Final Fantasy XVI Deluxe Edition Review-(PS5)
"Final Fantasy continues it's legacy of introducing us to a world full of a colorful cast we fall in love with. And while FF16 has plenty of nods to previous entries in the long running saga, it also will stand out as being original in a number of ways. After the disappointing boy band protagonists of FF15, the devs decided to cut back in terms of party size and controllable characters this time around and instead give players one main character to direct their focus on. And that person is the star protagonist of this game, Clive Rosfield."
"The biggest change in the formula is the idea that instead of giving out commands to each person in your party like classic FF, players control Clive and are also given a small amount of control to issue to his ever trusty dog Torgal, but players can strike or cast magic with Clive, while also being able to press a button on the directional pad to have Torgal accompany you by biting into your enemies or you can also have him "ravage" which sees Torgal launching smaller enemies into the air where they are then open to combos in mid air. This shift to focusing on one person does feel a little far flung from the normal parties we have becomes accustomed to. However, with time, it becomes more comfortable to control Clive, especially since he gains new Eikons & Eikonic abilities as you progress in the game."
"I guess I should explain a little about the story before I go any further with that. The world in which we begin our journey is called Valisthea, and like many past FF titles, crystals (aka Mothercrystals as they are called in this game) play an important role in the everyday lives of its citizens. The people of Valisthea are dependent upon the crystals, which they draw aether from to do mundane tasks such as powering forges or furnaces and also to be able to cast magicks. There are people who gain "blessings" from Eikons (which are basically summons such as Ifrit) and are called Dominants. Dominants are able to draw upon their particular Eikon's abilities and are capable of immense power. This has led some countries to put Dominants on the front lines of the ongoing war that is brewing between the several different factions and provinces. Then there are people called "Bearers". Bearers are people who were unfortunate enough to display magical prowess without requiring the use of a crystal. You may believe that this may sound like a positive thing, but in this world, it is not. Bearers are marked with an insignia upon "awakening" to their powers, and are treated very poorly across the continent, even some places resorting to enslaving them. For the sake of not spoiling what happens in the main plot, I won't go too much further into that but needless to say, there are many things that Clive would change about the world if he could."
"We begin the story shuffling back and forth from the past when Clive was a boy, along with his beloved brother Joshua, the Dominant of the Phoenix, (also the crown prince of Rosaria, the nation where Clive grew up) and lifelong friend, Jill Warrick. You get to meet a few other characters in Clive's world, along with his father, the arch-duke of Rosaria, Elwin Rosfield, a well-respected man who treats all people and bearers the same. It isn't long before this al comes crashing down and tragedy strikes a vicious blow to this family. When the game picks back up in the present time, Clive has only one thing on his mind. Revenge. Now, I could go on, but as this is a story centered game, commenting on this too much would spoil the surprises in store for those who have yet to play."
"Which brings me to my next topic. This is NOT an open world game that you can freely explore at your leisure. Compared to other Final Fantasy titles, this one is MUCH more linear. You will travel around the world, yes, but only at the rate and only to where the game WANTS you to. You will visit many, many different establishments with it's own variety of NPC's who will let you eavesdrop on their gossipping and from whom you can sometimes pick up information from. I would have liked to have seen more freedom in this respect, but its an issue I can easily overlook. That said, there many side quests which offer fairly good rewards upon completing, and they are very easy to find as the game notifies you when a new one pops up nearby. Eventually, there will come a point in time where you unlock a safe hub area, where shops will open and you will meet others who you have helped liberate and those who would see the world change in the ways Clive also strives to. It is at this point where you can (sometimes not always) jump to previous locations that you have unlocked a fast travel "obelisk" and you can revisit these locales to possibly gain new side quests or to see how the situation surrounding the area has changed. Another complaint is the majority of the side quests do begin to feel like catch quests, with no real depth or life to it. Go fetch this or go kill that are the 2 most common ones you will see. You can also unlock different scores which you can play on your jukebox orchestra back in your hideout. There are some great tracks, as there always are in FF. Another function you unlock at your hideaway is the Bounty List. Particularly fearsome or annoying creatures plaguing the lands are posted on this list and will reward players with significant rewards should they be able to slay these fiends. It very akin to FFXII's bounty hunting."
"This Final Fantasy is definitely a gorgeous sight on PS5, and the character models are all so lifelike and expressive. The voice acting is very on point as well, with Clive's voice actor standing out from the crowd quite well. This may be a very linear experience when compared to other Final Fantasy games, but that does not mean that what is here isn't any good. There is plenty of good about this game, and while it may not be for everyone and certainly does not live up to the much better FF7 Remake (but lets face it, there probably never will be a better FF). But, you can bet your soul it's head and shoulders better than FF15 and I believe this tale of Eikons and war ravaged Valisthea will remain an important topic for many years to come!!"