Most often, after I’ve played a game, I’ll sit and let my mind ruminate on the experience before I actually begin to write anything. These miniature essays are like a stew, where I toss in the ingredients and let the flavors blend together before I present it to an audience. But from the moment I picked up Final Fantasy XVI, my thoughts have not been able to get away. Although my first experience with the series, in FF8 and FF9, were some of my favorite RPG adventures ever, the majority of entries that came out in my lifetime have yet to capture that same feeling of wonder and amazement. Even the exotic locations of FF10 or the reforged world of FF14 were not enough to draw me back into the series, but between everything that FF16 does right and the similarities it seems to share with my own writing, I find myself unable and unwilling to play anything else for the time being.

As with essentially every other entry in the series, Final Fantasy XVI takes place in a brand-new world featuring a cast of characters attempting to save it. In this instance, players are taken to the twin continents of Valisthea and play as Clive Rosfield, firstborn son of the Duke of Rosaria and sworn protector of its heir, your younger brother, Joshua. In a world filled with magic, those Bearers who wield it are considered less than human, with the exception of the Dominants who can summon powerful Eikons, manifestations of pure magic, to dramatically shift the tides of battle. It is with this backdrop that Clive’s family is betrayed, and he is sold into slavery in the Holy Empire of Sanbreque. Clive discovers the hidden truth behind the presence of magic, and thus attempts to take on the whole world in order to save it from both the ever-encroaching Blight and its peoples’ hubris, while also attempting to uncover what truly happened to his family.

The thing I love most about storytelling and writing is worldbuilding. Creating the histories, mythologies, religions, and cultures of multiple people across an entire world, making it as truthful as possible to its own reality, and FF16 works overtime to ensure that you are familiar with the lore without being inundated with it. The Active Time Lore menu, which can be opened up at any time outside of combat, allows you to review specific written entries concerning what is currently taking place. Whether you forget a character’s motivations or review the rules of magic in Valisthea, the game takes care to build a rich and dynamic realm without having to rely on exposition dumps. The faith of the Goddess Greagor, the legend of the hyper-advanced Fallen society, the various cities and battles that populate and occur throughout history over domination of the land and its magic; all of these and much more are naturally weaved into the game’s narrative, characters speaking to one another as though they actually know and understand the world in which they live. It allows the player to organically perceive the meaning of terms and events without it being explicitly explained to them. And if they require a more concrete commentary, the lore entries can provide more than enough context.

Long gone are the days of traditional, turn-based Final Fantasy combat systems. Although this was a format I loved and found nostalgic, I understand that it is a dated mechanic. It works for games of strategy, but starting with FF12, the games became much more action-oriented. Now, combat is fast-paced and frenetic, as you switch between swordplay, magical projectiles, Eikonic powers, and commanding your hound into battle. This can all be a lot to handle at once, in addition to dodging and using potions and other consumable items. Luckily for players new to the genre, the game offers both a Story difficulty setting, allowing players to focus on the narrative, and Assist accessories, which can take care of some of the game’s systems for you, automatically controlling your dodge or your potions. I admit that I even used the ring which auto-controlled Torgal, my pet dog, during combat, allowing me to instead concentrate on my own tactics versus the enemies. Despite it being real-time, the combat is definitely still tactical, forcing you to consider how you’ll approach enemies. Maybe the Phoenix’s sweeping fire strikes would be best, or perhaps Titan’s massive damage and blocking would be helpful. Luckily, the game allows for you to change your build quite often, reallocating ability points whenever you want to try new combinations of Eikons. There is no “optimal” build, as far as I know, meaning any three Eikons are just as effective as any other three, making playing through the game much more suited to your own playstyle.

One series of segments that separate FF16 from its predecessors is the Eikonic battles. Almost every act within the story is punctuated by a clash between two of these powerful magical creatures, each with different mechanics and presentations, from an on-rails shooter to sprinting across massive arms and dodging obstacles. Each of them plays differently, with the occasional familiar combat segment to tie everything together. My only complaint was that there wasn’t enough of these moments. The game definitely has them more concentrated in the first half than the second; I felt like there were at least two instances in the second half where an Eikonic battle would’ve fit perfectly.

Along with the darker new world and gorier combat, the story and writing are much sterner than in previous games. War is a common feature of the Twins, with death and treason a major presence throughout the world. The commonfolk are indifferent at best to the plight of magic users, malevolent at worst. Bearers’ treatment as sub-humans are displayed time and time again, being forced to work in heartless conditions and taken care of worse than cattle, in addition to the curse of slowly turning into stone as a result of wielding magic. Certain side quests and optional conversations you may come across during your travels further establish this, making it clear that the world you live in is not a forgiving one. There’s one in particular, called Playthings, about a little girl losing her “pet” that I think speaks volumes as to how people can treat other people so cruelly. Established characters can even be killed at any moment; no one you love is ever safe at any point. The tone is much more reminiscent of Game of Thrones and other modern fantasies, which is a pleasant break from the high-fantasy themes of previous Final Fantasy games.

That is not to say the game is depressing and gloomy. The graphics, like with any Final Fantasy, are drop-dead gorgeous, from the massive architectural wonders of Valisthea to the particle effects of magical spells. The contrast between the bright colors of magic and the dull colors of a fading, blighted world makes for a great juxtaposition. Small details like the chainmail Clive wears under his clothing, the wrinkles in the fabric, the individual strands of hair, are all rendered in glorious high definition. The Mothercrystals, vast mountains of crystal which help channel the world’s latent magic, are what stood out to me the most though. Each one is magnificent, massive in scale, awe-inspiring in their presence. Between the ruined sites of the Fallen civilization and the untamed wilderness still surrounding the countryside, the world is oozing with rich and vivid design.

Traveling the world is much more akin to Final Fantasy X-2 (yes, there’s a direct sequel to a numbered entry, and it makes the naming conventions of the games even more confusing) than Final Fantasy IX. Instead of a vast open world in which to discover every secret, the land is split into zones based on the region of the world you’re in, giving you both some sprawling segments and more concentrated, linear ones. I know this point is often a contentious one within the FF community. My consideration is that I much prefer condensed and rich stages if it means the developers can create more interesting levels with unique things to do rather than spread out over a sparsely populated world. A common complaint I have of modern games is the inclusion of an open world without much to do in it; if designers can make more interesting experiences that don’t require traversing a bare and featureless wasteland, I will always be more inclined toward those.

The major grievance I have with the game is the cast of party members; specifically, how they’re treated. While Clive and Joshua get fully realized characters with depth and desires and growth, there is considerably less so for other characters, Jill being the one that comes to the front of my mind. Starting off with very little agency and nothing more than Clive’s companion, she slowly gains more and more importance and independence, and eventually gives almost all of it up by the game’s conclusion. It’s disappointing to have any character, let alone the main female, to have little bearing on the story, and it seemed like Jill was building toward something, the eventual culmination of which leaves her without as necessary of a presence. This, of course, isn’t limited to just Jill, but other female characters (and even some male ones) are introduced primarily as damsels in distress. It’s an old trope that doesn’t fit in this world, especially when we witness some of the women taking charge and doing what they believe is right.

This is actually an unfortunately-recurring trope in FF16. Some moments are built up and pose fascinating questions, but end up leaving you with few answers. And not in a way that’s purposeful. The side quest Live and Let Live has you explore the sapience of goblins, a race of enemies you’ll encounter. Clive slaughters scores of these beastmen throughout the course of the game, but in this mission, you come across a small settlement of goblins driven to the desert because their homeland was devastated by the Blight. They are only stealing from the nearby humans because they do not know how to farm on the land. It creates a complicated situation, where this group you had only considered mindless enemies have motivations of self-preservation and self-determination, leaving you to wonder if the Goblin Coins you sell as valuables proves they display higher intelligence. However, the game never refers back to this quest nor the question. You go back to fighting packs of goblins without considering how they’ve been “humanized” to an extent. This could have made for a deeply fascinating side plot concerning how other species are reacting to the desolation of their world, but just as quickly as it’s brought up, it’s dropped onto the dirt and replaced by the next shiny object.

Similarly, the ending doesn’t bring about any satisfying resolution for the main characters, in terms of the traditional narrative arc. Without major spoilers, I will preface that it is a bittersweet ending, which is the kind of ending I prefer in stories. However, as the climax concludes, we experience the falling action, tying up some of the threads, but leaving us with unresolved narratives. The fates of certain characters are left ambiguous, when, at other times, the game tries to make it explicit what happens to other characters. I don’t necessarily want to blame this on the idea that the developers wanted to make downloadable content to further explore what happens immediately following the climax, since the producers claimed that they wanted to release a complete game and they made no plans to add any new content. However, because of the game’s popularity and high sales figures, Square Enix is now considering their next steps, whether to continue the story or go in-depth into other characters’ pasts. It goes to show that I’m not the only one desiring to explore this world even more, especially if it ties up any other loose ends. The resolution ultimately takes place many years after the game’s conclusion, acting as a metaphor for the fate of the world. In this sense, I enjoyed the ending, giving us something more than “happily ever after.” It’s melancholic, but accompanied by hope for a better tomorrow.

Despite some missteps, Final Fantasy XVI is a masterpiece through and through. A story of seizing fate for oneself, a more somber mood, and an engaging world all work together to draw me further in. It will be difficult for me to move on from Valisthea to new worlds.