Final Fantasy XVI Second (?) Impressions
I recently tried out the Final Fantasy XVI demo, and it was just as impressive as when I first played it on PS5 at my partner’s place about a year ago. From the captivating cinematics to the fast-paced combat and stunning graphics, this demo delivered everything I had hoped for and more. Also, this is not a final fantasy review or anything!
Cinematics and Graphics: A Visual Feast
The first thing that struck me about the Final Fantasy XVI demo was, and always has been, the high-quality cinematics. The developers and artists over at Square Enix were able to create such enticing scenes that draw you into the characters, story, and world of Valisthea.
The graphics are still top-notch with character models, environments, and effects that are nothing short of breathtaking.
In my opinion, Final Fantasy VII: Remake had pretty funny looking faces when you stare at them long enough such as Aerith’s. Final Fantasy XVI? They seem to have everything down very much like Final Fantasy XV and I prefer that a lot.
Combat Mechanics: Fast, Fun, and Fluid
The gameplay in Final Fantasy XVI focuses heavily on combat, which remains as engaging as ever. The combat system allows you to dodge attacks, as well as mix basic swordplay with fire spells. You can improve your defensive capabilities by performing Perfect Dodges and Parries.
A Perfect Dodge not only helps you avoid damage but also enables stronger counterattacks. Parrying, on the other hand, slows down time, giving you a brief window to unleash a flurry of attacks. If you use Eikon Abilities during this slowed time, their cooldowns are reduced, adding a strategic layer to each encounter.
Eikons and Eikon Abilities: Mythical Powers Unleashed
Oh, what are Eikons and Eikon Abilities?
In Final Fantasy XVI, Eikons are what they call powerful creatures that were mostly seen as summons in previous entries like Ifrit, Phoenix, Shiva, and Titan. Unlike in previous Final Fantasy games where they were mostly merely summons and myths people often just recall to, Eikons play a much larger and direct role in Final Fantasy XVI’s story and gameplay.
They grant certain characters special blessings, allowing them to harness and even share their powers.
In the demo, Clive, the protagonist, can use the Eikon Abilities of the Phoenix, showcasing the game’s deep connection to these mythical beings. Joshua, his brother, is the actual inheritor of Phoenix’s powers.
Despite these Eikon powers and abilities, you should not rely on them too much. Keep honing your actual combat skills!
The Eikonic Challenge: A Surprising Addition
I initially expected the demo to cover just the prologue or tutorial section of the game, but I was really surprised by the Eikonic Challenge “game mode.” The Eikonic Challenge is actually also part of the game’s story, so it was very unexpected to see in the demo. Without giving too much away, this section includes specific story and character content that would have been amazing to experience firsthand during the full game’s progression.
Performance Issues: Framerate Locks and Optimization
One of the few drawbacks I encountered during the demo was the performance issues related to framerate. The game seemed to lock the gameplay framerate to 30 FPS during the final battle of the Eikonic Challenge, regardless of the settings I had configured beforehand.
Additionally, the overall framerate was capped at 60 FPS, even though I had set it to 144 FPS with a 144 Hz Refresh Rate. Cutscenes were also locked at 29 FPS, but this wasn’t a major issue so I guess it’s fine.
Moreover, there were occasional frame drops, which, while not game-breaking, were noticeable. I was playing Final Fantasy XVI on stream with my RTX 4060. I had the game on max settings and no DLSS, resulting in an average of 35 to 40 FPS.
I turned on DLSS to Quality setting after when it was time for more combat and it bumped up the average framerate to 35 to 50. Sadly, enabling Frame Generation crashed the game, and is something the Square Enix needs to address.
I then tested Final Fantasy XVI again while not streaming and the resulting framerates got weirder. When not streaming or recording and with no DLSS enabled, the game runs at 45 to 52 FPS. Without streaming or recording, with DLSS on but Frame Generation off, it achieves 49 to 80 FPS. I then found a “fix” to the Frame Generation crash on Reddit and then tested the game out off-stream with DLSS-Quality and Frame Generation on. The framerate with these settings increased significantly, achieving 80 to 110 FPS.
Anyway, I do not really have any major or nagging issues with the framerate of Final Fantasy XVI. The only problem is that the sudden framerate drops and the unexpected framerate cap during the final battle of the Eikonic Challenge were pretty noticeable and jarring. It messed up with my “feel” of the game as I was playing on more FPS the rest of the time. More than that, they should really fix the Frame Generation setting and I also saw that they did not really have the latest version of DLSS so that would be nice to fix as well.
Despite these issues, I’m still pleased with the state of Final Fantasy XVI and hopeful for further improvements.
Exploration and Map Design: A Nod to Classic Titles
Before I end this, I forgot to talk about exploration and map design!
Final Fantasy XVI also emphasizes exploration, a staple of the series. If you’ve played older Final Fantasy titles, you’ll appreciate the design of the game’s levels.
The level design is reminiscent of Final Fantasy VII: Remake, where certain areas are explorable and fairly large. The game includes a world map (or continental map) that allows Clive and his crew to travel to different locations across Valisthea.
This blend of linear and open areas offers a good balance between guided progression and freedom to explore.
Is Final Fantasy XVI A Good Game? Is Final Fantasy XVI Worth it?
In summary, the Final Fantasy XVI demo delivered an experience that lived up to my expectations. While there were some performance hiccups, the game’s combat, exploration, and stunning visuals more than made up for it. As a fan of the series, I’m excited to see how the full game builds on this foundation and can’t wait to dive into the complete adventure when it releases.
In comparison to my experience on PS5, I think they are on par with each other. There is a greater potential for better performance on PC but let us see if Square Enix can nail everything down first.
More Final Fantasy XVI Screenshots
Final Fantasy XVI FAQs
When is the Final Fantasy XVI release date?
Final Fantasy XVI was released for the PlayStation 5 in June 2023 and is set to release in September 2024 on PC.
How big is the game Final Fantasy XVI?
Final Fantasy XVI is around 100GB.
How long does it take to beat Final Fantasy XVI?
Final Fantasy XVI is very cinematic with lots of combat but playing it on Story-Focus mode and simply doing the main story while skipping cutscenes could take around 10 to 15 hours.
Without skipping the cutscenes and simply moving forward with the game, it can take around 35 hours maybe. There are 20 hours worth of cutscenes, it is pretty cinematic.
How long is Final Fantasy XVI?
I already answered this before but if you want to do a completionist run of Final Fantasy XVI, it can take around 80 to 100 hours.
Is the Final Fantasy XVI game worth it?
Yes, it definitely is. If you are a fan of any Final Fantasy game, you will definitely love Final Fantasy XVI. Do not take any of the criticisms about “Oh, it’s more western now.” or some bullcrap somebody said online. The game is fantastic.
Leave a Reply