I didn’t come to “Final Fantasy XVI” as an expert in the franchise, and while each mainline game in the series is a reset, with new characters and some different approaches to gameplay, I was surprised at just how approachable and linear it is.
But the family drama leads to a power grab that leads to tragedy, setting up, at least in its initial hours, what appears to be a revenge tale. “Final Fantasy XVI” works because it so narrowly focuses its tale on Clive, born to a doting father and a scornful mother who views him with disgust and prefers the younger, Eikon-blessed Joshua, whom Clive is sworn to protect. Those who harness magic via crystals are perceived by the society in the game as less feral, crystal magic being seen as more easily controlled and tamed.īut there’s a catch: Such crystals may be destroying the world, believed by some to be the root cause of a blight that is quickly deadening the lands and throwing the abundance of kingdoms into war. Magic isn’t feared so much as looked down upon those born with power are cast off into lives of servitude in which they are branded with a tattoo across the cheek. The fantasy realm here largely views those with such abilities as weapons. Granted, it all can be a bit silly, especially as one learns the lore of the Eikon, higher powers that appear attached to certain bloodlines, allowing characters to transform into majestic, glowing beasts that can control the elements.
It’s a game that wants a mature, grown-up edge without losing any youthful, all-ages appeal, and it mostly succeeds, even if the beautiful PlayStation 5 title feels like a throwback of sorts. Tonally, it’s all a bit odd - the cartoon violence clashes with lustful characters, and large, symphonic swells instantly give way to more ethereal, head-in-the clouds sounds. Heavy action scenes are followed often by lengthy calms, in which the controller can be set aside for extended periods of cinematic exposition. Don’t be put off by the “XVI” in the title, as this is a game that aims to be approachable viewing with a participatory bent. The action is dizzying, as blue and red tendrils circle around Clive in colorful, abstract displays, and each battle win is punctuated with an operatic choir.Īnd yet “Final Fantasy XVI” is an action game that plays as interactive television, especially if one makes use of the game’s hand-holding options. This is a big-budget soap opera of a video game fantasy where battles, which erupt often, are dazzling displays of hyperactive sword blades that attack with images of fire and ice. Martin’s series is no slight, as “Final Fantasy XVI” appears to be unapologetic in its debt to the HBO franchise spawned by Martin’s books, complete with a map that looks lifted from the opening credits of the series and a beginning that’s heavy on action and flirting. That’s all just scratching the narrative surface in this title from producer Naoki Yoshida (“Final Fantasy XIV Online”) and director Hiroshi Takai (“Final Fantasy V”). And in the “Game of Thrones”-like world of “Final Fantasy XVI” it’s mainly a curse. Then there’s Magic, which anyone who has rolled a 20-sided die or spent time in Middle-earth will know is often a curse as much as it is a blessing. Yes, there’s a lot that “Final Fantasy XVI” is attempting to juggle, be it the multiple warring factions of a fantasy realm nods to climate destruction and deceitful parentage, which has saddled our main character, Clive Rosenfeld, with a forever existential crisis. But the 16th core “Final Fantasy” game - no previous knowledge of the brand required - isn’t out to confuse as it lets 35-plus hours of story-driven gameplay unfold with surprising patience. Moments before his confusion, a woman with a godlike ability to harness tornado-force winds - this after sprouting wings and shape-shifting into a glistening, multistory creature - had been rendered powerless by a seemingly more simple magic user, the game’s player-controlled protagonist.
“Does any of this make sense to you?” a travel companion will ask, just a few missions after an enemy shrieked in horror that he didn’t know what the heck was going on.
#WEB BASED WORLD CONQUER GAME TAGEGY FULL#
It might sound odd in a game full of medieval mysticism, raging battles and swordplay, but “Final Fantasy XVI” actually wants to help its players survive the chaos.Įvery few hours or so, a character will express befuddlement.
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