Exceptional narrative, personas, and worldbuilding earn the privilege to stray.
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Despite with 16 primary entries (XX if you count X-2, 13-2, Lightning Returns, and Final Fantasy 7 Remake) and a slew of spinoffs, there’s no FF game quite like Final Fantasy 16. The most recent in this renowned series is more an progression of the character action genre than the RPG foundation the series was built on. It combines fast reflexes with character-building RPG mechanics, but focuses far more on the former aspect than ever before. It’s not a flawless mixture – while the combat is remarkable for an action RPG, it is undoubtedly a bit lacking when compared directly to the greats of the action genre – but even an flawed mix is potent enough when paired with Last Dream 16’s epic, 50+ hour story. It’s filled with memorable characters, exceptional worldbuilding, an amazing soundtrack, and awe-inspiring moments of pure spectacle the likes of which are infrequently seen in any game.
FF16 picks up the ball that FF14 got rolling and continues to move the series back down the path of high fantasy, taking more than a little cue from GoT along the way. Its story spans decades’ worth of history in the realm of Valisthea, a land overflowing with both beauty and death as an encroaching blight forces neighboring kingdoms to fight over untainted resources, including five enormous Mother Crystals that are the primary source of the realm’s magic.
At the core of this tale is your character, Clive Rosfield, the eldest prince of the kingdom of Rosaria and protector of his brother Joshua, the dominating force of Phoenix (…let’s not get bogged down in jargon for now, we’ll talk about Dominants a bit later). Clive is a superb, well-rounded protagonist, superbly brought to life by actor Ben Starr. He undergoes a lot of change and development over the course of the decades-long story, but always remains supremely likable, relatable, and an total badass when the need arises, as it very regularly does.
The rest of the cast is excellent as well. Jill (played by the superb Susannah Fielding) is Clive’s childhood friend and acts as a fantastic companion who comprehends and relates with Clive on a deep and sentimental level, and the heartwarming scenes between them are always a highlight as their relationship grows. Cid is probably my new all-time favorite FF character. He’s nearly got a young Liam Neeson type going on, regardless of being voiced perfectly by Ralph Ineson (who’s having quite year in the world of video games, having also appeared in Diablo IV). Cid is a natural leader, brimming with charisma and charm, and without going into detail, his cause is one that was very easy to rally behind and made me thrilled to follow him and his band of rebels.
A Narrative that Sticks
The most significant accomplishment of Final Fantasy 16’s story, though, is how it never leaves you to drown in its lore. This is a huge world complete with five kingdoms, each with their own forms of government, rulers, religions, and ideals; a whole collection’s worth of realm-specific terms, like bearers, Eikons, and Dominants; and a great history of the world that you’re expected to keep up with in order to get the most out of the major story moments. It would all be a little daunting if not for an ingenious quality-of-life feature that I genuinely hope becomes standard throughout all story-heavy video games: Active Time Lore.
At any point during any cutscene or conversation, you can hold down the DualSense touchpad to bring up a series of contextual compendium entries that are relevant to what’s going on in that scene. So anytime a character mentioned a term, character, or location that I either didn’t know or needed a reminder about, I could bring up the Active Time Lore and a succinct entry would be right there to get me up to speed. These entries change with the events of the story too, updating with new information about the state of the world and Clive’s knowledge about it as it happens.
Having this type of feature was a blessing. Later on, big missions are also paved with stylish history lessons by your crew’s scholar that fill you in on what you need to know about the region you’re about to visit – who the rulers are, their ambitions, their allies, their enemies, and so on. I know that might sound like school, but it actually did a truly successful job of bringing me into, and keeping me invested in, the realm of Valisthea.
One of the most interesting elements of the story – and one that also ends up being an outstanding addition to the already very good combat – is the existence of Eikons and Dominants. Eikons are extremely powerful beings that Final Fantasy fans will recognize as the usual invocations from previous games, and Dominants are the special humans who are able to tap into their power, even to the point of fully transforming into them. In the lore, Dominants are used virtually like nuclear deterrents; saved as a final option due to the potential mutually assured destruction that would be caused by their fights.
FF16 will very likely be looked back upon as a game-changer for mainline FF games, taking its combat fully in the direction of an action game advices, but I hope that conversation doesn’t overshadow its dark and captivating tale, memorable characters, and the innovative ways in which it helps you keep track of it all. The Active Time Lore feature is incredible, and should be standard for all story-driven games going forward, and while the combat may not live up to the sky-high standards as some of the best games in the action genre, among other action RPGs, it’s near the top of the heap. Pair all of that with one of the best soundtracks of the year, incredible performances from top to bottom, and drop-dead gorgeous visuals, and you’ve got a game worthy of an orchestral Final Fantasy victory fanfare.
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