FF16 is finished. It's good. Bosses are fucking amazing. The game could be a lot better in female characters' writing. Hangs on a lot of outdated tropes. The GoT inspiration fades fast in the story. Music is good in the game but nothing too memorable. VASTLY better than XV but XV was a pretty low bar.  The fact XVI is a solid entry is high praise for FF these days as not been a good new mainline entry since XII. (Not counting MMO's or remakes) It's funny how towards the end it shares a lot with Xenoblade 3.

I did all the hunts and side quests. I got the best sword that you can get in a first run. I'm worn out now lol and ready for something more relaxing to play.

Loving it so far. The story is unfolding nicely and the characters are interesting.

Gameplay wise, I'm VERY disappointed that the game doesn't seem to have elemental damage / defence. All elements do the same damage to every enemy. I was fully expecting my "fire" attacks to heal the fire-based enemies but no.

Also, the party inclusion in the battle system is step back from XV. I totally loved all the high fives, coordinated attack, and the direct commands during the XV battles. It added to the characters. But the action is definitely more polished in XVI. More fun.

That is exactly why the battle system is so great. It gives YOU the freedom to mix and match Eikon's to build your OWN play style. When you have elemental systems like that in place it actually restricts. Every Eikon is like getting a new weapon in DMC or Bayonetta. Imagine Bayonetta or DMC where cant you use you preferred weapons because they may heal or do less damage. Naaaaw I like it the way it is now

It gives more freedom to choose your preferred weapons, but it also remove what could have been a layer of strategy to the battle system. But I guess that was not what they were going for and I can respect that.

Nothing beats VIIR battle system for me. Perfectly crafted.

Honestly not sure how I feel about the game yet. Its not a betrayal by any means. You could give this game 9/10, but because it has the Final Fantasy name all sort of expectations become attached to it. Clive and Jill really make this game shine.

If it wasn't for FF7 Remake I may well have fallen in love with this game... But FF7 Remake showed me the definitive FF experience with a battle system that incoporated turn based systems with active gameplay.

It really did balance turn based and action based remarkably well. Man, VII Rebirth is gonna be a GREAT game to get my birthday next year. 

Personally I'm not a huge fan of the 13/7R action gauge.

I know how you're supposed to play the game to make it fill quickly, yes, but it feels a bit too restrictive to me. I think the formula could do with some tweaks and overall falls short of both 12 and 16 in terms of what it tries to achieve gameplay-wise.
That being said, I wouldn't be surprised if a FF16 'Ultimate Edition' includes if not playable party members but at least something like gambits/commands.

About the OST

Am I the only feeling sometimes it fails to evoke the right feeling? 

The are many dark scenes, specially at night, where I would expect a more gloomy OST, yet I'm getting some bucolic medieval celtic music

Honestly, the only songs I haven't enjoyed have been the more techno-style ones, like the one we listen to during the middle section of the Titan fight. 

55% of the way. A couple of questions