Naoki Yoshida, the game’s producer, must have binge watched Game of Thrones while sipping tons of coffee whilst designing the game it just feels like a massive HBO show at times. Sure, Final Fantasy has been dark before, with plots like the one from VI being the franchise’s highlight, but this takes a step further. One of them is the aforementioned tonal shift. There are a few elements that will be too much for them. Yet, purists will probably be the ones loathing the game the most. It does feel a lot like Game of Thrones in terms of the sheer amount of betrayals and twists you witness throughout its runtime. No nu-metal in sight, as much as that pains me. The plot is dark, violent, at times depressing, but never edgy in a Stranger of Paradise kind of way. Final Fantasy XVI is very medieval, and very serious.
You won’t see a single outdated representation of a minority, like Barrett or Sazh from Final Fantasy XIII. The dialogue isn’t overexaggerated, like an anime. Outfits aren’t ridiculously plastered with belts. Not a single fool with a spiky hairdo in sight. In theory, these elements would be enough to please the more purist of Final Fantasy aficionados, especially with the overall lack of Nomura-esque elements that have almost become a joke as of late. He’s useful, he’s loyal, he’s the best boy. Not to mention that the game’s main MacGuffin is, once again, Crystals. The plot revolves around the classic summons like Phoenix, Ifrit and Shiva. The classic FF victory theme once you beat a boss, but this time, sang with a choir. Classic enemies appearing on occasion (for the most part, you do fight soldiers, though). Well, second biggest love letter, as you can’t compete with Theatrhythm. Weirdly enough, at the same time, Final Fantasy XVI feels like the biggest love letter to old-school Final Fantasy I have ever seen. Even Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origins felt less like a departure from the series’ roots in comparison. This game is very different from anything that came out before it. What it barely reminded me for most of the time was actually Final Fantasy itself. Game of Thrones, Shaman King, The Northman, Hamlet, The Count of Monte Cristo, Devil May Cry, The Witcher, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Dragon’s Dogma, freaking Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Nier: Automata, even Halo at times. Along my dozens of nearly uninterrupted hours playing Final Fantasy XVI, I was reminded of influences from many different franchises. Each area might not exactly be considered huge, but boy are they beautiful.
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