For a series that has been around since the late 80s, Final Fantasy has never been one for the same old, same old, with each new main instalment bringing in new worlds and heroes to reinvent whatever came before. Yet even by those standards, Final Fantasy XVI is a radical departure. It hasn’t just switched characters or combat systems; it’s effectively switched its genre.
Sure, it has the fixtures and fittings of a role-playing game. However, all the party-based combat and complex progression systems of previous Final Fantasies have been ditched for something that plays more like a hack-and-slash action game, complete with combos, special attacks, and last-minute dodge moves and counter-attacks. In many ways, it’s no more an RPG than God of War or the last few Assassin’s Creed games. In fact, you could argue that it’s less than that.
And for the first few hours, this looks like a big mistake. The fighting is too simple to be satisfying, with long sections that run practically on rails. Big battles turn into barely interactive cinematics, where you perch on the edge of your seat, waiting for the next prompt to let you know which button to press.
The game’s world is undeniably spectacular, with some of the most incredible and imaginative landscapes we’ve ever seen. However, there’s precious little scope to explore it. All you can do is click the next destination on the zoomed-out world map and head in for another string of scraps with maybe the odd detour to loot a chest or grab some potions. Long-term fans might start making comparisons with the little-loved Final Fantasy XIII.
Stick with it. This is a different kind of Final Fantasy, but it gets to the right place in the end. The combat never reaches God of War levels of ferocity, and those looking to head off-piste and explore will be disappointed. However, the new Final Fantasy excels when it comes to crafting a world and a story that’ll keep you bingeing like the latest Netflix blockbuster.
This time, it’s the story of Clive Rosfield, son of the current Grand Duke of Rosaria and brother of the next, not to mention the possessor of some seriously impressive boy-band hair. The six realms of Valisthea have been built on Aether, a magical energy emitted by vast crystals the size of mountains. This magic can be wielded by the Dominants, nobles that contain within them all-powerful spirits known as Eikons, and able to use their godlike abilities and even transform into them to lead the troops in battle.
The game first follows Clive and his epic coiffure as he battles to protect his Dominant brother through tumultuous events in Rosaria. It then picks up his story some 13 years later, as he wrestles with the consequences. The scale of the tale, spanning decades, make’s Clive’s journey from lone-wolf warrior to freedom fighter all the more compelling.
The team behind the game have been very open about the influence of Game of Thrones. You can see this in the gritty medieval fantasy setting, the tendency to avoid clean-cut heroes and villains, and the brutal violence, cruel twists and shifts of point-of-view. The rebels have regional accents, Clive gets his own super-sized wolf buddy, and there’s even the odd bash at the series’ ‘sexposition’.
Not everything lands the way the game’s makers probably hoped, and they sometimes struggle to follow the big action set pieces with anything meaningful. Yet the story is intriguing, Clive and his compadres are engaging, and there are some genuinely shocking and touching moments along the way. It’s also hard to overstate the impact of the incredible art and sky-high production values, with scenes so magnificent or pretty that you have to stop sometimes just to take in the view.
What’s more, the action itself keeps getting better. Where early sequences can feel like corridors, the later chapters open out more, with more areas worth checking out and more side-missions to complete along the way. The combat perks up as well, as Clive wins and unlocks new powers, opening up new strategies to defeat your ever more fearsome foes.
It turns out that Clive has unrealised potential, and by drawing on the powers of the different Eikons, he can wreak havoc on brigades of evil troopers or take on colossal monsters with only minimal disruption to his glorious and increasingly shaggy mane. And for the big climactic battles, you’ll find yourself slugging things out Eikon against Eikon. There’s still a spot of button mashing and tapping keys when prompted, but the spectacle level is so stratospheric that you just don’t care. Think Godzilla-sized entities going toe-to-toe as castles crumble all around them, with the volume turned up way past 11.
The frenetic style of combat risks alienating FF veterans, but Final Fantasy XVI has them covered. From the start, you can choose to wear one or more rings that work like the assists in driving games, boosting your defences or making dodges automatic. While it’s tempting to keep these on throughout, there’s a steady stream of alternative enchanted jewellery to ween you off them, each boosting your Eikon-infused powers. Your friends can also soak up some of the enemy attention, while your faithful wolf, Torgal, can be called upon to heal you or harass the bad guys on command. The fights get tough, but you’re rarely alone.
The end result is a Final Fantasy that doesn’t play like a Final Fantasy, yet feels like one all the same. It’s still going to be divisive, and it doesn’t have the depth of an Elden Ring or the endless possibilities of an Elder Scrolls. While the upgrade system gives you some scope to specialise, there’s only so much you can do to craft your own hero. For a game that keeps banging on about freedom, it doesn’t seem to believe in giving the player that much choice.
But as Clive continues on his titanic struggle, it’s hard not to get caught up in the onward rush of the story, or the lavish spectacle of each new chapter. I’m not sure this bold adventure will go down as a classic like Final Fantasy VII or XII, but it has the guts to take a real gamble and the wit to make it pay off. Sword and sorcery adventure doesn’t get any more epic than this.
