Final Fantasy XVI gameplay review: Impressive, engaging, and compelling!

Try playing Final Fantasy XVI – Final Fantasy was once a legendary game series, with each game release being a game-changing event that captivated the gaming world, generating immense anticipation among gamers.

However, Square Enix has been relatively inconsistent over the past decade, with the most recent installments of the series, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XIV (before being remastered), and Final Fantasy XV, failing to win over fans and causing the franchise to lose its former prominence.

Therefore, when Naoki Yoshida took over the production of the next installment in the series, Final Fantasy XVI , he stated that his mission was not only to create a great game, but also to bring the Final Fantasy series back to its former glory and regain the trust of its fans.

So, does the recently released Final Fantasy XVI demo reflect the intentions and reality that Naoki and Square Enix had in mind?

Here are tipsplay.net's impressions of the Final Fantasy XVI demo.

1. The plot is captivating from the very first moments.

Upon entering the Final Fantasy XVI demo , players immediately experience the epic, dazzling, and beautiful battle between the two eikons, Ifrit and Phoenix. The writer was left speechless, gripping the vibrating DualSense controller tightly after the earth-shattering collisions between the two eikons!

Shortly afterward, the writer experienced another epic battle, this time between Titan and Shiva, amidst a sea of ​​soldiers charging at each other in a cutscene that was equally magnificent.

The game then takes players back to Clive's childhood, when he was still living in the Principality of Rosaria with his family, and players gradually understand the origins of the story…

Final Fantasy XVI will be set in three different eras: Clive's youth, his twenties, and his thirties, with players primarily experiencing Clive at age 15 in the Final Fantasy XVI demo . After a series of events, Joshua – Clive's younger brother – transforms into Phoenix, while a mysterious character transforms into Ifrit – a second, fire-breathing eikon that shouldn't exist – and battles Phoenix.

Finally, in an extremely brutal and violent scene, Ifrit tears Phoenix to pieces and kills his younger brother Clive in a raging fire, thus beginning the cycle of fate in Final Fantasy XVI .

In just the first two hours, Final Fantasy XVI unhesitatingly reveals itself as a dark game, filled with scenes of bloodshed and gore, and heavily reminiscent of Game of Thrones , with political maneuvering, seduction, honeytraps, deception, betrayal, and even racism—perhaps encompassing the darkest aspects of humanity.

If it can maintain the same level of 'performance' as the first two hours, Final Fantasy XVI's storyline will easily rank among the 'Top Final Fantasy storylines , no, JRPG storylines' that the author has ever experienced.

2. EXCITING AND SATISFYING FIGHTS!

In the first two hours of the story, players don't actually get to experience the full combat mechanics of Final Fantasy XVI , so Square Enix created an additional demo called the 'Eikonic Challenge', allowing players to experience everything Final Fantasy XVI has to offer.

The Final Fantasy XVI  demo uses real-time action combat, and in addition to the basic skills of a swordsman, Clive can also use the skills of the Eikons, which he learns from Eikons he encounters throughout the story.

Given that each Eikon is completely different, the skills Clive can use are incredibly diverse, ranging from Titan's combo attacks to Garuda's wide-area assault.

Overall, the combat mechanics in the Final Fantasy XVI demo are visually stunning and satisfying. Clive can switch between three different eikons: Phoenix, Titan, and Garuda, each with a completely different set of skills, and the player's task is to find ways to combine the skills of each eikon to create powerful combo chains.

There aren't many skills for players to use in this demo version, but even with a limited skill set, the writer was still able to experiment with a few fun combos, such as using Wicked Wheel to 'shoot' enemies into the air, then quickly switching to Titan and using Upheaval to 'chase' them to the ground, and then using Phoenix to 'teleport' to the next enemy.

These skills all have relatively long cooldowns, so players can't just randomly spam them. Instead, they must carefully time their use and form well-balanced combos to maximize damage output.

Not only that, players also need quick reflexes and sharp eyesight to time their dodges, blocks, and parries to avoid taking enemy hits. In Final Fantasy XV , many players complained that the game was too easy with 99 Potions and 99 Phoenix Downs; players didn't need to do anything except randomly press buttons to win. In Final Fantasy XVI , Clive can only hold a maximum of 4 Potions and 3 Hi-Potions ( Diablo IV was similar), making combat more intense and forcing players to master dodging and combo skills to win.

3. AMAZING MUSIC!

Final Fantasy games may have their good and bad points, with some criticizing them and others praising them, but few can fault the music in Final Fantasy , and perhaps with Masayoshi Soken's talent, Final Fantasy XVI will continue this tradition.

In just two hours, the writer has "roughly counted" four songs that are about to be added to the list of classic Final Fantasy music : some are epic, some heroic, some fiery, some melancholic…

Especially the music played when the two eikons are battling each other; it perfectly complements the earth-shattering action on screen, creating an unforgettable experience!

4. PERSONAL OPINION

It's been seven years since the last main Final Fantasy game (not counting Final Fantasy VII Remake ), and Square Enix isn't exactly winning over fans, but if the demo is a representative 'slice' of Final Fantasy XVI's overall quality, then it's very possible this game will bring Final Fantasy back to its former glory: a renowned JRPG series, a must-buy for most RPG enthusiasts.

The Final Fantasy XVI demo demonstrated the strong foundation of Final Fantasy XVI , with solid gameplay, a captivating storyline from the very first moments, and beautiful music. If it maintains this level of quality , Final Fantasy XVI will be considered a classic alongside Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy X, and others .

However, it's worth noting that the reviewer felt the frame rate fluctuated quite a bit during gameplay, even in 'performance' mode. The demo was version 1.01, while Square Enix showcased version 1.03 at the State of Play event, so players can expect improvements in the final version.

4. WHEN WILL IT BE RELEASED?

A demo of Final Fantasy XVI is now available on the PlayStation Store. The full version of the game will be released on June 22nd.