Better Late Than Never

As part of Square Enix’s U-turn on multiplatform, the arrival of Final Fantasy XVI on Xbox Series X|S could be described as expectant at best. A shadow drop was a bit of a surprise though. And, despite several major caveats, Final Fantasy XVI shows that the franchise is well placed to continue on for now.

But let’s get one of the major caveats out of the way first. Final Fantasy XVI is now a two-year-old game, but the price on Xbox doesn’t necessarily reflect that. For the base game, it is £49.99, with the complete edition – ie. with the two pieces of DLC – setting you back £69.99. It isn’t a great opening offer, and if I wasn’t fortunate enough to get a code to review it, I would be definitely waiting for a sale.

But I am sure there are also those that have been waiting eagerly for this to arrive on Xbox, unable to play it on PlayStation or PC. Those that have been waiting will not be disappointed.

A Final Fantasy Protagonist For The Ages

You play as Clive, a much-memed name, but as strong a protagonist the series has ever presented. Loyal to his family, and particularly his younger brother Joshua, he is a shield of Rosaria, sworn to protect him. You see, Joshua is what is known as a Dominant; a person blessed with the power to change into a powerful entity known as an Eikon.

These Eikons are your summons from previous Final Fantasy games, one of the core pillars of the franchise. Joshua, for example, can transform into Phoenix, a fire-based Eikon. However, in the opening moments, another fire-based Eikon, Ifrit, appears and starts off not only an Eikon battle, but a series of events that will change the world of Valisthea forever.

These Eikon battles are without doubt one of the highlights of Final Fantasy XVI. Not only do they pit classic Final Fantasy summons against one another – and not like that tiresome version in Final Fantasy X and the Aeon battles – but they’re incredibly varied as well. One plays out like an on-rails shooter, whilst another is essentially a beat ‘em-up minigame, complete with health bars and combos to perform.

Final Game of Fantasy Thrones

As gigantic and kaiju-esque as these Eikons are, they pale in comparison to the wider picture of goings on in Final Fantasy XVI. Heavily inspired by Game of Thrones, both the violence and language are cranked up. So much so, that XVI is the first mainline Final Fantasy title to receive an 18/M rating, depending on which side of the pond you are on.

The medieval setting also feels borrowed from Game of Thrones. Yes, many of the early Final Fantasy games were purely set in this era, but not really since Final Fantasy IX has the series properly embraced swords and castles in a single-player game.

But the Game of Thrones inspirations continue into how this tale unfolds. Because we are focussed on single protagonist Clive, much of the ongoing war between nations and other political turmoil is simply told to us. Clive is not on the frontline in that respect, instead concentrating on his own mission: stopping the Blight that has caused the nations to go to war in the first place. How he does that though is one of the best twists, and a nod to the wider Final Fantasy lore.

To JRPG or Not to JRPG?

Final Fantasy XVI also represents the franchise’s first full foray into an action-RPG. Sure, that has been bandied about before: Final Fantasy XIII attempted to make turn-based look more fluid and Final Fantasy XV almost had it nailed. But XVI gets it spot on. 

Square Enix went about hiring Ryota Suzuki as battle designer, who had previously worked on the Devil May Cry series, and it shows. Combat is fast and incredibly fluid. Having played the game when it first launched on PS5 and unlocking a full plethora of attacks from the Eikons, going back to just the starting attacks felt quite jarring. It is a battle system that only improves over time though, with enough variation between individual moves and a skill tree you can spend hours tailoring to your preferred style.

But this does come at a cost; with the greatest of respect to Final Fantasy XVI, it isn’t much of a JRPG at all. Firstly, the primary language for the game is English, with lip syncing done to that version and not the traditional Japanese. Not so much of a problem, but if you’re not a fan of British accents, or struggle to understand certain dialects, then you may struggle.

But then other RPG aspects seem to be all but removed. There are only a handful of items and potions, no Phoenix Downs (though it would be hard for Clive to resurrect himself if knocked out), and the side quests are, to be blunt, terrible. Nothing more than simple fetch quests but utilised to only flesh out the world and the environments you explore, it won’t be long before you are skipping hefty amounts of dialogue.

Another Point On The Price

If you plump for the complete edition, you are treated to two additional bits of content: Echoes of the Fallen and Rising Tide. Not to tell you which version to buy, but these DLCs are designed to be played in conjunction with the main campaign rather than acting as post-story contents. They may or may not bring some additional Eikons with them too…

Better late than never, but Final Fantasy XVI’s arrival on Xbox is a very welcome one. If you can stomach the unnecessary entry fee for a two-year-old game – or wait for a sale – then a thrilling action-RPG awaits. Legitimate questions remain around whether it is a true ‘Final Fantasy’ game with a distinct lack of RPG features, but there is no question that what is here is a brilliant game with a combat system that is one of the best in the series.

Important Links

From PlayStation Exclusive to Xbox Sensation! FINAL FANTASY XVI is OUT NOW! – https://www.thexboxhub.com/from-playstation-exclusive-to-xbox-sensation-final-fantasy-xvi-is-out-now/

Buy Final Fantasy XVI on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/final-fantasy-xvi/9PNN223H8MLZ

Grab the Complete Edition – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/final-fantasy-xvi-complete-edition/9NVNS5FP3PX5/0010