nearwind

I have been playing for over 20 hours now, and I'm around 60% through the main storyline. The following review is based on my current progress. As someone with 35 years of gaming experience, I can confidently say that Final Fantasy 16 is not only the worst in the series but falls far below the average quality of similar games. In the 20 hours of gameplay I've experienced, I can only describe it as dull and agonizing. It requires deep breaths and self-encouragement just to hold onto the DualSense controller. This game is an exceptionally boring and uninteresting RPG from a major game developer. The weapon and equipment system feels superficial and pointless. Any new weapon that appears only provides a permanent +5 attack boost without changing the attack style, making them indistinguishable. The repetitive tasks for forging materials are uninspired and offer no significant rewards. The team system lacks presence and interactivity. The characters have monotonous attire and limited attack styles. The maps or level designs are small and uninteresting. It's shocking to discover that even at 60% progress, there are only two area maps available. The variety of enemies is extremely lacking. The bestiary lists only 47 non-playable creatures, including 15 eikons, 1 owl from cutscenes, 2 Chocobos, and the rest being various types of enemies and bosses. In actual gameplay, only encountering around ten different enemy types on the maps is disheartening. All side quests involve simply traveling from point A to point B to either defeat enemies or engage in dialogue. They are repetitive and lack creativity. The material rewards obtained upon completion are meaningless since new weapons and upgrades are only obtained through story progression, making the rewards feel insulting. If I were to describe it, Final Fantasy 16 can be seen as a realistic version of "Tales of Arise" without an equipment, companion, and skill system, with severely reduced maps and enemy variety. As someone who has reached a mature age and has been gaming for 35 years, I have learned not to be driven solely by emotions. I have been able to appreciate controversial titles such as The Last of Us Part II, Cyberpunk 2077, Final Fantasy 13, and Final Fantasy 15, finding the positives in each of them. However, this time, Final Fantasy 16 has brought me nothing but agony. Skipping through dialogues quickly has become the norm, and now I can only hope that my patience will allow me to complete the game.