Final Fantasy XVI is a unique departure from the RPG gameplay style the series is well known for. Here, we see something more akin to a character action game, such as Bayonetta or Devil May Cry, but retaining some elements that are typically seen with RPGs, like levelling up and having equipment builds and crafting stronger weapons.
In regards to gameplay, this is a very satisfying action game. You get access to plenty of cool powerful moves as you progress through the story, allowing for setups that flow pretty smoothly with each other.
Aside from these flashy moves, however, you only get one combo for your basic attack and one basic magic move, which is a shame because I feel like there could have been a lot of unique combos regarding each type of magic you unlock, as well as neat magic attacks that compliment each magic type. Sadly they don't really explore things that much with combat outside the special moves so you're kind of relying on the specials to spice up combat encounters most of the time.
Gameplay aside, there is a lot here to appreciate with the story. It kept me interested from beginning to end, constantly excited to see where things would go with each major event. Side characters are fun and get fleshed out pretty well through side quests and dialogues you can share with them throughout the game.
Speaking of side quests, there's a ton of them here. After almost every major story beat a plethora of the things will spawn for you to check out. Side quests in this game are sadly super simple, and would be pretty boring if it weren't for the additional lore they provide. Each quest's gameplay content basically amounts to doing one of three things: find a person, kill some monsters, or collect a thing. It's very MMO-esque, which can get grating as you complete more of them. Thankfully the character moments and world building these activities provide do a good job of outweighing the tedium, but it's not by a whole lot. You'll still be breathing a sigh of relief each time you wrap up all of the ones that spawned so you can move on to more main story content.
Aside from side quests, there's only a few other side activities to do here. There are hunts, which task you with finding a powerful monster and defeating them. These will give you some rare materials that let you craft some powerful gear. It's also worth noting that this is mainly how you get the materials for the good stuff.
The other side activities I found were trials, which have you completing some specific challenge like beating waves of foes using specific abilities, and an arcade mode, which has you replaying major stages for score, encouraging diverse combat maneuvers to get more points. Neither of these seemed to give an in-game reward or anything so I felt no need to engage with them, sadly. It would be nice if these challenges offered some unique items or something to make them feel worthwhile to do on a casual playthrough.
Final Fantasy XVI is very much an anti-grinding game. You do not need to fight the enemies you see in each map at all unless it's required for story progress or a side activity, and unless it is for one of those, you really shouldn't. It's kind of a waste of time and you don't get enough experience points or currency to make it worth doing.
Despite my nitpicks with the game, I think Final Fantasy XVI is a wonderful experience. Clive is an amazing protagonist, the combat is fun, and the story will keep you hooked throughout the lengthy adventure. It's a major change for the Final Fantasy formula, but I think that with enough fine-tuning, they can make a really satisfying action game with cooler combos at some point in the future.
Torgal is the best boy.
In regards to gameplay, this is a very satisfying action game. You get access to plenty of cool powerful moves as you progress through the story, allowing for setups that flow pretty smoothly with each other.
Aside from these flashy moves, however, you only get one combo for your basic attack and one basic magic move, which is a shame because I feel like there could have been a lot of unique combos regarding each type of magic you unlock, as well as neat magic attacks that compliment each magic type. Sadly they don't really explore things that much with combat outside the special moves so you're kind of relying on the specials to spice up combat encounters most of the time.
Gameplay aside, there is a lot here to appreciate with the story. It kept me interested from beginning to end, constantly excited to see where things would go with each major event. Side characters are fun and get fleshed out pretty well through side quests and dialogues you can share with them throughout the game.
Speaking of side quests, there's a ton of them here. After almost every major story beat a plethora of the things will spawn for you to check out. Side quests in this game are sadly super simple, and would be pretty boring if it weren't for the additional lore they provide. Each quest's gameplay content basically amounts to doing one of three things: find a person, kill some monsters, or collect a thing. It's very MMO-esque, which can get grating as you complete more of them. Thankfully the character moments and world building these activities provide do a good job of outweighing the tedium, but it's not by a whole lot. You'll still be breathing a sigh of relief each time you wrap up all of the ones that spawned so you can move on to more main story content.
Aside from side quests, there's only a few other side activities to do here. There are hunts, which task you with finding a powerful monster and defeating them. These will give you some rare materials that let you craft some powerful gear. It's also worth noting that this is mainly how you get the materials for the good stuff.
The other side activities I found were trials, which have you completing some specific challenge like beating waves of foes using specific abilities, and an arcade mode, which has you replaying major stages for score, encouraging diverse combat maneuvers to get more points. Neither of these seemed to give an in-game reward or anything so I felt no need to engage with them, sadly. It would be nice if these challenges offered some unique items or something to make them feel worthwhile to do on a casual playthrough.
Final Fantasy XVI is very much an anti-grinding game. You do not need to fight the enemies you see in each map at all unless it's required for story progress or a side activity, and unless it is for one of those, you really shouldn't. It's kind of a waste of time and you don't get enough experience points or currency to make it worth doing.
Despite my nitpicks with the game, I think Final Fantasy XVI is a wonderful experience. Clive is an amazing protagonist, the combat is fun, and the story will keep you hooked throughout the lengthy adventure. It's a major change for the Final Fantasy formula, but I think that with enough fine-tuning, they can make a really satisfying action game with cooler combos at some point in the future.
Torgal is the best boy.