FINAL FANTASY XVI (PlayStation 5)

I've played a LOT of Final Fantasy over the span of decades and remember the days of FF vs Phantasy Star. My favourite in the franchise has always been FFVI. FFXVI has managed to weasel it's way into my second best spot purely because of great story telling, voice acting, stellar protagonist and cast of characters and quite honestly, one of the best video-game soundtracks of all time. One song was so good I was convinced that it was for Soken what Dancing Mad was for Uematsu. Where the game will fall short for people (though I loved the world building) is in it's side quests, the world is gorgeous and ready to be explored but there aren't meany reasons to explore it thoroughly due to a very linear upgrade system and side-quests are most certainly built around fleshing out characters and the world as opposed to being fun side-pursuits that offer unique or potentially interesting rewards. Some will sit there and groan about difficulty, but I'll be honest with you, no Final Fantasy game save for MMOs and their end-game content have ever really been difficult outside of maybe one, perhaps two encounters. I will however empathise with the idea that "Final Fantasy" mode should have been unlocked from the get-go. I don't think it's right to lock difficulty options behind NG+ as first impressions matter to people. If people thought the game was too easy and that was a barrier to enjoyment, why would they complete and replay it just to get their "intended" experience? It also bugs me that the game set very strong, heavy stakes from the get go, only to offer up Saturday morning cartoon like resolutions at the end of the game, by having side-quests which screw with the urgency of the pacing as well. It's just such a stark contrast from the first half of the game, and I suppose, maybe they wanted to offer some levity in true FF fashion? But even then, for spoiler reasons that come after, I can't say why I think doing that is silly. Anyway, the things that were "bad" or not as good as the rest of the game weren't enough to bring down the entire experience for me, and it's managed to cement itself as my second favourite FF without question.

Fantastic game, great story and visuals. Bought the physical version on sale and saved a lot compared to the digital price. Very happy with the purchase.

I love this game! let me explain. This will be spoiler-free. This final fantasy takes you back to the old-school feel of the first game but with beautiful visuals, an incurable story, and amazing gameplay! The only negative bit would be the side mission could be more developed but my gosh you get dragged into the amazing boss battles! The world-building of Final Fantasy 16 is amazing I loved Final Fantasy 15 and 7 remakes but this was a wonderful breath of fresh air of a different side of the Final Fantasy universe. You can tell I LOVE FINAL FANTASY Games. but this was different I've spent around 45 hours on this game and I wish they made this game 100 hours long because there are parts of the game you want to understand more and get into the details! would I recommend this game? Well if you read this far clearly the answer is YES. Once you finish the game take an hour to yourself and think about the emotional rollercoaster you just experienced playing this game. it's a beautiful game made with love.

This is only my second Final Fantasy game so I have no special attachment to the franchise or game mechanics. It didn't take long to notice the quality of this game, graphically, story and gameplay but what surprised me the most was the music, it was a stand out success for me. The game is heavy on the cutscenes which may not be for everyone. This game has both a fidelity and performance mode, the picture quality in both were excellent and in performance mode, the frame rate was smooth for 99% of the game. The game is live action rather than turn based which is a change for the franchise, Final Fantasy 7 remake seemed to have tested the waters here before, by having real time with turn based still present but this entry is live action all the way, personally I was happy with it but long term fans may not be. No spoilers will be present for the story, I will say though that I had times when I was keen to continue to see what happens next. Unfortunately the main quests, what I would consider story is sometimes paused for what feel like side quests / busy work in the main campaign, which I would have preferred to be kept seperate. The game has side quests, so not sure what the idea was behind this, other than to slow down the story or extend the game length. This game includes what I would call accessibility options, rings which will automatically dodge attacks for you or use healing items when needed, I think these are great additions and allow people more choice in how you play whilst also giving others the chance to enjoy the game if they are less skilled. The progression is farely regular so not too long for new abilities to try and keep the game fresh also the better abilities do come later in the game. The main story can be completed in just over 30 hours, then side quests and new game plus is available for those that want to spend more time in this world. Finally bugs, I didn't encounter any bugs, no crashes, no performance issues or other concerns. This was a well polished and finished game, I wish all games were released in this state. A final verdict would be 4.5 out 5 for me.

Absolutely phenomenal in every way!! It was one of the most memorable and amazing experiences I've had in gaming to this day!! The story was very dark and emotional, this is Final Fantasy at its peak!!

wie erwartet mega

Great game but super long to the point after 25 hours starts feeling pointless.

Bon jeu, bonne histoire, encore de l'action rpg

Excelente a muy buen precio

Ottimo capitolo principale. Viene spesso definito action-rpg ma ,considerando che il lato rpg è ridotto all'osso, è più corretto definirlo un action puro. Il gameplay è ispirato a quello dei Devil May Cry, ed è stato sviluppato da Ryota Suzuki, che si è occupato in passato del combat system di DMC V. Buon combat system, storia bella e matura, combattimenti con i boss veramente ben fatti e una gioia per gli occhi. World Building curato. Un punto negativo è la ripetitività delle quest secondarie, che rivelano informazioni interessanti e approfondiscono i personaggi, ma spezzano troppo il ritmo della storia principale proponendo attività poco varie. La maggior parte delle mappe sono lineari, ad eccezione di 1 o 2 un pochettino più aperte, ma quel poco di esplorazione non è incentivata considerando che non premia il giocatore, tranne in rarissimi casi. Colonna sonora da 10. Consiglio l'acquisto sia hai fan della saga, che non si fanno problemi a giocare un titolo con un combat system completamente diverso rispetto al passato, sia agli appassionati degli action in generale, precisando però che rispetto ad altri titoli dello stesso genere ci sono molti momenti dove si deve attendere un bel po' prima di menare le mani. E' presente un season pass sui vari store, che aggiunge 2 dlc, validi entrambi ma non molto lunghi , non necessari per godersi appieno il gioco base. Se qualcuno dovesse decidere di acquistarli, consiglio di iniziarli dopo aver raggiunto i titoli di coda, perché rischiano di minare il bilanciamento della fase finale del titolo.