Final Fantasy XVI Deluxe Editio
Final Fantasy XVI Deluxe Editio
| Dimensions: | 17 x 10 x 2 cm; 100 Grams |
| Dimensions: | 17 x 10 x 2 cm; 100 Grams |
| Origin: | Austria |
Final Fantasy XVI Deluxe Editio
| Dimensions: | 17 x 10 x 2 cm; 100 Grams |
| Dimensions: | 17 x 10 x 2 cm; 100 Grams |
| Origin: | Austria |
Product review – The product came on day of release and there were no issues with the condition. Could not be happier with the service! Also, Final Fantasy is the ONLY game franchise that I will bother to buy a steelbook edition for, as they are the only ones I’ve seen over the years to grace them with an artistic touch that make them treasured keepsakes, as oppose to what most companies do which is slap something very similar to the original box art on a steel case. This edition also comes with a cloth map that is also a nice bit of memorabilia to have.
Game review – The transition from PS4 to PS5 generation has not been smooth… at all. For a plethora of reasons I won’t state here. This has led to a range of game companies holding back on what can be achieved with the new tech in order to maintain sales figures, by making their new games to work on PS4 gen – God of War Ragnarok and Elden Ring come to mind. Final Fantasy XVI is NOT such a game! And it shows! It feels truly next gen and is a masterclass in storytelling, character development, exceptional voice acting, art design and that special brand of mind blowing spectacle that you won’t see anywhere outside of Final Fantasy, that really shows off what the PS5 can do. The gameplay is much more heavily action focused than your typical JRPG, and the world map is not seamless or nearly as open as it’s predecessor Final Fantasy XV, but what it loses in openness and strategy, it gains in story focus, and incredibly fun action combat that can be compared to the critically acclaimed Devil May Cry series. Which is no small feat for a game in this genre. The game also has a high replayability factor due to almost any level being replayable after completion, and a New Game Plus that features a dedicated difficulty and the ability to acquire higher level gear for a more intense second round – it is one of the very few games that I started playing again immediately after completion! The adult themes are also a refreshing touch for the Final Fantasy series; featuring a tale more suited to a mature audience, that I would say is handled very tastefully, but certainly gives off Game of Thrones vibes. And the music! Oh the music in this game will really knock your socks off in the high spectacle moments. Truly memorable scores that harmonize perfectly with the fantastic over the top visuals!
The one thing in this game that is on a much lower quality to the rest of it, is the delivery and pacing of side quests, in which area the game seems to lean more towards quantity over quality. The quality voice acting does help to compensate in this regard, but the NPC face and body animations are very stiff, and the interactions can often feel like they are taking longer than necessary to get to the point. Those familiar with Final Fantasy XIV (the MMO) might be more accustomed with what to expect here. But all in all, contextually they do a good job of fleshing out the world and giving you things to do to practice and experiment with your skill loadouts in between the more satisfying and shiw-stealing main sections of the game.
To address the criticism – The most disappointment I have heard revolving around this game’s reviews are majoritvely from people that went in expecting a more traditional JRPG, which after FFXV I am personally surprised at! Given the franchise is up to the 16th main title iteration of Final Fantasy, and in recent years have demonstrated that they are leaning more towards action and experimentation with their gameplay; I wonder how people are surprised that the highly creative people that make these games are pushing it in new and exciting directions. The mind boggles! Because new and exciting it is, and that has become a sadly rare thing in today’s gaming landscape… at least at the front lines of triple A, tech-pushing, eyebrow-raising gaming goodness. People who experienced the growth of gaming in the leaps and bounds of PS2 and PS3 gen will understand where I’m coming from here.
Make no mistake, I say this without a shadow of a doubt, AND having played the exceptional The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom:
Final Fantasy XVI is game of the year, and to date, is the final word in fantasy.
This is a fantastic FF entry, the graphics are amazing, the gameplay is good and the story is epic! Also cheers to the amazon staff who sorted out the preorder error.
Visuals: 9.5/10
This game is a visual treat, everything from the different clothing materials and how they react to lighting, armour, weapons, environment, monster design, eikon design, characters. Not to mention the great detail gone into animation. The combat is fast, detailed and a real spectacle to watch – as are the large and epic eikon battles that feel like a blockbuster movie.
This really feels like a PS5 game, textures are sharp and detailed. Lighting is wonderful with bloom as you exit indoors and ray tracing. Frames feel fine despite having it on ‘graphics’ mode. The only noticeable slow down was during an intense eikon battle cut scene, and was very slight.
I take off half a point as the cutscenes for standard dialogue or conversations with NPCs (not CGI nor in engine, but during gameplay) they could be a smidgen better with lip sync and facial animations. It’s of a very high quality during in-engine cut scenes, so the gameplay conversations stands out when not at the same level. They’re not bad at all (voice acting is great) it’s just, they look average, and if at a higher level could’ve really sold every conversation in terms of visuals.
Audio: 10/10
The music is fantastic. Depending on the moment (light hearted, exploring, dramatic/tense, epic battles etc) the game perfectly manages to capture these moments with a great OST.
Sound effects are good, from the creatures to the rustling of plants you run through and chaos during battles.
Voice acting is Hollywood quality, it gives the atmosphere of a more dour/serious medieval movie. British talent used, and different emotions/moments are captured very well – better than almost any other game.
Gameplay: 8/10
Thought has gone into this game in this regard. Combat is fun, you can fight with Clive’s sword and do some different attacks, but thanks to eikon abilities, the amount of attacks/magic or chained movies you can do is impressive, you get different powers based on different Eikon abilities you can switch with L2. They also look great. You can evade with R1 and if timed right – can get a stronger hit in, there’s a parry too. You have a companion called Torgal (your dog) that can be given attack commands which level up, you can stroke or feed him outside of battles.
Eikon battles other unique styles of fighting each time, one is a throwback to Panzer Dragoon (Sega Saturn) another slow and heavy like a wrestling match, others much faster.
You can upgrade your combat abilities too as well as weapons and equipment. Though this is a character/narrative driven game like those before it, you won’t be able to fully change your weapon class/clothing outside of natural story progression.
You can select a difficulty level (story or action focussed) and can even wear ‘easy mode’ rings that make combat simple, not what I’d recommend but if you’re quite new you this type of game or find it hard, you can still enjoy everything it has without the difficulty beings an issue.
This isn’t an open world game like Skyrim, but rather a vast sand box of open areas interconnected. Some area’s are much more linear and focused, being built for the story progression. You can fast travel or explore them on foot, including various towns. During some parts of the story; especially early on, you’ll fast travel more. Then you get to explore more of the countryside.
You can hold the touchpad at any time including cutscenes to pause and get instant information (up until that point in the story) on the character’s you’re with, their empires or kingdom they are from. The location, lore etc. This is a great addition as this game has a fairly in-depth story and without this, it’d be easy to lose track of some information/names etc.
Negatives:
I wish there world was a bit more open and less linear (like FF12/FFX) with more RPG elements. And I wish the combat was a little tougher the first play through, maybe with an additional mechanic (elemental strengths & weaknesses for enemies, status ailments etc) as most trash mobs you just melt through, you can stun luck them to death. Bosses and notorious marks can provide a decent challenge though.
Storyline: 9.5/10
Enix put a lot of thought into this game’s world, everything is there for a reason, and all elements, all kingdoms, characters etc are grounded in the same story. Nothing feels out of place or incoherent (like almost all of FF15). There’s a character called Vivien who at parts explains events with an animated map which is great, but you can also see an in depth map of events and character relationships/info.
Thanks to the detailed world and backstories given, along with the great voice acting, the story already has some of it’s work cut out. It isn’t mind blowing but it doesn’t slack in any way. It is interesting and engrossing enough, you feel for the character’s and grow attached to them, some moments or interactions might make you smile, other big moments will shock or upset you. The side quests, some are standard fare (find this, deliver that) others manage to pack a punch emotionally in a small amount of time.
Also this is an adult game, it feels like LoTR, Elden Ring etc in tone. There’s blood and violence, there’s sexual innuendo, swearing and grounded/serious atmosphere. This is the best aspect of the game, the characters and their chemistry/story’s, it can’t be overstated how good these are.
Summary: 9/10
This is probably the best FF since 7, and as things stand this will no doubt be in the running for GoTY.
If you have a PS5, it is worth getting.
A beautiful collector’s item. The outer box is very premium in look and feel. The steelbook is lovely. The cloth map is a nice addition. And finally the game, it has a reversible cover. Such a well made game, beautiful cinematics and the music is awesome. I’d like to get the soundtrack to this game.
It’s expensive but we’ll worth it in my opinion.
The outer box came damaged, not too bothered about that. The game itself is amazing. I’ve played around 10 hours and some moments honestly made me feel like a kid again, experiencing video games for the first time. I’m not a Final Fantasy fan boy at all. I haven’t played the last 3. This one ticks all the boxes for me. 10/10.
I have to say, I am loving this game. I’m a huge fan of the Final Fantasy franchise, and this is a strong instalment in the mainline series. The gameplay is fun, the graphics are stunning, and the characters are engaging!
One star taken off as I didn’t recieve my pre-order content, despite having ordered it months ago. After chasing Amazon up about it, i got given a 14 digit code (the PS store takes 12 digit codes), and was then told I would need to contact the developer (SquareEnix, I guess… as if that would do any good!). A bit disapointing, but not game-ruining at least. A bit of false advertising however when it comes to offering bonuses they can’t fulfil…
Brilliant game though!