As of Wednesday 10:52 PM I have completed FINAL FANTASY XVI. Only trophy left is to beat the game on FINAL FANTASY MODE, which I have already started and I have to say, is a lot of fun. I enjoy having all my abilities from the get go and the mode really does turn it up a couple of notches. This is not going to be a standard review because I'm flat out to say that XVI is a 9/10 game. This thread is going to be written from 2 angles: Why it is not a 10/10 and what could be done to make a highly probable XVI-2 better.
1. XVI is "RPG Lite" and this "Lite" shows it's face in many ways. You will get a variety of weapons and armor just like any other FF or RPG in general. Unlike past FF's, weapons only offer a stat buff; There is no other distinction between each weapon. It becomes even stranger when each weapon has a separate stat for power and stagger, but to my knowledge every time you equip a sword it raises/lowers both power AND stagger by equal amounts! I also don't recall any accessories that raises stagger alone, sooo I'm wondering what the point is? I initially thought that every sword would have different power and stagger strength, giving you a choice on what you value more; Do I want raw power or faster stagger? You also get elemental weapons as well that I also thought would offer unique properties but they don't at all either... like what hell? What's the point of them needing unique items to craft then. How about when you have an elemental sword equip you get a bonus while using that elements Eikon? Accessories are all mostly geared towards aggressive, not much in the way of defensive gear. In general there is not much room to play around in regards to equipping Clive. Better integration of RPG elements.
2. XVI has a unique setup in regards to going through the story. There are linear action stages (think DMC, Bayonetta) and when you are not engaged in those, there are the sandbox hubs or what XIV players refer to as the "MMO Lite" parts. It does not matter where you are at, there is not really any form of exploration/reward system. In the action stages there is no exploration at all. It is simply corridors connecting battle zones. Now I would be fine with that because when I'm doing the action stages I want those to be focused on that non stop roller coaster ride with no distractions but, the sandbox areas, where one would most expect that exploration element, does not picked up the slack and it is very disappointing. One of the highlights of XV was finding all the optional stuff throughout the map. Action stages to push the story and hub for the quest/exploration stuff. Why was something so obvious fumbled? There are a few chest that can be opened in both action and hub areas but most of the time they're just one of the few crafting materials found throughout the game. You'll never be short of those lol.. I promise. There is also no side activities to do either. I understand that the world of XVI does not really lend itself to having things like fishing or card games but something to engage in that is not fighting would have been appreciated.
3. Since I mentioned quest, lets talk about those. They have improved over XV(One of XV's weakest parts imo) but not by much. The improvement comes in the way of quest weaving into the greater world of XVI. Every quest in some way shape of form is about adding to the lore or developing it's supporting characters. They are still mostly mundane stuff though. Somebody in the discussion thread made a joke about Clive being the XVI equivalent to door dash and its kind of true. My biggest issue is that they don't always match the tone that XVI is trying to convey. Some are very campy(Bandits stole guys luggage in Damilil), some are cheesy(The dad and son dog one) and some just try to hard (The girl and her "pet"). The tone is all over place. More work needs to be done in this area. I would much rather have fewer but more detailed quest than a bunch of bite size stuff.
4. XVI has a good amount of enemy types but I think a few more would have went a long ways. XVI is an action game foremost and in beat em ups/action games every enemy type offers a different strategy in regards to approach. As you fight these enemies over and over across the entirety of the game you gain a familiarity with there tactics and how you should deal with them. XVI really wants to push that. By the end of the game I was pretty much only getting touched a few times in a regular fight .. precision dodge every other time. Not because I'm a god gamer but because you fight the same enemies so much that it becomes a natural reaction. Iron Giant never touch me anymore. They just don't. I still think even with that mindset there should have been enough enemies so that each of the 4 regions shared but also have there own exclusive monsters. Eventually all monsters can be found anymore and from a story perspective it makes since with the blight and all but from a game all it does it make each region lose its own individuality in some way.
5. The only complaint against the system is Stagger gauge. Not surprising to me because It has been an issue in every game that SE uses it in. Fights can drag on for a long as time because of this this system. I propose faster staggers or higher damage when staggered. One of the two please.
That is pretty much it. If all of this was improved, XVI would be a 10/10 game for me. Otherwise it is an awesome experience and one I would with honor say is a FINAL FANTASY experience. A perfect mix of presentation, gameplay, music and .. nostalgia. Lots of nostalgia used in such wonderful ways. I am very much looking forward to any DLC and XVI-2. Soo many doors were left open.
