Final Fantasy 16 Might Actually Be BETTER THAN Tears Of Kingdom!

I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but if the demo is anything to go by, then this game is AMAZING. Final Fantasy 16 officially released yesterday after putting out an OUTSTANDING demo, and I really think this game has the potential to beat Tears of the Kingdom as Game of the Year winner.

Of course, it was always going to be another icon of Japanese gaming has risen like the phoenix to stake a claim for the Game of the Year throne in this time of game quality crisis.

The full Final Fantasy 16 game released yesterday, and I have a hard time seeing how this game doesn’t get MAJOR Game of the Year consideration given how fantastic the free demo release was. And, let me be the first one to say I’m super happy FF16, developer Square Enix, and Final Fantasy architect Hironobu Sakaguchi are getting the credit and recognition they deserve for this monumental franchise.

Now, I’m not going to give a review of the game just yet as it’s only been out for the public a day and I have yet to complete it regardless, but I have to praise Square Enix and all the developers working on this game as FF16 is one of the greatest titles in the franchise. And I’m not saying that lightly.

For a franchise that essentially created the JRPG genre, has inspired thousands of successful RPG games, such as Elden Ring, Witcher, Elder Scrolls, Dark Souls, etc., in some way or another (whether it be small or big), and has released 15 installments, you’d think the formula would eventually give out and the franchise would quietly fade into obscurity.

I mean, it’s not like such a fate hasn’t happened before for gaming franchises that span nearly 40 years (Final Fantasy 1 was released in 1987) as massive franchises like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Fable, Bioshock, Silent Hill, Armored Core (which is getting a new game from FromSoftware), Prince of Persia have all been dormant and forgotten after being some of the most popular games of their day.

And these franchises are barely half as old Final Fantasy. That’s how old FF really is.

So, when Final Fantasy 16 was said to be turned into a far grittier, narrative and politics-focused open-world game in the mold of God of War: Ragnarök and Game of Thrones with the sprinkles of the Final Fantasy franchise flare, I really didn’t think it would be all that much better than FF15. Well, I couldn’t have been anymore wrong.

Stepping into Clive’s, the son of the Archduke of Rosaria, shoes, the game introduces the elements of the world, the competing factions, magic system, importance of the crystals, and easily the most exciting gaming feature I’ve seen in the Eikon duels in a grand fashion. Sure, the story is a little slow in the beginning as its most exposition and setup for the big reveal at the end of the demo, but that reveal really plays off as the Eikon battle between (SPOILER ALERT OF DEMO FOR REST OF ARTICLE) Joshua’s Phoenix and Clive’s Eikon of Fire was MAGNIFICENT.

Personally, I feel in love with the world during the Phoenix Gate sacking as the emotional ebbs and flows of the Empire destroying the leadership of the Archdukedom of Rosaria was so compelling and impactful.

Yes, the scenery, graphics, and worldbuilding was amazing and the goblin battle in the village of Stillwater was cool, but that scene which tied the entire demo together was a perfect example of brilliant, compelling, and emotional storytelling in a concise manner.

It completely hooked me into FF16 as I was wavering about playing through the whole game and reviewing it before that battle.

And how about the Eikon system? It may be one of the best ideas and implementations of an idea in gaming history as far as I’m concerned as it was awesome to play as the Phoenix Eikon and fight off the Eikon of Fire with both Eikons destroying the world like it was made of glass and glue. It was SO MUCH FUN!

The only thing I wasn’t really too bullish on was the combat as I felt it was a little too easy, though that may just be because I’ve only played through the demo and opening few chapters of the game. Still, if the only issue I have with this game is that its combat is slightly easy, then you know this is a fantastic game.

I can’t recommend people to check out FF16 enough as the game has all the elements a fantasy fan, RPG fan, JRPG fan, open-world game fan, and even an anime fan would love and pour hundreds of hours into. It’s a great game that may even dethrone The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom as the Game of the Year winner.

PS: I’ll have a review of this game in a week or so for anyone interested.

Images Source: Featured Image: (Square Enix) (FINAL FANTASY XVI – Ascension Trailer – YouTube)

In Text Image 1: (Square Enix) (FINAL FANTASY XVI – Ascension Trailer – YouTube)

In Text Image 2: (Square Enix) (FINAL FANTASY XVI – Ascension Trailer – YouTube)