[PS5] Final Fantasy XVI

[Skinypupy]

Further stretching the limits of the word "final", the Final Fantasy XVI announcement trailer dropped today. And...DAMN.



I absolutely love the medieval fantasy aesthetic. A little less enthused about it appearing to move in a more of an Dark Souls ARPG direction, but I'll reserve judgement on that.

[Scraper]

I have to admit FF16 looks awesome. The impression I got was that it wasn't Dark Souls type combat, but combat more like FF7 remake. I hope I'm right about that. But I love the look and the setting for FF16.

Also the fact that it's a PS5 console exclusive is a real kick in the nuts for Xbox. I imagine it's only timed though.

[Skinypupy]

Demo comes out today. It’s about 2.5 hours long, runs through the opening of the game, and progress carries over to the full game.

[Scraper]

I played through the demo. The game is awesome. The graphics are next gen, the storyline and story telling are strong and the combat is really good.

You have the option of playing on story mode or action mode. I chose action mode (the harder mode) and the combat felt great. I didn't lose any battles in the demo, but i could see harder enemies ramping up the skill required.

[Skinypupy]

I played through the demo. The game is awesome. The graphics are next gen, the storyline and story telling is strong and the combat is really good.

You have the option of playing on story mode or action mode. I chose action mode (the harder mode) and the combat felt great. I didn't lose any battles in the demo, but i could see harder enemies ramping up the skill required.

Good to hear. I think I’m going to skip the demo and just jump right in when it releases. I don’t want to play a couple hours, then have to wait another couple weeks to keep playing. Got plenty of D4 to catch up on anyways.

[Scraper]

Some more observations after letting it set in.

This has the potential to be a game of the year contender for me. Seriously the story telling they achieved in the first 2 to 3 hours in the demo is impressive. They managed to create several characters that you care about in that short amount of time and (spoiler for the demo)

Spoiler:

You're actually rooting for and feel bad for when the demo ends

I can't wait to play the full game. It went from a must buy eventually to a must pre-order for me.

Also, the demo lets you use several different accessories that significantly eases the difficulty of combat. My suggestion is to not equipment them as they will cripple your ability to learn the combat, BUT if you suck at action games then they are there to make the game much easier.

The combat involves the need to dodge enemy attacks in a timely manner. The enemies all telegraph their attacks, so if you're used to Souls style games then the combat here will not be a problem. I can't wait to see how the combat evolves as more magic attacks are unlocked.

[Skinypupy]

(sigh)

Fine, I’ll download it.

[Scraper]

(sigh)

Fine, I’ll download it.

When I first fired it up I thought I would just play it for a couple of minutes. I ended up finishing the demo in one sitting, probably took a little over 2 hours.

[Skinypupy]

OH. MY. GOD.

That was simply...stunning. I don't know if they can keep up that pace throughout the entire game, but if they can, this could be a truly special game. Those first couple hours are a masterclass in storytelling, worldbuilding, and combat. I was completely captivated and cannot wait to see more.

Funny thing is, I almost always skip RPG demos - especially JRPG demos - because they typically make me less excited for a game and not more. They jump into the middle somewhere, have you tinker with systems and characters you don't really understand, and I always come away feeling rather 'meh' about the whole thing. This one was exactly the opposite...I'm beyond excited for this game after playing this demo. I know it won't be for everyone (it's still a FF game, with all the long cutscenes that entails) but the story it has started to tell is fantastic.

Quick additional thoughts:
- Hearing "Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck" in a Final Fantasy game just felt...weird. I know they're going for gritty, but I don't know how much the cursing really adds to the experience.
- I really like the option to simply equip accessories to adjust the combat difficulty. I didn't need them for the demo, but imagine I'll make use of them later on. That said, the combat was very smooth and incredibly fun. And the big battle at the end was truly something to behold.
- Best looking game on PS5? Seems like it will be.
- This is the first time a Chocobo has really looked like a bad-ass war beast and not just an overgrown chicken.
- MOAR TORGAL!
- Damn, Soken went hard on that music. FF fans knew all about his from the incredible FF XIV soundtrack, but this score just seems to take things to another level.
- I shudder to think where Squeenix would be right now without Yoshi P. He may have singlehandedly saved the Final Fantasy franchise.

Next Thursday can't get here soon enough.

[Scraper]

I'm not gonna say I told you so. But yeah it's better than I thought it would be. I think it will be better than the FF7 remake as well.

[YellowKing]

I was fully planning on postponing this until I had my fill of Diablo IV, but y'all are making it difficult. At least Diablo is on PC so I kind of have an excuse to have a game for the other system. And..you know....Father's Day and all......

[Skinypupy]

I was fully planning on postponing this until I had my fill of Diablo IV, but y'all are making it difficult. At least Diablo is on PC so I kind of have an excuse to have a game for the other system. And..you know....Father's Day and all......

I'd say to try the demo. You can get through it in a couple hours and it'll give you a really good idea of what the game is like.

[baelthazar]

I am really on the fence. The visuals are breathtaking, the voice acting is amazing, and the story is intriguing. But the demo felt VERY linear, and I know that this entry has no open world like the previous versions. It is unclear just how much exploration there is, or if this is "go to a zone, do the thing, move on" more like Bayonetta or Devil May Cry. And it appears you can finish the story in a respectable 35 hours, which is good but a bit less than the sprawling freedom of other FF games.

Maybe I am just getting shock of coming from playing Tears of the Kingdom to this. Linear isn't bad, necessarily. Just not sure it is what I want right now.

[Scraper]

I am really on the fence. The visuals are breathtaking, the voice acting is amazing, and the story is intriguing. But the demo felt VERY linear, and I know that this entry has no open world like the previous versions. It is unclear just how much exploration there is, or if this is "go to a zone, do the thing, move on" more like Bayonetta or Devil May Cry. And it appears you can finish the story in a respectable 35 hours, which is good but a bit less than the sprawling freedom of other FF games.

Maybe I am just getting shock of coming from playing Tears of the Kingdom to this. Linear isn't bad, necessarily. Just not sure it is what I want right now.

I think the Devs intentionally made this one linear after so many people complained about 15s open world.

[disarm]

After everyone else's raving about the demo, I played it this afternoon and have to say that I agree with pretty much all the positive things said so far. The whole presentation is very impressive...art design, graphic fidelity, music, voice acting...all top notch.

The story presented in both the main demo and Eikon Challenge are interesting and set up what should be an interesting storyline. Clive is already a character that I find more interesting than Noctis from FFXIV. While I did play that game through to the end thanks to the interesting relationships between Noctis and his friends, I didn't really enjoy the messy, incomplete main story. While the demo is only a very brief introduction, FF-XVI already seems to have a better formed concept and main character.

Other positives from my run in Action Mode without using any of the aid items...

The combat is fast, responsive and fully real-time, yet still works in FF's signature cinematic moments. While the fighting against small enemies isn't all that interesting in the demo (especially coming off getting platinum trophy in Gow: Ragnarok), the boss battles all had really cool moments. I didn't find it all that challenging, but I don't really expect the demo to be fully representative of the final game.

The menu system and ability trees seem well done. While I know the demo doesn't show everything, I like that the ability tree shown here isn't overly complicated.

Negatives? I don't really have much negative to say because nothing really put me off during the demo. As someone else did say, I was a little surprised by the amount of strong language in a Final Fantasy game. My 9yo son was watching me play for a few minutes and heard a surprising number of 4-letter words. While I'm an adult who really isn't bothered by this, it does seem a little out of place in a FF game (along with a couple moments that are quite a bit more sexually suggestive than I remember them doing before). I get that they're going for a mature, gritty world and story, but it just seems a little unnecessary.

Overall, I'm very impressed by the demo and looking forward to the full game. I have enough on my plate that I won't be picking this up day one, but it has definitely jumped to a higher priority on my list of games to play.

[Scraper]

And pre-ordered. Ill preinstall it once it's available, but ill be on vacation during launch. So ill have to wait to play it when i get home.

[coopasonic]

Didn't try the demo, but I am kind of in between games here and thinking about it. I've generally loathed the story elements of every JRPG ever but as long as the gameplay is fun. I also have a gamestop gift card that has like $17 left that I need to get rid of. I guess we'll see how bored I am tomorrow.

[Skinypupy]

I've generally loathed the story elements of every JRPG ever

I can almost guarantee you'll hate this one then. It has a huge emphasis on story and characters, with probably about half of the 2.5 hour demo simply being story sequences and cutscenes.

And while it's a bit more grounded that some other FF games, it's still a world with swords the size of airplane propellers, giant screen-filling demons, and flashy combat animations with enough particle effects to melt your brain.

In short, it's still very much a Final Fantasy game and a JRPG.

[coopasonic]

I enjoyed FFXV but have no recollection of the story whatsoever. I know this one is supposed to be a tighter experience. If the demo is still available maybe I'll take a look tonight.

[Skinypupy]

Review embargo lifted this morning, currently sitting at 88 (with 100 reviews).

Watched a couple of the reviews and they're about what I expected after playing the demo. Fun action combat, a story that mostly hits (but doesn't click for some), looks and sounds incredible.

[YellowKing]

I played through about half an hour of the tutorial last night (all I had time for), and the combat feels really good. The character models to me are distractingly wonky looking, but I guess I'll get used to it. I will pick it up eventually but not day one; I don't think I've hit my saturation point with Diablo IV yet so I'll wait until I get burned out on that and need a new game.

I don't mind the linearity. I love open world games, but for some reason linearity in JRPGs doesn't bother me at all. I guess because I grew up playing so many of them.

[coopasonic]

Next Thursday can't get here soon enough.

It finally got here.

For the record, I finished the demo this morning and I am still unsure if I will get the game (while being quite certain I am getting the game). I know I said I don't care about JRPG stories, but the demo certainly ended in a way that makes you want to see more.

[Skinypupy]

Next Thursday can't get here soon enough.

It finally got here.

And the next three days have completely blown up with work meetings and kid events.

I don't even think I'll get to play until Sunday.

[Octavious]

I really need to try the demo as I watched a video review and this looked really freaking cool. I'm not a Final Fantasy fanboy so I don't really care if it follows some previous formula so I have that on my side. It seems like it's structured similar to how say the Last of Us is done. Which I would totally love as I adored both games.

[Skinypupy]

I'm not a Final Fantasy fanboy so I don't really care if it follows some previous formula so I have that on my side.

This is entirely unlike any previous FF game in the series. Drastically so, I'd say.

[coopasonic]

Just thought I'd let SP know I'm about 4 hours in and having fun. I haven't even skipped any cutscenes (so like 20 minutes of actual gameplay completed )!

[Skinypupy]

Just thought I'd let SP know I'm about 4 hours in and having fun. I haven't even skipped any cutscenes (so like 20 minutes of actual gameplay completed )!

You’re further than me!

[YellowKing]

I stumbled into a bit of extra cash so I went ahead and grabbed this. Playtime may be a bit scarce this week but I have a long July 4th weekend so hoping to hit it hard then.

Really the combat in the demo is what pushed me over the edge. The normal mobs are super easy, but the boss fights are a ton of fun. I was a little worried with it being purely action based this time, but the simple nature of it (pretty much attack, magic, dodge) is easy to pick up. Yeah, I know it can get more involved with chaining combos and switching among the various forms, but it feels like one of those games where you can get by even if you choose not to make a deep dive into the complexities.

I also REALLY liked that they put the Fantasy back into Final Fantasy. While I enjoyed FFXV, the modern take with driving around in a car, etc. felt a bit weird. While it feels VERY different from any other FF title before, it still references a lot of what we all love about FF.

[Skinypupy]

I finally had a chance to put in about 8 hours between last night and today. It's completely unsurprising that I would like FF XVI (it's a FF game, after all), but I'm actually quite surprised at just how much I'm enjoying this.

The story has absolutely hooked me. Unlike the last game where it took me quite a while to warm up to Noctis and crew, I immediately connected with all of these characters. The world-building is remarkable, the story is compelling, and the characters are interesting. That's helped by the amazingly useful "Auto Lore" system where you can get details on any characters, locations, or other helpful data at any time. This needs to be standard in all games moving forward, it's fantastic. It's also helped by some truly excellent voice actors bringing these characters to life. Ben Starr as Clive and Ralph Inseon as Cid deserve special mention, as they are both brilliant. Even if it is kinda weird going straight from Diablo 4 where Ineson plays a major role to FF XVI...where Ineson plays a major role. It's still early, but I think this version of Cid might be my favorite version, which is saying a lot.

You can tell the FF XIV DNA is strong with this game. Yoshi P has said on a few occasions that (and I'm paraphrasing here) that FF XVI would be the Final Fantasy game he would make if he wasn't doing an MMO. It really shows, especially if you've spent significant time in Eorzea. Trekking through the lush forest in XVI reminded me of running through The Black Shroud outside Gridania. The arena for the battle against

Spoiler:

Garuda

was very similar to the same battle in XIV. Even the boss attacks in that battle were similar. Soken's score is simply breathtaking, and somehow gets even better as each new area is introduced.

I'm finding the combat to be a blast so far, especially now that I have a couple Eikon options. Swapping back and forth between different elemental attacks on the fly while chaining other special moves is immensely satisfying and I have actually picked it up more quickly than I expected. Some of the cinematic effects during combat are spectacular, and the Eikon battles truly define Epic. They're simply amazing.

I was concerned about how the shift to primarily an action game would affect my enjoyment of FF XVI. While I'm still a little nervous that it will ultimately prove to be too difficult for my old man reflexes, I'm having an absolute blast so far. My other big worry was that it simply wasn't going to feel like a FF game. No concerns at all on that front. They've done a remarkable job building a fascinating world and telling a very compelling story. I do wish they would have toned down the language a bit, or at least given an option to censor it somehow. Mostly because my kids want to watch, but Mrs. Skinypupy is a hard no with the number of f-bombs flying around.

I think enjoyment of FF XVI will ultimately come down to whether or not the story clicks with you. If it does, seems like you'll be in for an incredible ride. If it doesn't, I can absolutely see how this would be a slog. Those who want big, open worlds to explore will also be out of luck here. This isn't that game.

So far, nearly all positives for me. It's starting out as a wholly remarkable game.

[YellowKing]

I was lucky enough to get a few hours in this weekend as well, and agree with all the points above. This feels far more like a FF game than XV did, and that's a very good thing.

I think the story is primarily helped by raising the ages of the main characters. These are grown-ass men, not angsty teenagers. As I was playing I couldn't help but find it funny that Clive's "issues" would have come off as emo whining if he was presented as a 15 year old. As someone (I presume) in his late 20s, his problems have a lot more gravity and he never comes off as being overdramatic. It adds a layer of maturity to the game that I don't think we've really ever seen in a FF title.

I also think I figured out why combat is just so dang fun. The game REALLY rewards good moves (perfect evades, parries) by not only mitigating the damage you would have taken, but by letting you absolutely wail on the enemy. On the flip side, the game sort of "under" punishes you for mistakes - sure, you'll take some damage, but it usually doesn't feel as devastating as you might think. The result is that I feel really awesome when I play well, but I don't feel overly frustrated when I play poorly.

Obviously there are exceptions. Big enemy attacks can be pretty punishing if you're not careful, but they're usually super telegraphed and fairly easy to evade if you're paying attention. And if your timing still sucks, you always have the option to equip the jewelry that auto-evades for you (even though I'm not using any of these player aids, I think it's a brilliant idea).

The boss battles (and there are a LOT of them) are really where the game shines. They feel epic, perhaps even a bit intimidating, but they also feel fair. Usually within a few seconds you can get the gist of when you can close and strike and when you just need to get the hell out of the way. And like Skiny said, things really open up once you get access to more powers and can start swapping around based on the situation.

The game is SUPER on-rails, though, so if that turns you off then you may feel a bit claustrophobic. The only real choice available to you is how you want to focus your abilities. Even gear is pretty locked into a loop of "buy the best thing, progress through story until something better unlocks, buy the new best thing." I don't mind it because the story is engaging and the combat is so fun, but if you didn't like FFXIII because of the linearity.....hoooo boy, I don't know what to tell ya!

[Skinypupy]

One thing I’d mention as a negative is that finding items in the field via exploration is rarely exciting. It’s almost always just crafting materials, or minuscule amounts of Gil (like, 2 or 5).

I always still explore because I love the combat and the environments are drop-dead gorgeous to run around in, but the rewards you get are mostly meh.

[coopasonic]

No idea how far I am into the game and I don't see how to get played time, but you know, being me, it's a lot. I feel like any useful way of mentioning my progress would be a spoiler, so I'll say I am level 36 and I just upgraded a skill for 3125 skill points. (and I still have over 3k skill points to spend!)

I'm still enjoying it, but I have two main complaints about the game.
1) Skiny already mentioned the loot you get from exploration, so very often it is 2 Gil. I have over 200k and there is hardly any use for it as far as I can tell, except for buying music for the juke box. Why does a top tier weapon cost 3k and a song cost 40k?
2) Combat is brain-dead. You have to TRY to die... and when you do die... you respawn with full potions and generally keep most of the progress, even if you were 75% through a boss encounter. That's kind of a positive because of #3.
3) The game massively prioritizes spectacle over gameplay. The big boss encounters drag on and on and on to the point of "surprise" fatigue. At this point I am surprised when an encounter actually ends, like, are you sure there aren't three more phases? Oh, wait, yeah that was just a mid encounter cutscene, fight it again, but this time with feeling!

I am still enjoying it, but I won't be sad when it ends.

[Octavious]

So is it much like the demo where it's 75 percent cut scenes and 25 percent gameplay? If that pacing keeps on the entire game I would rip my hair out. I'd rather just go watch a movie at that point.

[coopasonic]

I'd say the balance shifts a good bit... Maybe more like 60% gameplay/40% cutscenes.. actually more like 30% gameplay/30% running around/40% cutscenes

[Octavious]

Cool this certainly fell into a wait for a sale as there's so much stuff out right now, but I'll try it at some point.

[Skinypupy]

3) The game massively prioritizes spectacle over gameplay. The big boss encounters drag on and on and on to the point of "surprise" fatigue. At this point I am surprised when an encounter actually ends, like, are you sure there aren't three more phases? Oh, wait, yeah that was just a mid encounter cutscene, fight it again, but this time with feeling!

So...Final Fantasy.

[coopasonic]

I have played a smattering of FF games over the years, skipping most of the modern ones until XV intrigued me. I don't remember anything on the scale of what happened to me last night. That encounter had to take over an hour and not because I was dying and retrying (though there was probably close to 10 minutes lost where I figured out my approach was wrong on one phase of the fight). It just kept getting bigger and bigger.

Honestly if this was an anime I would have turned it off 15-20 minutes in. I'm too invested now, so I'll see it through, but point me back at this thread when I talk about buying the next FF game.

[YellowKing]

I'm still having fun with it, but it definitely feels "off" for me somehow. And I can't quite put my finger on it.

My best guess about what is bothering me is that it never feels like anything you do as a player actually makes any difference.

As an example, I've been playing FFX recently. Super linear game - you're always going from Point A to Point B, no real exploration. So in that respect it's pretty similar.

However, in FFX you're constantly making meaningful decisions in combat. You have to swap characters in and our depending in the combat situation and in order to level everyone up equally. You have to make decisions on what skills to unlock. Loot is varied, so you have to pay attention to what items you have equipped.

FFXVI doesn't really have *any* of that. You're controlling the same guy throughout, and honestly in most fights - even though you have the illusion of choice in what skills you equip and use - you could win just by spamming the basic attack button. Boss fights and elite enemy fights require a bit more thought if you want to finish them in any reasonable amount of time, but I still can't shake the feeling that the skills you choose don't actually matter.

Equipment? For most slots there is no choice - you're going to just buy whatever's better than what you have. The only real customization depends on what you put in your 3 accessory slots. And so far the benefits there are so minor I'm not sure it would matter if you just unequipped everything.

The story is fairly engaging, the combat is fun. But I can't help but feel all I'm really doing is playing an interactive novel. Watch cutscene, fight some trash mobs that are trivial to kill just by mashing the same button over and over, watch more cutscenes, finally get to a boss fight where I have to hit evade a little bit. But if I die it doesn't matter because the game will just reset me to the phase of the fight I was in and fill all my potions back up.

I'm only like Level 25, maybe the game changes or something, I don't know. But if this is what it's like for the rest of the game, I do not understand the 9 and 10 scores at all.

[coopasonic]

I'm only like Level 25, maybe the game changes or something, I don't know. But if this is what it's like for the rest of the game, I do not understand the 9 and 10 scores at all.

I'm level 41 and it hasn't changed yet.

I think I've had one actual story choice so far. I agree the trinkets are underwhelming. 2 second reduced cooldown, woo!

I'm still interested in the story but as it continues it becomes less and less interesting. Like the side quest stuff is interesting. The main story is... I kind of want to say nonsense.

[Scraper]

Equipment? For most slots there is no choice - you're going to just buy whatever's better than what you have. The only real customization depends on what you put in your 3 accessory slots. And so far the benefits there are so minor I'm not sure it would matter if you just unequipped everything.

The story is fairly engaging, the combat is fun. But I can't help but feel all I'm really doing is playing an interactive novel. Watch cutscene, fight some trash mobs that are trivial to kill just by mashing the same button over and over, watch more cutscenes, finally get to a boss fight where I have to hit evade a little bit. But if I die it doesn't matter because the game will just reset me to the phase of the fight I was in and fill all my potions back up.

I'm only like Level 25, maybe the game changes or something, I don't know. But if this is what it's like for the rest of the game, I do not understand the 9 and 10 scores at all.

I'm level 23 at this point and I have to say I agree 100% with YK. My excitement from the Demo has waned a lot. While it's a good game it's certainly not a 9 or a 10. The game really does just feel like you're watching an interactive novel and there isn't a whole lot of immersion. I agree with everything other's have said about the lack of customization and ease of combat.

I will finish the game but it's certainly not game of the year material and it's not even close to my favorite FF game, heck it's not even my favorite RPG I've played in the last 6 months (that award goes to Trails to Azure).