‘Final Fantasy XVI’ review: Embrace the evolution

Final Fantasy XVI isn’t the Final Fantasy I was expecting. Instead, it’s a spectacular entry into a new era of Final Fantasy.

I’ve been playing Final Fantasy games for a long time. Final Fantasy VII, in fact, was my entry point into the world of Japanese role-playing games, back when “turn-based” was a magical thing, on the original PlayStation.

And for a long time, I and a generation of gamers viewed every Final Fantasy game through the FF VII lens.

In a way, the Final Fantasy franchise has spent two-plus decades battling Final Fantasy VII’s long shadow, with every successive release mixing a desire to satisfy the legacy of that classic while still helping the series to forge ahead.

But with Final Fantasy XVI, there is none of that middle ground.

From the moment you start the action as Clive Rosfield, you’re thrust into an adventure that’s completely unlike any Final Fantasy before it.

Final Fantasy XVI is bloodier than any Final Fantasy before it, and it takes aim at a mature story.

It tells that epic tale tremendously well, via beautiful cutscene after beautiful cutscene that introduces you to the unique world of Valisthea and gradually builds up its myth.

Clive is very much a classic Final Fantasy hero, brooding and on a quest for revenge. And he’s traversing a war-torn Valisthea.

Each of the world’s six empires seems to be at war for this reason or that, and each possesses a unique weapon: Every nation has a Dominant, a unique human who can take the form of an Eikon, Final Fantasy XVI’s version of a summon.

It all sounds familiar, and in a way, it starts off in traditional Final Fantasy fashion. You’re greeted by an early cutscene that seemingly lasts an eternity.

For the first 20 or so minutes of the game, I barely needed to touch my controller because Final Fantasy was delivering cutscene after cutscene interspersed with a few tight moments of action.

The game wants you to understand its world before you jump too far into the action.

That action, too, is vastly unlike what you might expect: This is not a turn-based game. Instead, when you take control of Clive (or a handful of other characters), you’ll go full-on hack-and-slash action hero.

Clive can run, jump, and lock-on target his enemies, and he’s capable of basic attacks as well as a host of special abilities he acquires along the way. These abilities, called Eikon abilities, gradually pile up, leading to more and more vicious combinations that allow you to challenge baddies and big bosses in new ways.

The truth is, this brawling action is somewhat expected.

For years, the franchise has been flirting with a more action-oriented blend of combat, experimenting with different mechanics in both Final Fantasy XV and even the excellent Final Fantasy VII Remake. At times, Remake’s hybrid approach has worked. In other moments, it’s left me feeling little excitement for a battle.

Final Fantasy XVI, though, manages to find the right balance, in part because it’s no longer trying to balance the desires of the old Final Fantasy guard and the new gamer.

This game plays God Of War fast, and later on, you’re able to have your battles scored, a la Devil May Cry.

Combat is supposed to be fast-paced and reflexive, all counters and swift, savvy combos, and this works.

It works so well, in fact, that during a few particularly long cutscenes, I actually got antsy. I wanted to get back to fighting because it’s fun.

It’s not that the game expects everyone to adapt quickly to this fast-paced combat. Partly because of that, the game starts you off with accessories that will ease hard-core turn-based gamers into the new pace.

Instead of having to watch an enemy’s movements to find the specific moment to counter, you can equip an item that pops up on screen whenever it’s time to dodge.

Struggling to manage potions and ether when battling? There’s an item to auto-manage that.

These last two additions are lessons that plenty of action games can learn from Final Fantasy, offering options that simplify gameplay without taking away its soul. And Final Fantasy XVI has a tonne of soul.

With apologies to the magical script of Final Fantasy VII, the latest game winds up telling the deepest, most meaningful tale in the franchise’s storied history. Clive is on a grand quest that will eventually see him help solve a serious problem for his world, and to be honest, the story is too good to give away.

Final Fantasy XVI is a game that wants to make a statement and make you think, and it delivers a strong and interesting take about the ways humans look down on each other and the fear that has us label others as “lesser”.

It delivers stunning story beat after story beat, with just enough classic callbacks for you to remember that this is Final Fantasy.

Turn-based gameplay is gone, but there are Moogles and Chocobos, and you pay for everything in Gil.

The game also provides you with an open world and a hub early on, allowing you a level of agency and creativity in your gameplay.

And in the end, all of this is satisfying. It’s more linear than you’d expect, and even though you can develop Clive’s skills, the RPG elements in this game aren’t the lure.

Instead, you come to Final Fantasy XVI for the story, first and foremost, in a game that completes the franchise’s DNA upgrade. – New York Daily News/Tribune News Agency

FINAL FANTASY XVI

Square Enix

Platform: PlayStation 5