Final Fantasy has a huge fanbase who love the series not just because of the characters that it creates but the type of gameplay it has offered for years. Keeping only one aspect of that constant was a bold move for anyone creating the 16th mainline entry of this massive franchise, one that might pay off dividends if you look at it with an open mind. The rest is taken care of by the immensely satisfying story and presentation which will set a new standard for third-person games for years to come.
The strongest suit of armour this game wears is the story and visual storytelling which goes from strength to strength as you progress through it. It has been well documented that the creators were inspired by George R.R. Martin’s style of world-building and took it upon themselves to create a world with deep characters and a political scenario which only complicates with each new twist and strategic manoeuvre by the heads of the table. This is apparent right from the get-go as this game is a departure from the adolescent tone of most FF games and tells its story through shades of grey both visually and tonally with characters more violent and motivated than what we are used to seeing, commanding attention even from the wrong side of the moral argument. This makes the story engaging and will surely draw in a new section of gamers who are willing to explore a more mature delivery of age-old concepts of right and wrong. The audio is top notch and visual fidelity on offer is of the highest standard. Every character is rendered immaculately and voice-acted exceptionally well. For a game not revolutionising plots in action games, it certainly is creating new standards for motion capture and art direction. Although it doesn’t offer every kind of biome to explore in its numerous zones of the open world, the environments on offer are varied nonetheless and the art style is very consistent and delivers on all levels from buildings to enemy designs. Graphics were probably the first most impressive thing you saw as you started the game and it will hold true right till the end, even in boss fights which get so chaotic that it is near impossible to ascertain what exactly is going on. A coolness quotient of the highest order can be an accurate way of describing the overall visual quality.
Just a good story will not keep you invested for a game of this length and the gameplay itself is quite addictive. Taking a few pages from the Devil May Cry book this game features high-octane sword and magic combat with the fundamentals mixed with special moves of 7 different styles which can be freely swapped in and out depending on how you play. Note that none of these styles are superior to the other but are merely options to how you like to play each giving a unique twist to combat with its own specialities and drawbacks. This keeps things interesting right till the end as you keep trying to find the perfect balance for every kind of situation. The difficulty spike is pretty gradual but the enemy variations leave a little to desire as they get merely tougher to beat in terms of hits needed but not too much of tactical switching. This is welcome newer fans to the action game genre with open arms but for seasoned vets might seem a bit tiring in the middle or if you’re out to complete every side quest.
Speaking of side quests they are easily the worst part of this game with dated design and threadbare plots. Saying all the quests are pretty much identical might be oversimplifying but not by a lot as they revolve around meeting the commonfolk and meeting their demands or helping an injured soldier, all of which ultimately boils down to killing a few monsters and retrieving an item of importance. Each doesn’t last a long while and some have their own story arcs but that is hardly an excuse to stick around for as long as they do. It goes without saying that leaving some of these 15-minute long side quests behind on the cutting room floor would have healthily reduced the completion time to something much more welcoming to a casual who might not want to play through all 60+ hours of it. The only redeeming quality might be that they offer a deeper insight into the world of Valisthea and its social mechanisms and complete the overall experience of the story.
I shall refrain from revealing anything about the story or its plot as it is best experienced on your own but the undertones of freedom, subjugation and conquest are painted throughout. It is here that the protagonist, Clive Rosfield shines the brightest. Starting off as the typical grunting anime hero he develops into the voice of the people and wears his heart on his sleeve towards the end. His love for his friends and his brother are the strongest emotions this game puts forward and makes him a fine hero. It is important to understand the story to understand his motivations and the game does a great job handling the thick lore and backstory in a very unique and interactable way which never gets overwhelming and will make you keep coming back time and time to fill in the gaps of the story with written entries which help understand the world around us.
Divisive at best the game has punctuations of spectacular combat and presentation with bloat and length holding it back from becoming something even better. The wholesome acceptance of its character as an action game with very few RPG elements makes it very little replayable if not for experiencing the story and characters once again.