Final Fantasy is a long-running JRPG series with a lot of baggage. Whether trying to recapture the magic of the series' past or modernize the series to modern gaming sensibilities. Final Fantasy has had some semblance of success in the more recent years, with Final Fantasy 15 missing the mark for long-time fans. While the Final Fantasy 7 remake was able to scratch that itch and expound upon the story meaningfully.
So, all eyes were on Final Fantasy 16. Which way was it going to fail? Square Enix has found its groove for Final Fantasy in the modern gaming era…
Final Fantasy 16 stars Clive Rosfield in three integral chapters of his life. When he is a child at 15 and his Eikon powers awake to defend his home state, again when he is 28, he comes to accept his powers and turn the tide against the evil empire, and lately 33. I won't spoil the overview of that age because that just wouldn’t be fair.
You can tell there is a push to maturity we haven't seen in the series yet as Square Enix tries to find the love fans once had for the series again. And, for the most part, it hits very well. There is a certain level of connective tissue between the themes found in Final Fantasy 16 and HBO's Game of Thrones. But thankfully, very quickly, it finds its own identity and sets itself apart not only from Game of Thrones but also manages to evolve the Final Fantasy staples and market itself to an entirely new demographic without alienating the fan base. This is all done subtly at first with something Final Fantasy couldn't get away with before its M rating.
Blood, sex, and nudity. While blood we have seen at pivotal points in previous entries to the series. Final Fantasy 16 does it very differently. There are beheadings, soldiers getting their limbs cut off, chocobos dying ( yes, we know Type-0 has done this, too), and just a copious amount of death. Then there is the nudity and sex. While there are no points of full frontal nudity there are various moments of implied nudity where characters will be having entire conversations all while in the buff. This goes towards the sex as well, as it is all implied, but it gives us a sense of intimacy never before seen to this degree in a Final Fantasy.
There are pivotal characters in each time period of Clive's life, and this is where Final Fantasy seemingly relives its storied past. These side characters are so nuanced, well fleshed out, and have specific drives to them that make their feelings not only believable but people who I would get behind. Cid, for example, is the leader of a movement who looks to free the world's bearers and the Dominant of Ramuh, the lighting Eikon. He has such an incredibly touching story that you can't help but want to believe in his goals. It doesn't help that he might win this year's Daddies of Gaming.
All of these side characters are written with passion and backed by some truly outstanding performances. Clive Rosfield, Cidolfus, Jill Warwick (Clive's love interest), and Dion Lesage are some of the best-directed and performed characters I have experienced.
With Dion specifically, we have seen Square Enix do something they have never done. Have an entirely queer character for the world to enjoy. Dion is also quite possibly one of the most influential people in the world of Valisthea. He is the dominant of Bahamut, and to say the Eikon fight between him and Ifrit is a technical splendor would be putting it lightly.
I still am awed by how beautiful Final Fantasy 16 manages to be. Between the detailing of the characters and how you can sense every emotion as it washes over them, or the incredibly light shows that are the technical masterpiece theater Eikon fights. All while never dropping frames or having weird graphical hiccups.
The gameplay is something that has been heavily criticized as we see a more significant move away from turn-based combat to an action-oriented play style. But everything is in good hands when you bring the combat director on from the Devil May Cry series. The combat in Final Fantasy is so stylish and slick that even with the press of a few buttons or if you equip the combat assists for the less battle-inclined, a single button press will achieve this very impressive and speedy combo. Mixing in the ability to switch Eikon powers at will makes for a very impressive battle system. While it doesn't have the same nostalgic feel as the older Final Fantasy, the fluid action combat is a vast improvement from what we got in Final Fantasy 15.
Lastly, and quite possibly the most important thing about Final Fantasy 16 is its outstanding soundtrack. Some subtleties throw it back to older entries in the series, but even standing apart from those, Final Fantasy 16 leads us with a stunning soundtrack that amplifies the emotions within. During a climactic battle, there is this particular throwback to the original game that just had me bawling my eyes out.
Overall, Final Fantasy 16 is remarkable. From a fantastic story spanning multiple years, a killer score, and some of the slickest gameplay, it is an easy game to recommend to returning fans and newcomers alike.
