Ich habe gestern, endlich, #FinalFantasyXVI durchgespielt und bin bereits fleißig im #NewGame+ und freue mich schon auf Teil 1 des DLC 😊
Jedenfalls hat mich das Spiel in keiner Weise enttäuscht und hat mir sogar die Freundschaft zu Clive Rosfields deutschen Synchronstimme: #VincentFallow geschenkt ❤️
Bald habe ich die Platin Trophäe erreicht und die Reise ist erstmals vorbei, bis dann Teil 2 des DLC erscheint.
Vincent Fallow, die deutsche Stimme vom #FinalFantasyXVI Protagonisten Clive Rosfield hat auf meine Instagram Story reagiert und mir eine ultra süße Sprachnachricht geschickt + er wird mir irgendwann demnächst ein Autogramm auf mein Steelbook zukommen lassen 😭🥰❤️
Würde mir ja gerne die #DeluxeEdition von #FinalFantasyXVI zum Geburtstag, im Dezember, wünschen aber ich hab allein beim Gedanken daran ein schlechtes Gewissen, sodass ich es mir doch nicht wünsche 😞 #VonArmutBetroffen
TLDR: Final Fantasy XVI is a masterpiece with serious pacing issues.
It is rare for me to pay full price for a game, but after trying the demo of FFXVI, I was waving my credit card. The unusually dark and violent story grabbed me immediately. And even though the battle mechanics didn't pull me in immediately, I bought the game on release date, hungry for more.
After three months (including a break of a few weeks), and 65 hours of playing, the credits rolled. Finally.
"Finally." That doesn't sound good, does it?
The story being told is great, I love it! The grim atmosphere of the first hours is being maintained throughout and it is a true rollercoaster. It is rather complex though, because there are a lot of things going on, there are many characters that play a role in a very grand scheme, and there is a large focus on political happenings. I've seen people compare it to Game Of Thrones, but I can't confirm that since I haven't watched it. Luckily there's a contextual encyclopedia during each cutscene that explains the setting and relevant characters should you need to remind yourself of the details.
The battle system is a huge departure from the earlier FF installments. The series left its turn-based roots a long time ago, but this time, the party system is also abandoned. That's right, you only play with Clive, the protagonist of the story. Sure, you have companions during the story, and you can give orders to your best friend Torgal, the cutest dog. But that's all. As Clive, you gather various abilities as you deal with Dominants and their Eikons (the summons that FF players are familiar with, such as Ifrit and Shiva) and as such you can shape the way you engage in battle. Unfortunately, you can only have a maximum of three Eikons active, which doesn't give you too much flexibility. Nonetheless, the action is tight and fluid, and it always looks great! Wow! I often paused during battle to use the photo mode.
Besides the main story line, the world is filled with side quests. Lots of side quests, many of which are the run-of-the-mill fetch quests that feel empty (as often in FF games). Only a few of them are worth it, because they use the lore in an impressive way or because the reward is very well worth the effort. Other than the regular side quests, there's also a monster hunt board.
In the second half of the story, some weird choices have been made. Not so much in the story itself, but the gameplay in between feels dragged. Lots of walking, talking and forgettable battles make the game feel a bit like a chore at that point, especially after doing some side quests as well. It's also at this point that the battle system starts to feel repetitive and that's when I decided to push through and finish the main story and abandon all side activities. A good choice because the game would continue to throw (boss) battles at me, and it would still be a while before I'd reach the ending.
"Finally". The game's biggest flaw is its artificial length. It has a negative impact on both the story and gameplay. Should the main story be 20% shorter, I would give this game a 9/10. Because there's so much to love. There are some EPIC battles that just overwhelm with beautiful graphics and the most bombastic music you'll ever hear. The world looks beautiful, the cast is interesting and I love the attention to detail in about everything.
One last thing I would like to mention is that the game often doesn't feel like an FF game. The story, the setting and the battle system are quite different from its predecessors and it is only because of familiar elements such as Chocobos, the summons and the characteristic enemies that you are reminded of playing a Final Fantasy game. I wouldn't mind part 17 to return to the series roots a bit more, but I have to praise how fresh and relevant this part feels as well.
Despite some of the issues with this game, I am happy to have played it. Because at the end of the day, it's a masterpiece. <3
Completed #FinalFantasyXVI!what a ride! Really good strong main story, solid characters, superb music and ambience, top graphics and very engaging combat system. It's true that I found other aspects of the game a bit tedious like some of the secondary quests and also few bit empty scenarios. A linear crafting system is other its flaws but the other good aspects makes the game worth it. The fights with the Eikons have forged some epic moments for me. This game will stay with me for a while.
Ein paar Eindrücke aus meiner vorletzen #FinalFantasyXVI Session. Ich mag Shiva/Jill sehr gerne und finde das Jagen von den Monster-Aufträgen ziemlich befriedigend. Macht Spaß, in der Welt auch mal etwas stärkere Gegner anzutreffen.