Playing FF16 now! Just started, but it is lots of fun so far!
Let us know how you like it. Previews peaked my interest, but review sources that I trust have been rather mixed on the game.
Not finished yet, but a couple of disjointed thoughts (negative sticks out more than positive obviously, so don't take these as a sign i hate the game, I don't.):
- if you don't like QTEs move on, entire sections of the the big boss fights feel like cutscenes that the devs said "ugh, fine, we'll let the player do something I guess, let's throw in a QTE here and there" - that said, if you are able to immersive yourself in the moment, the QTEs can feel like a natural extension of what is going on. Hard to explain, but you'll know when you get there. If the illusion breaks however, it's bad. - main story quests can be really good, but also straight up fetch quests from an mmo. You can see the FFXIV influence everywhere for sure. - voice acting is good, maybe not FFXII good, but good. - music is what you expect, very well done - don't let the demo mislead you, it's 100% a Final Fantasy story/game, with all the good and bad that comes with that. - Combat can be very simple, or quite complex actually depending on how you want to deal with it. I've grown to enjoy it for the most part. - Bosses aside, enemies never feel as tanky as they looked in the previews. - SPECTACLE, SPECTACLE EVERYWHERE. - exploration is completely pointless, there is literally nothing to be found. Okay, 2 gold pieces, and some crafting materials that you won't need. - It's less RPG than other Final Fantasy games, which is saying something lol - fairly somber atmosphere, they tried to throw in a couple of silly moments, but they fall flat most of the time, the game is good when it's moving the story forward and not trying to be something it isn't. - performance I haven't really noticed actually. The demo section seemed worse than the rest of the game.
overall, having a good time, but it's not remotely perfect, take the 10/10 scores with a grain of salt for sure. The game is essentially combat and cutscenes. Nothing else matters.
I largely agree with everything here.
I’m somebody who hates QTEs, but this is actually the first game I’ve ever played where I feel they are done well. I think that is in part because Final Fantasy has always (well, since FF7, at least) included attacks that were basically big over the top cut-scenes, and this feels very much an extension of that. There are also some design decisions in how they are executed that I feel work in their favor.
I am enjoying the combat a lot. I’m using no timely accessories (items that automate parts of the combat to assist players with less experience with action games) and I find learning combos and new elements of the system really satisfying. I’ve only earned the first three Eikonic power sets, so I know I still have plenty of skills to unlock. It’s really cool.
That said, I’m not going to lie, there is a part of me that very much misses controlling and kitting out an entire party of characters. But I have FF7Rebirth and the all-but-confirmed FF9Remake to look forward to for that. FF games are always experimenting, so there is no reason to suspect FF17 won’t have a party, either.
I’m loving the story. I have a few critiques here and there sure, but on the whole I’m really drawn into the mystery of what is going on. I love the traditional FF approach of the slow reveal, where the stakes and the main antagonist are rolled out at a gently rolling, incremental pace. But again, despite that, I definitely prefer the more lighthearted tones of prior games. At least I think this game in many ways does bleakness better than Game of Thrones did. There is a lot of hope in FF16 where GoT was just ugly, viscous nihilism.
The world design is basically a cross between FFX and FFXII. The map design is not quite as linear as FFX, but it doesn’t really matter, because it’s very much designed to get you to your next destination. I’m okay with this. FF games are very much on rails experiences. You are just supposed to enjoy the game on Square’s terms, and they make up for the absence of freedom by making the game look gorgeous. I actually often find myself walking through the game rather than running, just so I can enjoy the sights.
And the spectacle of this game absolutely delivers. The introduction of Odin and Bahamut is some of the coolest fantasy nonsense I’ve ever seen. The first time you are given complete control over Ifrit and are bursting across the arena is jaw dropping.
I love this game. Not as much as some other games, but this is a good time. I’m here for what it is, and not what I want it to be.
