What I’m playing: a reinvention of a classic seriesDate: 7/11/2023 “Final Fantasy” is a game series that has a long, storied history dating back to 1987. Over the years fans have become familiar with great characters, excellent stories, wonderful soundtracks and interesting worlds to explore.
My interest in the series began back when I was a kid with “Kingdom Hearts,” a cross between “Final Fantasy” and Disney, of all things. Many of the original characters in that series had similar designs to “Final Fantasy” characters, so that piqued my initial interest in the series. Early on in the first “Kingdom Hearts,” players are introduced to Cloud Strife, the protagonist of “Final Fantasy VII,” considered by many to be one of the best titles in the series, and the one that launched the series into 3D in 1997. “VII” was then my true introduction into “Final Fantasy” proper.
Since then, I have tested my hand at several of “Final Fantasy’s” best games while having only completed “VII,” “IX,” “XIV,” “XV” and “XVI.” “XIV” is one of my favorite games I have ever played, despite its markedly different gameplay from the rest of the series. As a massively multiplayer online role-playing game, one would think the core tenets of the series would be absent, but this is not the case at all. “XIV” manages to package together everything fans have come to expect from the series, between the excellent stories, well written characters and a beautiful soundtrack.
When I found out the same staff that put together “XIV” was working on the series’ latest entry, “Final Fantasy XVI,” it was on my radar immediately and was the reason why I picked up a PlayStation 5, and I have to say it met or exceeded all my expectations.
As the 16th entry in the series, you may be asking if you need to play prior games to understand the story — you do not. Each game in the series is completely standalone, with the exception of some numbered sequels like “Final Fantasy X-2.” The only thing that carries over between entries is the enemies players face and some recurring characters with same names, but different faces.
In “XVI” players are dropped into the world of Valisthea, a place torn apart by the Blight, an encroaching darkness that destroys all plant and animal life in its wake, leaving just a few places untouched by the miasma. In the areas untouched by the Blight there are six different kingdoms, the Grand Duchy of Rosaria, the Holy Empire of Sanbreque, the Kingdom of Waloed, the Dhalmekian Republic, the Iron Kingdom and the Crystalline Dominion. Leading many of these kingdoms are the Dominants, magic users capable of channeling the powers of and turning into eikons, this game’s versions of the longstanding summons from throughout the series, including the likes of Ifrit, Garuda and Shiva, all beings of incredible power.
One theme prominent throughout the game is the brutal reign of these kingdoms, which has led to the enslavement of Bearers, the world’s magic users. Unlike in many works of media, here the magic users are treated as second class citizens, forced to work by the regular humans of the world and branded with a crossed spear and sword on their face to mark that they are a Bearer.
With the stage set, players are thrust into the role of Clive Rosfield – the son of the archduke of Rosaria and Dominant of Ifrit – and play through several phases of his life that encompasses a portion of his adolescence leading into his eventual enslavement as a Bearer after a pivotal moment early in the story, a portion of the game set in his 20s and the bulk of the story taking place in his 30s.
The game picks up as Clive is about to break free from his enslavement as a soldier, when he has a chance encounter with Jill Warrick, a friend from his childhood and Dominant of Shiva, the eikon of ice. After saving her from her captors, Clive then meets Cidolfus “Cid” Telamon, a man working to overturn the world order by fighting for equality for the Bearers and destroying the Mothercrystals, which he believes to be the root of the Blight and problems that plague Valisthea. Clive is also reunited with his childhood pet and companion, the wolf Torgal, who immediately steals the show and quickly became one of my favorite “Final Fantasy” companions of all time. From here this quartet is thrust into the role of taking down the Mothercrystals and freeing the world of their corruption, all the while Clive seeks revenge on the man who murdered his brother, Joshua.
Without spoiling too much more, the rest of the story unfolds into a “Game of Thrones”-esque drama with deep characters, compelling storylines and climactic battles that rival the likes of something like “Dragon Ball Z.” It’s a combination that should not work but truly does. With the idea of “Game of Thrones” in mind, the game does have a very hard M rating with some dark moments in the story, including several depictions of characters taking their own lives and other mature content that might be unsuitable for younger audiences.
Along with the main story, many of the game’s side quests tout important storylines that really help to flesh out the world of Valisthea along with adding depth to some of Clive’s closest companions. In particular, the side quests that become available in the prelude before the final conflict are mandatory in my opinion to help understand a rather ambiguous ending with some breadcrumbs that are spread in these quests.
The voice cast also does a tremendous job with the characters they are given. Clive’s voice actor, Ben Starr, does an excellent job of bringing this character to life, capturing the trauma Clive has experienced while also being able to show his softer side during happier moments. Unlike many games these days from Japanese developers, the English dub was the baseline for the game before other languages were later dubbed, as a result the characters’ lip movements match the words they are saying, which can be jarring in other games.
In terms of gameplay, “XVI” is a significant departure from previous entries, many of which included some kind of turn-based combat, instead embracing a full-on action style, directed by Ryota Suzuki, who oversaw the combat in Capcom’s “Devil May Cry” series for many years before joining Square Enix for “XVI.” As Clive, players will combine swordplay, magic and eikonic abilities to unleash devastating combos to take down enemies. Along with the traditional combat, players are also given the opportunity to participate in large-scale battles against other eikons in huge battles that push the PS5 to its limits. Overall, the combat is incredibly satisfying and engaging, particularly in the later stages of the game as the player unlocks more abilities.
The music in the game is truly breathtaking, Composer Masayoshi Soken has put together a masterpiece of a soundtrack, adding to the hallowed halls of “Final Fantasy” music throughout the years. Whether it’s exploring different zones, quiet moments between characters or the large, over the top battles, the soundtrack always hits the right notes at the right times. The moment “Find the Flame” — which is available on streaming services — is one that stands out where the soundtrack just matches the adrenaline and energy of what is happening on screen. After “XIV” I knew Soken was one of the best video game composers alive, and he cemented that legacy even further with “XVI.”
Play time will vary widely on “XVI.” Having completed the entire base game, including all of the side content, I clocked about 63 hours of playtime, but the game can be completed much faster than that. For reference, when I crossed the halfway point, I had about 30 or so hours played, while a friend of mine at the same point had clocked just 11 hours beelining the story.
Once the credits roll, players will then be given the option to begin a second playthrough in “Final Fantasy” Mode, which carries over weapons, materials and abilities from the previous playthrough. Enemies will also see their levels increase while they do more damage, and the level cap opens up to 100. Having just begun my second playthrough, it seems to be a good improvement difficulty-wise after I thought much of the initial playthrough was relatively easy. I’m looking forward to replaying the game on this higher difficulty, as I am not quite ready to leave these characters and this world just yet.
“Final Fantasy XVI” is a game that is going to sit with me for a long time. While I’m not ready to declare it my favorite game in the series just yet, I’ll be hard-pressed to put any other game above it in my rankings.
“Final Fantasy XVI” is available on PlayStation 5, with a PC version announced with no release date at the time of publication. A free demo is available on the PlayStation Store that covers the game’s prologue and progress carries over into the purchase of the full game.
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