a chain can always be broken...as long as one has the will to break it.

as a longtime ff fan, it's been a hot minute since the last mainline title was released with the exception of xiv's numerous expansions, but it's been an even longer time since a mainline game has been this good!

fear not, i won't spoil anything but the story here was probably the aspect i was most worried about going into it, and after all is said and done, i'm glad to say that i really enjoyed it, loved it even! it starts out fairly riveting given the revenge story motivations it's got going out for it and despite the dark fantasy aesthetic the tone is handled so well that it never feels needlessly edgy. so for those going into this expecting game of thrones with chocobos, you'll be sorely disappointed to find that it's very much an entry that's in touch with the legacy of final fantasy and its conventions.

a lot of the narratives i've come to love are often those concerning human relationships and while the game might present itself as a revenge story it becomes so much more than that over the course of the game. contrary to a lot of people it seems, i think the cast here is pretty well written! sure some characters inevitably get sidelined but i really enjoyed both clive ( literally me ) and jill's ( i love you queen ) journey and i found their dynamic really engaging and heartwarming. there's also a dynamic in here between clive and another dominant that i found really riveting and both the english and japanese va's really go all out and sell you on the rivalry with some riveting va work!

it's tackling a lot here and while it can be a bit lopsided at times i think it handles a lot of interesting perspectives on identity, loss, and what it means to be human without shying from the darker aspects of the human experience as well. it's such a life-affirming perspective on human willpower in dark times and for that, i can't help but unabashedly love it for what it's going for.

of course, much like other mainline titles, this one is not without its faults as i've found the rpg elements to take a fairly large backseat in favor of the more character action-focused gameplay. in regards to the gameplay actually, it does really feel a bit button mashy in the beginning. still, once the game opens up a bit and you have access to more abilities it feels great pulling off devastating combos since a lot of the game does actually reward you for risk-taking! a lot of the side content like hunts are fairly enjoyable as with previous entries that had those as well but the sidequest content can vary between being pretty fun to feeling like fetch quests entirely unfortunately. thankfully, it's more of the former in my experience!

another thing i'd like to mention is that the eikon fights in this game are not only really fun but also breathtakingly beautiful at times. final fantasy has long established the power of summons within it's narratives but never on a scale like this before. it's really such a visual feast for the eyes (which most of the game is already to be fair save for the motion blur at times) that truly feels like a next-gen experience and a step forward for the series. people discounting this as a purely dark fantasy aesthetic really have no idea what they're missing out on given how much this game is very clearly inspired by the older final fantasy games.

besides being a visual feast, the soundtrack in this game is phenomenal. so much so that after finishing, i've already ordered the soundtrack ! this isn't really a surprise though since soken has done incredible work on xiv and the way he's continued to showcase his sound with different instrumentation from usual is really a joy to experience! the main motif here is also so so good and comes into play at the perfect moments. the usage of it within cutscenes is really tasteful as well given that it plays appropriately to establish a mood and it elevates the overall game. easily one of the best soundtracks in recent years!

it's been such a long time since i've played a triple a game like this where the amount of passion and work put into is permeating through almost every aspect here. i went into this fairly apprehensive given my lapsing appreciation for square enix over the years but this is an especially strong case that with enough time and proper planning, they've still got people who are truly in tune with what makes the series special for so many. it's a game i'll be thinking about for a while and one i hope i'll continue to revisit in years to come.

" clive is literally me "/10

additional notes :

- it's also been such a long time since i've really played a game " all day " so thank you for those sleepless four nights ffxvi i'd do it all over again in a heartbeat 🐱👍

- a little tidbit for the film students but the visual direction of some of the cutscenes are pretty beautiful too with some tasteful usage of pans and other stuff framed as practical camera setups. there's a lot of rack focuses in here too that convey meaning beyond dialogue and the lighting in these scenes are really great in creating these warm/cold tones when they're required. very lovely stuff indeed :p

- english va was exceptional as was the script ! haven't finished the entirety of it with the jp script yet but the little that i've heard so far is really great as well so the loc team headed by koji fox did a good job as always ! a lot of it here feels pretty close to tactics ogre or matsuno's stuff in general so i definitely loved it !