quintessence of everything that the FF: Online team has learned in six years. A great story is so much more interesting than of the last single games of the series. Deep mechanics, an atmospheric world and a huge amount of content absorb all the attention, forcing you to stay in the project for a long time. Shadowbringers is not just an exemplary extension of this popular game, but also the best project in the genre for many years.

Review in Russian | Read full review

9 / 10.0
Jul 12, 2019

Shadowbringers delivers on all fronts, offering up great new instances, vast new zones to explore, and a new storyline worthy of almost any best-of list. Despite its few early day hangups and minor missteps, Stormbringers excels on almost all counts.

Read full review

8.6 / 10.0
Jul 9, 2019

Thanks to a substantial story developed along the ten new levels available and to the rather well-built antagonists, Shadowbringers manages to bring the player to moments of tension, epic battles and espionage missions, allowing himself some dramatic moments that make us almost hope history took an even more tragic turn.

Review in Italian | Read full review

PCMag
Top Critic
Sep 13, 2019

Final Fantasy XIV is one of the best MMORPGs on the market, and is easily one of the best Final Fantasy games in the series. It's packed with content, including an engaging narrative and quirky quests that are an absolute delight.

Read full review

9.5 / 10.0
Aug 15, 2019

Does a lot of things at exceptional levels.

Review in Italian | Read full review

8 / 10
Jul 23, 2019

While the story's over-reliance on genre tropes keeps it from being truly groundbreaking, it's still among the best in MMOs, as is the new content. Shadowbringers is a great experience that could've been an amazing one.

Read full review

Alan Bell
Top Critic
7 / 10.0
Jul 26, 2019

Extremely lame animation and ultra-awkward pauses are just two of the many issues this game engine is plagued with. It’s been an issue since the beginning, of course, but as someone who dips in at the launch of an expansion and then drifts away over time, it’s always a harsh reminder of just how bad this system is each time I re-sub and fire up the game again. Why they insist on using it so often when it’s so bad is beyond me - there are other options, people!

Read full review

Atomix
Top Critic
85 / 100
Jul 21, 2019

Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers is an awesome expansion that offers an incredible story that approaches the world we already know from a new perspective, as well as some new interesting additions in the form of jobs, races and gameplay mechanics. The bad part is that the narrative is kinda slow paced and take some time before starting to get deeper and darker.

Review in Spanish | Read full review