4/5 ★ – wesleytypes's review of Final Fantasy XVI.

The 16th mainline entry in the Final Fantasy series represents yet another crossroads for this storied JRPG franchise. Just how much can you reinvent yourself before you cease to be what you originally were? It's very much a Ship of Theseus situation. While many aspects of the Final Fantasy world and tradition remain intact here, it seems just as many are thrown out the window. Now, regardless of where we land on the game's faithfulness to its own history, I really enjoyed my time with Final Fantasy XVI. Its setting, characters, music, and story are as infectious and memorable as the series has ever offered, and I have always felt that it's these things which truly define a Final Fantasy game. Do I wish the franchise would return to turn-based combat, elemental weaknesses, and multiple controlled characters? Absolutely. Is the franchise a dying mockery of itself without those things? Certainly not. The game does have issues, but I found myself repeatedly willing to forgive them because it gets the core experience so right. For me, pretty much all of the game's shortcomings can be wrapped up in pacing; both of its story and of its gameplay elements. I'll be drawn in by a magnificent and emotional set piece only to spend the next couple hours trudging through menial tasks and dry NPC dialogue. In Final Fantasy XVI, you have to "buy garlic" before you can save the world. The highs are very high, and the lows are pretty low. However, I found that this pattern did start to get better much later in the game. As for gameplay, by the end of the main game I was having a lot of fun in combat. The potential move combinations you end up with are impressive and fun to play with. The problem is, it took me that long to get there. All combat abilities are tied to the story, which I like in concept, but it also leaves you without a lot of options for a good chunk of the game. Early combat encounters made me feel like I was constantly waiting on two or three cooldowns to do any meaningful damage at all. It's stylish and fun, but also very grindy until the systems become more open to you. Final Fantasy XVI is a game that almost lost me in the middle. So much so that it took me a whole year to come back and finish it! It begins with a huge bang and settles into a beautiful stride in its waning hours, but a lot of what's in between grated on me. I would have a great play session one night, and then the next would be a little underwhelming. Ultimately, the good outweighs the bad and the high moments almost erase the low ones. It's uneven, but it also feels special. And again, this entry really nails the core aspects of Final Fantasy as well as the best games in the franchise. I think I can say that I love this game now, and I'm sad the journey ended.