Worthy Game of the Year contender, Final Fantasy XVI whisks you through one of the greatest RPG experiences you’ll have in a unique adventure.
Final Fantasy XVI becomes the sixteenth main instalment in the iconic anthological franchise, and it’s no surprise that it’s already taken the world by storm. If you weren’t aware, its developer, Square Enix, had released the demo, which was released on June 12, 2023 – just ten days away from the full game’s release, and the demo itself shocked the world.
Go and ask anybody who has played the demo, and they’ll tell you of its brilliance. It would be appropriate to claim it as the best demo in modern gaming. Furthermore, if you played the demo, you could transfer your progress in it to the full game. So, there’s no need to worry about having to play the game from the start.
A remarkably consistent transition between the story and cutscenes that’ll have your eyes glued to your screens whilst preparing for what may come your way. Understandably, some of you would rather get right to the action instead of having to watch mini-episode-length cutscenes, and you can simply skip them. On the flip side, gamers like me enjoy the protracted cutscenes, mainly to get a larger understanding of Final Fantasy XVI’s story, as well as the phenomenally written dialogues and actions. Plus, it gives you a chance to grab the popcorn.
Final Fantasy XVI welcomes you to a deep, action-packed, and cinematic adventure. You are warrior Clive Rosfield, who is a Dominant in the realm of Valisthea. You are on one of the greatest missions you’ll encounter by freeing mankind from its fate. Main missions and enjoyable side quests for you to undertake, you’re guaranteed from start to finish a gaming experience you’ll never forget.
And speaking of action-packed, whether you’re going solo or with an ally, you’ll be getting just that and then some as Final Fantasy XVI’s gameplay is focused on action-saturated combat and magic. Adding to the mix is being able to dish out delicious combos to have your adversaries begging for mercy. Concluding with the devastating takedowns to finish them off.
On top of that, you have the enchanting boss fights, which are some of the most immersive aspects of Final Fantasy XVI. Delivering a range of attacks on them while listening to the dramatic dialogues gives you the adrenaline rush you crave. Along with temporarily staggering them, which leaves you to unleash everything you have in you.
It gets juicier; you’ll occasionally engage in cinematic quick-time events, which prove to be key moments in boss battles, and mistiming them will be costly. One is the cinematic clash, when during the battle when the screen is flashing orange. This is where you come in by tapping the square button to either press or fend off enemy attacks.
Another is the cinematic strike; when the screen flashes blue, you’ll have to press the square button to execute a catastrophic strike before time runs out. Lastly is the cinematic evasion, when the second the screen flashes red, you have to press the R1 trigger to evade the attack before time runs out. You’re rewarded with the likes of spoils and EXP for every boss you conquer, to levelling up. As you should know, in Final Fantasy XVI, it’s crucial to level up so that you tackle enemies of similar level more comfortably.
Additionally, completing a very large variety of fights, objectives, and more steers towards levelling up faster. And in your spare time, visiting Charon’s Toll, which is the shop that allows you to purchase more powerful weapons, belts, vambraces, and consumables, will improve your character’s attributes and gear. Meanwhile, selling items you don’t find useful anymore.
Clive has Eikonic Abilities that consist of magical abilities that take larger portions of enemies’ health, and they elevate your battles to the next level. They’re located at the bottom right-hand side of your HUD. There are some types of abilities I particularly like: Phoenix Shift, Rising Flames, Aerial Blast, and Gouge are amongst them.
Phoenix Shift helps you narrow the gap between yourself and the enemy you’re targeting. Melee attacks and magicked shots can be dealt with while you’re shifting. Plus, it’s another method I use to dodge incoming attacks. Rising Flames muster a singular fiery wing that deals damage and can lift lighter-weighted enemies in the air.
Aerial Blast summons a tornado that hunts enemies at nearby proximities, launches them up, and delivers multiple hits while doing so. Gouge unleashes twin claws that relentlessly tear enemies and can also be used whilst airborne.
Although most of your magic imposes more damage than standard attacks and you can learn, upgrade, and master them, they recharge after each use. Therefore, strategising when you use them works best, especially against bosses. There is so much action almost everywhere you go, that you cannot escape it.
You will unlock a certain special power once you progress a little further in the main story. As you know, Clive is the Dominant of the dark Eikon, Ifrit, and after a part of the story where he went into a fit of rage, he awakened Ifrit. Clive is Ifrit, and you’ll occasionally transform into Ifrit when engaging in some incredible and cinematic battles against bosses.
To explain further, Clive will gain control of the Eikon Ifrit, and this power gives him abilities like the ignition, which is another power I love using. This ability is a fiery lunge that drives back enemies while having to deal with ongoing damage. The Ifrit has unravelled the Limit Break Gauge, which is located under Clive’s health bar. This is where it gets really interesting – when the gauge is full, you need to click both L3 and R3 at the same time to untether Clive’s beast from within and semi-prime into Ifrit.
To refill this gauge, you must perform successful offensive and defensive moves, and even when receiving damage, it will still refill. Every time you enter this phase, you dish out increased attack potency (even guarded enemies aren’t safe), you move faster, and your health gradually regenerates.
They say a dog is a man’s best friend, and that’s the case as you’re given a powerful wolf named Torgal who’ll be fighting alongside you. That’s not all – Torgal has three commands: Sic – attack an enemy, Heal – cures Clive with some health, and Ravage – in which Torgal launches enemies in the air.
When he’s with you, you can issue commands to unleash his powers whenever you please during combat, and you don’t have to worry about any cooling time of some sort. It gets even better – there is an accessory which is called the ‘Ring of Timely Assistance’. And if you were to equip this mechanic, you’ll no longer be required to issue commands to Torgal. Instead, he will automatically attack enemies and heal you based on the current circumstances during battles at hand.
This, in turn, reduces fewer hand motions and allows you to place all of your focus on the battle. Moreover, Torgal has an animal instinct feature that helps you immensely if you get lost. And when you click L3, he will direct you to where you need to go next. And also, once in a while, you should let Torgal know you appreciate him by petting him to show some love. If you pet him five times, you’ll receive a trophy for it.
This franchise carries itself in revelling in exquisite designs that include characters, creatures, weapons, buildings, plus much more, and Final Fantasy XVI is no exception – even the enemies look good. Then there’s the incredibly gorgeous environment and atmosphere. And because the map is unfathomably huge, you can easily fast travel to your desired destinations.
Whether you’re a longtime fan or a casual like myself, you’ll fully appreciate Final Fantasy XVI, relishing as one of the best role-playing games ever. A masterpiece story, incredibly in-depth combat and magic, awestruck battles, lovable characters, eye-gawking environment, and much more formulated the ultimate unique experience. This is no exaggeration, but I couldn’t identify a single negative even if I tried. No question, this is a game of the year 2023 contender.
