Summary
- Final Fantasy 16 turns its back on traditional RPG elements, such as class identity, in favor of a heavy focus on action and set-pieces.
- The game follows a linear narrative with no meaningful side content or party customization options, which may feel alienating to fans of previous installments.
- Despite its departure from traditional RPG gameplay, Future mainline entries of Final Fantasy may still stick to Final Fantasy 16's formula, while spin-offs continue to experiment with different genres.
Whenever a new game arrives as part of the Final Fantasy series, especially a mainline entry, it's a huge deal within the video game industry. Final Fantasy 16, which was released in June of this year, was certainly no exception to this. With a huge budget behind it, the first game in the franchise to release on PS5 arrived with the expected amount of fanfare and hype surrounding it. However, despite delivering a highly polished game with fast-paced combat and a multi-layered narrative that fans of the series have come to expect, Final Fantasy 16 controversially turned its back on many of the traditional RPG elements it's known for, such as class identity. Whether this will be the norm for mainline entries now remains to be seen, but with a franchise as big as Final Fantasy, these elements should eventually return in some form.
The original Final Fantasy was released way back in 1987, so it's no surprise that the series has had to evolve consistently over the years to keep itself fresh. For the most part, it has done an admirable job of this, with landmark turn-based RPG titles in the series such as Final Fantasy 7 and Final Fantasy 10 underlining its dominance in the RPG genre. As the years have gone on, there's been a shift towards action-focused titles with Final Fantasy 15 and Final Fantasy 7 Remake, as despite retaining many of the series' classic elements, both are classified as real-time action RPGs. Final Fantasy 16 takes this a step further, dropping almost all the RPG elements in favor of a heavy focus on action and set-pieces.
Final Fantasy 16 Took the Series in a Bold New Direction
Final Fantasy 16 is mainly centered on one man: Clive Rosfield. The brooding protagonist embarks on a quest that eventually takes on world-ending significance, and in stark contrast to the dozens of memorable party members made available over the series' previous installments, Clive is the sole member of the party. A couple of friends drop in to help along the way, but none are controllable, and their actual value is questionable at best. Not only is there no party for the player to choose and customize, but there are no class options for Clive either. He can upgrade or change his sword, but this feels largely rudimentary. He cannot focus on magic, or particular defensive or offensive options. Abilities exist, but almost all of them are exclusively focused on dealing damage.
The linear nature of the game, and the lack of meaningful side content, including some of the optional super-bosses that Final Fantasy is well-known for, round out the major changes. These omissions allow FF16 to focus on its action, by unleashing a fun, fluid combat system for players to enjoy. It accomplishes this goal, and the giant Eikon battles are truly a spectacle to behold. For fans of the previous installments, though, it undeniably feels a little alienating for so many of the key elements to be missing, and many will wonder what this means for the series' future.
Final Fantasy 16 may not be the traditional RPG that many expected, but that's not to say the series couldn't produce another one further down the line.
Thankfully, spin-offs such as Final Fantasy Type-0 and Final Fantasy Theatrhythm Final Bar have shown just how diverse the franchise is when it comes to experimenting with different genres. Final Fantasy 16 may not be a traditional RPG like many expected, but that's not to say the series couldn't produce another one further down the line. The gaming world is bracing itself for the release of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth in early 2024, but it seems entirely possible that developer Square Enix will stick to FF16's formula with further mainline entries, but future projects could take on many shapes and forms, and it will be interesting to see where the series goes next.
Final Fantasy 16
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 87 /100 Critics Rec: 91%
- Released
- June 22, 2023
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Publisher(s)
- Square Enix
- Engine
- Proprietary Engine
- Franchise
- Final Fantasy
WHERE TO PLAY
An epic dark fantasy world where the fate of the land is decided by the mighty Eikons and the Dominants who wield them.
This is the tale of Clive Rosfield, a warrior granted the title “First Shield of Rosaria” and sworn to protect his younger brother Joshua, the dominant of the Phoenix. Before long, Clive will be caught up in a great tragedy and swear revenge on the Dark Eikon Ifrit, a mysterious entity that brings calamity in its wake.
