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[Madflavor]

I'm really enjoying the game and story but sounds like it gets bad towards the end

The writing in the last quarter is fine, but the overall story becomes very different than what came before, and what came before was way more interesting. YMMV on how well it works for you.

The side quests at the end though are actually legit very good. Some of the best character moments come from them.

 

[jorgejjvr]

I'm not a completionist at all, and big scale and nice cutscenes are nice but I'm usually more of a gameplay guy, Zelda will be my favorite game this year. I'm also not into FF, so this game is a nice surprise for me. Loved the demo so I bought. I'm mostly interested in the combat, hopefully it stays engaging and difficulty ramps

 

[Celcius]

The Iron Giant enemy design in this one feels like the best design in the entire franchise imho

 

[March Climber]

I was a bit late to start the game compared to everyone else, but one major gripe I have(that I can't believe they included) is the odd inclusion of the MMO feature where if you aggro a mob and the fight leads outside of it's 'zone', it will run back to it's spawn while being invincible and going back to full health.

I'd rather it just be where the enemies keep chasing you down or have a very slow HP regen if they happen to de-aggro.

 

[MaKTaiL]

Spoiler

Holy sh*** that Titan fight! Just completed it. 100x more epic than the Cronos fight in GoW3.

I'm absolutely loving the game so far.

 

[rofif]

And done.
50 hours according to ps5 and 90% whatever it means. yeah I skipped some side quests.
Great game. Had a lot of fun with it. It is a feast for the senses.

And that's kinda it's biggest issue too. The prologue promises more personal game and by the end, it is so huge and so bombastic, you are left numb to what's happening on the screen.
For me, the game peaked 10-15 hours earlier at

Spoiler: peaked at

Dion fight and Barnabas sea split fight

. The hours after that were taking it too much. Too huge that I really got desensitized emotionally and visually. For how long can everything be exploding and still make an impact on you? Not for hours and hours lol.
So yeah, I love the game but it was too long and too huge. The beginning and middle/middle-late parts had me in awe but the ending an pay off never reach that FF XV feeling to me - which means I've not cried at the end lol ;P
The game almost never reaches the prologue end emotional pay off again.
So yeah, ff7 remake and XV it is maybe not but it's still goty probably. Fantastic game

 

[NahaNago]

I'm about halfway through the game. The game still seems really weird like it doesn't seem to do anything really well but it feels like it almost touches AAA at times . We finally get some small towns but you can't enter most of the buildings. The side quests have been mmo filler. I'm still enjoying my play through, but I just seem to pick up a lot minor gripes with the game as I continue to play the game. The only character I really like is Cid so far. I also loved when we finally got that much larger open area with the two towns in the map and one has that inn lady. It still seemed kind of linear but the area was much wider with more dead end paths for me to explore.

 

[Danjin44]

Man the part when Odin splits the water in half was damn epic, for me story is getting really good (but I guess I'm alone on this opinion)

 

[Auto_aim1]

Got platinum finally! Awesome fun once you get the Ultima weapon and Genji gloves +1

 

[Pasta la Vista]

I think this game could have done with some optional dungeons or something for side content.

 

[GymWolf]

I underestimated ramuh, that lightining rod skill is very useful to just add free damage to the other moves.

But yeah titan remain the best style, its skills seems to have a fast recharge time and they massacre the enemy stagger bar, i don't even need the garuda grab anymore when the enemy is half staggered, i switched garuda with the style in the spoiler just because its skills are more damaging during the stagger.

btw, i just defeated

Spoiler

bahamut

Reached 72000 damage during the stagger, feels good.

Too bad the game is stupidly easy.

 

[Auto_aim1]

I think this game could have done with some optional dungeons or something for side content.

FFXV actually had an awesome parkour/dungeon type place called Pitioss.

 

[Auto_aim1]

Too bad the game is stupidly easy.

Very few people have beaten the Final Fantasy mode. Trophy shows 0.2%

It was a pain in the ass.

 

[Zheph]

I think this game could have done with some optional dungeons or something for side content.

Yeah I feel the trials are decent but nothing very exciting, challenging tho

 

[Go_Ly_Dow]

Add me to the camp that the sidequests in the 2nd half of the game are stronger. They are mostly the same in structure, but feel like the subplots are more interesting, add some flavour to the world/culture, sometimes some important details about the side characters too. Mostly I just appreciate the writing and classical vibe. Different compared to FF12 which felt like a Shakespear play in places, but still inspired by the old world, so I like it.

 

[GymWolf]

Very few people have beaten the Final Fantasy mode. Trophy shows 0.2%

It was a pain in the ass.

I rarely replay long ass games so i'm never gonna do a second run on this one i think.

 

[Madflavor]

I rarely replay long ass games so i'm never gonna do a second run on this one i think.

I have heard that if you skip cutscenes, it’s like a 7-8 hour game. I haven’t tried it yet.

 

[Danjin44]

Add me to the camp that the sidequests in the 2nd half of the game are stronger. They are mostly the same in structure, but feel like the subplots are more interesting, add some flavour to the world/culture, sometimes some important details about the side characters too. Mostly I just appreciate the writing and classical vibe. Different compared to FF12 which felt like a Shakespear play in places, but still inspired by the old world, so I like it.

Each time you destroy Mothercrystal the state of the world change and the side quests highlight those changes and how people are struggling with those changes which the reason I like about the side quests.

 

[Grildon Tundy]

Yeah it's a really striking divergence in tone and I don't understand why they did it. The first half of the game has an actually good story and the second half has an actually bad story, like it was written by two different teams

Darn it. I think I'm at the splitting point you mention, and I really liked the story so far

 

[DownLikeBCPowder]

Add me to the camp that the sidequests in the 2nd half of the game are stronger. They are mostly the same in structure, but feel like the subplots are more interesting, add some flavour to the world/culture, sometimes some important details about the side characters too. Mostly I just appreciate the writing and classical vibe. Different compared to FF12 which felt like a Shakespear play in places, but still inspired by the old world, so I like it.

Pretty much. As I've said toward the end I was more interested in them than the main, they just develop things better and I already liked the world/setting enough to see more about it. Some are a little jank in their development (intentional wait times between some seemingly time sensitive continuations) but otherwise pretty good.

 

[GymWolf]

92000 during stagger, new record, but i can do better because i wasn't using the l3+r3 form.

Edit: around 104000 in special form.

 

[DownLikeBCPowder]

92000 during stagger, new record, but i can do better because i wasn't using the l3+r3 form.

That's one thing I actually like about the game. The numbers don't seem to go absolutely crazy. You're still dealing damage in the hundreds with standard attacks by the end of the game - maybe magic burst or critical types are 1k or just above. Yes, big damage on big moves and with stagger, but I was happy to see it wasn't just a wild ramp up numerically. I like it when games stick to lower numbers in general.

It is fun trying to work out the fastest way to build stagger meter to 1.5 and get damage as high as possible.

 

[Agent_Nobody]

The one thing I’d say so far story-wise is they really seem to take a lot of cues from Game of Thrones, there’s so many parallels (The crazy mother and the weird relationships with her sons, her treatment of Clive and basically sending him to a similar scenario to Jon Snow with the Nights Watch, and Torgul essentially being a Direwolf etc.) Then again I could tie a bit of it to Tales of the Abyss too.

Not that I’m complaining at all. It’s just a bit odd for a modern Final Fantasy game, but I think it works in the long run. I find myself more interested in it than I ever was for the last 4 non-online non-sequel main series games (The FFIX Vivi plotline was straight up gold, so that one is hard to top). It’s been a real roller coaster so far.

 

[Nankatsu]

Just did the fight with Kupka and well, here I was ready for him to go full Titan and the royalists save him.

I'm assuming Clive said he killed Benedicta in order for Kupka to towards his rage towards him, but if he actually did it holy shit. My bet is it was that bitchy mom of his.

She's playing all dominions, like a true Cersei.

 

[adamsapple]

Yo this guy looks straight up Bronn from Game of Thrones lol

 

[Nankatsu]

Titan abilities are really cool. Very Asura's Wrath.

The block mechanic is game changing for me, since the begining I was wishing for something like that.

Considering the stage I'm at, I'm having a difficult time deciding between my third Eikon power, as for now phoenix and titan are a must for me.

 

[Sleepwalker]

That's one thing I actually like about the game. The numbers don't seem to go absolutely crazy. You're still dealing damage in the hundreds with standard attacks by the end of the game - maybe magic burst or critical types are 1k or just above. Yes, big damage on big moves and with stagger, but I was happy to see it wasn't just a wild ramp up numerically. I like it when games stick to lower numbers in general.

It is fun trying to work out the fastest way to build stagger meter to 1.5 and get damage as high as possible.

The level 5 Odin skill (not going to even try to spell it) does around 30-40k damage at lvl 47ish. Probably the most out of all lol

 

[DownLikeBCPowder]

The level 5 Odin skill (not going to even try to spell it) does around 30-40k damage at lvl 47ish. Probably the most out of all lol

Zantetsuken maybe? Yeah but it definitely should!! I rather like the Odin eikon though it took me a while to come around to it. I like it better than building Mega flare but I like mega flares spread / rain a little better.

 

[Sleepwalker]

Zantetsuken maybe? Yeah but it definitely should!! I rather like the Odin eikon though it took me a while to come around to it. I like it better than building Mega flare but I like mega flares spread / rain a little better.

That's it, its my favorite skill in the game, I equipped the charm that gives 25% more buildup to dancing steel, it takes 1 dancing steel (if multiple enemies) or 1 dancing steel plus a few hits to charge it to level 5. After that it hits every mob in the screen for insane damage, battles against regular mobs became hilarious. I thought at first it only hits the enemies in near vicinity or in front of you but no, it hits everything

 

[fallingdove]

Man the part when Odin splits the water in half was damn epic, for me story is getting really good (but I guess I'm alone on this opinion)

I am just about to jump into the final dungeon and I think the dialogue and story are still great. Still an 8/10 IMO. Compared to what we typically get in JRPGs, this is Shakespeare.

I think Barnabas and some of the other NPCs are kinda basic looking and forgettable, but I would gladly trade that for not having some dumb 5 year old kid or cutesy alien with a high pitched voice on the team breaking the atmosphere every time they open their mouths.

 

[TheKremlinBossMan]

Man the part when Odin splits the water in half was damn epic, for me story is getting really good (but I guess I'm alone on this opinion)

You are not alone.

 

[MaKTaiL]

I'm about halfway through the game. The game still seems really weird like it doesn't seem to do anything really well but it feels like it almost touches AAA at times . We finally get some small towns but you can't enter most of the buildings. The side quests have been mmo filler. I'm still enjoying my play through, but I just seem to pick up a lot minor gripes with the game as I continue to play the game. The only character I really like is Cid so far. I also loved when we finally got that much larger open area with the two towns in the map and one has that inn lady. It still seemed kind of linear but the area was much wider with more dead end paths for me to explore.

You say you are halfway through yet you say Cid is your favorite character so far? lol

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

After the middle part of the game, it starts picking back up again.

 

[Roufianos]

Without spoiling, can anyone give me a vague idea of the part of the game when the side quests actually become worth doing?

 

[Boneless]

Without spoiling, can anyone give me a vague idea of the part of the game when the side quests actually become worth doing?

When you get renown from them.

 

[TheKremlinBossMan]

And done.
50 hours according to ps5 and 90% whatever it means. yeah I skipped some side quests.
Great game. Had a lot of fun with it. It is a feast for the senses.

And that's kinda it's biggest issue too. The prologue promises more personal game and by the end, it is so huge and so bombastic, you are left numb to what's happening on the screen.
For me, the game peaked 10-15 hours earlier at

Spoiler: peaked at

Dion fight and Barnabas sea split fight

. The hours after that were taking it too much. Too huge that I really got desensitized emotionally and visually. For how long can everything be exploding and still make an impact on you? Not for hours and hours lol.
So yeah, I love the game but it was too long and too huge. The beginning and middle/middle-late parts had me in awe but the ending an pay off never reach that FF XV feeling to me - which means I've not cried at the end lol ;P
The game almost never reaches the prologue end emotional pay off again.
So yeah, ff7 remake and XV it is maybe not but it's still goty probably. Fantastic game

Spoiler

I think the ending really stuck the landing. Even after all of that bombastic craziness, they brought back the family theme in the end. I love how every time Clive thought he couldn't do something like when dealing with a meteor Joshua was there. It also could be interpreted that Clive brought Joshua back with the last of his ether which is how we get the written by Joshua moment. This game has a lot of subtle touches underneath all of the KABOOM!!

Very few people have beaten the Final Fantasy mode. Trophy shows 0.2%

It was a pain in the ass.

It was harder but not ridiculous some of the upgraded items are very overpowered.

I have heard that if you skip cutscenes, it’s like a 7-8 hour game. I haven’t tried it yet.

Took me almost 30. I needed to finish all of the relic items, and wanted to finish all of the Chronolith trials in final fantasy mode so I could get the items and upgrade them.

 

[Agent_Nobody]

Titan abilities are really cool. Very Asura's Wrath.

The block mechanic is game changing for me, since the begining I was wishing for something like that.

Considering the stage I'm at, I'm having a difficult time deciding between my third Eikon power, as for now phoenix and titan are a must for me.

I’ve currently got, all upgraded one mastered:

Spoiler: Eikon ability spoliers I guess

Phoenix: the Flames of Rebirth (have a -12 second cooldown ring) and Will-o’-the-Wykes.
Garuda: Gouge (-3 second cooldown ring), and Aerial Blast (-11 second cooldown ring).
Ramuh: Ignition (Ifrit tree Mastered to move the skill) and Thunderstorm.

It is just ripping through enemies now.

 

[DownLikeBCPowder]

Without spoiling, can anyone give me a vague idea of the part of the game when the side quests actually become worth doing?

It's just kind of a gradual increase in quality/interest level.

 

[Go_Ly_Dow]

Well I just did a certain Eikon fight and my god that was the most mental sequence I've ever seen in a video game wtf!

Spoiler

Bahamut!!!

 

[TheKremlinBossMan]

Man, this fucking score.

When Clive drops the

Spoiler

"I don't have time for this!"

line. How many of you kicked your ass kicking into overdrive?

 

[mortal]

Man, this fucking score.

When Clive drops the

Spoiler

"I don't have time for this!"

line. How many of you kicked your ass kicking into overdrive?

I love how increasingly badass Clive, and by extension the player becomes as more Eikons are obtained. FFXVI is the one FF game where we literally get to act out the crazy wild shit we typically see in Visual Works cutscenes.

Not even going to lie, FFXVI has put me in the mood for some Devil May Cry. I'm considering another playthrough of DMC5 after this.
Want to try my hand at its Dante Must Die mode.

 

[mortal]

Yo this guy looks straight up Bronn from Game of Thrones lol

August is such a bro. Always looking out for Blackthorne. Love Gav, as well.

 

[Sub_Level]

That Bahamut fight holy shit.

 

[TheKremlinBossMan]

That Bahamut fight holy shit.

The music in that fight is just, perfect.

 

[Go_Ly_Dow]

That Bahamut fight holy shit.

I wasn't ready. I thought they wouldn't top the previous but they did. My eyes are still burning lol.

 

[Thief1987]

That Bahamut fight holy shit

Too long... again. Epic is good in short bursts, 20 minutes of epilepsy inducing mess is just tiring.

 

[mortal]

That Bahamut fight holy shit.

Imo, easily top 3 boss fights in all of Final Fantasy.
The way the fight just kept literally ascending and intensifying made it so grandiose and over the top, complete with a world-ending super move. The setting was wonderful, I loved every moment of it.

I very much enjoyed all the Sanbreque Empire scenes. Wish there was an opportunity to explore Oriflamme before the civil war broke out.
I love the theme song as well, that trumpet is so grand and noble. Eye set on the horizon and expansion.

 

[Neolombax]

While I do agree that the side quests gets better as the game progresses, I'd say only the narration part is better, what you actually do is still of the " fetch quests or go to this spot and kill enemies" variety. I still do them, because I dont like seeing green notifications on my map, but I see where the criticisms come from.

I also feel the open world is kind of empty. Its a beautiful world, but the monster density is low. On this I feel FFXV did it better, that and also having optional dungeons which is a fun surprise once in a while.

Story wise

Spoiler: Story

I'm after the Bahamut fight and now Joshua is in my party. I'm sort of disappointed with Clive's resolution of conflict with his mother, she was just a basic bitch in the end. Bahamut's battle was a peak shonen anime fight if I ever saw one. When Ifrit and Phoenix decided to go Gogeta mode, i audibly said holy fuck, which startled my wife because I dont really say things when I play games.

I dont really get how this is Game of Thrones inspired ( probably because I've never watched GoT), but this feels like a Final Fantasy storyline through and through, even from the start. Sure it has blood,profanities and suggested sex scenes, but it feels very anime like, to me at least.

My issue with FFXVI so far has been its clashing gameplay tones. It has an open world with sidequests and gear, but it feels like its doing this because it is expected of a Final Fantasy "RPG". In actual execution, the game clearly wants to be a character action game, but it has to make way for these expectations at its own cost of half assing these systems. Have the developers explicitly labelled FFXVI as an RPG? I'm not sure on this. There isnt much choice for the game to become an RPG, even in its gear systems apart from choosing which accessory and Eikon abilities. I guess what fans (myself included) miss is the element of strategy.

I'm having a great time still with FFXVI and I do intend to try out new game +, but I am taking a small break for now to play Bioshock Infinite ( also because its leaving ps plus soon. It surprisingly holds up)

 

[Celcius]

The battle theme reminds me of FF8. So good:

 

[Doom85]

I dont really get how this is Game of Thrones inspired ( probably because I've never watched GoT), but this feels like a Final Fantasy storyline through and through, even from the start. Sure it has blood,profanities and suggested sex scenes, but it feels very anime like, to me at least.

Oh, I’m nowhere near as far as you (weather has been an actual asshole this past week, thanks for ruining my week off, but it‘s supposed to finally calm down this week and I’ll be in the mood to play this week) but it’s definitely anime as fuck. Honestly a lot of the earlier story of the game takes a lot from Tales of Berseria’s earlier parts of its story. Not plagiarism level, but there are a LOT of similarities.