Ultimate Fantasy 16 brings a brand new strategy to the normal Ultimate Fantasy formulation and is best for it. Regardless of some small points with some boring aspect missions and an odd world design, Ultimate Fantasy XVI is the very best the sequence has been in an extended whereas. With a compelling private story, unparalleled flashiness and action-focused fight, Ultimate Fantasy XVI is among the greatest video games to expertise on the PlayStation 5.
Valisthea’s Discomfort
A side wherein Ultimate Fantasy XVI excels is in its world. Valisthea is stuffed with gorgeous vistas, lush inexperienced valleys, and countless golden deserts making for an attractive and immersive world. Every Kingdom in Valisthea stands out as a person nation — no two locations look the identical. There are totally different monsters in every space, together with totally different biomes, accents, and variety, serving to this to really feel like a globe-trotting journey. These kingdoms additionally take clear inspiration from the true world. Rosaria and Sanbreque are just like medieval Europe and the Iron Kingdom and the Dhalmakian Republic reference Western Asia.
The world is used as a counterpart to enhance the story as a substitute of the story and the world being two separate entities. All through the world, the battle of bearers is portrayed completely, with many aspect missions centered on the battle and misfortune positioned upon these bearing powers, serving to to create a darkish and punishing world. That is an important theme of the principle story constructed upon by the world. At sure factors in it, the our bodies of bearers are littered throughout the bottom. The implications of attempting to outlive in a world like Valisthea are consistently proven to you thru the world and this was extraordinarily effectively achieved.
A standout second for me was a aspect mission very early on within the recreation known as “Transferring Heaven and Earth.” This mission begins as a fundamental fetch quest wherein you search for appropriate soil to develop fruit within the deadlands, an space wherein crops don’t develop. Clive provides this soil to Martha in an try and develop apples for individuals on the hideaway. Martha guarantees Clive he would be capable to attempt her apples as soon as they’re achieved. Because the story progresses, Martha ultimately passes away. This results in a brand new quest known as the ‘Fruits of Her Labors.” Martha’s apples have been completed by one other member of the hideaway after she died. Clive has the job of handing these apples out to individuals on the hideaway, and everybody reminisces in regards to the late Martha and tries her apples — it’s superbly instructed.
Clive will get to maintain an apple to recollect her as effectively. It’s even higher as that is an non-obligatory mission that helps with world-building. The second mission continues to be out there in the event you miss the primary, however the private affect of it goes lacking. This highlights the significance of relationships on this recreation in addition to its misfortune, creating memorable moments like this. This mission is the proper encapsulation of the robust world and character-building that takes place in Ultimate Fantasy XVI.
Regardless of the dangerously stunning world and its world-building, Valisthea will not be good. The world feels very formulaic at instances. Facet missions are normally fetch quests and a number of the time these missions are nowhere close to as memorable as ‘Fruits of Her Labor.” These quests typically find yourself feeling quite monotonous and fairly frankly, uninteresting. It’s a disgrace that among the higher quests are paired with the boring gameplay of fetching objects or combating a few mobs.
Mobs Your Uncle
Talking of mobs, mobs within the open world didn’t get the identical consideration to element because the human tales that happen. Regardless of an excellent variation of mobs, they didn’t really feel actual. The monsters simply sit there ready so that you can come over and battle them. Not like revolutionary video games like Monster Hunter World, I by no means as soon as noticed fights between mobs themselves or mobs shifting or migrating. This could’ve helped create an actual ecosystem and a world filled with animals and monsters that appeared lifelike — one thing that this recreation was centered on going for.
Valisthea can be extraordinarily linear, regardless of its many giant expansive areas. There are a lot of invisible partitions and borders, and every space is constructed towards main you down a sure path. This wouldn’t be a problem if it needed to be linear. Nevertheless, parts such because the Hunt Board and Chronolith Trials, that are nice, reward your exploration and so, it’s laborious to know what Ultimate Fantasy desires to be. By no means in a recreation have such expansive areas felt so confusingly small, with their limiting boundaries and their static, sporadically positioned mobs.
There are basically no random occasions making the world quite predictable. Nonetheless to this present day, video games haven’t learnt from the likes of Crimson Useless Redemption 2, which reward the participant’s exploration with occasions that aren’t historically labeled. Valisthea in flip feels robotic. Facet missions are labeled with a brilliant inexperienced exclamation mark and a bit of jingle performs everytime you settle for a quest — major or aspect — taking you out of the immersion. Though a small function, it’s fixed and it’s unlucky as it is a recreation that desires to be taken severely and this occurs no matter whether or not the subject material of the mission is critical or not. For a recreation that desires to be critical and mature, points like these appear rather more paying homage to the extra lighthearted earlier entries.
Video games reminiscent of Yakuza: Like a Dragon work effectively with this dissonance between story, gameplay, and aspect missions as it’s aiming to be dissonant. Nevertheless, within the case of Ultimate Fantasy XVI, it exhibits a lack of expertise of the tone it’s attempting to current. This can be a normal criticism of the world of Valisthea. Valisthea doesn’t know whether or not it desires to be linear or open-world. Nor does it know whether or not it desires to be taken severely or not. Valisthea is undoubtedly stunning, however it’s dampened because it doesn’t absolutely decide to a sure tone or consistency.
“Assist Me, Clive”
The characters and their relationships are one of many points of this recreation that shines. Clive, on the floor, is a two-dimensional sangfroid powerful man. The protagonist is overly stoic, however it’s in his moments of weak point the place this conventional archetype is subverted. Ben Starr’s capacity to indicate a lot emotion in these unhappy and contemplative scenes elevates Clive’s character tenfold. Starr’s screams and cries as Clive clings to a dying cherished one are haunting. In these moments, Clive stands out and is among the greatest voice appearing I’ve heard in an extended whereas.
By way of the story and character motivations, this nonetheless seems like a really party-focused recreation, albeit otherwise. Ralph Ineson’s Cid is a standout character with magnetic vitality each time he’s current. He’s as cool as Clive, with that very same powerful man archetype, however will not be reliant on others or particular person scenes to provide him extra character. Cid is a well-fleshed-out character with nice motivations and an on-screen presence not like anybody else within the recreation.
The remainder of the forged may be very compelling as effectively. Dion’s story arc could possibly be a recreation in itself. It’s extremely effectively written and, at its core, continues that theme of affection and relationships that underscores the entire recreation. That is the case for lots of the antagonists as effectively. All of them have various ranges of fleshed-out backstories and motivations and, due to this fact, make for compelling characters. Much less outstanding characters reminiscent of Gav and Uncle Byron have an infectious vitality that contrasts effectively with Clive’s stoicism.
A personality that ought to’ve been extra compelling, nonetheless, is Jill. That is Clive’s love curiosity and there’s simply not a lot to her, apart from her being the love curiosity. She has a short story arc with the Iron Kingdom, which was fascinating however the particulars are scurried over and forgotten about in a short time. She doesn’t converse a lot all through the sport, and I discovered myself forgetting she was round for lots of it. It was a disgrace as a result of her character had a number of potential as she was Shiva’s Dominant and a sufferer of the Iron Kingdom’s abuse. Nevertheless, all of the forged are nice to battle with or towards, and the wonderful fight makes that have much more enjoyable.
Clive Might Cry
The fight is unimaginable. The fight is that this good stability between accessible button mashing and high-skill ceiling motion fight. Helmed by the Satan Might Cry fight director Ryota Suzuki, the affect of Satan Might Cry is clear. It’s centered on combos in addition to the flashiness that makes video games like Ultimate Fantasy or Satan Might Cry so compelling. Ryota Suzuki even described the fight on this recreation as his “private masterpiece,” and he has each proper to say that.
Suzuki Ryota’s message from the Ultimate Fantasy XVI Japanese reside letter was enlightening- he says that all through his whole profession designing motion video games for the previous 25 years, he actually thinks FF16 is his personal private masterpiece.
I added English subs to his heartfelt message! pic.twitter.com/LlXKzAAn2C
— ☆オードリーAudrey☆ (@aitaikimochi) June 18, 2023
On the floor, it’s a quite simple fight system with a magic button, a fundamental assault button, and particular talents. Nevertheless, urgent buttons in tandem and totally different combos create a high-skill ceiling with the flexibility to do combos whereas holding it accessible for individuals who wish to battle extra merely. That is all backed up by among the most stunning animated assaults and particular strikes within the trade, making even probably the most boring assaults compelling. Clive’s want for others is perpetuated by way of the gameplay and fight. Lots of the talents that he ultimately obtains are by way of the literal powers of individuals he meets on his journey. This makes the fight even higher because it enhances the themes of the story.
The introduction of well timed equipment is wonderful. This brings accessibility choices into the precise recreation as a substitute of it being an alienating function that individuals need to scroll by way of the choices listing for. These attachments help you make combating simpler. These equipment allow assaults or therapeutic to be automated, for instance. That is good for individuals who battle with motion video games or these with disabilities. It’s a welcome function which is complemented by the Story-Targeted recreation mode, which additionally makes combating less complicated. This is a wonderful step in direction of making gaming extra accessible.
Whether or not you play with intense combos or easy button mashing, the flashiness of strikes and the fixed, layered inflow of talents of various parts retains combating recent till the very finish with a robust story supporting it.
The Energy Of Friendship
With out delving into spoilers, Ultimate Fantasy 16 tells an attractive story of hardship and relationships. The backdrop of hectic Eikon boss fights and flashiness is used to raise an attractive story in regards to the energy of bonds and the feelings that include being human. By way of this, the sport leans into an necessary side of all of the Ultimate Fantasy video games — the bonds between the protagonist and his celebration members.
Though Ultimate Fantasy 16 is a extra mature recreation than earlier entries, the center of what makes Ultimate Fantasy continues to be very a lot there. The story is price experiencing regardless of the smaller aspect plots that may interrupt the principle story beats. There’s a free demo out on PS5 the place you’ll be able to expertise the Prologue. These opening hours do effectively to arrange the sport and are an amazing microcosm of the bigger expertise. It’s most positively price taking part in earlier than deciding if you wish to purchase the sport.
The stunningly animated cutscenes seize the minute element of gut-wrenching emotion and the explosive battles between two impenetrable Dominants. Indisputably, these cutscenes are among the greatest within the trade and make the sport a pleasure to each play and watch. These cutscenes and Eikon battles are among the greatest gameplay and cinematic segments I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing, and I’ll always remember a few of these moments.
“Come To Me, Ifrit”
Ultimate Fantasy 16 combines the flashiness of video games like Satan Might Cry 5 with a compelling story about household, hardship and eudaimonia. It isn’t with out flaws, with its formulaic aspect missions, pacing points, and inconsistent open-world design. Nevertheless, Ultimate Fantasy XVI continues to be the most effective video games within the Ultimate Fantasy sequence. With among the greatest cutscenes and animation within the trade, together with compelling characters and mesmerizing moments, Ultimate Fantasy 16 is undoubtedly the most effective video games to play on the PlayStation 5.