The first 3 hours of FinalFantasy XVI give a much better sense of the RPG's modernized approach video game to storytelling.
When I demoed Final Fantasy XVI back in February, I had some questions. The slice I played was very much focused on the upcoming PS5 release’s combat system. I was immediately impressed with how fast and furious it was, bringing a bit of Devil May Cry to the RPG series. That said, there was quite a bit I didn’t see. The story mission I played would only give me a brief introduction to its hero, Clive Rosfield, and the war-torn nation in which the game takes place. I was itching to know more.
Revenge story The story begins with an introduction to Clive Rosfield, who starts the tale in the midst of a military operation in the desert. I didn’t connect with Clive too much when I first met him in February. I found his generic gruff guy demeanor a bit flat and I still feel that to an extent. But the first two hours of the game go a long way toward building out his history. That’s because Final Fantasy XVI opens with a long flashback that plays like a feature-length film.
It’s perhaps a little cliché to say this, but I can’t help but feel like the team at Square Enix is drawing from The Last of Us a little here. The opening isn’t that much different from that game if I’m looking at it beat by beat. And once I got through that flashback, I was in a familiar storyline where Clive played the role of an emotionless sword-for-hire at rock bottom who unwittingly comes into a protector role shortly after.
There is, however, a notable difference in scope between those sequences and the game between it. In my first demo, I noted that the castle I explored felt a little underwhelming. It was a fairly linear collection of sparsely designed rooms with not much personality. That design philosophy seems to carry through the entire game, which could end up being polarizing for fans.
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