Ah, vacation! And what doesn’t fit better than playing an epic RPG while it’s hot outside and even hotter inside. Since I finished FF15 a couple of months ago I figured it was time to take on the latest installment.
105 hours later, I’ve got to say the game left me with one of the strangest feeling. It’s INCREDIBLY inconsistent, and I don’t really know what to feel.
It starts out super strong with a story that instantly captivates you, a battle system that’s fun and feels fresh, and interesting characters. I’ve read multiple other reviews saying that the game is great in the beginning and then declines, but even after reading it I somehow wouldn’t believe it. I found myself thinking “I can’t believe people think this is bad, I think it’s 10 out of 10!” several times.
After about ten hours I had to admit “Hmmm okay maybe it’s not perfect, but it’s still a nine”. Ten more hours passed, and the score in my book kept dropping.
After beating the game twice and doing absolutely everything, I can say this for certain: Square Enix makes the same mistake again – trying to turn the game into something it’s not. After finishing 163 side quests (the main game twice and the DLC side quests on New Game Plus) it’s definitely the weakest part. Why make so many if they’re going to be practically the same thing? Either “go fetch this” or “go kill this” – that’s it! I found myself not even paying attention to the story of the last ~20% of the quests. It’s obvious the developers were trying a bit too much to go for a MMORPG style – just look at the way the quests pop up when you accept them, to begin with.
Secondly, enemies are too tanky. Every single mob takes a minute to kill – this is especially true in the second playthrough (the “Final Fantasy mode”, basically hard mode). It would feel rewarding if you got better gear at some point, but every time you get to a new place and buy new gear, it’s like you get 5% more damage while enemies get 7% more tanky. You just need to upgrade to avoid feeling underpowered, but nothing feels like an upgrade. Also, there are no fun effects on some weapons, so there’s literally no point of using older gear. In fact, there are no status effects at all in the game. Just one of many classic FF aspects Final Fantasy 16 is lacking.
So yeah, I’m disappointed with another Final Fantasy. This can’t be more than a seven. I know Square Enix can do better – look at FF7 Remake and Rebirth. While maybe not perfect either, you can’t compare that amount of polish to this.
To finish with something positive I can name the voice acting, which is great in my opinion. Except maybe that Clive, the main character, sounds a bit like a British Batman at times.
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