It’s hard to not see the release of new Final Fantasy games as huge cultural touchstones. They’ve arguably got the largest pedigree of any long-running game IP, with the gaps between mainline titles often acting as signifiers of the time they’re in. Games like Final Fantasy VII are viewed as symbols of the glory of the PS1, while titles like XIII might often be associated with the less savory parts of the PS3 era.

With that in mind, it’s hard to see Final Fantasy XVI as anything less than a symbol of the blockbuster era. In a world of Death Stranding and The Last Of Us, there’s a branch of gaming that wants the same prestige as say, a James Cameron or Christopher Nolan. Final Fantasy XVI thankfully delivers on this request, creating an incredibly complete package that thrills you from end-to-end.

How exactly does Final Fantasy XVI accomplish being one of the biggest games this year? Read on and find out.

Being A Proper Final Fantasy Game

Admittedly, one of the big challenges with releasing Final Fantasy XVI would be the fans themselves- the game skipped out on the series’ turn based legacy in favor of real-time action combat, akin to Devil May Cry mixed with a dash of MMO-isms.

On the basic level it’s very much a spectacle fighter- Clive has access to tools from air combos to jump cancels to even tag-ins via his wolf, Torgal. He even has the ability to swap out between various Eikons, functioning much like Devil May Cry’s styles, straight down to Circle being bound to the unique Style Action that defines their playstyles, like Phoenix getting a “Trick” towards enemies, essential for air combo based gameplans.

It’s very hard to describe the exact state of Final Fantasy XVI’s combat. It’s more complex than a lot of games, since you’ll have to manage Clive’s cooldown-based Eikon skills, as well as hit the execution barriers of doing perfect dodges, parries, counters and even summoning Torgal to effectively punish enemies. These are objectively much harder than your average action game, and feel really rewarding once you get into the flow of them.

On the other hand, it’s also weirdly approachable compared to other character action games. There’s no special inputs a la Astral Chain, and delay combos from the Devil May Cry series are also nowhere to be found. The things you need to do are challenging, but can be explained fairly simply since it’s as easy as “Call the dog after doing your 4-hit combo”.

The MMO-isms come from the Eikonic Skills- each one has a different rating for its abilities, either to do damage or stagger bigger enemies. I ended up honest-to-god having rotations like an MMO, using skills like Garuda’s Gouge to stagger enemies before switching to Phoenix and Titan to exploit them while they’re down.

It’s not like you have to play them this way, though. Many of the skills are also great for combo fiends, acting as launchers to throw them up in the air or parrying incoming boss attacks. It’s really impressive just how well thought out the uses for every move are, since they have a simple functionality for players who don’t walk the path of flashy combos as well as more elaborate uses for the enlightened.

A Dark Fantasy World

There’s also the case of the game’s setting. In a world full of forced fatherhood tropes, it’s honestly refreshing to go back to that classic sword-and-sorcery setting like Valisthea. Clive Rosfield’s story is a personal one of revenge and redemption, set against a backdrop of warring kingdoms, prejudice and betrayal, and the various implications that has for his goals.

There’s some genuinely great setpieces in the game, as Clive and his companions amp up the scale from a simple goblin-slaying exercise to, well, the entirety of the game’s final act.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper blockbuster without mixing it with gameplay, and that’s my absolute favorite part of the game. Clive has the ability to summon Ifrit, a monstrous Eikon the size of a small building, and throw down against a pantheon of other Dominants in uniquely tailored encounters built around each summon.

They’re easily the highlights of each of the game’s chapters, and I can’t think of a single fight so far that hasn’t left me looking like that meme of the two guys cheering. From the Eikons’ own monstrous designs to the sheer absurdity of the fights themselves, no room for something cool was wasted.

RPG Stuff

While it may not be a full-blooded RPG, there’s definitely room for RPG elements in Final Fantasy XVI, and it’s here that the game’s at its weakest. Features like leveling up and upgrading gear feel like they’re here out of necessity more than anything else, though I do wonder if that’s for the better. As a firm hater of builds, I’m glad I don’t have to browse through different belts for Clive to see which one lets him do a rush punch better. On the other hand, when your swords are on a linear scale of strength, it’s easy to wonder if maybe we could have just cut out loot progression and just had the only updates be Health and Limit Break, like a lot of character Action.

Really, the only stat that matters is the Ability Points, which you use to upgrade Clive’s moveset by buying more Eikon abilities. Investing in these can be pretty beneficial too, since the cooldown skills become transferable between styles allowing you to create some pretty diverse combinations, like a tracking projectile interacting with a beacon that spits out waves of additional damage on hit.

The main use of the more RPG-like systems is the Timely Accessories- each one automates a different part of combat, like healing or command of Torgal, which is a pretty neat way to let less combo-inclined people get into the game. It doesn’t even eat a particularly valuable slot, since most of the other trinkets you can equip are just marginal improvements to your other Eikon skills.

Consideration Is The Key To Success

One thing I really need to praise Final Fantasy XVI for is just how considerate it can be. The game has many weird decisions for specific types of players- death isn’t too much of a punishment even on Action Difficulty, since it respawns Clive with full health and restocks his potions. Considering how intense the story gets, it’s really great to have a game just kind of push you along to get to that story.

Meanwhile, action nutters have plenty of content for them, too. There’s a training mode with a myriad of settings for labbing your combos, and Arcade Modes, Stage Selects and Hunt Quests give you a theatre to show off your sick loops. They’re tucked away in a corner in such a way that you never need to use them per se- it’s just for the people like me who really like the combat and want to spend more time with it.

Closing Thoughts

It’s easy to think of a blockbuster game as just being about fancy graphics, but there’s so much going on under the hood. Final Fantasy XVI is a prime example of this- every decision made for it is incredibly concise in its function, and executed lavishly.

The story grips you in such a way that you need to find out what comes next, its world is bold and full of flavor, and its gameplay is polished to a mirror shine in ways that actually matter.

While the game is easily one of the boldest Final Fantasy mainlines in the past decade, it also boasts a great appreciation for where it came from- with plenty of neat easter eggs for fans. Admittedly sometimes these tributes can be to the game’s own detriment- I stand by the gear system feeling more like a reason to justify material drops than bringing anything meaningful to the table.

Still, it’s dramatic, it’s spectacular and it leaves you edge of the seat. This is Final Fantasy as it’s meant to be, no ifs, ands or buts.

Final Fantasy XVI reviewed on PS5. Review Code provided by Sony Interactive Entertainment.

Final Fantasy XVI

Publisher: Square Enix

Developer: Square Enix

Release Date: 2023-06-22

Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, Steam

The 16th standalone entry in the legendary Final Fantasy series marks a darker turn for the RPG franchise, with a complex tale of revenge, power struggles, and unavoidable tragedy.

Final Fantasy XVI reimagines the series' iconic summons as Eikons. These deadly creatures are housed within Dominants, men, and women who inherit their immense power at birth - whether they like it or not.

Play as Clive Rosfield, First Shield of Rosaria, and guardian of his younger brother Joshua, the Dominant of the Eikon Phoenix, in this epic action RPG from a team of Final Fantasy veterans.