ReportWire

Tag: Final Fantasy XVI

  • The best Prime Day gaming deals that are still available: Save on PS5 games, headsets, controllers and more

    [ad_1]

    Amazon’s October Prime Day sale tends to be a decent source of discounts for gaming gear, and the latest iteration of the “Prime Big Deal Days” event is no exception. Several games, mice, controllers and other accessories we like remain on sale as we approach the end of the two-day event, so if you just can’t wait until Black Friday, we’ve rounded up the best Prime Day deals on gaming devices below. Just remember that you need to be a Prime member to access some of the offers, and that the event as a whole ends at 3AM ET on October 9.

    Best Prime Day video game deals

    PlayStation

    The latest adventure from Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima, Death Stranding 2 is both a delivery sim deeply fixated on how we interact with landscapes and a massively indulgent melodrama that you’ll either find endearing or unbearable depending on your persuasion. Either way, it is undeniably earnest. It should also be a bit easier to come to grips with than the original. Outside of that predecessor, there really isn’t another game like it. This deal marks a new low.

    $50 at Amazon

    Elden Ring (PS5) for $30 ($20 off MSRP): You’ve probably heard about it by now, but the action-RPG Elden Ring is both challenging and darkly funny, with a world that runs incredibly deep and feels lived-in a way few games have. It’s unafraid to test your resolve, yet it always grants you the freedom to simply turn around and find another path forward.

    Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (PS5) for $35 ($15 off): Engadget’s Mat Smith gave this grandiose action-RPG a favorable review last year. You need to have played its predecessor — and ideally, the original PS1 game — to get the most out of it, but it’s positively stuffed with things to do, and its combat system is still a tactical rush at its best.

    Gran Turismo 7 for $30 ($40 off): Gran Turismo 7 is the PS5’s premier sim racer, and a love letter to automobiles as a whole. Like the rest of the GT series, it revels in the patience and precision required to figure out how a given car meshes with a given course. Learning the intricacies of each combination is both intense and rewarding, and there’s a singular style to it all that just doesn’t exist with most sports games.

    Returnal for $30 ($70 off): Returnal is a third-person shooter roguelike that’s at once a technical showcase, a stiff challenge and an achingly beautiful reflection on the nature of grief. It is not for the faint of heart, but its bullet-hell battles are wonderfully fierce, and just about everything in it contributes to its overarching story. It’s also worth checking out if you’re eager to developer Housemarque’s next game, Saros, which seems to borrow many of the elements introduced here.

    The Last of Us Part I for $30 ($40 off): The PS5 remake of Sony’s zombie drama is one of the most unnecessary remakes ever made, but if you’ve never played one of the earlier versions, this is the best way to rectify that. If you’re looking to play the (even moodier) sequel, the PS5 version of that one is similarly discounted.

    God of War Ragnarok for $30 ($40 off): Ragnarok is another Sony sequel that’s more about increasing scope than radically reinventing itself, but its Norse world is beautifully varied and detailed, smashing baddies with a magic axe feels great, and the whole thing is excessive in the way you’d expect a God of War game to be without going overboard.

    Horizon Forbidden West for $30 ($40 off): Engadget’s Jess Conditt called Horizon Forbidden West the “total package” in her review a few years back, praising its frenzied combat, gorgeous art direction and complex narrative. It still has one of the more distinctive post-apocalypses in gaming, blending robot beasts with stunning vistas. That helps paper over some less-than-inspired side content and bits of sluggish pacing.

    Final Fantasy XVI (PS5) for $23 ($7 off): Final Fantasy XVI is a more straightforward action-RPG than something like Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: You don’t need to come in with prior knowledge of any other story, and its hack-and-slash combat is simple to pick up. It can get bogged down in pointless side quests, but its main concern is having you watch giant demigods melodramatically smack each other, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

    Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon for $20 ($10 off): Armored Core VI is a big loud action game about building a mech and using it to blow up everything in sight. It rules. But it’s not mindless: Its many boss fights are genuine duels, and it’s deeply flexible in how it lets you tweak your death machine to tackle stages in different ways. This ties the best price we’ve seen for the PS5 version.

    Metaphor: ReFantazio (Xbox) for $16 ($54 off): It’s about as subtle as you’d expect a game named “Metaphor” to be, but the latest from the minds behind Persona 5 is a fantasy JRPG through and through: bombastic, stylish and deeply earnest. (And long.) This deal represents a new low, though it only applies to the Xbox copy.

    Madden NFL 26 for $37 ($33 off): It always feels like Madden could use a creative reset, but at the end of the day, it’s Madden, and it works fine enough if you just want to scratch the pro football game itch. This is the largest discount we’ve seen for the latest entry, and it applies to the PS5, Xbox and Switch 2 copies.

    Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (3-month) for $57 ($33 off): It hasn’t exactly been a great stretch for Xbox lately, what with Microsoft jacking up console prices, laying off huge swaths of employees and massively hiking the cost of its Game Pass service to $30 per month. But if you aren’t looking to cancel your Game Pass subscription as a result, you can still grab three months of the top-end Ultimate tier for a little less than its old going rate. While the service itself may end up being too pricey in the long term, it’s still home to a wide range of games worth checking out, so this offer might be useful if you have some free time coming up and want to blast through a few titles you’ve been meaning to get around to.

    Best Prime Day gaming device deals

    Image for the small product module

    Meta

    The Quest 3S is the budget pick in our guide to the . Its older Fresnel lenses aren’t exactly class-leading, but they’re good enough for those new to VR, and the headset as a whole is just as fast and comfortable as the pricier Quest 3. It supports the same games and apps, too. This deal ties the best widely available discount we’ve seen for the 128GB model. A configuration with twice the storage and a copy of the game Batman: Arkham Shadow is .

    $249 at Amazon

    Astro A50 X gaming headset for $315 ($75 off): The A50 X is an upgrade pick in our guide to the best gaming headsets. It should specifically appeal to those who own multiple gaming systems, as its base station lets you connect and swap between PC, PS5 and Xbox audio with the press of a button. It’s among the better-sounding wireless headsets we’ve tried as well, and its mic is fantastic. This deal isn’t an all-time low, but it’s the largest drop we’ve seen since February. The standard Astro A50 is also on sale for $237; that one works just as well if you only play on one device, but it lacks HDMI switching functionality.

    8BitDo Ultimate 2 Wireless Controller for $48 ($12 off): The Ultimate 2 is a versatile wireless gamepad for Windows PCs and mobile devices. It can connect over Bluetooth, a wireless dongle or a USB cable, and its magnetic TMR joysticks should be far less susceptible to “joystick drift” than typical controllers. Those with large hands may find it a touch too small, but it’s built well, it comes with a handy charging dock and it gets a solid 20 or so hours of battery life. 8BitDo’s companion software includes a variety of useful customizations beyond that. This isn’t an all-time low, but it’s still a few bucks below the pad’s typical street price.

    Corsair Scimitar RGB Elite MMO gaming mouse for $55 ($25 off): We recommend the Scimitar RGB Elite to MMO and MOBA players in our guide to the best gaming mice. It’s not the lightest or most technically advanced model, but it comes with 12 comfortable and easy-to-reach side buttons, which make it easier to pull off more complex actions in games like World of Warcraft or Final Fantasy XIV. We’ve seen it fall below $50 a few times before, but this deal matches the lowest price we’ve tracked since May. A newer wireless model called the Scimitar Elite Wireless SE is also on sale for a low of $80.

    Razer Basilisk V3 gaming mouse for $30 ($40 off): We recommend the Basilisk V3 in our gaming mouse guide for those who don’t mind using a cable and prefer a more ergonomic right-handed shape. This is its lowest price to date. Note that Razer now sells a newer version with an improved sensor, but that one costs $49 more and isn’t a massive upgrade in real-world use.

    Razer DeathAdder V3 HyperSpeed gaming mouse for $71 ($29 off): The wireless DeathAdder V3 HyperSpeed is another recommendation from our gaming mouse buying guide. For less than $100, it gets you a sturdy yet superlight design that weighs just 55 grams — making it easy to flick around in fast-paced games — and doesn’t have any annoying cutouts in its outer shell. Its contoured shape should fit most small- to medium-sized hands comfortably, and it performs reliably for competitive play. This deal is an all-time low.

    Keychron Q3 Max mechanical keyboard for $195 ($35 off): The Keychron Q Max series is the top pick in our guide to the best mechanical keyboards, pairing an upscale (if heavy) aluminum case with a lovely typing experience and extensive customizability. This isn’t the lowest price we’ve ever seen for the tenkeyless model, but it’s a rare drop from the board’s typical street price. Other size layouts are discounted as well.

    ASUS ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless mechanical keyboard for $151 ($59 off): We speak positively about this model in our guide to the best gaming keyboards. Its sturdy case, crisp keycaps and battery life all impress, while the thocky NX Snow switches in this model feel and sound delightful. Its companion software is a bit of a mess, and its 96 percent layout may feel a little cramped to some, but it’s a nice buy if you want a higher-class pre-built keyboard. This is the lowest price we’ve seen since March.

    ASUS ROG Azoth mechanical keyboard for $155 ($120 off): It’s a couple years old at this point, but the ROG Azoth remains an exceptionally well-built mechanical keyboard for enthusiasts. Its gasket-mounted design and layers of foam give each key press a soft landing, while its pre-lubed switches feel nice and smooth. It even comes with a toolkit for manually lubing the switches down the road, and the PCB is hot-swappable if you ever want to switch things up. There’s a useful control knob and programmable OLED display for quickly adjusting settings and checking the battery level beyond that. ASUS’ Armoury Crate software is still fairly sloppy, however. This deal comes within a couple bucks of the lowest price we’ve seen for a model with the linear NX Snow switches.

    Image for the small product module

    Lexar

    If you want to add more storage space to a Nintendo Switch 2, you need a microSD Express card. We tested a number of those for and found that there isn’t much difference between them when it comes to real-world performance, so the best option is usually whichever one you can find on sale. Right now, that happens to be the Lexar Play Pro, the 256GB version of which is down to the lowest price we’ve seen since April. If you need more space, the is $20 off at $100, while the is $187, a $33 discount.

    $50 at Amazon

    PNY microSD Express Card (128GB) for $38 ($7 off): We generally recommend getting at least 256GB of storage from your Switch 2 microSD card, since recent games can fill up that space pretty quickly. But if you only want a little bit extra, this is the lowest price we’ve seen for PNY’s 128GB model. Just note that this card is technically the slowest we’ve tested when it came to moving games to the card from the Switch’s internal storage, though it’s perfectly fine for in-game tasks.

    Seagate Storage Expansion Card for Xbox Series X/S (2TB) for $190 ($170 off): It’s annoying, but the only way to fully add storage to an Xbox Series X/S is to use a proprietary expansion card. Seagate’s model is one of the very few examples of those, and this discount marks the lowest price we’ve seen for the 2TB variant in the past year. Yes, it’s still overpriced compared to a normal SSD, but any extra savings should be welcome.

    Crucial X9 Pro (1TB) portable SSD for $75 ($26 off): If you’re looking to offload some games to external storage, we consider the Crucial X9 Pro the best portable SSD for most people, as it offers fast enough transfer speeds in a rugged and compact design. This isn’t the best price ever for the 1TB model but it matches the largest discount we’ve seen since April. Other size options are also on sale.

    Crucial P310 (1TB) M.2 2230 SSD for $80 ($55 off): The P310 is a small-size SSD you can use to add storage to a handheld PC like the Steam Deck or ASUS ROG Ally. It uses cheaper QLC memory, not the faster and more durable TLC, but reviews say that it performs well anyway. This deal ties the best price we’ve seen for the 1TB version since April.

    [ad_2]

    Jeff Dunn

    Source link

  • Everything Revealed During FFXIV Fan Fest London

    Everything Revealed During FFXIV Fan Fest London

    [ad_1]

    Part two of the Final Fantasy XIV Fan Fest world tour has just taken place in London, revealing loads of new details on the Dawntrail expansion and more. Here’s everything that was revealed in the event’s keynote speech.

    Viper Job Reveal

    The first of Final Fantasy XIV’s two new jobs was finally revealed, and it’s one that nobody expected. Entirely original to FFXIV, the Viper job is a duel-wielding melee DPS class. What separates this job from the Ninja is the ability to combine both swords into one double-bladed weapon, switching out ultra-fast strikes for heavier and more powerful ones.

    Before director and producer Naoki Yoshida took to the stage to reveal the job’s name, the audience was treated to a first look at it in an extended version of the cinematic Dawntrail trailer that we first saw back in July’s Fan Fest in Las Vegas.

    Image Source: Square Enix

    The Viper job will require no starting job and will be available to all players who already have at least one other job at level 80. The starting area for Vipers will be Ul’dah.

    We also saw a sneak peek at some gameplay footage of the Viper striking a morbol. The job’s unique abilities allow the Warrior of Light to call on memories of ancient powers to boose their DPS.

    The second job, which we already know to be a ranged magical DPS class, remains a mystery. The full reveal of this class is now confirmed to be happening at the Japan Fan Fest in January.

    New Key Art

    Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail key art reveal from London Fan Fest
    Image Source: Square Enix

    Alongside the reveal of the Viper job, we also got our first look at the all-new key art for the Dawntrail expansion. This art prominently features the Warrior of Light in full Viper regalia. It also confirmed that the expansion is still set for release in Summer 2024.

    Dawntrail’s Main Story

    We knew that the Scion’s journey to the continent of Tural would start out as a vacation, but now we have a few more clues about the expansion’s narrative.

    After saving the entire cosmos from destruction in Endwalker, The Warrior of Light and the Scions will be sailing west across the Indigo Deep to enjoy some downtime. Despite the sun-drenched beauty of this new isle, it seems the relaxation won’t last long.

    Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail story teaser from Fan Fest London
    Image Source: Square Enix

    Tural is looking for a new ruler, and naturally, the Scions can’t help but get involved in the rite of succession. Unfortunately, it seems that the group will be divided between who they think deserves to become the new ruler. It’ll be interesting to see how each of the Scions reacts when their friendships are put to the test. However, it’s not yet known if you will have any choice over who you side with amongst your splintered friends.

    The overall theme for the expansion will be “A Journey of Discovery,” which makes sense given Tural’s new world aesthetics.

    YoshiP confirmed that Dawntrail will continue the tradition of offering a full retail game’s worth of content and proclaimed that this new era of FFXIV will be “even better” than the Hydaelyn/Zodiark narrative that was the focus for all expansions from A Realm Reborn through to Endwalker.

    Players should expect “big surprises” as they play through this story and reveal more of Tural’s secrets.

    The Continent of Tural

    Concept Art of Kozama'uka in Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail
    Image Source: Square Enix

    We were also given an early look at some of the different areas we will be visiting in Tural, as well as the first in-progress gameplay footage.

    The first main town we’ll be visiting in the expansion is the previously announced Tuliyollal. The town will be home to many different peoples and has an established sea route to Old Sharlayan. Two other new areas on the island were also given in-game sneak peeks: Yak T’el and Urqopacha. All of these locations deliver on the vacation island vibes that had been promised, and YoshiP was keen to stress that they would be a showcase for the game’s new graphical updates.

    More interesting yet was a first look at some concept art for two other locations we’ll visit as we progress through Dawntrail. Kozama’uka is a tropical region where crags in the land create huge waterfalls across the environment. The concept art was absolutely stunning and will surely look jaw-dropping in-game.

    Concept Art of Shaaloani in Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail the corner of the screen is covered with a banner reading SECRET
    Image Source: Square Enix

    The other new region is Shaaloani, which has a frontier desert look. This Wild West is the road to something bigger though, as indicated by a giant SECRET banner covering part of the concept art. YoshiP says he wants players to experience this surprise reveal for themselves when they play Dawntrail.

    With newly discovered ceruleum deposits driving something of a gold rush to the area, we can only imagine this will invite some of Hydaelyn’s more nefarious characters there.

    Gameplay Features in Dawntrail

    The new area of Kozama’uka will be home to one of Dawntrail’s new Allied Tribes, the Moblins. They’re like the Goblins, except they’re not, okay? It looks like this tribe will feature crafting and gathering daily quests.

    Moblin slide from Final Fantasy XIV Fest Fest London
    Image Source: Square Enix

    As for dungeons, it’s now been confirmed that Dawntrail will have just as many as any other expansion pack. We got our first look at a few of them, including one that YoshiP himself described as a “Jungle Cruise,” another with a vast ruin covered in a mysterious purple growth, and an Aztec-looking temple.

    The reveal that got the biggest reaction from the crowd, however, was the concept art of an ominous technological area featuring a glowing tank that faintly brought to mind Jenova’s from Final Fantasy VII. Whatever is going on here is sure to have a significant impact on Final Fantasy XIV’s next major story arc.

    Concept art of the Eliminator enemy from Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail
    Image Source: Square Enix

    The sense of threat continues with the first look at one of Dawntrail’s enemies – the Eliminator. This thing is absolutely huge. It’s confirmed not to be a raid boss, so as to how we’ll come face-to-face with it, we’ll have to wait and see when we play the expansion.

    Those who enjoy playing the game solo will be pleased to hear that all of Dawntrail’s new dungeons will include Duty Support, meaning that they can complete them with a party of NPCs rather than having to group up with other players. This will consist of new characters, not just the Scions we’ve teamed up with before.

    There will also be new lifestyle content in Dawntrail, but unfortunately, this wasn’t quite ready to show in London. A full reveal will, therefore, take place in January’s Fan Fest in Japan. It was, however, revealed that the new systems would be group-focused.

    New Gear

    New expansions mean new glamours, and Dawntrail will have plenty for everyone’s tastes in fashion. As well as several sets that have a distinctively 19th-century look to them, there are also new job-specific sets.

    Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail job gear concept art
    Image Source: Square Enix

    Unlike a lot of new content, which has given all jobs new gear that is similarly themed, in Dawntrail, each job will get its own entirely different set of gear. The concept art preview we got of four of these new job sets received maybe the biggest cheer from the crowd out of anything else in the keynote.

    With this very Ezio-looking set of gear and the Viper’s open Edward Kenway look, there’s definitely some strong Assassin’s Creed inspiration being given off by Dawntrail.

    Final Fantasy XI Crossover

    Final Fantasy XIV and XI Echoes of Vana'diel crossover artwork by Yoshitaka Amano
    Image Source: Square Enix

    The Alliance Raid’s have a rich history of crossovers, with previous ones smashing Final Fantasy XIV together with Nier: Automata and Final Fantasy XII’s Ivalice. The latest Alliance Raid, Echoes of Vana’diel, will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the first MMO in the series, Final Fantasy XI.

    New Limited Job

    This was one of the keynote’s biggest surprises. A second limited job is coming to the game in the latter half of Dawntrail’s patch cycle. What it will be, nobody knows.

    With the first limited job being the Blue Mage, could the Green Mage be next?

    The audience was going wild at the possibility of a Beast Master job, and YoshiP was keen to encourage them, so maybe they were onto something there.

    Graphical Update

    In a final, rather anti-climactic conclusion to the keynote’s Dawntrail reveals, we got another new look at the upcoming graphical enhancements arriving in Dawntrail. This included a fresh look at the updated Au-Ra model, with slightly less reflective horns and improvements to shadows on Lalafell faces.

    Honestly, it was nearly impossible to see any difference between the before and after images in this demonstration. Still, I’ve no doubt all these little changes made will accumulate into a significant boost when it comes to actually seeing them all come together in the game.

    Pre-Dawntrail Updates

    While there’s still a bit of a wait to go before Dawntrail hits in Summer 2024, there’s no shortage of things happening in the game in the meantime.

    Xbox Beta

    The year’s long wait for Xbox console owners to journey to Eorzea is almost over. The beta is coming mid-January to February 2024, and will let anybody jump in to try out the game.

    With the PC requirements now being boosted, being able to play the game on a console doesn’t sound like a bad idea for those wincing at shelling out for a new graphics card.

    Fall Guys x Final Fantasy XIV

    Final Fantasy XIV and Fall Guys crossover screenshot
    Image Source: Square Enix

    After Final Fantasy XIV content dropped in Fall Guys earlier this year, it’s now time for FFXIV to get its own Fall Guys content. The new Fall Guys mini-game at the Gold Saucer looks like a tonne of fun, and it’s arriving with Patch 6.51 on October 31.

    This event will have cyclical availability, so be sure to jump into the game to check it out before it disappears for a bit.

    Final Fantasy XVI Crossover

    Final Fantasy XIV and XVI The Path Infernal crossover
    Image Source: Square Enix

    YoshiP collaborates with YoshiP to bring Clive Rosfield to Final Fantasy XIV. You’ll be able to fight alongside Final Fantasy XVI‘s protagonist in the coming crossover titled The Path Infernal.

    Rewards for taking part in the event will include a Torgal mount and minion, as well as gear based on FFXVI.

    If you’ve not yet played the new game or are waiting for its upcoming PC release, have no fear. YoshiP confirmed there won’t be any spoilers for the game, and instead, it will serve as an introduction to those who haven’t played while offering fun references for those who have.

    Cloud Server Stress Test

    The previously announced shift to cloud servers is rolling ahead, with a stress test tentatively set for 21-27 November. All players are encouraged to log in to this new server and try out as much content as possible during these dates.

    Although you won’t be able to keep your character after the test, you’ll be given a whole bunch of gear, including 50,000,000 gil, to ensure you can hit the group running. The more players that join in, the more info the server team will have to help iron out any problems before this important step forward in Final Fantasy XIV’s future takes place.

    Celebrating Final Fantasy’s Legacy

    Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail artwork by Yoshitaka Amano
    Image Source: Square Enix via Twinfinite

    In a touching conclusion to the keynote, we got two callbacks to Final Fantasy’s long history. First, we got a look at an all-new piece of artwork for Dawntrail, designed by legendary artist Yoshitaka Amano. This artwork features the Viper job and is an homage to Amano’s art for Final Fantasy III.

    And finally, Final Fantasy creator and current CEO of Mistwalker, Hironobu Sakaguchi, took to the stage to say a few words about his appreciation of Final Fantasy XIV. He famously took up playing the game back in 2021 and told the Fan Fest audience that he now plays the game every day.

    That’s all for our wrap-up of everything revealed during FFXIV Fan Fest London. With A Realm Reborn having just turned ten years old, the future has never looked brighter for this long-running MMORPG.

    About the author

    James Crosby

    James is a freelance writer for Twinfinite, typically covering new releases and live service titles. He has been writing about MMOs since 2015, and has published a book about Star Wars Galaxies.

    [ad_2]

    James Crosby

    Source link

  • 12 Things We Lowkey Love About Final Fantasy XVI

    12 Things We Lowkey Love About Final Fantasy XVI

    [ad_1]

    I’ve finished Final Fantasy XVI and am now working on 100 percenting it, including beating the game a second time on the New Game+ “Final Fantasy” mode difficulty. For all the game’s flaws, of which there are plenty, there’s just so much it does that I just can’t get enough of. From the music and environments to the heart-stopping Eikon battles, Square Enix’s latest action-RPG is chock full of things both big and small, in your face and very subtle, that make it, for me at least, one of the most memorable Final Fantasy games in nearly two decades.

    Released on June 22 as a timed PlayStation 5 exclusive, Final Fantasy XVI tells the story of the orphaned prince Clive and his (not so merry) band of outcasts as they seek to overthrow the powers that be and install a new, more equitable world order. It trades the turn-based, menu-heavy RPG customization the franchise is known for for chunky action combat and cinematic spectacle that’s constantly cranked to 11. And it works. Mostly. Here are some of our favorite things we can’t stop thinking about from Square Enix’s latest blockbuster adventure.


    Clive’s slutty little waist

    If we’re talking about little things in Final Fantasy XVI worth spotlighting, I think it would be a crime to not include Clive Rosfield’s slutty little waist. Who gave that man permission to wear a blood-red corset and just show off what he’s working with at all times? Oh, you’re sad about your brother’s death? I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you over the sound of your loud-as-fuck fit. Criminal. Lock him away. — Kenneth Shepard

    The anime flexes

    Screenshot: Square Enix / Kotaku

    Spectacle is at the heart of Final Fantasy XVI, and that includes using its Kaiju Eikon fights to recreate some classic anime moments. An early sequence where Ifrit punches the crap out of Phoenix is an homage to Neon Genesis Evangelion, and Eikons can regrow entire limbs like in Attack on Titan. The development team took almost every opportunity afforded by the game’s central premise and used it to go berserk (speaking of which).

    When the music hits

    Final Fantasy XVI’s soundtrack was composed by Masayoshi Soken. It’s very subtle in parts compared to some earlier scores in the series, but goes very hard in others. Most satisfying of all is how elegantly it shifts mid-battle to take advantage of choreographed quick-time cinematic moments. “To Sail Forbidden Seas” is the name of the song that plays during all of the Eikon battles, and the mood ebbs and flows in perfect sync with the battle, as you go from hacking away at the stagger gauge to unleashing a flurry of cooldown abilities while the boss is vulnerable. The track builds, brings in the chorus, and then reaches another level when the cinematic clashes begin before settling back down again when it’s back to the main combat. Final Fantasy boss fights have always sought to be dynamic and exciting even when turn-based, but XVI takes it to a whole new level. Especially during the Titan fight.

    Clive’s Wall of Memories

    Two knives stab a crystal.

    Screenshot: Square Enix / Kotaku

    At a certain point in the game, you start amassing keepsakes from your adventures, little remembrances of people you’ve helped or things you’ve accomplished. I like this because you don’t get anything for them except the keepsakes themselves. They don’t provide you with any combat bonuses or stat boosts. They’re just keepsakes, a little reminder that what matters most of all in the world of Final Fantasy 16 isn’t your strength stat or how good your bracers are, but the connections Clive forms with others.—Carolyn Petit

    The Torgal toss

    Speaking of epic boss fight moments, holy hell Torgal is out of his mind. I pointed at the screen like Leonardo DiCaprio when he grabbed Benedikta in his jaws and swung her across the battle arena after she beat the crap out of Clive. We’ve moved so far beyond “Can you pet the dog?” If your game’s canine friend can’t go Super Saiyan on a demigod, then what’s even the point? Final Fantasy VIII’s Sant’ Angelo di Roma walked so Torgal could run.

    The way the Mothercrystals disintegrate

    Two people overlook a mothercrystal that's disappeared.

    Screenshot: Square Enix / Kotaku

    A lot of massive crystals get destroyed in Final Fantasy XVI, and every time it’s as satisfying as watching an ice sculpture get sent through a wood chipper. Probably not great for Valesthea’s air quality, but beautifully effervescent nonetheless.

    No clipping

    Sometimes a game’s graphics are so good you don’t even notice all the ways in which they’re incredible. Final Fantasy XVI’s intricate costumes and long hairstyles are particularly notable for how rarely, if ever, they clip through one another, let alone the environments. Clive in particular has a long dark mane and a long dark cape, and they never get caught on one another or stray objects across all of the environments, even when the rebel sellsword is vaulting over fences or climbing up ledges.

    How gracefully Clive gets out of people’s way

    Screenshot: Square Enix / Kotaku

    In keeping with Final Fantasy XVI’s theme of providing the occasional ridiculous level of attention to small details, I can’t get over the automatic animation Clive goes into every time you’re about to steer him into another NPC. Getting snagged on random characters in the world has been a staple in older games in the series, but here you’d have to go out of your way to steer into one. And even still, Square Enix’s developers decided to add a bespoke animation precisely for those rare occasions, just to keep things flowing naturally and avoid the the game-y-ness of the game coming through.

    The sound of the XP screen

    Whether it’s the rounding up of the numbers like a slot machine or the clink, clink, clink of new gil and items getting added to your inventory, there’s something magical about Final Fantasy XVI’s minimalistic battle results menu. At first I hardly noticed it, but with every battle the tiny dopamine hit of seeing and hearing Clive rack up points wrapped its tendrils around my lizard gamer brain.

    The scenery

    Final Fantasy games are known for being beautiful, but I can’t get over the muted extravagance of some of Final Fantasy XVI’s environments. The hyper-realistic style almost masks how much is actually going on, whether its giant kingdoms in the background or dense forests thick with different types of foliage. Except for the deserts, which look like how my brain remembers every other Final Fantasy desert.

    Summons fighting

    Image for article titled 12 Things We Lowkey Love About Final Fantasy XVI

    Screenshot: Square Enix / Kotaku

    Shiva, Ifrit, Odin and Bahamut have been blowing up stuff since 1990’s Final Fantasy III, with summon animations that got more and more over-the-top in each new entry. Final Fantasy XVI is the first to render those scenes as if they were just part of the underlying fabric of the game rather than rewards doled out sparingly. My favorite is when, in one scene early on, Bahamut and Odin stare each other down from across a battlefield as their two kingdoms’ armies collide. It’s presented so nonchalantly that it’s easy to forget just how incredible it is to play a Final Fantasy that never flinches from showing you everything.

    Uncle Byron

    Clive is great and Cid is excellent. I love Gav too. There’s no shortage of great (mostly male) characters in Final Fantasy XVI, but let’s give it up for Uncle Byron, who thinks Clive is an imposter until they recite a scene from a play they used to perform together years ago at family parties. He’s a coward but throws his vast reserves of gil into the rebellion, wants to make amends for past failures, and never misses a chance to talk a big poetic game like he just sprang out of a Sir Walter Scott novel. The developers at Square even made sure to keep him animated behind the bar guzzling down beer at the inn during an early brawl in the Dhalmekian Republic.

           

    [ad_2]

    Ethan Gach

    Source link