Ive seen some people mention at 4:40 the time says 22 hours on the save I'm bringing to NG+ so I wanted to clarify, that time is the time of day the save was made in military time, not time played. 2203 means 10:03 PM. My first playthrough was like 40 something hours.
Out of your 40 hours how much of that time is actually playing a game versus watching cutscene's? I swear from every new vendor to every 15mins to every loading into a area there is a hour long cutscene at 30fps....... I like final fantasy but this should have been a movie or show not a game.
@@aceofspades3018 With that logic you could say visual novels should be an anime, not a click-simulator. ffs, research the game you are playing and what kind of genre and narrative style it uses, before showing your ignorancy online.
It's the guy who made Devil May Cry that made this. So he's pretty much making a DMC game with a Final Fantasy skin/theme. And I'm not playing these until they stop making all-male bromance games (same with FF15). I really miss the stories with varied gender characters.
The game had it's highs and lows. My favorite parts were anytime Cid was involved. I thought Ralph Ineson did a tremendous job of voicing him, and his chemistry with Clive (Ben Starr, also great voice acting) always had my attention.
Spoilers ahead I think the first third of the game is, easily, the height of 16 for most people. Afterwards, imo, it kinda falls off from the story front. Characters other than Cid were a bit underwhelming, especially Jill and Clive's relationship, which seemed like a pretty important aspect to the game. I think Dion and Joshua were okay, but again, we just don't get enough screentime for either of them for me to REALLY care as much as I should. In my ideal 16, the game would've jumped perspective more so that we could fully flesh out everyone else's storyline, at least a bit more than we got. But because Clive is the only playable mfer (except for kid Joshua in the intro for some reason lmao), we can't really have that.
@@T8-TR ***Spoilers**** . . . . . . . I agree about the story. In the first part of the game, a lot of politics and amazing characters like Benedikta and Cid, along explosive moments really create an amazing experience. A few things that go downhill from there ruin the story: 1) When Benedikta and Cid die, there are no characters of equal worth to replace them. Dion could have been great, but because the story fall short (explained in my next point) he doesn't get enough development. 2) The politics of the story gets neglected for the same generic "fight god, resist end of the world" plotlines we saw in so many JRPGs. As more as I progressed, the more I understood how "The Blight" aspect really prevents them from creating a true high fantasy setup and world building, because by the second half, the world is already pretty much in ruin and that's the only thing that matters. . These points are are what I wanted to point out, but in general the entire story gets dumbed down after Benedikta and Cid die, so, in the second part, after the time skip. It's really a shame because I feel there was so much potential.
@@FrozenAXL I don't agree Dion is very compelling despite the little screen time he has he is one of the best written characters in the game with clive and cid
@cclmnz6850 Dion is a well written character, but his place is deep in the political storyline, which really lost significance and as a result I didn't even think about Dion much until long after I played the game again. I liked him, a man torn between his loyalty to his father and the people
Bro im not even into FF like that, and i really enjoyed FF16. I loved everything even with side quests, they were actually interesting or red herrings thinking that they gonna be boring, but then they use the characters you helped to drive the story forward with anchor(emotion). (the village you visit before returning to phoenix gate is an example). I loved being able to pause and access the codex to understand context. So important, I want to see more games do this for newcomers into an IP. This games combat was fun too. Not perfect, but its 100% serviceable and satisfying once you have all your abilities unlocked and buffed up. I want to see more of this type of storytelling. The Grimdark with Hope is so fun.
I absolutely love FF16, having been there since FF1 on the NES at 10 years old. Some people can't get beyond the changes or different systems from the earlier entries, such as the combat system. I was more interested in the characters and storytelling, which FF16 excels at.
What did you think of that arc where the party falls into the most obvious trap ever, and Kupka wants to force Clive to watch an execution, but proceeds to start the execution without him anyway? Just a mess of chaotic and comedic events that looked like a total clown show. That’s one of the first examples that comes to mind when I think about where the game’s writing flaws are. There are definitely awesome moments throughout this game, but they’re mixed with these moments of what could they have been thinking allowing this into the final game?
@@Alan_Chapmanthat is absolutely a writing flaw, but let's be real here... That's not even worth mentioning when considering standard video game writing. We're talking about a medium where characters are frequently blocked from getting around fucking minor inconviences blocking roads. I've been gaming for three decades across just about every genre and console you can think of. When we have mainstream TV shows, watched by large swaths of entire nations, have absolutely moronic plot holes and poor writing, I don't really know what you would expect from a video game. Every single final fantasy game I've ever played has had terrible writing. Absolute GOATS like TW3 had countless plot holes and "wtf why" moments. If that sort of shit bothers you, I totally get it. I just don't know how you would enjoy most games in that case.
@@Potatotron10000 I’ve been gaming just as long, and probably longer across the whole spectrum as well. I can say that this game had a lot more wrong with it than some bad writing. It would take pages of text for me to explain all the reasons why. As I said, there was a lot to like in this game. FF16 could have been one of my all time favorites, but every time it had a chance to get there they slipped on a banana peel. I would hold up Ys VIII as an example of an action RPG that I found to be a much more enjoyable experience.
@@Alan_Chapman you mentioned writing flaws in your comment so that's what I spoke to, and framed my reply relative to other games and mediums. You didn't like the game, and that's totally fair. I personally wouldn't get through more than an hour or two of Ys VIII so I think this can just all boil down to different tastes and expectations.
@@SuperFizzah you need me to spell it out? It's because he sucks at the game that's the other reason, the dude is bad at the game. You happy now that you forced my hand to spread hate online??
Awesome review! Loved the gameplay and the first 1/3. Super gripping story setup, very compelling character arcs, engaging combat system, excitingly diverse world Last 2/3 I felt everything collapsed; nearly every character became less compelling in service of creating spectacle, later abilities feel underwhelming or unfun to use, and the story's power scaling started to feel random and handwave-y. Also got sick of collecting cow toenails for villagers
Everyone should download the mod for this game which unlocks the FPS during cutscenes so theyre not stuck at 30fps. The mod also adds wide-screen support.
To those familiar with action games I would also strongly recommend the mod that increases difficulty by mainly making enemies do double damage. With it you have to at least pay some attention to what enemies are doing and you don't fall asleep mashing your way through every encounter.
i feel like the progression system is a symptom of CBU3's MMO resume. FFXIV streamlined the progression where its easy to get into hardcore content, ultimate being the exception. this is really nice for people who dont make the MMo their second job but also feels unrewarding to people who dont usually raid. Also i think having final fantasy mode from the get go whould be nice. i like 15 but for some reason i usually dont resonate that much with the Nomura style games, 16 turned out to be one of my favs, but i think story wise shadowbringers till 6.0 endwalker is CBU3s peak narrativwise. compared to matsuno, maehiros aproach to writing is good but feels less focused. if they ever going todo another single player game with the fftactics world vibe, then i hope thed use matsuno for worldbuilding and ishikawa for fleshing out characters
The this being a CBU3 game is very apparent, for those who have been playing FFXIV to how the story beats play out, map design etc. One criticism I have heard about is side quests and its design, FFXIV does suffer from this as well, in some cases this is where the get things under the radar and you find very compelling world building narrative bits that are not just fetch quests. I am somewhere halfway in, I am enjoying it so far the story is ok, with moving back to a medieval inspired setting wish there was more (if any) fantasy races that are friendly we have a single Moogle, and that seemed just there to be there, because allegedly Moogles do not exist. Imagine a fight like the Good King Moggle Mog XII, it is silly in it's premise and depending on who you ask a little sadistic, I guess my point is FFXVI is missing some of the levity, some of that silliness.
If you actually look at exactly what Maehiro has worked on in XIV it becomes clear that he's a trope writer. Pretty much everything he's written has been derivative he just has better writers working with him on XIV to pick up his slack.
I guess I'm going to get it on PC and give it a replay especially since I didn't even know it even had DLC. But man by the end of the game I was wanting to bash my head against the wall with some of the side quests. Hands down some of the most beautiful boss fights in gaming though, and a really good story.
The most boring combat in any FF game though. The fact they hide a better suited difficulty AFTER you finish the game just blows my mind. I didn't die ONCE in my playthrough, and I didn't even grind at all. There is no need to grind for better gear, or more xp....you are basically handed new weapons along the way without even trying. Should have gone with the FF7 remake style combat, with a hybrid mode. Atleast throw in some status effects and elemental focus ffs.
GoW since 2018 is completely overrated anyway. In comparison to groundbreaking stuff like Chrono Trigger, Witcher 3, Persona, Nier, BG1-3 & Co this was max a 73/100. Except of the setting and graphics it is mediocre overall.
So I played this on PS5 last year, and I really enjoyed it. Now I care much more deeply about story than about mechanics, but I can see the issues you raised. Frankly, the inability to play as other characters is one of my biggest complaints about the game. That said, i really did enjoy it, and it's my favorite mainline single player entry since 10. That said, when it comes to mechanics, I am really looking forward to hearing your take on FFVII Rebirth when it comes to PC.
Amazing characters, story and setpiece moments but you’re right the gameplay does not hold up for the length of the game. It has *such* a strong foundation and they just never build on it. Also the game being so easy it never forces you to try anything new. Anyway, still loved the game. Great review.
an incredibly level headed and fair review, which is incredibly refreshing. most other takes on it are very polarized. I've been a huge fan of this dev team's other work, so it took me a while to really acknowledge the flaws you've articulated really well, but in the end it's still a very good, but flawed game. I hope they learn some lessons and improve for the next one.
I absolutely loved FF16. Since the combat is skill-based (and since I kinda suck at the game), it never got dull for me. I also really appreciated being able to switch out my Eikons and try new things without being hard-locked into them. While some of the side-quests were a little underwhelming, I think it's important to note that there *isn't* a lot of them (compared to other games I've played. Skyrim, for example, is basically just side-quests). I thought the main narrative was spectacular, and I was completely hooked from the start. I wanted to see what would happen, so I thought the game clipped along at a great pace. Speaking of, I disagree when you said the game feels "bloated," as this is probably the only mainline Final Fantasy game where you DON'T need to stop progressing through the main story and level-grind for hours. I can't express how much I appreciated that the game respected my time and didn't make any prohibitedly high jumps in enemy difficulty. As a working adult with very little free time, having a game that was balanced so you'd always be at the right level if you just played through it normally was *such* a blessing. Also, as an adult, it was a breath of fresh air to play as Clive - he is emotionally mature and can actually articulate his feelings to the people he trusts. Chef's kiss 10/10.
THIS 1000%. You said it better than I did. I just sort of outgrew the typical jrpg thing, where everything is T rated or less, your character acts like a kid, there's cute designs everywhere, etc; loved the darker, more mature vibe. Anytime I see "cute" designs, I'm out asap. I'm not 12, or perpetually mentally 12, I don't want cute, sweet, or watered down. I want dark, gritty, and the horrors of war clearly described. Agree on Clive as well. Well said
I think this is a really great review, but I would have wished for you to talk a little more in-depth about how Arcade Mode works, since it's not only the endgame, but it functions entirely different than the rest of the game. So, throughout the two walkthroughs of the game, the game teaches you that damage is king. Destroy small stuff quickly, stagger big stuff and then deal tons of damage. If you go at Arcade Mode with this approach, you will never get more than a B-Rank. Arcade Mode in its essence, expects you to squeeze out each enemy like a lemon for points, having to artificially keep them alive to spam as many Green/Rainbow point moves as possible. This approach kinda turned away most of the possible players of the mode, since it is like a relearning the game. But once you got into the thing, it's really motivating and feel like a legend with every S-Rank you gain. That being said, Cure casters and damage checks can go to hell.
I think my main takeaway when playing this was what an an awesome fighting game they could make with the big over the top boss fights, any time there was an Eidolon on screen you knew you were in for a good time
Fantastic entry in the franchise. Amazing music, characters and story, which are key elements when judging a FF. The gameplay shift was hard to swallow but in the end it feels good, the combat is engaging, you can mix and match the skills you like more, they are more or less all viable (some are of course stronger but still). Yeah the crafting system was not that good and the progression as a whole could have been better but given everything the game does well, i didnt care too much. The difficulty too could have used a bit of tweaking. And the side quests where so good, yeah there where some the were not that interesting but many of them were SO deep and lore-centric, they could have easily put them in the main story. In the end i just couldn't stop playing, the game was so smooth, it just flowed amazingly.
your review must be the most fair take out of everything on internet I bought this game expecting to be full blown action rpg with banger music ,have great time on PS5 year ago and Platinum it
Originally I was very put off as I am fairly traditional with my jrpg''s and ff games. Nevertheless, having played the demo I found the story and world building strong to compel me to want to play it.
i like how they give you the tools to choose your own difficulty with the item equips. It's a welcomed system for me that kept it fun fresh and still somewhat challenging during ng+ and a decent platinum effort.
The NG+ difficulty should have been there from the start imo. Game is WAY too easy from the get-go. I didn't die once, and I did ZERO grinding. Good story and characters hidden behind a giant combat snoozefest.
There isn't a single FF game that is like the previous. Each instalment tries something new. Sometimes it is a unanimous hit, sometimes not, but they are all good games. That being said, FF9 is the best in the series and I will die on that hill.
I've played every Final Fantasy as well, and I really enjoyed my taste of the combat system for 16. I beat the morlboro boss only getting hit once the entire fight. Either I'm just naturally good at the system, the demo/game is easy, or both. But I'm definitely going to pick it up eventually. Even if it is easy, I can always relax and enjoy a FF game. Also: I saw the music of final fantasy concert last year, played live by a symphony orchestra. They played all the recognizable songs from every game while huge screens showed gameplay and cutscenes...and it was awesome. It made me realize not only how incredible the music is, but also how nostalgic I am for the whole series. Highly recommend for anyone who might the chance.
I hate commenting on videos but to give this reviewer props, he is definitely the most detailed reviewer I have ever had the had the opportunity to listen to! One of the best in the industry!😊
So far I'm enjoying it. I love the PS1 era of final fantasy and would have preferred a party based rpg. For that reason I wasn't planning on playing it. But I picked up the demo and enjoyed it enough that I bought it. I still don't love the change to action but what they did really well is that they made the easy mode option still feel engaging enough to not make it too much of a chore to enjoy the rest of what it offers. Especially in boss fights. They really are spectacular.
I really wanted to love ff16, especially coming from creative business unit 3 and ff14 being my most played game of all time. But man, the combat becomes so redundant, and progression is such a joke, I found myself forcing myself to play it by the 20h mark just to see the ending. The game has its highs for sure (performances, story, the bahamut fight oh my god) but the lows stand out just as much, like why even have an item shop when all you buy is a weapon upgrade for +1 atk? Why am I rewarded for exploration with…. 5 gil?? Also, the lack of difficulty at launch really shows. I’m not replaying the game just to finally play the game at a nice difficulty. Just so many odd decisions, then the lack of a party so the gameplay loop becomes repetitive.
This is what kind of gave me pause in getting the game and why I'm not looking forward to Dragon Age VG. Action focused gameplay is fun. However, if its too easy or simply not that deep, there is NO reason to try to expand it out to 50-60 hours. Long JRPGs that are successful are giving you new enemies and ways to fight those enemies all the way into the final act. Having an easy to learn combat system balanced around easy enemies is fine for a 20 odd hour game. But for 60 plus? There needs to be more meat on the bone.
For me there is a core issue with Action RPG. For me it fel like "lets take the worst parts of a JRPG and combined that with the worst part of a WRPG." It seem that only soul-like get away with it but some want less of the RPG elements in them.
@@user-gm4kv2my4unah veilguard is probably gonna have great combat/progression, and it has 6 difficulties or something so I’m sure you can find a challenge in there. If anything it might suffer in some of the character stuff.
I feel like they got a lot of the big things right, but really fell down on the small details. They should have done more to encourage mixing up your build as you got new powers, better paced the side quests, added a little depth to the crafting, etc... But I enjoyed the story and the world, and the gameplay.
For me it’s a 10/10. Immersive and an amazing story. I love it. The Gameplay is super fun and the world is extremely immersive. It really puts you in the world and never lets go again 🔥
I was so, so excited for this game. It had incredibly high highs and extremely low lows. Eventually the lows got me to stop playing. Maybe I'll pick it up again some day. Great review!
now that you finished it 100% I can talk without poisoning the well. :D My major issue and I played it without the dlcs was, the higher difficuty just lengthend how long a fight was and didn't add a lot more. The enemies just have to much health and it dosn't do anything to improve the combat from beeing very button mashy with the addition of the abilities beeing unlocked. I thought half of the side content and the main story where great and I also enjoyed half of the field bosses. As an Action rpg I would rate this a solid 7/10 (it's good but not really exceptional), If they would have romoved the siide quest that bring nothing to the table 8/10 and if they made the progression of equipment better (so you have side grade weapons, improving for example specific moves of the espers for example) than a 9/10 and If they improved the combat and the dificulty not beeing only a health, damage and Armor slider (adding some moves) it would than be a 10/10.
I loved this game. Top 3 out of the FF games that I’ve beat. It goes 7, 12, 16, then 10 & 9. I’m just starting the ff7 rebirth and not going to lie, I really miss the combat of 16, really hampering my desire to play FF7.
Great review. Pretty much if you like God of War, DBZ and Game of Thrones then you’ll probably like this game lol. I think it was a good one off game. I would like to see a more party based rpg for 17 though.
I've played the game 100% as well, and for me the story was good, for the most, although boring in the middle part. The problem I have with the storytelling in FFXVI is that cbu3 relied heavily on games of throne. They did not just get few ideas, they took charachters/concepts directly from the tv show and put them into the game, and the result is that for me the story was not that original, since it mimicked GoT in many ways.
Dude I loved this game, first final fantasy game I ever played and I just was completely enthralled by it. Tried to get into the other ones but I’m not just a turn based kinda guy, hoping the next one follows the same core gameplay with more hardcore rpg elements integrated into it.
While it’s a lot to ask people already tired of the gameplay to try a THIRD playthrough, I can say that I didn’t fully appreciate how deep and intricate this combat system is until I tried ultimaniac. That mode will KICK YOUR ASS if you don’t learn to use everything in your kit extremely well.
I really do think it hurts the game for a lot of players that you can't up the difficulty until you've already gone through the whole story at least once. Though I find this decision unsurprising coming from CBU3 since it works the exact same way in FFXIV.
I also think some fights go on wayyy to long and it hurts the combat. Enemies take too much damage. The core idea of the combat is good and fun but needs refinement.
for me easy difficluty was also one of the two big flaws (although i love the game - 100% it twice :) ) - the solution for difficulty was to NEVER use healing items during combat and NOT USING checkpoitns during boss battles (when you die go to the title screen) - it all made a world of difference and some boss fights i had to repeat around 10 times before finally defeating them - but the satisfaction....oh man.... :)
I loved it and played it 3 times already. The story is gripping, presentation is great and the combat is serviceable. Most importantly, the lore was intriguing. I wish a XVI-2 or prequel or spin off is in the works because not only I feel attached to Clive Jill Joshua etc, I also feel attached to Valisthea as a whole
The reason there isn't ultrawide support is because the developers use that space to load & cache characters. There is a ultrawide mod that will allow you to see things being loaded and unloaded just off screen other than that it works flawlessly.
@warm-heartedreaction6191 there's no padding if you ignore the padding? I don't get this argument 'just ignore it' it's over half the games run time. Just cause the content is optional doesn't make it fine for that content to be garbage. Rebirth has some terrible side content.
@Anon9729X - I think their point was you had the option to not do any of the side stuff, it wasn't mandatory. If you just played through the main story, the game takes less than 20 hours, which is not a "slog" at all. And for someone like me, I love the side stuff. I've put 200+ hours into Rebirth, but I've always liked the grind. So I thought the makers of the game were smart to allow both short and long gameplay.
I’ve been very critical of this game, but one thing I’ll unabashedly praise is the soundtrack. I adore Final Fantasy OST’s but didn’t think any new entry would be able to break my top 3. (1. Final Fantasy 7 - 2. Final Fantasy 10 - 3. Final Fantasy 16, which knocked FF9 down)
The main advice I would give to people is to just avoid sidequests and only do the main story. Then it's a pretty streamlined experience. The story and voice acting are amazing imo and everyone should experience it.
For the ultrawide support, there is indeed no official ultrawide support but there is a very easy community fix that allows the game to run in ultrawide and it is absolutely flawless
Hi! Thanks a lot for the review. Very instructive as always. I was waiting for its release on PC since its PS5 launch. I haven't played a Final Fantasy since FF12 and I had wonderful times on Mystic Quest, FF9, FF10 and FF12. I tried FF7 remake for +-10 hours but it didn't convince me. I think I'll avoid this one as well at the end. Too many other great games to play thus choices to be made.
First playthrough: 7.5/10. Second playthrough: 9.5/10. The combat once everything is unlocked is honestly incredible. I love this game regardless of what the critics say, though I understand it isn't everyone's cup of tea.
I felt the opposite, i felt like putting my head in a blender playing through a second time for the plat. The first tenish hours was the best part then it draaaagggggeeedddd
@@Kinos141 I usually enjoy playing games a 2nd or even 3rd time to fully explore the depth of the mechanics etc, but thats in short games like Devil May Cry and Bayonetta etc. In 60+ hour JRPGs etc? Its a bit of an issue.
@Kinos141 I understand that. Some combat abilities and the best difficulty setting are only unlocked in the last 10% of the first playthrough. It's kind of like Armored Core 6, where the 2nd and 3rd playthroughs are better than the first because you carry everything over. But again, I totally get that it's not for everyone and it is a valid criticism of the game. For me, it was not as much of an issue because I was enthralled in the combat.
I got the Platinum on PS5, and finished both DLCs. FF16 is one of my favorites in the series, along with FF4 and FF6. Clive is easily my favorite protagonist in all of Final Fantasy from a character perspective, plus he feels fun to play as. Now I must say that I played FF14 for 10 years, so I felt very familiar with the side quest structure. In general, FF16 feels a lot like a single player action version of FF14, which makes sense. People who want the traditional turn based party system will be happier with FF7 rebirth, but I personally found FF16 to be a breath of fresh air.
Honestly I love the game. I'm a big fan of it and I am now going soon into the NG+ mode on PS5. I don't have as much an issue with the levelling system as most modern games (Assassins Creed for example) love making games bottleneck you by level and offer exp grinding to pad out game time. FF16 doesn't do that, so it's an ok for me. I think that the crafting and gearing system could have been improved way more, but I eventually didn't pay it any afterthought other than not having an option to change my weapon appearance until months after release when they added that as a new system.
I can't stand vanilla turn based games (though I love turn based tactics, strategy, and 4X). After I did some research, I decided to dive into FFXV which I'm currently playing through right now. It seems that everything you said about XVI holds true for XV. Only dealbreaker for XVI for me is that it can't run on the Steam Deck, and it's going to be a while before I beat FFXV.
I thought the writing in this game was incredible, and the seriousness of it definitely was really appropriate which I wished was the same case for the FF7 remake. I believe this game is enjoyed best when we go through the main story and character arc quests alone.
It’s a fun game to play. If I have nothing else to play or i just don’t want to focus on anything very much I just replay mobs fights with Stage Replay and that enough for me. Also as someone who play all FF games within one year I do prefer the party system. Thankfully FF7 Rebirth gave me the party system for the 180 hours it took me to 100% it. So gameplay wise FF7 Rebirth is much better but story wise I would prefer FF16 simply because it a full game story and not just 2/3 of discs 1 of 3 disks of the original FF7 game.
@@ataridc yeah starting in May 2023 when FF1-6 Pixel Remasters came out and after I played Persona 5 (w/ the platinum trophy). I played FF1-10, 10-2, 12, 13, 13-2, Lightning Returns, 15, 16, 7 Remake/Rebirth, Crisis Core, Strangers of Paradise and Type-0. So I started the binge in May 2023 and finished in June 2024. Would have finished 2 months earlier but Baldur’s Gate 3 stole all my attention. FF1-8 took as much time as it took me to platinum just FF7 Rebirth. I played all games in order except for FF16 which I played on release. Thankfully every FF game plays differently so it wasn’t repetitive like playing SMT or Persona back to back. Instead I was always excited to see how the next game would be. I played in order so that the newer games wouldn’t sour my experience with the older games. That’s how I always go about playing new game series.
@@lunatic447 never played Ys. But I’ve been seeing to friends play it. I know absolutely nothing about it. If there is a demo for it I’ll check it out.
@@Duckman8213 Dunno bout demos, so usually the series plays like zelda with a focus on bosses instead of dungeon exploration. since Ys seven they kinda switched the gadgets to progress certain metroidvania roadblocks into party characters that each behave like a single iconic feat and the abilities. so i guess in short when you switch icons in combat you switch characters like in FF7R
I wish this game had a lot of things or did certain things differently, but I also love what we got, all I ask is that CBU3 gets to make another mainline FF game, I believe in their ability to improve on what they got wrong and heighten what they got right.
I just got the platinum trophy for this game a few days ago, and I can honestly say that Final Fantasy XVI is easily one of my favorite Final Fantasy games.
There is something that is just so soothing about hearing your intro music, that I know a quality video is upcoming. What game is your intro music from? 👀
Honestly I found the "mini boss" fights to be more difficult than the actual boss fights. Most boss fights had their attacks so telegraphed that it was trivial to beat them with no damage taken
I think it was a good experiment and a great way to give new life to the franchise, mostly as a palate cleanser after XV's mess. I enjoyed it but it's a very flawed game. The characters are good but they don't reach any of the highs that we've seen in past games, and the main plot is sometimes weirdly written. However, I must say that the eikon battles, despite being very spectacle-based and not really deep in terms of gameplay, were a very high point for me. I love FF summons and their depiction here was just excellent imo
I got some interest in playing this game but I feel like it suffers from similar issues that kept me from pulling the trigger on other JRPGs as well. Not sure when or where I picked this up but I have developed an internal clock that gives me a limited window of time to be interested in any game. Once that time ends the game experience sours and so does my opinion along with it regardless of how good the game maybe. While quality and good plot dictates the length of the window (weeks to months) of my interest, it does not keep it from getting stale. Which is where I have my reservations with this game: Bloat is a primary issue for the reasons I mentioned already but I also don't like how shallow the combat is or disingenuous the dialogue seems to feel at points. They might sound medieval European but they certainly don't act it when it comes to general NPCs. I was never a fan of being able to re-spec characters on the fly whenever, it just makes investing in a character build pointless and its the same here. I am really hoping the story is well done enough to keep me invested like TW3 did but even that game ultimate started wearing thin after spending so much time a combat that never evolves past a particular point.
quote: "if you're bringing a game to PC, the default control scheme there keyboard and mouse should be up to snuff" Man, all devs and studios should keep your point in the top 5 priorities when they are working on such projects! along with designing UX NOT based on scrolling down infinite list of items with a stick. Thanks for the 100% review!
![Building Time!: Atelier Ryza; Ever Darkness & The Secret Hideout [Part 6]](/img/n.gif)
Ive seen some people mention at 4:40 the time says 22 hours on the save I'm bringing to NG+ so I wanted to clarify, that time is the time of day the save was made in military time, not time played. 2203 means 10:03 PM. My first playthrough was like 40 something hours.
Out of your 40 hours how much of that time is actually playing a game versus watching cutscene's? I swear from every new vendor to every 15mins to every loading into a area there is a hour long cutscene at 30fps....... I like final fantasy but this should have been a movie or show not a game.
@@aceofspades3018I don’t think you’ve played final fantasy before 16 lol
@@aceofspades3018 With that logic you could say visual novels should be an anime, not a click-simulator. ffs, research the game you are playing and what kind of genre and narrative style it uses, before showing your ignorancy online.
@@AshNeekoI’ve played a couple and they definitely aren’t this bad tbh.
@@Sletchman 13 is 15 years old. sorry the franchise isnt for you anymore
The best way I can describe the flaws of this game is you can tell it's an MMO team's first try at single player.
Yep that was my first thought after experiencing it.
Haha yeah it's so trippy to go from the most basic of basic fetch quests to the most epic of epic scenes, still enjoying it a shitton :D
I would never have thought to put it like that, but you're absolutely right.
It's the guy who made Devil May Cry that made this. So he's pretty much making a DMC game with a Final Fantasy skin/theme. And I'm not playing these until they stop making all-male bromance games (same with FF15). I really miss the stories with varied gender characters.
@@kestononline DMC guy is the combat director, everything else is pretty much just the FFXIV team which explains the MMO-ness of many aspects.
The game had it's highs and lows. My favorite parts were anytime Cid was involved. I thought Ralph Ineson did a tremendous job of voicing him, and his chemistry with Clive (Ben Starr, also great voice acting) always had my attention.
Spoilers ahead
I think the first third of the game is, easily, the height of 16 for most people.
Afterwards, imo, it kinda falls off from the story front. Characters other than Cid were a bit underwhelming, especially Jill and Clive's relationship, which seemed like a pretty important aspect to the game. I think Dion and Joshua were okay, but again, we just don't get enough screentime for either of them for me to REALLY care as much as I should.
In my ideal 16, the game would've jumped perspective more so that we could fully flesh out everyone else's storyline, at least a bit more than we got. But because Clive is the only playable mfer (except for kid Joshua in the intro for some reason lmao), we can't really have that.
@@T8-TR
***Spoilers****
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I agree about the story.
In the first part of the game, a lot of politics and amazing characters like Benedikta and Cid, along explosive moments really create an amazing experience. A few things that go downhill from there ruin the story:
1) When Benedikta and Cid die, there are no characters of equal worth to replace them. Dion could have been great, but because the story fall short (explained in my next point) he doesn't get enough development.
2) The politics of the story gets neglected for the same generic "fight god, resist end of the world" plotlines we saw in so many JRPGs. As more as I progressed, the more I understood how "The Blight" aspect really prevents them from creating a true high fantasy setup and world building, because by the second half, the world is already pretty much in ruin and that's the only thing that matters.
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These points are are what I wanted to point out, but in general the entire story gets dumbed down after Benedikta and Cid die, so, in the second part, after the time skip. It's really a shame because I feel there was so much potential.
@@FrozenAXL I don't agree Dion is very compelling despite the little screen time he has
he is one of the best written characters in the game with clive and cid
@cclmnz6850 Dion is a well written character, but his place is deep in the political storyline, which really lost significance and as a result I didn't even think about Dion much until long after I played the game again. I liked him, a man torn between his loyalty to his father and the people
My boyfriend said the same thing. They blew their load with Cid
Bro im not even into FF like that, and i really enjoyed FF16. I loved everything even with side quests, they were actually interesting or red herrings thinking that they gonna be boring, but then they use the characters you helped to drive the story forward with anchor(emotion). (the village you visit before returning to phoenix gate is an example). I loved being able to pause and access the codex to understand context. So important, I want to see more games do this for newcomers into an IP. This games combat was fun too. Not perfect, but its 100% serviceable and satisfying once you have all your abilities unlocked and buffed up. I want to see more of this type of storytelling. The Grimdark with Hope is so fun.
I absolutely love FF16, having been there since FF1 on the NES at 10 years old. Some people can't get beyond the changes or different systems from the earlier entries, such as the combat system. I was more interested in the characters and storytelling, which FF16 excels at.
What did you think of that arc where the party falls into the most obvious trap ever, and Kupka wants to force Clive to watch an execution, but proceeds to start the execution without him anyway? Just a mess of chaotic and comedic events that looked like a total clown show. That’s one of the first examples that comes to mind when I think about where the game’s writing flaws are. There are definitely awesome moments throughout this game, but they’re mixed with these moments of what could they have been thinking allowing this into the final game?
@@Alan_Chapmanthat is absolutely a writing flaw, but let's be real here... That's not even worth mentioning when considering standard video game writing. We're talking about a medium where characters are frequently blocked from getting around fucking minor inconviences blocking roads.
I've been gaming for three decades across just about every genre and console you can think of. When we have mainstream TV shows, watched by large swaths of entire nations, have absolutely moronic plot holes and poor writing, I don't really know what you would expect from a video game.
Every single final fantasy game I've ever played has had terrible writing. Absolute GOATS like TW3 had countless plot holes and "wtf why" moments.
If that sort of shit bothers you, I totally get it. I just don't know how you would enjoy most games in that case.
@@Potatotron10000 I’ve been gaming just as long, and probably longer across the whole spectrum as well. I can say that this game had a lot more wrong with it than some bad writing. It would take pages of text for me to explain all the reasons why. As I said, there was a lot to like in this game. FF16 could have been one of my all time favorites, but every time it had a chance to get there they slipped on a banana peel.
I would hold up Ys VIII as an example of an action RPG that I found to be a much more enjoyable experience.
@@Alan_Chapman you mentioned writing flaws in your comment so that's what I spoke to, and framed my reply relative to other games and mediums.
You didn't like the game, and that's totally fair. I personally wouldn't get through more than an hour or two of Ys VIII so I think this can just all boil down to different tastes and expectations.
I played this game for three days straight and I haven’t even finished the story.
Mortym is a machine.
Or, you know, it's because of the other thing
The hell have you been doing if you still aren't done with the story after 72 hrs lol
@@CJ-wh7ikwhat thing? Being vague, like that, doesn't work.
@@SuperFizzah you need me to spell it out? It's because he sucks at the game that's the other reason, the dude is bad at the game. You happy now that you forced my hand to spread hate online??
I mean he 100% them crpg games, these action rpg is too easy for him
The new mic sounds great!
He sounds younger haha
It sounded so different I thought it was a stand-in.
Ive been sick, my voice is just starting to recover here
Awesome review! Loved the gameplay and the first 1/3. Super gripping story setup, very compelling character arcs, engaging combat system, excitingly diverse world
Last 2/3 I felt everything collapsed; nearly every character became less compelling in service of creating spectacle, later abilities feel underwhelming or unfun to use, and the story's power scaling started to feel random and handwave-y.
Also got sick of collecting cow toenails for villagers
hi phidx
Everyone should download the mod for this game which unlocks the FPS during cutscenes so theyre not stuck at 30fps. The mod also adds wide-screen support.
To those familiar with action games I would also strongly recommend the mod that increases difficulty by mainly making enemies do double damage. With it you have to at least pay some attention to what enemies are doing and you don't fall asleep mashing your way through every encounter.
The first thing I did lol the 30fps in cutscenes felt off putting. Strange choice to lock the fps.
I mean, to each their own but I have never been bothered by 30fps.
Why bot 24fps to make it at least movie like?
@@Blasted2Oblivion it's jarring going from 120 in gameplay to 30 in cutscenes. I don't have an issue as long as it's consistent.
i feel like the progression system is a symptom of CBU3's MMO resume. FFXIV streamlined the progression where its easy to get into hardcore content, ultimate being the exception. this is really nice for people who dont make the MMo their second job but also feels unrewarding to people who dont usually raid. Also i think having final fantasy mode from the get go whould be nice. i like 15 but for some reason i usually dont resonate that much with the Nomura style games, 16 turned out to be one of my favs, but i think story wise shadowbringers till 6.0 endwalker is CBU3s peak narrativwise. compared to matsuno, maehiros aproach to writing is good but feels less focused. if they ever going todo another single player game with the fftactics world vibe, then i hope thed use matsuno for worldbuilding and ishikawa for fleshing out characters
The this being a CBU3 game is very apparent, for those who have been playing FFXIV to how the story beats play out, map design etc. One criticism I have heard about is side quests and its design, FFXIV does suffer from this as well, in some cases this is where the get things under the radar and you find very compelling world building narrative bits that are not just fetch quests.
I am somewhere halfway in, I am enjoying it so far the story is ok, with moving back to a medieval inspired setting wish there was more (if any) fantasy races that are friendly we have a single Moogle, and that seemed just there to be there, because allegedly Moogles do not exist.
Imagine a fight like the Good King Moggle Mog XII, it is silly in it's premise and depending on who you ask a little sadistic, I guess my point is FFXVI is missing some of the levity, some of that silliness.
If you actually look at exactly what Maehiro has worked on in XIV it becomes clear that he's a trope writer. Pretty much everything he's written has been derivative he just has better writers working with him on XIV to pick up his slack.
I played this on PS5 last year, and even over BG3, this was my game of the year for 2023.
I was going to wait for a sale on this. Then I played the demo and bought it the same night. Great game.
I guess I'm going to get it on PC and give it a replay especially since I didn't even know it even had DLC. But man by the end of the game I was wanting to bash my head against the wall with some of the side quests. Hands down some of the most beautiful boss fights in gaming though, and a really good story.
The most boring combat in any FF game though. The fact they hide a better suited difficulty AFTER you finish the game just blows my mind. I didn't die ONCE in my playthrough, and I didn't even grind at all. There is no need to grind for better gear, or more xp....you are basically handed new weapons along the way without even trying. Should have gone with the FF7 remake style combat, with a hybrid mode. Atleast throw in some status effects and elemental focus ffs.
I had much more fun with this than I did God of War: Ragnarok.
Same hete
This
GoW since 2018 is completely overrated anyway. In comparison to groundbreaking stuff like Chrono Trigger, Witcher 3, Persona, Nier, BG1-3 & Co this was max a 73/100.
Except of the setting and graphics it is mediocre overall.
@Sister_Friede3105 that's how I feel about it as well
Ya same , played both on ps5 and i liked final fantasy 16 way more , only thing i hated was the long dialogues in this game. but overall a good game
Thanks for the video. I've been really looking forward to this review. Onward to 400k. All glory to the algorithm.
Hey, sounds like you're feeling better! Thanks for your content!
So I played this on PS5 last year, and I really enjoyed it. Now I care much more deeply about story than about mechanics, but I can see the issues you raised. Frankly, the inability to play as other characters is one of my biggest complaints about the game. That said, i really did enjoy it, and it's my favorite mainline single player entry since 10. That said, when it comes to mechanics, I am really looking forward to hearing your take on FFVII Rebirth when it comes to PC.
Loving the game. Also loved Intergrade. And the older VII, VI and VIII.
Amazing characters, story and setpiece moments but you’re right the gameplay does not hold up for the length of the game. It has *such* a strong foundation and they just never build on it. Also the game being so easy it never forces you to try anything new. Anyway, still loved the game. Great review.
Amazing characters? Are you 12? Have you ever read a book?
@@elqord.1118 Yes? Have you met other people?
an incredibly level headed and fair review, which is incredibly refreshing. most other takes on it are very polarized. I've been a huge fan of this dev team's other work, so it took me a while to really acknowledge the flaws you've articulated really well, but in the end it's still a very good, but flawed game. I hope they learn some lessons and improve for the next one.
I absolutely loved this game. Finished all the DLC.
I absolutely loved FF16. Since the combat is skill-based (and since I kinda suck at the game), it never got dull for me. I also really appreciated being able to switch out my Eikons and try new things without being hard-locked into them. While some of the side-quests were a little underwhelming, I think it's important to note that there *isn't* a lot of them (compared to other games I've played. Skyrim, for example, is basically just side-quests). I thought the main narrative was spectacular, and I was completely hooked from the start. I wanted to see what would happen, so I thought the game clipped along at a great pace. Speaking of, I disagree when you said the game feels "bloated," as this is probably the only mainline Final Fantasy game where you DON'T need to stop progressing through the main story and level-grind for hours. I can't express how much I appreciated that the game respected my time and didn't make any prohibitedly high jumps in enemy difficulty. As a working adult with very little free time, having a game that was balanced so you'd always be at the right level if you just played through it normally was *such* a blessing. Also, as an adult, it was a breath of fresh air to play as Clive - he is emotionally mature and can actually articulate his feelings to the people he trusts. Chef's kiss 10/10.
THIS 1000%. You said it better than I did. I just sort of outgrew the typical jrpg thing, where everything is T rated or less, your character acts like a kid, there's cute designs everywhere, etc; loved the darker, more mature vibe. Anytime I see "cute" designs, I'm out asap. I'm not 12, or perpetually mentally 12, I don't want cute, sweet, or watered down. I want dark, gritty, and the horrors of war clearly described. Agree on Clive as well.
Well said
I think this is a really great review, but I would have wished for you to talk a little more in-depth about how Arcade Mode works, since it's not only the endgame, but it functions entirely different than the rest of the game.
So, throughout the two walkthroughs of the game, the game teaches you that damage is king. Destroy small stuff quickly, stagger big stuff and then deal tons of damage. If you go at Arcade Mode with this approach, you will never get more than a B-Rank.
Arcade Mode in its essence, expects you to squeeze out each enemy like a lemon for points, having to artificially keep them alive to spam as many Green/Rainbow point moves as possible.
This approach kinda turned away most of the possible players of the mode, since it is like a relearning the game. But once you got into the thing, it's really motivating and feel like a legend with every S-Rank you gain. That being said, Cure casters and damage checks can go to hell.
I’m glad you discussed steam deck performance, almost bought this to play on that system
Really appreciate your videos!
I think my main takeaway when playing this was what an an awesome fighting game they could make with the big over the top boss fights, any time there was an Eidolon on screen you knew you were in for a good time
I just started playing this game on PS5, nice to see your review is already done
Fantastic entry in the franchise. Amazing music, characters and story, which are key elements when judging a FF. The gameplay shift was hard to swallow but in the end it feels good, the combat is engaging, you can mix and match the skills you like more, they are more or less all viable (some are of course stronger but still). Yeah the crafting system was not that good and the progression as a whole could have been better but given everything the game does well, i didnt care too much. The difficulty too could have used a bit of tweaking. And the side quests where so good, yeah there where some the were not that interesting but many of them were SO deep and lore-centric, they could have easily put them in the main story. In the end i just couldn't stop playing, the game was so smooth, it just flowed amazingly.
Been thinking for days to get this. This should decide it. Thanks Mort!
your review must be the most fair take out of everything on internet
I bought this game expecting to be full blown action rpg with banger music ,have great time on PS5 year ago and Platinum it
May the algorithm be pleased with this offering.
Originally I was very put off as I am fairly traditional with my jrpg''s and ff games. Nevertheless, having played the demo I found the story and world building strong to compel me to want to play it.
Ultrawide has a community fix as does the 30FPS limit on cutscene in the same mod.
Played about 20 hours on my pc. Game ran flawlessly and looked phenomenal
Kaiju battles were so sick. This is the best spectacle fighter I've ever played.
i like how they give you the tools to choose your own difficulty with the item equips. It's a welcomed system for me that kept it fun fresh and still somewhat challenging during ng+ and a decent platinum effort.
The NG+ difficulty should have been there from the start imo. Game is WAY too easy from the get-go. I didn't die once, and I did ZERO grinding. Good story and characters hidden behind a giant combat snoozefest.
There isn't a single FF game that is like the previous. Each instalment tries something new. Sometimes it is a unanimous hit, sometimes not, but they are all good games. That being said, FF9 is the best in the series and I will die on that hill.
I'll be standing with you! FF9 is the best imo
30:30 I have no intention of ever buying or playing this game. Watched the whole review and was thoroughly entertained. Good work.
ok?
@@HookahOtaku Listen from 30:30 to 30:45. If you still don't get it I can't help you.
Who the hell asked. Go buy overwatch skins or something
@@1kbmahan No one asked. I wanted to let Mort know that he is doing a job. I thought it was obvious.
I've played every Final Fantasy as well, and I really enjoyed my taste of the combat system for 16. I beat the morlboro boss only getting hit once the entire fight. Either I'm just naturally good at the system, the demo/game is easy, or both. But I'm definitely going to pick it up eventually. Even if it is easy, I can always relax and enjoy a FF game.
Also: I saw the music of final fantasy concert last year, played live by a symphony orchestra. They played all the recognizable songs from every game while huge screens showed gameplay and cutscenes...and it was awesome. It made me realize not only how incredible the music is, but also how nostalgic I am for the whole series. Highly recommend for anyone who might the chance.
I hate commenting on videos but to give this reviewer props, he is definitely the most detailed reviewer I have ever had the had the opportunity to listen to! One of the best in the industry!😊
Finally, I've been waiting for your opinion on this. Pre- watching, hopefully we get the Jazz radio, presenter voice Morty.
The gums flapping during side quests was also hilarious in Visions of Mana.
I think you gave a very fair and honest review of this game. Love your stuff man keep it up and thanks for the video 👍🏽
So far I'm enjoying it. I love the PS1 era of final fantasy and would have preferred a party based rpg. For that reason I wasn't planning on playing it. But I picked up the demo and enjoyed it enough that I bought it.
I still don't love the change to action but what they did really well is that they made the easy mode option still feel engaging enough to not make it too much of a chore to enjoy the rest of what it offers. Especially in boss fights. They really are spectacular.
I really wanted to love ff16, especially coming from creative business unit 3 and ff14 being my most played game of all time. But man, the combat becomes so redundant, and progression is such a joke, I found myself forcing myself to play it by the 20h mark just to see the ending. The game has its highs for sure (performances, story, the bahamut fight oh my god) but the lows stand out just as much, like why even have an item shop when all you buy is a weapon upgrade for +1 atk? Why am I rewarded for exploration with…. 5 gil?? Also, the lack of difficulty at launch really shows. I’m not replaying the game just to finally play the game at a nice difficulty. Just so many odd decisions, then the lack of a party so the gameplay loop becomes repetitive.
This is what kind of gave me pause in getting the game and why I'm not looking forward to Dragon Age VG. Action focused gameplay is fun. However, if its too easy or simply not that deep, there is NO reason to try to expand it out to 50-60 hours. Long JRPGs that are successful are giving you new enemies and ways to fight those enemies all the way into the final act. Having an easy to learn combat system balanced around easy enemies is fine for a 20 odd hour game. But for 60 plus? There needs to be more meat on the bone.
For me there is a core issue with Action RPG. For me it fel like "lets take the worst parts of a JRPG and combined that with the worst part of a WRPG."
It seem that only soul-like get away with it but some want less of the RPG elements in them.
@@user-gm4kv2my4unah veilguard is probably gonna have great combat/progression, and it has 6 difficulties or something so I’m sure you can find a challenge in there. If anything it might suffer in some of the character stuff.
Definetly agree with this take.
I'm still waiting for final fantasy difficulty at new game mod.
I feel like they got a lot of the big things right, but really fell down on the small details. They should have done more to encourage mixing up your build as you got new powers, better paced the side quests, added a little depth to the crafting, etc... But I enjoyed the story and the world, and the gameplay.
The only way I got to the credits and through the dlc is CONSTANTLY just mixing up my loadout just for the hell if it.
For me it’s a 10/10. Immersive and an amazing story. I love it. The Gameplay is super fun and the world is extremely immersive. It really puts you in the world and never lets go again 🔥
another great video- i agree with your review for all you said. Clean audio too, satisfying to listen to ahha
another calm, thoughtful, no hype or drama review by the best RPG reviewer on the platform!
Thanks for the review. I never played any FF game and seeing how the franchise develops from far away is kinda interesting
Oh man, the bloody scene in the beginning really get me going.
I was so, so excited for this game. It had incredibly high highs and extremely low lows. Eventually the lows got me to stop playing. Maybe I'll pick it up again some day. Great review!
now that you finished it 100% I can talk without poisoning the well. :D
My major issue and I played it without the dlcs was, the higher difficuty just lengthend how long a fight was and didn't add a lot more. The enemies just have to much health and it dosn't do anything to improve the combat from beeing very button mashy with the addition of the abilities beeing unlocked. I thought half of the side content and the main story where great and I also enjoyed half of the field bosses.
As an Action rpg I would rate this a solid 7/10 (it's good but not really exceptional), If they would have romoved the siide quest that bring nothing to the table 8/10 and if they made the progression of equipment better (so you have side grade weapons, improving for example specific moves of the espers for example) than a 9/10 and If they improved the combat and the dificulty not beeing only a health, damage and Armor slider (adding some moves) it would than be a 10/10.
I loved this game. Top 3 out of the FF games that I’ve beat. It goes 7, 12, 16, then 10 & 9. I’m just starting the ff7 rebirth and not going to lie, I really miss the combat of 16, really hampering my desire to play FF7.
Great review. Pretty much if you like God of War, DBZ and Game of Thrones then you’ll probably like this game lol. I think it was a good one off game. I would like to see a more party based rpg for 17 though.
I've played the game 100% as well, and for me the story was good, for the most, although boring in the middle part. The problem I have with the storytelling in FFXVI is that cbu3 relied heavily on games of throne. They did not just get few ideas, they took charachters/concepts directly from the tv show and put them into the game, and the result is that for me the story was not that original, since it mimicked GoT in many ways.
Dude I loved this game, first final fantasy game I ever played and I just was completely enthralled by it. Tried to get into the other ones but I’m not just a turn based kinda guy, hoping the next one follows the same core gameplay with more hardcore rpg elements integrated into it.
Glad you enjoyed overall, it’s a great game
I loooove this game
While it’s a lot to ask people already tired of the gameplay to try a THIRD playthrough, I can say that I didn’t fully appreciate how deep and intricate this combat system is until I tried ultimaniac. That mode will KICK YOUR ASS if you don’t learn to use everything in your kit extremely well.
technically it's not even a playtrough since you have to use stage replay for it
This game has been way better than expected for me. Really liking the main character and story
I wanted to like this game more, but the combat is so easy it never felt engaging.
I really do think it hurts the game for a lot of players that you can't up the difficulty until you've already gone through the whole story at least once. Though I find this decision unsurprising coming from CBU3 since it works the exact same way in FFXIV.
I also think some fights go on wayyy to long and it hurts the combat. Enemies take too much damage. The core idea of the combat is good and fun but needs refinement.
for me easy difficluty was also one of the two big flaws (although i love the game - 100% it twice :) ) - the solution for difficulty was to NEVER use healing items during combat and NOT USING checkpoitns during boss battles (when you die go to the title screen) - it all made a world of difference and some boss fights i had to repeat around 10 times before finally defeating them - but the satisfaction....oh man.... :)
I loved it and played it 3 times already. The story is gripping, presentation is great and the combat is serviceable. Most importantly, the lore was intriguing. I wish a XVI-2 or prequel or spin off is in the works because not only I feel attached to Clive Jill Joshua etc, I also feel attached to Valisthea as a whole
I absolutely love this game. Not blind to its issues however I think as a whole package it’s not dragged down too much for me.
Love your content, keep it up man!
When you need a video idea, i would love a video where you rank all the Final Fantasy games.
Engagement to feed the algorithm! I'm a big nerd for action RPGs so I'm gonna give this a shot.
The best part of the Game is the incredible good music!
The reason there isn't ultrawide support is because the developers use that space to load & cache characters. There is a ultrawide mod that will allow you to see things being loaded and unloaded just off screen other than that it works flawlessly.
FF7 Rebirth and FF16 are the sultans of fluff. They’re good games but it’s so much padding to boost the amount of hours spent on the games
FF16 is definitely a game where making it shorter, would be beneficial for the game.
rebirth there no padding if you just go main story even side stuff is worthwhile
@warm-heartedreaction6191 there's no padding if you ignore the padding? I don't get this argument 'just ignore it' it's over half the games run time. Just cause the content is optional doesn't make it fine for that content to be garbage. Rebirth has some terrible side content.
@@Anon9729X it ok that you dont like the game
@Anon9729X - I think their point was you had the option to not do any of the side stuff, it wasn't mandatory. If you just played through the main story, the game takes less than 20 hours, which is not a "slog" at all. And for someone like me, I love the side stuff. I've put 200+ hours into Rebirth, but I've always liked the grind. So I thought the makers of the game were smart to allow both short and long gameplay.
man there is so much going on on the screen, can it be toned down? my eyes hate it hahaha as beautiful as it looks
U can add more fx so the screen is nonstop flashing lights
Legit the entire time I played I wished you could remove screenshake, camera pans with some moves, and tone down the insane particle effects
It is a bit of a problem to be honest, sometimes you have to dodge on instinct because you literally can't see the enemy you're hitting
Thank you for the bloat warning. That has become my biggest complaint for new games.
I’ve been very critical of this game, but one thing I’ll unabashedly praise is the soundtrack. I adore Final Fantasy OST’s but didn’t think any new entry would be able to break my top 3. (1. Final Fantasy 7 - 2. Final Fantasy 10 - 3. Final Fantasy 16, which knocked FF9 down)
The main advice I would give to people is to just avoid sidequests and only do the main story. Then it's a pretty streamlined experience.
The story and voice acting are amazing imo and everyone should experience it.
For the ultrawide support, there is indeed no official ultrawide support but there is a very easy community fix that allows the game to run in ultrawide and it is absolutely flawless
When there is a sale I'll probably be getting this game.
Hi! Thanks a lot for the review. Very instructive as always. I was waiting for its release on PC since its PS5 launch. I haven't played a Final Fantasy since FF12 and I had wonderful times on Mystic Quest, FF9, FF10 and FF12. I tried FF7 remake for +-10 hours but it didn't convince me. I think I'll avoid this one as well at the end. Too many other great games to play thus choices to be made.
First playthrough: 7.5/10.
Second playthrough: 9.5/10.
The combat once everything is unlocked is honestly incredible. I love this game regardless of what the critics say, though I understand it isn't everyone's cup of tea.
That seems like a bad thing.
I don't want to have to play a game twice to enjoy it properly.
I felt the opposite, i felt like putting my head in a blender playing through a second time for the plat. The first tenish hours was the best part then it draaaagggggeeedddd
@@Kinos141 I usually enjoy playing games a 2nd or even 3rd time to fully explore the depth of the mechanics etc, but thats in short games like Devil May Cry and Bayonetta etc.
In 60+ hour JRPGs etc? Its a bit of an issue.
@Kinos141 I understand that. Some combat abilities and the best difficulty setting are only unlocked in the last 10% of the first playthrough. It's kind of like Armored Core 6, where the 2nd and 3rd playthroughs are better than the first because you carry everything over. But again, I totally get that it's not for everyone and it is a valid criticism of the game. For me, it was not as much of an issue because I was enthralled in the combat.
I got the Platinum on PS5, and finished both DLCs. FF16 is one of my favorites in the series, along with FF4 and FF6. Clive is easily my favorite protagonist in all of Final Fantasy from a character perspective, plus he feels fun to play as. Now I must say that I played FF14 for 10 years, so I felt very familiar with the side quest structure. In general, FF16 feels a lot like a single player action version of FF14, which makes sense. People who want the traditional turn based party system will be happier with FF7 rebirth, but I personally found FF16 to be a breath of fresh air.
Honestly I love the game. I'm a big fan of it and I am now going soon into the NG+ mode on PS5. I don't have as much an issue with the levelling system as most modern games (Assassins Creed for example) love making games bottleneck you by level and offer exp grinding to pad out game time. FF16 doesn't do that, so it's an ok for me. I think that the crafting and gearing system could have been improved way more, but I eventually didn't pay it any afterthought other than not having an option to change my weapon appearance until months after release when they added that as a new system.
I posted a comment on your first impressions video that said that this game has its moments but won't really blow you away. Seems I was mostly right.
I can't stand vanilla turn based games (though I love turn based tactics, strategy, and 4X). After I did some research, I decided to dive into FFXV which I'm currently playing through right now. It seems that everything you said about XVI holds true for XV. Only dealbreaker for XVI for me is that it can't run on the Steam Deck, and it's going to be a while before I beat FFXV.
Story sounds interesting! Transforming into the summons sounds a bit like Attack on Titan and I would play it for the story alone.
I thought the writing in this game was incredible, and the seriousness of it definitely was really appropriate which I wished was the same case for the FF7 remake. I believe this game is enjoyed best when we go through the main story and character arc quests alone.
It’s a fun game to play. If I have nothing else to play or i just don’t want to focus on anything very much I just replay mobs fights with Stage Replay and that enough for me.
Also as someone who play all FF games within one year I do prefer the party system. Thankfully FF7 Rebirth gave me the party system for the 180 hours it took me to 100% it.
So gameplay wise FF7 Rebirth is much better but story wise I would prefer FF16 simply because it a full game story and not just 2/3 of discs 1 of 3 disks of the original FF7 game.
All within a year? Thats wild!
@@ataridc yeah starting in May 2023 when FF1-6 Pixel Remasters came out and after I played Persona 5 (w/ the platinum trophy). I played FF1-10, 10-2, 12, 13, 13-2, Lightning Returns, 15, 16, 7 Remake/Rebirth, Crisis Core, Strangers of Paradise and Type-0. So I started the binge in May 2023 and finished in June 2024. Would have finished 2 months earlier but Baldur’s Gate 3 stole all my attention. FF1-8 took as much time as it took me to platinum just FF7 Rebirth.
I played all games in order except for FF16 which I played on release.
Thankfully every FF game plays differently so it wasn’t repetitive like playing SMT or Persona back to back. Instead I was always excited to see how the next game would be. I played in order so that the newer games wouldn’t sour my experience with the older games. That’s how I always go about playing new game series.
i was thinking about mixing the 2 fighting system....and somehow it turned into the modern Ys games by falcom in my head.
@@lunatic447 never played Ys. But I’ve been seeing to friends play it. I know absolutely nothing about it. If there is a demo for it I’ll check it out.
@@Duckman8213 Dunno bout demos, so usually the series plays like zelda with a focus on bosses instead of dungeon exploration. since Ys seven they kinda switched the gadgets to progress certain metroidvania roadblocks into party characters that each behave like a single iconic feat and the abilities. so i guess in short when you switch icons in combat you switch characters like in FF7R
Mortismal is the man! You should review Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 to switch it up
This to me is a tremendously underrated game
I like to watch reviews after playing the game
I stopped expecting FF to be FF a long time ago so I enjoyed this game alot. The story hooked me right away and kept me in.
I can’t remember a thing about the story :( Jill gets turned into a prisoner and Clive turns into Cid?
I wish this game had a lot of things or did certain things differently, but I also love what we got, all I ask is that CBU3 gets to make another mainline FF game, I believe in their ability to improve on what they got wrong and heighten what they got right.
I just got the platinum trophy for this game a few days ago, and I can honestly say that Final Fantasy XVI is easily one of my favorite Final Fantasy games.
There is something that is just so soothing about hearing your intro music, that I know a quality video is upcoming. What game is your intro music from? 👀
It was made for the channel, you do not want to mess with music copyright
It's a great 15 hour game stretched over 50. There was zero challenge, I think I died once through pure laziness.
I straight up didn’t let myself use any items as a way to make it have even a crumb of challenge
It's a 10/10 anime with 7/10 gameplay. It averages to a 8.5/10 for me but the story is epic enough to keep me interested.
Final Fantasies have never been particularly challenging. Party got superficially wounded? Running out of MP? Just pop a megaelixer...
So it's a pretty typical modern Final Fantasy then. 9, 10, 13, 13-3 were all exactly the same.
Honestly I found the "mini boss" fights to be more difficult than the actual boss fights. Most boss fights had their attacks so telegraphed that it was trivial to beat them with no damage taken
One of the greatest final fantasy games and I've played most of them
I Love It \o/ I dont mind them going to RPG.. lots of fun … No problems playing on GeForce Now so 4080 max ram Looks Awesome !!!
I think it was a good experiment and a great way to give new life to the franchise, mostly as a palate cleanser after XV's mess. I enjoyed it but it's a very flawed game. The characters are good but they don't reach any of the highs that we've seen in past games, and the main plot is sometimes weirdly written. However, I must say that the eikon battles, despite being very spectacle-based and not really deep in terms of gameplay, were a very high point for me. I love FF summons and their depiction here was just excellent imo
I got some interest in playing this game but I feel like it suffers from similar issues that kept me from pulling the trigger on other JRPGs as well. Not sure when or where I picked this up but I have developed an internal clock that gives me a limited window of time to be interested in any game. Once that time ends the game experience sours and so does my opinion along with it regardless of how good the game maybe. While quality and good plot dictates the length of the window (weeks to months) of my interest, it does not keep it from getting stale. Which is where I have my reservations with this game: Bloat is a primary issue for the reasons I mentioned already but I also don't like how shallow the combat is or disingenuous the dialogue seems to feel at points. They might sound medieval European but they certainly don't act it when it comes to general NPCs. I was never a fan of being able to re-spec characters on the fly whenever, it just makes investing in a character build pointless and its the same here. I am really hoping the story is well done enough to keep me invested like TW3 did but even that game ultimate started wearing thin after spending so much time a combat that never evolves past a particular point.
I love this game. I know it has serious problems but the story and combat was top notch for me
fuck it, I'm gonna dip into this! will try the performance of the demo on my PC, the negatives are not a big deal for me anymore
needs some performance patches tho!!!
I played the demo. It was fine. I assumed I would eventually try it once it goes on sale.
Have you played FF7 Remake on PC? Will you play FF7 Rebirth on PC when that comes out?
he's a pc gamer only so will prolly play it when it comes out!
@@levitastic that’s why I mentioned PC twice in my comment. Reread it.
@@Duckman8213 i know what u said, whats ur point, why even ask the question if u know the answer.
@@levitastic You lemon he asked if he played FF7 remake. Learn to read lol
Would be really interested to hear Mort's opinion on FF7 remake!
quote: "if you're bringing a game to PC, the default control scheme there keyboard and mouse should be up to snuff"
Man, all devs and studios should keep your point in the top 5 priorities when they are working on such projects! along with designing UX NOT based on scrolling down infinite list of items with a stick. Thanks for the 100% review!