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    Final Fantasy XVI PC Review – The Definitive Experience

    Even more impressive on PC.

    Final Fantasy XVI was one of Square Enix’s highest-anticipated titles in the last decade, with Final Fantasy XIV Online’s Creative Studio III at the helm. The game released exclusively for PlayStation 5 in June 2023, but we finally have the game on PC platforms. After spending some time with the port, I can confidently say that the PC version of Final Fantasy XVI is truly impressive, perhaps acting as the finest PC port Square Enix has put out to date.

    Our aim with this review of the PC version is to assist you in making an informed decision regarding the differences and offerings of Final Fantasy XVI’s PC version. We reviewed the game for PlayStation 5 at launch, ultimately coming away impressed with the storytelling, voice acting, and boss battles. This led to our reviewer rating it a 4.5/5, which you can read right here. We’ve also reviewed the two expansions: Echoes of the Fallen and The Rising Tide

    Now – Final Fantasy XVI is set in the twin continents of Valisthea, which are home to six powerful nations. These six nations hold power through their access to the Mothercrystals, giant crystalline mountains that bring magic to the world. In a similar fashion to Jinchurikis in Naruto, Dominants serve as hosts for these powerful entities. Tensions between the six nations escalate as a magical drought called the Blight devastates the land. Clive Rosfield, the dedicated guardian of his younger brother Joshua, witnesses the destruction of his kingdom and becomes entangled in the escalating conflict between Valisthea’s nations.

    As Clive Rosfield, you travel throughout Valisthea on a quest to avenge his lost brother. It’s a harrowing, gripping, and emotional story that captivated me on my first playthrough of the game on PlayStation 5. The talented Ben Starr brings Clive Rosfield, the main character, to life. He pours his heart and soul into the role of Clive, creating a truly authentic character. Ralph Ineson portrays Cid, who delivers an impressive performance and has solidified the character of Cidolfus as my favorite Cid of all time. I found Clive’s childhood friend, Jill, to be a compelling and tragic character. Her strength and resilience struck a chord with me. The characters that provide comedic relief in the game also bring lightheartedness to the otherwise grim world. In a world of conflict and famine, characters like Gav, Otto, and Byron are essential for balancing out the overwhelmingly bleak setting. Torgal, Clive’s wolf companion, is absolutely adorable, and being able to pet and give him treats provides a calming and enjoyable experience within the game, especially during its most intense moments.

    Final Fantasy XVI features an impressive lineup of villains, most of whom are also Dominants. Benedikta stands out as a formidable female antagonist who deserves far more screen time than she’s given. Hugo Kupka is fixated on wealth and influence, driven by his emotions and craving for more. Dion, as the first openly gay character in the Final Fantasy series, deserves greater recognition and appreciation. Additionally, Barnabas is a merciless antagonist who has become one of my top favorite Final Fantasy villains, alongside characters like Sephiroth, Gabranth, Caius, and Ardyn.

    While there are very few songs in the soundtrack compared to other recent Final Fantasy titles, Masayoshi Soken put his all into the songs that are included despite battling cancer. I believe that the tracks “Find the Flame,” “Ascension,” and “Away” from the soundtrack are truly exceptional and stand out as some of the finest musical pieces in the entire franchise. “Cascade” is my personal favorite track from Final Fantasy XVI, and I was surprised to finally hear it in The Rising Tide DLC, as it is the song from the “Awakening” reveal trailer.

    I love the ever-crescendoing battles in Final Fantasy XVI, which go from fairly impressive to absolutely arresting. The battles where you play as Ifrit feel like massive kaiju battles reminiscent of Godzilla. The Eikons are towering beasts of mass destruction and ultimately cause thousands of unnecessary human casualties. These beings essentially serve as nuclear weapons for the nations, but there is no deterrence in this world. Everyone is engaged in a magical and medieval World War III, battling for resources in a deteriorating land.

    Final Fantasy XVI is a game chock-full of lore, where the worldbuilding is gathered not  just through the story itself but uniquely in its “Active Time Lore” – a play on “Active Time Battle.” A unique feature of Final Fantasy XVI is being able to pause in the middle of any cutscene and read about relevant characters and events in the story. I found this to be an extremely innovative feature, allowing me to dive deeper into certain aspects of the game with the press of a button. This game is abundant in lore, featuring characters such as Harpocrates, who can be accessed to review both gathered and overlooked lore.

    The two expansions, Echoes of the Fallen and The Rising Tide, offer needed endgame content for Final Fantasy XVI, enhancing the gameplay experience and providing additional content for players to explore. Echoes of the Fallen features a demanding endgame dungeon that provides players with a challenging experience. Furthermore, it offers in-depth insights into the history of the Fallen, who were an ancient and highly advanced civilization that existed before modern Valisthea. While this civilization was somewhat explored in the base game, we learn of their intentions in Echoes of the Fallen.

    The second expansion, The Rising Tide, offers a vibrant and tropical environment to a game that was generally sullen and somber. It comes with vastly improved sidequests, a roguelike mode similar to Devil May Cry’s Bloody Palace, and two additional Eikons. The visual enhancements in this expansion are especially impressive when experienced on a high-end PC. The water effects, in particular, are a treat to behold and are absolute eye candy.

    Final Fantasy XVI: Echoes of the Fallen DLC -

    One area I think Final Fantasy XVI could benefit from is more engaging and meaningful sidequests. While there are a few standout sidequests that effectively showcase Clive’s character, the overall abundance of sidequests feels disproportionate to their quality. The character animations are stiff, and the sidequests feel like they’re padding the overall playtime. Honestly, the game could have done without them. You realistically can just skip through the dialogue in them, and the game holds your hand to complete the quest regardless, so it’s not like you need to know what’s going on in these sidequests.

    Additionally, one of the main issues I have with Final Fantasy XVI is the absence of traditional RPG elements that have been a staple of the Final Fantasy series. Instead, the game feels more akin to a lengthy Devil May Cry title with the Final Fantasy branding. The party members cannot be controlled and don’t have health bars. They are invincible, but they are also very weak. The game doesn’t feature elemental enemies, so there are no specific weaknesses to exploit. Instead, the gameplay revolves around staggering your opponents and is heavily action-focused. In my experience, I found the game to be quite easy on Action-Focused. There is a Final Fantasy mode unlocked after beating the game, which adds artificial difficulty, so it’s not my favorite.

    I will say that I like Final Fantasy XVI more than any Devil May Cry game that I’ve played. With 10 Eikons to mix and match abilities from, there is a myriad of playstyles with which to approach the game. The combat is responsive, the parrying feels satisfying, and the overall gameplay loop is addicting. Final Fantasy XVI’s gameplay involves learning the animations, parrying and countering appropriately, punishing the enemy, and taking advantage of stagger by timing your Eikonic Abilities.

    A screenshot of Final Fantasy XVI

    After dedicating 100 hours to immersing myself in the world of Final Fantasy XVI upon its release on PS5, I’ve had extensive time to gather my thoughts and move past the honeymoon. My initial impressions remain unchanged even after experiencing the PC version, but this time, the enhanced graphical quality and improved frame rate truly elevate the game to a whole new level.

    Final Fantasy XVI has always looked great, but on PC, even with DLSS enabled, the graphics are incredibly sharp. Phoenix and Ifrit look bright and radiant on PC, much more so than on the PlayStation 5. Details like blood, sweat, dirt, hair, and even the way the armor shines look amazing on PC. If you have a DualSense controller, you’ll also get to enjoy the same features that it offers on the PS5 when playing this game. The world of Final Fantasy XVI is filled with breathtaking views across the twin continents of Valisthea. Remarkably, these visuals are powered by Creative Studio III’s very own in-house engine. Considering most of Square Enix’s major titles have moved to open-source engines like Unreal Engine 5, it’s very impressive to see an in-house engine deliver this title.

    Final Fantasy XVI offers a breadth of graphical options. I’m currently gaming on a PC equipped with an Intel Core i9-13900KF processor, 64GB of high-speed 6400MHz RAM, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 graphics card. Compared to Final Fantasy VII Remake, Final Fantasy XVI is a breath of fresh air for Square Enix PC ports. It’s not perfect, but it’s a step in the right direction. With Nvidia DLSS 3, AMD FSR 3, and Intel XeSS 1.3, it takes advantage of all the new PC tech.

    Final Fantasy XVI

    The PC version of Final Fantasy XVI is great because it utilizes the capabilities of PC hardware. While the PS5 version lacked fidelity and framerate, the PC version, when played on a capable PC, offers a significantly better experience. There were times while I was playing the game on PS5 when I thought to myself, “Man, I really wish I was playing this on my PC.” Final Fantasy XVI features massive spectacle battles, stunning vistas, and real-time cutscenes that require stronger hardware than the base PS5 to run.

    Final Fantasy XVI offers a variety of graphical settings that will allow the game to perform well on most PC configurations. You can tweak things like chromatic aberration and NPC density, which were not possible with Final Fantasy VII Remake’s PC port. Creative Studio III has ample experience with the PC due to working on Final Fantasy XIV, so this is no surprise.

    On the PlayStation 5, several compromises were made to ensure that the game runs smoothly. Just like with all major games on the PlayStation 5, you have to decide whether you want to prioritize performance or quality. However, even in performance mode, the game on the PS5 still doesn’t reach a locked 60 frames per second.

    Unfortunately, cutscenes are still locked to 30 frames per second on the PC. Some of the environments in Final Fantasy XVI, such as The Greatwood, look strikingly realistic on the PS5 and even better on the PC. PS5’s performance mode is a mix of low and medium settings, while quality mode seems to be a mix of medium and high settings.

    The Phoenix in Final Fantasy XVI

    On my PC with DLSS enabled, I am able to achieve a locked 60fps with most settings at their maximum. However, when running the game at maximum settings without DLSS, the performance suffers. I strongly recommend using DLSS, FSR, or XeSS, as they significantly enhance the game’s visual quality and performance on any PC configuration.

    Final Fantasy XVI, being an action game, greatly benefits from maintaining a consistent framerate. A locked framerate ensures more predictable gameplay, which is crucial. Like all PC games, Final Fantasy XVI offers customization of various settings to align with your PC’s configuration or your personal preferences.

    I always appreciate that I can use any controller I want with my PC, including a keyboard and mouse. While I usually prefer the DualSense controller for most of my character action video games, the freedom to use any controller is what attracts me to the platform. Additionally, I love that there are tons of mods available for any major PC game.

    Final Fantasy XVI Update 1.10

    The PlayStation 5 struggled to handle intense battles and cutscenes, consistently encountering lag and performance issues. That isn’t the case with this PC release. In my experience, my desktop performed exceptionally well compared to the game on the base PS5. Being able to witness the epic Titan Lost fight on PC without encountering any significant hitches or stutters was truly a remarkable experience. Even if you’ve already purchased and played the game on the PS5, I would suggest getting it for PC, especially if you have a high-end PC. These battles and cutscenes deserve to be experienced at a stable frame rate.

    Overall, I’m absolutely certain that the PC version of Final Fantasy XVI is the ultimate edition for anyone eagerly anticipating its release on this platform. Final Fantasy XVI is one of my favorite games on the PS5 and it’s only made better with the PC release. At $49.99 USD, it’s an easy pickup.

    Square Enix provided Final Weapon with a PC copy of Final Fantasy XVI for review purposes.

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