Yahoo Finance Final Fantasy 16 lands Metacritic score as reviews drop
Final Fantasy XVI is finally dropping tomorrow (June 22) after being announced in 2020 — and six and a half years after Final Fantasy XV first came out.
Every main entry in the long-running franchise is vastly different, and XVI may be the biggest departure yet. The series' move into action RPG territory has been taken further than ever thanks to Devil May Cry and Dragon's Dogma alumni Ryota Suzuki, and FFXIV boss Naoki Yoshida has also pulled the story and setting away from anime influences and straight into Game of Thrones territory.
Are these changes for the best, though? On the whole, yes.
At the time of writing, FFXVI sits a very strong 88 on Metacritic, which takes all critic scores and calculates an average.
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The combat and visuals have been praised across the board, while plenty of critics have applauded the mature and hard-hitting storylines.
Others have found the plot and characters to be one of the game's weaknesses, whilst the fetch quests that make up the side content have been more commonly panned.
Here's what some of the reviews have said:
"At its best, Final Fantasy XVI is a jaw-dropping epic of rarely seen proportions. It's pretty much the pinnacle of cinematic spectacle in modern games, and its often gripping, emotional story is only matched by its fantastic combat system. While its overall quality does dip outside of the main plot, this is still a must-play action RPG, and the best single-player Final Fantasy in over a decade."
"It's not a perfect mixture — while the combat is phenomenal for an action RPG, it is admittedly a bit lacking when compared directly to the greats of the character action genre — but even an imperfect mix is potent enough when paired with FFXVI's epic, 50+ hour story. It's packed with unforgettable characters, outstanding worldbuilding, an incredible soundtrack, and knock-your-socks-off moments of sheer spectacle the likes of which are rarely seen in any game."
"An utterly soul-crushing opening paves the way for an emotional story that puts the focus squarely on a dynamic cast of characters, and it becomes clear early on that narrative is a huge focus of Final Fantasy XVI. That dark fantasy style does a great job of investing you in the world, before the latter half of the game takes some wild fantastical jumps that put the story squarely in the fantasy and sci-fi wheelhouse the series is built on."
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"Combat in Final Fantasy XVI is probably the biggest question mark in most people's minds, as it looks closer to a character action game like Devil May Cry than a traditional Final Fantasy. However, despite some initial reservations, XVI's battle system is one of the most rewarding and gratifying experiences not only for a Final Fantasy game, but for action games as well. It's simple to grasp, but as your suite of abilities expands, battles really begin to highlight the variety and flexibility of combat, and how it can suit multiple playstyles."
"When it's excellent, it is truly, unbelievably, earth-shatteringly good. When it's bad, it's mildly frustrating at best, and pretty wretched at its worst. On balance, the good outweighs the bad to an enormous degree, and so it's a game that's incredibly easy to recommend in spite of its shortcomings. It's also the best entry point and jumping-on point for Final Fantasy newcomers in decades."
"Final Fantasy XVI is truly an epic adventure. It has a fantastical story, over-the-top character performances, a sublime soundtrack, epic boss battles and it looks gorgeous to boot. Seriously, what's there not to love about this game? It doesn't matter if you're a veteran of the series or a newcomer like me, Final Fantasy XVI is one of 2023's most brilliantly extravagant adventures and a sure-fire contender for Game of the Year."
"There are a few enjoyable sidequests, too, which give you a chance to shoot the breeze with other key characters and flesh out personality dynamics hinted at in cutscenes. But the majority of these secondary activities are desperately boring, a chorus of complaints about obscure cooking ingredients, missing people and item deliveries which lead to yet more filler battles, with minimal narrative structure and few surprises. Sometimes all you have to do is walk across a courtyard to talk to somebody else, and you can practically smell the smoke pouring out of the writing team's ears as they struggle to cultivate some intrigue."
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"The pivot to high fantasy pays dividends and is a welcome return to the series' roots. Gone are the pseudo-futuristic settings and the road-tripping boy band-like gaggle of friends. But, it's marred in an overreliance on caricatures, whether that's fickle, double-crossing monarchs or meek peasants more than happy to bend over backwards to aid Clive. The real hit is how Final Fantasy XVI drags us through its story without relent. We often witness, fight, and then solve problems as a sort of glorified factotum, making it tough to feel like we have any say in Clive's and the broader story. It rarely relents, sending you to and fro at hectic pace from one seismic, grand climax to the next. It all drags and leaves you musing about whether Clive's story could have been condensed into something shorter."
"Clive, who may come across as taciturn at first, is probably the most well-rounded, loving and emotive character since FFX's Tidus, with the difference that this time around players may actually like him. Final Fantasy thrives on likable protagonists and their relationships with each other, and Clive, who makes a lot of friends over the course of the game, is the perfect mix of cool and affable."
Final Fantasy XVI is out June 22 on PlayStation 5.
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