Final Fantasy 16 had the potential to be an outstanding narrative-driven stylish action game. However, Its unwillingness to let go the staple role-play elements of the series and their poor implementation, resulted in a game that doesn't fully satisfy on either front.

There's something that FF16 successfully inherits from previous main titles: being extremely divisive in terms of reception. The general—and extremely reductive—consensus seems to be that the audience is split between a new generation of enthusiasts open to new ideas and changes VS the old guard who is hostile to any swifts in the traditional formula. Again, this is not a new debate within the Final Fantasy community, but with FF16 in particular, I feel that those in the middle of these two extremes are somewhat forgotten.

I want to offer my perspective as someone who is an old fan of the franchise and traditional RPGs, but at the same time, very welcoming to changes. In fact, I would argue that the main negative aspect of FF16 is the fact that it doesn't truly abandon the traditional RPG elements when ii should have.

A sprawling RPG structure envelops this game, complete with levels, escalating numbers, gear, crafting, sub-quests ecc. However, despite everything that is offered, each of these elements is disappontingly implemented in a poor and superficial way. Literally every rpg components built around its central action "core" come across shallow and unnecessary.

Leveling up, for example, seems inconsequential: there's a lack of incentives to pursue extra levels through side activities because 1) the main quest offers ample experience to advance without encountering any sort of challenge 2) combat against regular enemies becomes extremely dull and ripetitive pretty fast.

Caring about gear and crafting too becomes insignificant rather early in the game, as you come to realize that the main quest's progression always provides you with the best equipment. Shops consistently sell items that fall short of what you already possess, and the rewards for sides activites and exploration frequently consist of crafting materials that hold little to no value for your needs.

Regarding side activities, this game offers some of the dullest subquests I have ever experienced in a game. Mechanically, the structure is always the same: you are pinballed between 2/3 npcs, occasionally there's a combat encounter as a conclusion, you are rewarder with 10 pelts you don't need and 1000 gil you won’t spend.
From a narrative perspective, these quests manage to effectively contextualize events, enhancing the player's comprehension of the game world, and fleshing out the stories and motivations of side characters. However, it's a pity that the most interesting ones are almost entirely concentrated at the end of game, on an exhausting quest-dump that, once again, abruptly decelerates the pacing of the main quest.

Given the reasons stated above, I found myself wondering whether the game would have greatly benefited from completely stripping away all of its RPG components and instead focusing solely on its spectacular and adrenaline combat. Sadly I came to the conclusion that, despite the solid foundations built by the combat designer, the combat system falls somewhat short too, especially during the first playthrough where the elements required to release its full potential are kept locked until the very end the main quest..

Generally speaking, every encounter with enemies feels repetitive, lacking any variation in approach or strategic decisions when dealing with different enemy types.
An elemental weakness system, even one as simple as the fire/ice a la God of War, could have significantly improved the gameplay experience. It would have also added purpose and depth to the gear/weapon mechanic.

At least mini bosses offer little variety with unique movesets and aesthetically gorgeous AOE attacks but that's about it. Eikon fights are spectacual and definetly the highlights of the game, but they represent only 1/4 of the overall experience.

What frustrates me the most when discussing the combat system, though, is the absence of two features that could have significantly enhanced my overall experience.
I'm referring to the scoring system and the higher difficulty mode, both of which are present in the game but inexplicably kept locked until the completion of the first playthrough.
I understand that they wanted to keep the game accessible to most people and probably didn't want to overwhelm players with a performance score, but why not give the player the freedom to choose?

Finally, I want to acknowledge that there are aspects to be loved about this game and I can easily see why so many people are pointing it as their favorite final fantasy in the franchise. The presentation is gorgeous, the world and the cast of characters are beautifully depicted, and the story is captivating from the get go. While I am not crazy of the shift from a political intrigue to the more typical RPG trope of a "heroic protagonist versus an evil godly force," I recognize that this is more a matter of personal taste rather than a fundamental criticism.
One of my favorite components of the game is the "active lore system" and the manner in which events and informations are catalogued in interactive codex and maps, I wish every game implemented such a well designed tools.