Poll: What Review Score Would You Give Final Fantasy 16?

For me it’s high 80’s.

It’s extremely good with some minor niggles.

It's amazing, while some will be upset about the lack of RPG aspects it is so good for a character action game.

9/10 - 52% agree so far

Was an 8 1/4 way in. But then it exploded (characters, story, world)... 9 easy.

And that is with me playing some pretty great games back to back the last 6 months. Holding its own easily.

Also, the more I see the more I cant wait for the Art Book.

Gave it a 9. I prefer the traditional turn-based RPGs and while I find the combat mechanics of this game to be just fine, what makes this special to me is the story, characters and presentation. They were enough for me to overlook the flaws of the gameplay. The Eikon battles and the Eikons themselves are so good as well that they may have set the bar high in terms of how summons are integrated in the story/lore of the game.

Im still early doors so i am giving it an 8 but with significant potential to become a 9. Combat is great, and i like the story. Clive, Jill and Cid are fab - not forgetting Torgal!

My issues mainly relate to the NCP's - particularly in the side quests (rather than the side quests themselves) coming across as very wooden. I'd like the ability to hold more than 7 potions at a time too, but maybe thats just me!

So far i have had lots of fun in the field and fighting beasts and the music is great. I do think this will become a 9 once i get further in the story

9 from me, although it's pushing to a 10 the more im playing through it

8.5 - 9.0/10 for me. The presentation, action, characters, and story are incredible. However, the game is lacking in many areas. As typical for any RPG, there are numerous of fetch quests. And I’ve done nothing but them, but that can change. That said, the writing in these fetch quests are quite good. Other than that, the open world is dated. It almost plays like a late PS3 or early PS4 game. Nonetheless, these quibbles are minor in the grand scheme of things. I’m nearly halfway through the game and I’m excited to see what surprises await me.

Teetering between a 5 and a 6, so far. I have a lot of mixed feelings about it, and I'm astounded by the high praise it's been getting. The Eikon battles are CLEARLY where the vast majority of the time, effort, and money went, because so much else around them is shockingly lackluster and/or hollow.

FFXVI was my most anticipated game of the year btw

Only played the demo. I like the dark tone - that "ending" of the demo was very messed up. The spectacle moments are also very impressive.

Everything else feels very "by the book" third-person action. But, again, only based on demo, so I won't vote.

It was enough to pique my interesting in making it my next game purchase, though.

A solid 6, nothing more, nothing less.

I'd give it a 10, best game I've played this year thus far.

Torn between a 7 and an 8 right now, won't rate until I finish it. The highest of highs but also really horrible lows. Some terrible terrible animation even in some of the main story NPC cutscenes and awful fetch quest design. But when its back to the highs the scale is unmatched in those epic battle sequences. One of the most oddly inconsistent games I've ever played

For me its jossling as best game I've played this year. Easily a 9 in terms of gameplay and the story , if it maintains its quality could even be a 10! I am enjoying it immensely.

It’s a 2 because somebody got to be negative here just kidding it’s a 9.

It started off as a 9 then went down to a 7, back up to an 8 at the min,im about half way through

For me it's a high 9. I only JUST acquired the Titan powers but I'm continually impressed by the set oeices and storytelling. And I love the music!

I'd give it a nine. Incredible highs with some annoying issues. One of them being the canonical size of Valisthea. The supposed size of the region in the story is treated quite inconsistently between separate main missions, side missions, as well as gameplay. It breaks the immersion for me.

Is it Square Enix's God of War moment, do we feel? I really can't wait to get back so I can buy and play this! Whatever the results.

It's character action, semi open world, plenty of drama and massive set pieces. Could be a new start for the series going forward

As has been pointed out before and I agree, as an action game it's outstanding.
As a Final Fantasy game? More like a 4.
This reminds me of my feelings on what God Of War is now, after Ragnarok and it's prior.
New Krato games have great controls, outstanding production, very polished and fun action games on their own....but as God Of War games as the series was known and established?
They're not really God Of War.

Makes you wonder if FFXVI hax been released as an original title unconnected to Final Fantasy if it would have sold even better?
Or did that name recognition push it? Guess we'll never truly know.

Im loving it. Its a definate 9 for me but im only 40% through after 35 hours.

Ive played every single ff game since inception as an adult (yes im nearly 60), and people suggesting it isnt FF are living in cuckoo land as far as im concerned. The mark of FF is that it always changes. The thing that would have made it not FF is if it was a copy of previous games.... But hey, these days everyones an expert and think they know better than the devs who created this franchise 😁

A 6. I loved it at first but pacing issues and how padded the game was really hampered my ability to enjoy it. The ending was also really kinda just... I mean I guess it happened? Not much to really say about it other than it was a bit of a let down. Doubt I'll be getting the DLC.

About a 9, so many high points and with incredible cinematic pieces. Music and combat are sublime, it’s only the side quests that falter along with performance. It’s up there with TOTK this year so far for me.

So far, if I were to use metacritics scoring system then definitely the borderline 90 it got. I'm a really good chunk into the timeskip and the game becomes so much more enjoyable after it but unfortunately it hasn't quite lived up to the aspect I was so looking forward to the most which was the story. While the characters have been great so far, the story itself isn't bad and the set pieces are honestly phenomenal, the pacing is awful. It is zooming past plot points without letting the player take in almost any moment so far

When I read the main story would be 35-40 hrs I became a bit wary, it wasnt gonna properly flesh out the world it was promoting and unfortunately it turned out to be true. This is not the kind of story you can tell in only 40 hrs. It shouldve been at least double that regardless of the jrpg noobs and disingenuous jrpgs players that complain about too many cutscenes. That said the actual moments within the cutscenes are really great, they're interesting, the dialogue is so natural, cutscene direction is flawless. It's just that it feels like you're seeing them without proper context

My second gripe is that the rewards are just very lacking so far. The actual zones are great. Gorgeous views, typical wide open areas for a jrpg, the music is stellar. And there's plenty to do in them with the exception of a fishing minigame lol. Hunts, side quests, eikon trials, chests scattered around the maps, blue item pick ups. It is literally a jrpg. But the problem is the rewards for going to do them except hunts are just not worth it. There's no reason for chests to have the same lowly mats as the blue item pick ups. Put a new sword in there, or armor but nope. Side quests play exactly how I thought they would and that's 90% of all games with side quests. And people exaggerate, there's about 7 standard beginner fetch quests. The rest become so much more interesting once you get to the veil onwards and some do actually give worthwhile rewards but the ratio is still in favor of them being useless

Those 2 gripes are pretty much my only ones. There is a lot to love about this game. The world is gorgeous. Performance has not been an issue in the slightest. Running around in it and fighting monsters is insanely fun. There is so many ways to go about combat it's pretty amazing. Music deserves soundtrack of the year, it is a gorgeous ost. The boss fights have been some of if not the best, fights gaming has to offer. Clive is easily becoming one of my favorite protagonists of all time. It's a really great game just not quite what I wanted from the overall story unfortunately. Still looking forward to seeing how it ends and trying final fantasy mode

I'm at about an 8 at the moment but the story is so good it might bump it up to a 9 when all is said and done. Everything main quest related is excellent. Really good stuff there.

The side quests definitely drag it down a bit although I hear they improve the further in you go. The gear system is also just a bit boring really. Very bare bones. Just pick the one with higher numbers and move on.

It's close to being a home run. Really close. If Square would have gotten the side quests right and make gear collecting a bit more interesting then I'd probably be at a 10!

Though it is a bit amusing how Clive essentially becomes a Door Dash deliverer for most of the side quests. 😄

8/10. Thoroughly enjoyed it, especially the storytelling, but it’s no GOTY contender for me personally.

I’m torn between 9 and 8, it’s fun, the combat feels great, story has been amazing, characters are interesting, but there’s some clear issues.

Pacing is the worst of any recent game that I can think of, an epic mission is immediately followed by 2 hours of doing absolutely nothing but running errands that doesn’t advance the story at all, side quests are also mostly bad since most are even more errands without offering worthwhile rewards, and finally the map and traversal itself feels outdated as it sometimes feels exactly like FFXIII being a step back from FFXV and FFVII Remake.

Overall I’d say a great game but I did expect more and currently I don’t think it’s worth to call it a GOTY contender with so many other great games already released and planned for later this year.

For me it's a 10 for being a PS5 exclusive that use the most of the PS5 console, about being "real JRPG or RPG", I remember the days of "real JRPG and RPG", standing up doing endless scrolling reading useless text, MIDI music with turn based combat, where the other characters were crap or brilliant, and just waiting for the "ultimate move" to kill the boss... horrible times, really... and the useless errands and robbing the dead is real RPG, lol... but it seems that many "discerning players" use PS5 as a glorified PS4...

Just finished it, there are some smaller complains but that doesn't take aware from the fact that this is an amazing game. Easily a 9/10

Also I once again want to mention that imo the side quests (especially the ones later into the game) are really good and shouldn't be missed out just because some of the earlier ones aren't that special

7. If the side quests were any more boring like ff14s it'd be an offline mmo .

Honestly no personality. No rpgness. People talk about the combat but xenoblade chronicles 2 offered so much more 5 years ago. And you had elements of control with party members and switching. And that was open world. This is so instanced it'd make guild wars 1 blush

Ff16 is pretty. That's it. Sorry.

8/10

A solid game with an engaging story and characters. Battle system was a welcome change from FFXV. Excellent graphics and fantastic music and voice acting.

Negatives are that the environments/maps all feel sparse with nothing to do other than battles. I really missed a mini game or just anything "fun". Most side quests are also dull as dishwater.

My overall impression is that this is a good game but although it brings forward some new ideas for the FF series, all ideas have been done before in other games and many of them more effectively. That is what will hold it back from being considered a truly defining game IMO.

I voted 9 but If it was open world it would have been a 10 for me

A 6. (I am 15 hours in must be said )It is so boring.
Combat is not bad but absolutely nothing special.
The story is a bit bland with absolutely no surprises (in fact i will wager loads of money that someone who appears to have bitten the dust is very much alive).
And above all if this was called forspoken or something else i would not have batted an eyelid.
It doesnt feel like a ff game to me.
And yes i know i am in the minority.

10 it's a serious contender for my favourite Final Fantasy I absolutely loved it the story and characters were amazing and yes I know string me up but I loved the combat. I have nitpicks (like the performance mode being unstable) but overall yeah it was incredible

70% done and I'd probably rate it a 7 so far. It feels great to actually play but I feel like I'm just hopping to different places on the map to drive the story forward rather than having that feeling of a great adventure as the story unfolds. There also seems to be no real reaction or change in the world of Valisthea as to Clive's actions throughout the story. It just all feels so empty. My other gripe is with the characters. As likeable as they are, there just doesn't seem to be any chemistry between them, especially Clive and Jill. There's a time jump of 5 years and those pair still act awkward around each other like they've not long met.
I think Gav is my favourite character in this game.

8 - good game only let down by over reliance upon the dreaded fetch quests. When you have to cross the map, just to buy a clove of garlic, in main quest, that's simply not good enough. Stops this being a 9 imo

Final fantasy 16 is definitely a 9 out of 10.word up son

It’s a near 10 for me, they just need to fix the frame rates.

10 this game blows my mind. And I am near the end of the story.

I went for 8 but not finished it yet.

Enjoying the story but now getting a tad bored and feel it does feel a bit empty at points.

It's been a good year for games with this Resi 4, dead space, Hogwarts and Jedi Survivor with Spiderman 2 and Alan Wake still to come

So far I'm not impressed. Every major character being a superhero, makes for one boring ass story.

I gave it a 7 on this poll, I'm level 42 having done all side quests and hunts every time before going on to the next part of the story and it's red icon, so I believe I've seen all there is to see up to the point I'm at..

Some of the fetch quests are so uninvolved it's distracting. One had me walk out of a bar and talk to a guy immediately outside.

The lack of a complex system like materia, pairing those with other materia to enhance the weapons or armour, and the lack of any need to scan an enemy or steal from them to get rare items is a big loss in my opinion.

However, it's great that you'll never need a guide to follow in case you miss one time items and events, and also some battles in final fantasy had me looking up a specific build or strategy like casting spells on my mirrored characters to do more damage. It's good that you don't feel the need to copy someone else because you got stuck at a point.

I feel it's a must play for people who love final fantasy and are aware of how different it is from other, more complicated games in the series. But that doesn't make it an immediate 10 for me yet.

Maybe a full replay will happen after I bear the story and it will be full of really hard optional battles and I'll change my mind..

@NeutronBomb true about the fetch quests. They really are filler. But let's face it, it would be a short game without them!

I’d give it an 7-8 so far. The opening hours were great but then it slows down to a crawl. I’ve played 12 hours and outside of some boss fights (and those opening hours), I’ve been a bit disappointed after all the hype. Hoping it gets better and I’m just in a lull. That said if it is a lull, then it’s got some serious pacing issues.

Reminds me of Final Fantasy VII Remake where they added too much filler. And I haven’t even done many side quests.

Fingers crossed that it improves!

Simply because it is manga i deduct 3 points and if i hear moaning and squeeking i remove another 2. I rate "asian cartoons" below 5>10

I’m not far enough to give it a score yet, I’ve only just arrived in the village with the Fat Chocobo. Just like with FF7 Remake it takes some getting used to though. Don’t know if this sounds logical, but the characters seem so big and clumsy in these two games. Totally different from the FF’s I used to love (most entries since X).

I’m sure I’ll have to push through a bit though. These big games always seem a bit overwhelming in the beginning when you try to soak up everything desperately to not miss a beat.

Four fifths into the story or so, a solid 9 so far. Could have even been a 10 if area exploration/loot and sidequests were better.

I went with an 8 but maybe should have gone with a 7. I just beat it today and enjoyed it. I had my issues with it and I don't see myself playing it again. I enjoyed my time in the game though. I completed almost all the quests, finished all the hunts, and crafted the best gear for a 1st time play through. The main story was fine but not mind blowing. Overall a good game that could be better with some performance patches and more character customization added.

I'm not sure how developing FF goes with studios that work on them, but if they use this for a base, and improve on this formula then the next game should definitely be a serious game of the year contender and potential winner and establish the series in the west for good.

Keep watching and playing European based fantasy stuff (preferably playing TW3 over and over before making the next game) and make FF into this new global hybrid, Square Enix and Business Unit III 😁

@RBMango Eikon battles, aka quick time events. I feel you.

The main story missions I've really enjoyed, especially the build up to a boss fight and then the boss fight itself. Some are very good set pieces. While it's not the FF of old, it's a great game none the less and definitely better than 15. I just couldn't get on with that. Nearing the end now I think and I'd say definitely worth a 9.

Among the best this year for me, high 9 overall. A bit more RPG elements and I would've given it a 10.

LOL to the trolls voting “abysmal”

It’s my first FF and at first I thought I really liked the cinematic battles, but 7 hours in the game they start to bore me. They’re either too automatic with the help of some timely rings, or too tiring with too much button mashing.

I picked up some other hack & slashers in the meantime, and even the very easy entry Ravenlok battles feel more interactive…

As much as I want to love it, I’m at a 7/10 for now.

7/10

The voice acting isn't the great and many of the voices don't fit the characters.

A lot of the models look the same.

Water looks distractingly bad.

No HDR

Lackluster performance, not enough optimisation.

Side quests are pretty boring and unchallenging.

People voting '1 - Abysmal' seriously need to grow up and realise that spamming reviews won't get you laid or help you grow hair down there or help you move out of your parent's basement.

I think the game is incredible. It won't be for everyone but it's never a 1. Grow up.

Hollow weapon system and abilities. Side quests can be so bad there's not even voice acting for them. Combat becomes repetitive and you can pretty much beat the majority of enemies by just pressing square. Performance isn't great. Crafting system is basically useless. Level design, which I don't really see being discussed at all, isn't very good which really could have made up for some of the other stuff considering it's not open world. Not having a real difficulty setting available until NG+ was foolish.

The game is basically story (cutscenes) and combat. Nothing else.

Only half way done with it but I'd say a 7 out of 10. Anyone giving it a 9 or 10 has some serious blinders on simply because of it's IP.

I feel FF16 could be two different things and probably should have been. A movie or TV show and then have a game that accompanies the show. I want to play a game when I hold a controller not watch a movie/show. While its a dam good show at that. I want to game....

I give the movie/tv show/game at the highest a 8. It has an amazing story, graphics are tops, gameplay is where it looses points, probably mid, I would give a 5 or 6 out of time for gameplay, music is fantastic. I just feel the story could have been integrated into the gameplay to make the overall experience more fun then just sitting there watching and I mean watching..... Metal Gear Solid 4 flashbacks.

It's good but no way near a 10

I think I'd give it an 8.5. It's really nice graphically, pretty good levels, and great characters, but the combat is lacking. The eikon abilities are all great but there's hardly much to use with the sword. No pause combos, no double jumping, limited enemy step, etc. Like it would've been great if the game had multiple weapons which would've balanced out the small moveset for the sword but that's not the case. Also KH esque team attacks/limit breaks would've been a great addition. Give me something that makes me feel closer to the party members.

Regardless of that stuff the game is still great. The eikon battles are definitely some of the hypest stuff I've seen in a game. Also the story lost just a few points for me cuz I wasn't too into the whole Ultima thing. I liked when clive was just out for revenge and I wish that along with the warring countries was the main focus.

But yea 8.5/10

10/10. Right up there with my all time favs, TLOU1/2, Elden Ring, Deus Ex, System Shock, Quake 2, NMH3.

The resolution and framerate issues, along with the rather bland side quests, stop it from achieving true classic status for me. But it's still the best mainline FF title since 9 or 10.

So I just finished it and I think I might be in the minority in thinking this game was just ...ok?? Sidequests were abysmal (except for the last 10 or so) combat got really boring really fast and the direction the story took and the ending?? Aghhh not a fan. I am glad I played it and it wasn't bad, but it is nowhere near as amazing as some reviewers were making it out to be. I can't think of an experience more dserving of the word 'mid' than this.

I’ve really only just started it but I gave it a 10 because I’m just so blown away by the whole thing. I keep thinking it’s like a demo and gonna end but then it keeps going and I’m like wow this is real oh my god I love it. Really think it could be my GOTY.

6.5/10 for me kind of dissapointed tbh

Solid 9 for me. Would've given it a 10 but there are some minor annoyances like the side quests being bad (even though that has been the case in most FF games). Overall an insanely good game though, really enjoyed it a lot.

I did 8/10 because it only really has a low difficulty and the performance mode is awful.

@Typharius Agree, I feel like people tend to like whatever is out there and follow trends, tbh personally I’ve started super late in gaming and in the past 5 years I’ve tried hundreds of games and is really hard for me to say at least 5 REALLY good games (at least for my taste) everything else is not that good or boring. and btw Im 37yo too and let me tell you this is the best time to be alive

0/10. But not for the reason you think.
Allow me to elaborate. Spoilers ahead though, you've been warned.

Unlike most people nowadays, I am a religious person. I believe in God and I worship him everyday. Understandably, you're thinking, well this is weird. Me too! I never thought I'd write this in a video game forum!

So why?
The ending of this game personally offended me like no other. I had to play as a man who wanted to overthrow his creator and choose to live without him. The game forces you to hate the creator and believe the notion of a God exisisting is cruel. Having Faith in the creator is blind and stupid like barnabas. Standing on your own 2 feet is the better thing to do. As Clive, I was forced to listen to this garbage, which seemingly comes outta knowhere in the final hours of the game.

To be clear, I enjoyed every second of my time with this game until the final hours set in. The final exposition scenes that explains everything and Clive takes his stance against God, his creator, was the biggest whiplash I've ever experienced with a character. Up until then, the makers of the game did such a great job bonding me to Clive. (It helps that my younger brother is also called Joshua XD).
But as soon as this all happens, I felt like I was the bad guy. Clive was the enemy in my eyes. And I hate how the creator of the universe is portrayed as evil, where my creator is a God of Love.
I felt like I betrayed him playing this game, and for that, 0/10 score.

I'm selling this game on eBay already and it's left me very upset.
I just thought a review like this may seem controversial, but I hope above all, it strikes you as sincere.

Thanks for Reading,
C

40-50 hours in, I give it a 9.5. It's great, not quite perfect, but then again, what is? The performance could use some fixes, though I haven't experienced anything too bad. The maligned side quests are, honestly, not that bad. They get better as the game progresses and they do well to bad out the lore.