This review contains spoilers
I haven't truly enjoyed a game's story like this for a long time. I got attached to characters and continuously hoped that some wouldn't die (aka my boy Gav), akin to my thoughts while watching a good show. With that said, there are moments in shows and movies that slow down in order to build character development and focus on world building. In FFXVI, the pacing between story events and unrelated sidequests really broke the immersion. It's an unfortunate pattern in this game where after you clash with the Eikons that shake the earth, sidequests are dropped on you in a batch instead of being spread out naturally throughout the course of the game. While you do unlock a few quests here and there when visiting new locations, the majority of them are dropped as a batch immediately after story moments. One of the best examples is actually in the late game after finishing Waloed. Right before you're given the option to launch the last mission, a batch of 10+ sidequests appear at the Hideaway that are actually quite good. Why would I want to take a break to pick a flower for Dion (just kidding, I'd do anything for Dion) when I can launch myself at Origin and stop Ultima from ending the world? The last few sidequests related to Dion, Joshua and Jill were my favorites, but having them all dropped in after Waloed, right before the suicide mission just seemed like odd pacing.
Additionally, the quality of the majority of sidequests weren't engaging or interesting. Clive was an errand boy for half of them (looking at you, Mid) and SO much of it was "I need this, find it here, fight enemies, pick up item, deliver back to npc". Classic fetch quest, but there were way too many that made it a slog to complete.
With all the downsides of the game out of the way, I can't gush enough on story, characters, gameplay and music. Those factors were enough to bring it to a 4.5/5 even with the pacing and sidequest disappointment. I loved the smoothness of combat, especially swapping Eikon abilities mid animation to chain things together to get the largest stagger damage possible. I ended up never swapping out TItan's powers after unlocking them, the oomph (and damage) of the punches was too satisfying to give up. Additionally, I can't stop listening to the OST even after completing the game. The music, in addition to the cinematics of all Eikon fights was such a perfect chef's kiss moment for each one.
The last thing I'll gush over is the Eikons themselves. So spectacular in their design! The first time I saw Odin and Bahamut on the field, I was in LOVE. Every Eikon looked fantastic and I was excited like a little kid every time a character primed into one. My personal perfect definition of "epic".
Additionally, the quality of the majority of sidequests weren't engaging or interesting. Clive was an errand boy for half of them (looking at you, Mid) and SO much of it was "I need this, find it here, fight enemies, pick up item, deliver back to npc". Classic fetch quest, but there were way too many that made it a slog to complete.
With all the downsides of the game out of the way, I can't gush enough on story, characters, gameplay and music. Those factors were enough to bring it to a 4.5/5 even with the pacing and sidequest disappointment. I loved the smoothness of combat, especially swapping Eikon abilities mid animation to chain things together to get the largest stagger damage possible. I ended up never swapping out TItan's powers after unlocking them, the oomph (and damage) of the punches was too satisfying to give up. Additionally, I can't stop listening to the OST even after completing the game. The music, in addition to the cinematics of all Eikon fights was such a perfect chef's kiss moment for each one.
The last thing I'll gush over is the Eikons themselves. So spectacular in their design! The first time I saw Odin and Bahamut on the field, I was in LOVE. Every Eikon looked fantastic and I was excited like a little kid every time a character primed into one. My personal perfect definition of "epic".