Final Fantasy 16 Blasted By Players As “Not A Real FF Game”
Final Fantasy 16 has stirred up quite a bit of controversy since its release in 2023, with many newcomers and series veterans taking to Metacritic to leave negative reviews. Despite being one of the best-reviewed releases of the year, the game has been criticised for deviating from the essence of a true Final Fantasy game.
The phrase “not a Final Fantasy game” is frequently used by individuals such as Kinasu and MaxPainAlchmst in their reviews. Nasax and Mokon, along with others, have gone so far as to label it as the worst installment in the Final Fantasy series. The word “linear” and the lack of traditional RPG elements have also been mentioned repeatedly in negative reviews.
Some users who claim to have completed the game offer more in-depth criticism than those who gave it a low score early on out of disappointment with the series’ new direction. Kgauj, for example, addresses various aspects of the late game in their critique, including the uneventful Bearer plot element, and the immature political drama. They also point out quest padding and criticize the hero’s motivations, as well as other areas they feel were under-explored.
Other experienced players like Camzillasmom express disappointment with the game’s side content, feeling that the side quests in Final Fantasy 16 are the shallowest of any Final Fantasy game, comparing them unfavorably to the diverse activities such as fishing, cooking, and Chocobo racing found in Final Fantasy 15.
Some users, such as Arylon, also criticize the game for dropped plot points and incomplete character arcs, as well as the lack of exploration and unrewarding objectives. On the other hand, Sebastiansa and armarantJun state that side quests are a positive aspect that enhances understanding of the harsh world Clive inhabits, so the side quest issue seems to be the most controversial out of all the other gameplay elements.
Final Fantasy 16 is a tricky game to review and get a general consensus on. Even some reviewers and journalists like SkillUp and Jason Schreier do not like the new direction of the series. As the initial allure of the bombastic Eikon battles and DMC-inspired action combat fades, the game’s core problems become more apparent.
Final Fantasy 16 is one of the best-reviewed releases of 2023, and yet it can also be considered one of the most controversial of the year. Many newcomers and even series veterans are now taking to Metacritic to leave negative reviewswhile claiming that Final Fantasy 16 deviates from the essence of a true Final Fantasy game.
The phrase “not a Final Fantasy game” is one that’s frequently used by individuals such as Kinasu and MaxPainAlchmst in many reviews. Nasax and Mokon, along with others, label it as the worst installment in the Final Fantasy series. And the word ‘linear’ as well as the generally perceived lack of traditional RPG elements is repeated in many instances throughout all the negative reviews.
Some of these users claim to have completed the game and offer more in-depth criticism than those who gave it a low early score out of sheer disappointment with the series’ changed direction. Kgauj, for example, addresses various aspects of the late game in their critique, including the uneventful Bearer plot element (natural-born magic users), and the immature political drama. They also point out quest padding and criticize the hero’s motivations, as well as other areas they feel were under-explored.
Other people, especially experienced players like Camzillasmom, express their disappointment with the game’s side content. Camzillasmom feels that the side quests in Final Fantasy 16 are the shallowest of any Final Fantasy game, comparing them unfavorably to the diverse activities such as fishing, cooking, and Chocobo racing found in Final Fantasy 15.
Some users, such as Arylon, also criticize the game for dropped plot points and incomplete character arcs, as well as the lack of exploration and unrewarding objectives. On the other hand, Sebastiansa and armarantJun state that side quests are a positive aspect that enhances understanding of the harsh world Clive inhabits, so the side quest issue seems to be the most controversial out of all the other gameplay elements.
Final Fantasy 16 is certainly a tricky game to review and get a general consensus on. Even some reviewers and journalists like SkillUp and Jason Schreier do not like the new direction of the series. And it seems that as once the initial allure of the bombastic Eikon battles and DMC-inspired action combat fades, the payoff doesn’t alleviate some of the core problems within the game.
