On the other hand, its enormous Eikons make for exciting self-mythology, turning long-running Final Fantasy staples like Ifrit and Shiva into genuine Gods. The personal story of Clive trying to move on from a failure that defined his childhood gives the journey lots of thematic weight, asking how we move on and reclaim our lives after trauma. The story works best when operating at its farthest extremes. The gripping opening act ends in tragedy, paving the way for a dark revenge story that almost plays out like Kill Bill with godlike “Eikons” (or summons, as we’ve known them in previous installments) in place of assassins. In the first leg of his story, Clive is a bright-eyed young adult with a lot of responsibility: His royal family has sworn him to protect his younger brother, Joshua, who is the living embodiment of the Phoenix. Set on the isolated continent of Valisthea, Final Fantasy XVI chronicles the story of its hero, Clive Rosfield, over several decades. But there’s a general flatness surrounding those exhilarating highs, as shallow RPG hooks and dated design leave a promising evolution for the series stuck in the past. A fierce and fast-paced combat system makes for the series’ most exciting stab at real-time swordplay yet, while its blockbuster Eikon fights rank among some of gaming’s most awe-inspiring battles. Those two directions clash within the uneven fantasy epic like two towering summons duking it out.įinal Fantasy XVI delivers on the “action” side of its action-RPG formula. However, it can’t fully divorce itself from that past its RPG instincts are still in its blood. Square Enix’s latest charts a new future for the long-running RPG franchise, confidently stepping into a more cinematic, action-packed territory that’s all the rage in Western video games these days. It’s a line that sticks with me as I play through Final Fantasy XVI, a game dealing with its own version of that identity crisis. “I want to live on my own terms,” she tells Clive midway through their adventure, “but first I must come to terms with my past.”
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