Final Fantasy XVI Review — Eikons of Fire

Final Fantasy XVI has finally left its PlayStation-exclusive status and entered the world of PC gaming, meaning that I, a lifelong Final Fantasy fan (say that ten times fast), finally got to get my grubby hands on it. While I was certainly excited, I don’t believe I was quite prepared for what Final Fantasy XVI had to offer, significantly changing up the formula and delivering an incredibly cinematic experience. Before I knew it, I was ten hours deep into my first sitting with the game and realized I had something special on my hands.

That really is one of the best reviews I can give of the game. I have ADD, and even in some of my favorite Final Fantasy games, I struggle to play for more than an hour or two in one sitting. Final Fantasy XVI had me so hooked that before I knew it, ten hours had passed, and I had to force myself to get off the game, or I would have kept playing.

I think part of this has to do with how Final Fantasy XVI handles gameplay. The game diverts from the series’ formula a bit by removing the open world and many of the RPG elements, becoming more of a dungeon-to-dungeon or mission-to-mission action game, not unlike the Devil May Cry series. This makes the game much more linear, avoiding a lot of side quests and roaming around, and much of the character-building/class min-maxing has also been removed.

This is undoubtedly the most controversial aspect of the game from longtime fans of the series, and while I was also skeptical at first, I found that I don’t mind. The Final Fantasy series is known for mixing up the gameplay formula from time to time, and Final Fantasy XVI taking this direction makes it yet another unique entry in the series.

I also feel as though this formula helps do away with some of my least favorite aspects of the franchise, namely grindy quests and lots of side or filler content (though I understand some fans will disagree with me there.) It also highlights what I think are the franchise’s strongest points: great boss fights and cinematic moments.

The game’s more linear design allowed the developer to allocate more resources to the game’s main story, making every mission exciting and full of action and story and allowing characters much more time to be fleshed out. Final Fantasy XVI’s story focuses on war and the Eikons, giant, powerful demigods with the ability to make or unmake reality the game being absolutely jam-packed with boss fights and cutscenes means that you get an absurdly generous helping of amazing visuals and exciting moments.

The gameplay of Final Fantasy XVI shifts away from the formula as well, being far less stat and build heavily and more action combo fighting, again much like the Devil May Cry series. This emphasis on more reaction and timing-based combat with tons of cinematic cut-ins during boss fights makes the gameplay incredibly exciting and heavy with style. While I do enjoy Final Fantasy XVI’s gameplay, I will admit to missing some of the more character or class-building options from the previous games, though this means you will never have to grind enemies to match a boss’ level.

While Final Fantasy XVI is certainly a departure from much of the franchise’s familiarities, the game is far from being alien to fans. If you love the series characters, worldbuilding, and stories, you’ll feel right at home with Final Fantasy XVI, which has just as much, if not more, of it. The gameplay taking more of an action approach may put franchise veterans off a bit, but it isn’t too far of a cry from Final Fantasy XV or the VII remake.

Since Final Fantasy XVI is a PC port of a console-exclusive game, now is the time in the review when I talk about the port’s performance. Though I have seen some people mention issues with video performance, I personally didn’t have any issues that weren’t immediately solved by updating my graphics drivers. The game looks amazing and runs perfectly fine on my machine, which, at times, can be a bit hard to believe with just how incredible the visuals are.

I did have one crash to desktop before updating my drivers, but afterward, the only issue I faced was occasional slight frame drops when the Pheonix was on screen, likely due to all the fire particles that came with it.

Some people have also expressed concern with the setting of Final Fantasy XVI, stating that it seems like too much of a departure from the franchise. This is likely due to the game’s gritty color palette, which, while right at home in Final Fantasy VII, seems to mimic more Western fantasy when put alongside Final Fantasy XVI’s more fantastical setting. While I admit I was also skeptical about this going in, it doesn’t take long to realize this world is every bit of the Final Fantasy aesthetic we’ve come to enjoy but still does its own thing.

Frankly, I’m a bit obsessed with the setting and some of the little ways it incorporates familiar Final Fantasy ideas into its world. Watching people fill up glasses with water crystals or use frost spells to put out campfires just makes my brain go brrr.

Try Hard Guides received a PC review code for this game. Find more detailed looks at popular and upcoming titles on our Game Reviews page! Final Fantasy XVI is available on Steam, Epic Games, and PlayStation.