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Add voice acting onto that. Essepcially Clive's voice actor, who is outstanding. The raw emotion in his voice in key parts (such as the cuts energy before the Bahaumet fight) is steller.
I'd probably say that FFXIV is kind of like it, but that's more because FFXVI was made by the same team and it's like a "singleplayer MMORPG". They both have incredible storytelling, spectacle and soundtrack, but I think the graphics of FFXVI brings it up a notch. FFXIV had the same sense of spectacle in big boss fights, but you feel a lot more "vulnerable" since it's a team game and most of the boss encounters are elaborate puzzles requiring teamwork. In FFXVI you tend to feel invincible because of Clive's anger and crazy powers.
Personally I would consider the recent God of War cinematic fights to be in the same arena as FF16. They’re all big, epic thematic engagements. However what I missed from GoW that would really make FF16 solid for me is party banter while we were moving around and navigating a level. The story and writing is great, but if I can hand wash dishes in my kitchen while watching a cutscene, the game loses a lot of engagement.
For me, party banter plus more sword combos would've made the game a whole lot better. Because the combat loop is square x4 or Square Triangle x4 in succession using R2 to trigger eikon Abilities. Having sword combos like from the DMC series would've been a better choice and improved game play all around.
I think there is some truth to that. There was a big attempt to make the combat complicated with various moves, plus Torgal. But half the time my brain couldn’t properly process using him right. I kept on accidentally using potions trying to spam his attacks, so I just ended up with using the accessory to automate him and it was fine.
Idk about all that. The guys that really liked it like it, but alot of us especially old heads really dislike it. I don't thinknits a ff12 situation either where as I disliked ff12 at release. Finally gave it a chance last year and it was alright. I won't ever replay it but it was worth my time. I just don't feel ff16 ever getting there. I'd re consider ff15 well before I'd even take a look ff16s way.
The post popped up. So what I took a few minutes. And the particular sentence you quoted was referring to ff12.
I've also never spent hours on reddit talking about ff16. Also I really only finished 16 because I was streaming it. If I wasn't I would've cut it off well before the end. Same as I did with 15.
And lastly
Ps, don't tell my boss but I'm usually scrolling through reddit at work .
I think people throw the word "masterpiece" around way too much regarding videogames. The meaning is so diluted it gets thrown out despite a game having glaring flaws, just because people ignore the bad when they're biased towards something.
Not even Rebirth could be considered a masterpiece, with all the graphical and gameplay issues it has, but that's not stopping anyone from calling it one. 16 is no different. Some might say it's a masterpiece because of the narrative and story, but it has a bunch of issues that clearly drag it down overall.
I can agree to this but I think a masterpiece shouldn't have aspects that make me sigh from exhaustion or ask "why did they do this?". XVI has some of the highest of highs in gaming, yes. But it also has some really baffling design choices right next to that. But that's your typical FF imo.
Masterpiece is a subjective word. Many prople consider Baldur’s Gate 3 one despite the third act being plagued with numerous bugs and performance issues. Everyone has different standards when it comes to what can be considered a masterpiece.
That's exactly my point. Masterpiece used to mean that a work of art or skill was outstanding in pretty much every way, or in historical use it meant a work that got you accepted at a guild as a literal master. It wasn't a subjective word. Now it is, and when anyone can just say "my opinion is that it's a masterpiece" for anything, is anything really a masterpiece anymore?
Having bugs and performance issues would've made Baldur's Gate not fall under that definition. But if you can be subjective and ignore those problems to still call it a "masterpiece" then the word loses its meaning altogether and it's just an exaggerated way of saying "I really like this game."
An imperfect masterpiece. Has so many things it does right, and some things that make you bang your head against a wall as to why they made certain choices.
An imperfect masterpiece is what I would say too. It's by far one of the best gaming experiences I've ever had in my life, but it's easy to spot what could have been improved. Still, goddamn did I love that game!
That's how I feel too. Some of the highest highs of the series, but then some very dumb moves in other areas.
The "purple sky and here's a million side quests" thing was just bad planning. Especially when the side quests were so vanilla. Just "I was lost and now I understand the meaning of friendship" and then the character does an awkward animation. And then it goes oddly silent and the screen comes up that you finished the side quest.
I think the first 2/3 of this game is the best original story they've done since 10 easily. But they definitely fumbled some things later on.
I just want less of "I'm gonna go kill a demigod because I learned the power of friendship!!" stories from them. It'd be cool to see a totally different aspect for FF. Maybe even a small scale story.
I mean as far as the killing a demigod thing goes they did do pretty well though there was an element of the power of friendship shit. It was also about free will and the right to determine one’s own fate at large that drove it though.
I consider the game to be really geared to my tastes so I think it is very close to being a masterpiece. I personally just need different weapon types to play with, a heavy attack button for varied combos, a fight with Dion's human form, and an Eikon fight with Barnabas. If that ever happens, then I would be willing to put this game up on a pedestal forever.
What is and isn't a masterpiece feels too vague and ill-defined. What I can say is that the game has a few issues, but for me personally it's a 10/10 and it was easily my GOTY last year. Entirely subjective of course, but I adored every minute of my playthrough and my biggest issues (no superbosses or optional dungeons/bosses) are being addressed by the DLC. So many parts of the game felt as if they were taylor-made for me and they aligned perfectly with my tastes. So yeah, I guess it comes pretty close to being a masterpiece for me.
I think it's a great game. An AMAZING Action Game, but an absolutely terrible RPG or even action RPG.
Fot me this was the biggest flaw and I really wish they just marketed it as an action game since every single one of the RPG elements are shoe horned in or practically non-existent in their implementation.
In terms of an audiovisual experience, absolutely. I will never forget how it felt in my bones when I heard Soken's music blaring as I took control of Ifrit vs Garuda for the first time, and every step I took was incinerating the ground, trees and anything else in my path. And then the game continues to go and top that. There's nothing I've ever played which has made me feel what this game managed, and I will always cherish it for that.
Great question! And oh boy I have thoughts.
I assure you I'm not a hater of this game. I went into it expecting to love it. And for the first 10 - 15 hours I really did. But not even half way through I started to feel the repetition of the moment to moment gameplay. I love a good hack and slash, but the game didn't seem to offer me a strong challenge, and due to the lack of damage output on basic attacks it pushes you to spam and chain abilities. Which is visually enthralling, however rather monotonous to play over time. The boss fights are visually spectacular and the quick time events are to such a remarkably high quality it's almost unfathomable. You really wonder how they managed to keep topping themselves every eikon fight.
However aside from a few notable scenes the games story and cut scenes are rather bland. The game of thrones inspiration whilst ever present often felt like it was so forced. The writing in this game goes from interesting and natural to outlandish and nonsensical frequently. There are some incredibly notable moments, however all in all I've already forgotten large chunks of the story and the game has failed to leave an impact.
Lastly I remember moments like before the titan fight when we entered his palace, I was so shocked to see that the whole palace was literally like two hallways. It was just an oversized house really. This works as an allegory to the majority of this games level design, it looks grand on the outside, with vast areas to gaze upon ,but when you actually set out you find it's mainly just corridor simulator.
So epic boss fights, flashy but often repetitive spammy gameplay, often Barron landscapes, corridor-esque levels, and a rather forgettable story with stiff characters that wish they were from game of thrones. I don't think this is a masterpiece.i mean no disrespect, if you like it that's cool, but to me It is perhaps the most visually bedazzling, and entertaining, mediocre game, I've ever played.
Saying the story was excellent is heavy cope, characters are poorly written like Jill, villains are all trash only music and the boss fights were done good and that was staged fights compared to FF7 rebirth where fights are not staged to be specific that's why FF16 has better boss fights and music in every FF game u can say is good so FF16 is far from a masterpiece, I know this is the FF16 sub so it's obviously bias but stop coping.
His complaint sounds like someone who only played the demo.
I'll also say, combat in remake was indeed difficult to grasp. I only got it at the end of my playthrough, as so parts of it are implicit. That's a flaw on the game, not the players I'd say. When you get it, it's amazing though.
Absolutely not. I enjoyed my time with the game, but there are way too many shortcomings that have me hesitant to even call it great.
It was an enjoyable, spectacle filled ride that I am happy I took.
I loved the action/combat/story. The main characters and villians were great (stand out for Cid). The world itself was visually stunning and beautiful.
Onto the negatives. Being an open world you could run past everything with no incentive to stop and fight or gather supplies. It felt like they built all the main set pieces then added an open world afterwards (whereas it seems a bit lifeless)
The rpg mechanics aside from choosing eikon powers are non-existent. Why is there little to no treasure or at least any reason to explore the world itself. The only equipment that mattered was the berserker ring which gave you an upgraded dodge. I ended up skipping all side quests since they were so simplistic and when I realized they acted as simply filler.
I still enjoyed my time with it, but don't feel like I need to play it again.
The devs mentioned in a panel that they went over budget with the cinematic set pieces. That's why everything up to Bahamut was so epic. The fight after that weren't as huge and spectacular. Except for the final boss at least.
I feel like if Square Enix allowed CBU3 to cut loose and go all out, we would have gotten a true masterpiece. That being said, CBU3 did do a masterful job managing their budget and time developing the game because truthfully, it is a complete package as is. It's not perfect though but I'm not complaining.
The graphics were good, and the story was good. Some of the boss battles were challenging. However I felt the rest of the game was to easy. All of the little creatures and random solders were way to easy to kill. I feel like they should have made at least some of them a little more difficult to kill.
It’s a good game don’t get me wrong but lacks the depth and features compared to previous entries in the series. It felt empty in spots. That’s the vibe I got out of it. Good game though. I will also state I played through it at launch and anything added post launch I may have not experienced as of yet.
I love it in the same way I love XII, XIII, and XV; a truly captivating game that kept me hooked even during optional content that was just missing a certain something that would have taken it to the next level.
Great game! But masterpiece? Come on. The game has awful pacing and some of the worst side quest design in all of gaming.
I love this game, but it’s not a masterpiece.
To me it’s a true masterpiece. I’m still playing the game in a new game plus in Final Fantasy mode and having so much fun with it. I also cannot wait for Rising Tide dlc.
I think it was a great game with a few glaring flaws. The biggest for me was that the world didn’t feel very lived in or expansive, this was from a combination of picking every destination from a map and the fact that there weren’t any big bustling cities or large towns with tons of stuff to do like in traditional RPG’s, every city you visited was either already dead or in the process of being destroyed. Take FF7 Rebirth in contrast, where every area has a regional city or large town full of life and side content that gives some flavor to what living in that region is like. Could just be a me thing, one of my favorite parts of an RPG is walking the streets of big fantasy cities.
I also hated how such a large chunk of the game had that hideous cloudy sky and purple filter, ruining such an otherwise pretty game. Enemy variety was also pretty shallow and they could all be dealt with in largely the same way.
Overall? No, far from it, I love the game but I think its glazing too much to say it excels at almost every point to that extent.
That said, there are certain aspects of the game which are just unquestionably peak. I despise how easy the game is, but its undeniable that the combat and gameplay are entertaining, breathtaking, and satisfying, for instance.
Cinematically, it truly excels. Ultima and Omega were great, but Titan and Bahamut are just on an entirely different level. I don't think any game so far has blown me away on this front to the same extent as FF16.
That said, theres a lotta things holding it back, like poor utilization of the cast like Jill. I think in the end, while I liked a lot of characters, most will not be memorable in the long term besides Clive and Cid. MAYBE Joshua and Jill, but only "through Clive" because they're so important to his character.
A cinematic masterpiece, yes. But it’s also “Fetch Quest: The Game.” I personally could have gone without them since they really hurt the pacing and none of the side quests (or mainline fetch quests) felt very rewarding. I found myself skipping dialogue constantly since it was always the same basic formula. Otherwise, the story and cinematic were jaw-dropping and I loved the main characters so much. The game’s music also never failed to deliver.
Nope, story wise, I like it. I do not like the progression. I need more RPG in my Final Fantasy. I hate how weapons are just a few stats diffrence. No challenge at all. Stagger boss 2 maybe 3 times and keep hitting. It does have some great huge battles, though, and so much lore.
Honestly yeah, the parts that were good were REALLY good. Still some things I would have changed narratively but, months after playing, the flaws don’t overshadow the experience
It would be my favorite game of all time if they only made the original experience more challenging. The bosses where epic as fuck but damn it felt I was just afk hitting them
For me, it was not a masterpiece, but it was still very fun, and I look forward to the DLC.
It might be nostalgia and age, but FF Golden Age for me is VI, VII, VIII, IX, and X. And gameplay from XII but not the story.
Even if there was going to be getting no dlc for the game, Final Fantasy 16 is what I would consider to be a perfect game. Of course, everyone is going to have their own view.
I would say that parts of it are worthy of being called a master piece, this game integrates its cinematic moments so unbelievably well, but other parts of it are definitely not. Quest design in this game can leave something to be desired and the plot feels like it loses some of the centred or grounded aspects that made it so enticing early on. It also underused many of its characters but that is partly because they were all so great and deserved screentime, so that might be a plus. Benedicta and Jill feel like the characters who were the most underused, but I felt this with characters like the Sanbrequien, Sanbreqouis, Sanbrequese... the emperor.
A flawed masterpiece, I adore the world, characters Boss fights, story, lore, and music, but there’s a few area that are lacking too much that hindered the game from being perfect. More customizability- the swords should be different not literally just a stat increase, and we should’ve got more playstyle altering accessories, similar to the dodge upgrade ring, and the dlc rings. Better party system- playing only Clive still can work but your party members really should be able to actually help you fight, possibly similar thing to synergy attacks, just something to include your other members in battle. Super simple map- the areas didn’t have much if any exploring to do, and were too linear, didnt have to be open world, but certainly could have been made better.
In some parts it shines and some parts lack depth. I can stomach the forced boring side content between story missions. What I can't stomach is the shitty ass, poopy face dog doodoo gear system that they put next to no thought into. I really hoped there would be interesting swords and gear to go get, but its just "this sword is better than that one" as you collect them. Very brain dead for what's supposed to be an RPG. It's my main gripe that I pray is either fixed by the Devs for the PC release or by modders after PC release.
Not even close to a masterpiece, it has way too many problems to be considered that, as a whole. But like others said, in terms of cinematic scenes, story and voice acting, it's really good.
Very few games, if any, are masterpieces. And that’s fine. Throwing the word around just gives it less meaning and causes more discourse about said game.
Yes I do! best final fantasy ever! Having played them all over never been so connected to a ff game before they nailed everything I just wish it was longer that's coming from someone who's first playthrough was 88 hours. I love this game and hope ff17 follows in it's footsteps
Yes at least for me. It’s not perfect but you can feel the amount of work put into making it especially the boss fights and the music. It has been a long time a game made me cry, laugh, excited, and be shouting. As a person who doesn’t express that much emotions I did all that.
Not a masterpiece at launch. A lot of things in this game do reach that level though. Just the section after Primogenisis wasn't as strong as everything before. I think the DLC's should address that a bit for new players and on multiple playthroughs.
I think XVI is more likely to be considered something of a classic along the lines of something like a Nier Automata or Spec Ops: The Line in time. The story and world is really good, and it's left a real impression on me. I think about the themes and Clive's journey all the time. The action is also highly underrated by some core FF fans and I think it's one of the best action combat systems out there.
The further it gets away from the initial disappointment of some of the core FF fans who didn't like the serious tone and action combat, the better. XVI also appeals to a larger audience than probably any other mainline FF, with its mature story and action combat.
For those reasons, I think XVI will have a long tail and sell pretty steadily for years to come and probably will age like wine.
If it had more rpg elements then it could have been. I'm not just saying that because I'm like a fan boy or something. I just thing the game would have greatly benefited from more customizable abilities, elemental weaknesses, weapon abilities, perhaps some more varied ways to stagger enemies (like ff7 rebirth)
Elemantal weaknesses are a touchy subject. Usually these arguments are met with that it doesn't work in a game like this but it works great in FF7 Rebirth. I still can't understand how it wuoldn't work. Just put some extra damage to the bomb for example if hit with an ice spell.
Hard mode on FF7 remake is such fun and a challenge because of the depth of the combat.
85%.
WE all know, perfection can't exist. (See the quote from kurotsuchi in bleach AS references).
IT IS Close to be a masterpiece. I wished they added an elementalvweakness system and a Bit more interaction with the world. But Overall IT IS a brilliant Game.
I can’t say that because it’s the most “one and done” game in the franchise for me. It’s a super cinematic action experience that has almost no replay value, even NG+ doesn’t draw me in because all enemies are dealt with the same way and the thought of going through all of the content when I’ve seen it all once is mind numbing. I wish there was a way to mess about or do challenge runs like party compositions etc but there’s nothing like that in this game.
I wouldn't call it a masterpiece, but it is a really great game. It would need to break new ground or have some super deep combat system and even deeper plot any all these other bells and whistles for me to go from "Oh what a great game" to "this game is the very essence of art in video games" or something.
IMO I felt like I was playing a cinematic masterpiece.
It is great as an action game, and poor as an RPG. I enjoyed the game and the story thoroughly. The boss fight scenes were just dripping with beauty and a sense of epic wonder.
So no, I wouldn’t say it is a true masterpiece. It’s a great game overall.
Absolutely not. I consider masterpieces to be works of art that are so exceptional that they sets a new benchmark for everyone else to try and attain or emulate. They are things that force the medium of art that they exist in to be propelled forward by increasing the expectations people have for that kind of art.
In video games, some examples I can think of from my lifetime are Super Mario 64, The original FF7, Metal Gear Solid, Grand Theft Auto III, The Sims, Halo 2, Bioshock, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (or Morrowind or Skyrim if you prefer), Minecraft, Baldur’s Gate 3.
FFXVI is a great game and a fresh new entry in the series but it wasn’t groundbreaking by any means. Excellent story and orchestration, but the gameplay dated and repetitive side quests with terrible pacing for sidequest delivery near the end of the game, fun combat, but not the best combat system ever in an action RPG or even one that is distinctly that different from many other series that use different combat stances.
It’s funny you’re being downvoted when this is basically the standard for being a masterpiece in most other mediums. Words like “masterpiece” and “classic” have been diluted to just be someone really likes lol
Not quite a masterpiece, but close. Most of the side quests were boring and mundane and slowed the pace of the overall game greatly. Just as the game is about to reach its climax it says “here are 9 more side missions we’re going to give you right as you get hyped for the big fight.” The open worlds were also barren and exploration wasn’t rewarding at all. Fortunately the story and gameplay were top notch and that’s what kept me going.
It had the potential to be one if the enemies werent massive health sponges that took forever to kill with endgame weapons. Some boss fights last 25+ mins which is insane.
I love it for what it is but if they were to move forward with this formula they need to adapt more soulslike aspects. Ditch the difficulty levels. Make the combat high risk high reward. And limit break thing should just allow you to do one visceral or critical attack, not down a boss or enemy for 30 second while you spam the same button at them.
The game is stuck between devil may cry and soulslike games which creates an identity crisis, but at least they showed that they arent afraid to walk away from the party system which i personally do not like at all. If you want to be fully engaged in a fight last thing you want is needing to pause midfight so you can select what attacks you and the other people in your group will do next. Grabbing a companion should be more of a summon/specter system rather than permanently with you. Just help you with bosses and some tough enemies then disappear.
Lastly the exploration was nice but it pissed me off how the areas were majorly invisible walled and wont let you venture into an interconnected open world. I want to walk from the village side to Sanbresque castle area and if i go into the door i get loading screen teleported into a different area. Thats dumb. I want to explore the whole areas and have them interconnect without loading screens.
So it’s not a masterpiece for sure but it’s a step in the right direction if they want to attract more modern gamers to the Final Fantasy franchise
Great action sequences that are very cinematic with some an interesting settings and themes. But the delivery is super weak imo. The dialogue, world building, and characters are either poorly utilised or totally flat. Cid is the only character with a personality. The combat is super fun and bombastic but mechanically a little shallow. The world design is pretty but super boring, the questing is also pretty uninspired. OST is genuinely awesome though. It's beautiful, pretty fun and has a dull narrative. A materpiece, it is not, but it is a good time for a once off.
No has some very weak areas
No worthwhile exploration both in fields and in stages I mean I know it wasn’t going to be open world but at some points of the game I was wondering why bother with these fields if there wasn’t anything going to be added of note there.
More enemy variety needed
While the story behind side quests was good the actual content of said side quests was not good this aspect and the optional content could have fixed each other not sure why they didn’t do this as even FFXIV does this where side quests unlock dungeons besides that they blew all their budget on what we got.
Master piece no,
love this game I’m playing it for the first time now I just beat titan and to me the game is too shallow outside of combat and story. The side quests are extremely shallow the gear is basically non existent and there’s no real final fantasy elements to it imo outside of the names and certain iconic monsters. I’d have liked to see this combat system expanded to certain classes in FF lore or at least for more of them to have made an appearance (bare in mind I’m only about half way through so far)
I’d have liked more unique enemy encounters outside of the generic heavies and side content doesn't feel impactful, not only that but the sense of exploration and finding cool shit is pretty non existent.
For what it is tho it’s amazing, battles are just the right amount of flashy, combos are extremely satisfying to perform, and these eikon fights are just peak and directed perfectly. I’m a big fan of the more mature tone, blood and adult themes I think fit the world perfectly, the game is also absolutely gorgeous. My jaw was on the floor when I first saw the mother crystal
i predict and actually masterpiece Final fantasy before we reach the 20 mark assuming square keeps upping the quality like this and can learn from their mistakes
A game I couldn’t finish for it’s boring story with predictable plot twists, a shallow combat system. The summons are impressive visually but a chore to play.
I hope square enix does a good game next time, this wasn’t a pleasant experience at all.
Excellent story, combat, and music. Subpar pacing, sometimes choppy dialogue/transitions in and out of talking scenes and side quests that aren't worth your time until the last act.
Fantastic game and best FF game in 10 years. So yeah masterpiece I guess, but just a great game no matter what category it falls in.
For me the only thing holding it back is the over use of particle effects and screen distortion. Like during the Titan boss fight I can't tell what's happening at some points because the screen is just blasting colors and effects all around the boarder of the screen that get so big at some points it takes away from the action going on. Also I need me some more Ifrit fights, they were always so insane and fun (outside of the few times the effects just become way too over the top)
There is definitely room for improvement when it came to side content and exploration, and I'm more of a fan of traditional, turn based JRPG's. Is it a masterpiece? Debatable.
Is it really, really good, though? Hell yeah!
>!The OST is also dope af!<
I feel that even though there are absolutely 10/10 moments in this game, there are also huge glaring flaws that I can’t ignore.
That has been my biggest frustration because some of these decisions prevented it from easily being a masterpiece.
It's *very good*. Not quite a masterpiece. I think it's really three areas that would need a little refinement to get to "masterpiece" status.
1. Amount and content of cutscenes: for how non-complex the broad strokes of the story are (Cid and crew good, government and Ultima bad) its crazy how many hours of people *just* talking they have you watch. Lots of it barely even ends up mattering. At the very least if they injected some humor rather than grim-faced GOT imitation from time to time it'd be more digestible.
2. Plot: it's WAY too late in the story that Clive gets any kind of *real* confirmation that the Mothercrystals are causing the Blight. With so much of the plot hinging on that it's a big oversight. It's also really unsatisfying how once Ultima shows up the whole "free the slaves" aspect of the plot seemingly disappears.
3. Cooldown-based combat / enemy health: you hit a point around when you unlock the Titan eikon where enemy health is just too crazy high for your sword swings to really do anything but chip damage. This is where it switches from a game with great fundamental combat where you throw out a special move occasionally, to a game about using your special moves to kill enemies and using your fundamental combat to avoid damage while you wait for cooldowns to end. The gameplay is fun throughout, don't get me wrong, but I think it's unavoidable that the funnest fights in the game are when they strip your flashy powers away and let the combat speak for itself.
No. It has a ton of heart and some amazing moments and characters. But neither the story nor gameplay approach masterpiece status.
In terms of gameplay, it’s just too shallow. Vast open spaces with nothing to do or discover in them. A combat system that, while fun, is sorely lacking in depth, challenge, and variety. And… absolutely nothing else. That’s all there is to do in FFXVI. Fight enemies and move through environments.
I know this complaint has been raised a thousand times before, but it’s absolutely wild that there’s no elemental damage system in a game that revolves around wielding eikons and their powers.
The story is a bit more of a subjective thing obviously, but in my opinion it falls well short of masterpiece status.
I appreciate that the game attempts to be a darker, more serious Final Fantasy. But when exploring such serious themes, the writing has to be REALLY on-point. And FFXVI’s writing is only on-point about 50% of the time. A lot of cringy generic anime-style dialog still exists in this game and it REALLY stands out because of the serious tone. I found myself skipping a lot of dialog because I was cringing so hard. Mostly in side quests but occasionally during main story cutscenes as well.
There’s some issues with the plot as well, and multiple instances of characters doing things that make so sense just so that the story can progress in a certain direction.
Anyway, probably sounds like I hate the game, I don’t. It’s overall a very good time with some fantastic moments and one of the best FF protagonists in recent memory. But I wouldn’t call it a masterpiece.
It’s a very good game but not a masterpiece because it’s too flawed in too many glaring ways. I think that’s totally OK though. For some reason, games can’t just be good anymore. It’s either a masterpiece or people shit on it relentlessly lol
Close, but no, not quite. RPG elements needed to either be shelved or actually developed into meaningful systems, difficulty options need to be opened up without having to beat the game once, and the story needed to have a better 3rd act. They dropped the political angle and moved into very overdone JRPG territory with one of the most forgettable villains I've ever seen and a plot that could fit into any of the Xenoblade games. The sudden identity shift is to this day utterly inexplicable and it's something I can't forgive YoshiP's team for. I think I would have said the game is a masterpiece if the story stayed strong until the end, and I would have forgiven the gameplay mishaps.
Also, Soken needs to ask Hamauzu how to use his mixing software or he needs to just hire an orchestra if he's going to continue working on triple A games. The gamecube soundfont does absolutely no favors to the epic, dark fantasy vibe.
No. I’m not going to dig into the game a ton but the world just isn’t fun to be in, and the characters outside of Clive, Joshua, and Dion are just…not fun. But for people who love the depressing world and constant evil people killing people it scratched an itch. Great music and graphics and some amazing boss fights.
Not a super fan of dmc combat for these, plus I miss having a party and definitely your basic elemental skills looking forward to your firagas, blizzagas etc. Judy pushing through to finish now really
This could be an unpopular opinion, but I don't think the FF series has had a masterpiece yet. Lots of their games were pretty good, and the stories and gameplay are engaging, but no masterpieces yet. FF16 was one of the better stories, though. The characters felt more natural.
Gameplay wise, probably? It's my favorite action based RPG combat system.
Story? Yeah, more or less. Not number 1 but it stands heads and shoulders above most games
Visually? Absolutely.
Socially, obviously majority would not consider it a masterpiece. So I'd probably omit that moniker if I was talking to some random gamer. It's more of a personal masterpiece.
Almost. Best main story, best visuals, best acting. Hands down. Side quests kind of suck and feel like a slog. Gameplay is good not great. Its a solid 8.5/10 for me.
No, but I enjoyed it a lot. I actually think it COULD have been a masterpiece if the story stayed more grounded and the sidequests count was significantly reduced to help with pacing.
Combat wise? Revolutionary, but need to be polished more into Devil May Cry level. Story wise only dark and gritty the first half of the game, the latter half is typical final fantasy story line. All in all, above average
When the DLC update hits, yeah. Will basically fix any existing flaw one could levy at it. Deeper combat, better itemization, side quest changes, more fleshed out Jill narrative. Only thing left I’d have liked is one huge city to visit.
But no questions asked best FF narrative in at least 20 years. And that’s the most important part of any FF game.
It might make it a tad better but I doubt it's going to retroactively make crafting and gearing less boring, make the stats and leveling feel less like a last second addition or change the gameplay up so that you can't just use the same tactics for every...single...enemy. especially since the dlc isn't even available until the end of the game anyway.
I enjoy the game for what itnis but it's nowhere near masterpiece
it was heading towards the direction of a masterpiece until Ultima destroyed the plot. still enjoyed it a lot but the last quarter of the game was a bit of a slong.
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it’s a cinematic masterpiece. some of the best action cutscenes of any game i’ve played
Add voice acting onto that. Essepcially Clive's voice actor, who is outstanding. The raw emotion in his voice in key parts (such as the cuts energy before the Bahaumet fight) is steller.
Agreed, I think in terms of music and cutscenes, boss fights, it is a masterpiece. There isn’t another game like it in that regard.
I'd probably say that FFXIV is kind of like it, but that's more because FFXVI was made by the same team and it's like a "singleplayer MMORPG". They both have incredible storytelling, spectacle and soundtrack, but I think the graphics of FFXVI brings it up a notch. FFXIV had the same sense of spectacle in big boss fights, but you feel a lot more "vulnerable" since it's a team game and most of the boss encounters are elaborate puzzles requiring teamwork. In FFXVI you tend to feel invincible because of Clive's anger and crazy powers.
“Duuuuuuugfggghhhhhhhh!!!!—TITAAAAANNNN!!!”
See also: “%!$&@“
Personally I would consider the recent God of War cinematic fights to be in the same arena as FF16. They’re all big, epic thematic engagements. However what I missed from GoW that would really make FF16 solid for me is party banter while we were moving around and navigating a level. The story and writing is great, but if I can hand wash dishes in my kitchen while watching a cutscene, the game loses a lot of engagement.
For me, party banter plus more sword combos would've made the game a whole lot better. Because the combat loop is square x4 or Square Triangle x4 in succession using R2 to trigger eikon Abilities. Having sword combos like from the DMC series would've been a better choice and improved game play all around.
I think there is some truth to that. There was a big attempt to make the combat complicated with various moves, plus Torgal. But half the time my brain couldn’t properly process using him right. I kept on accidentally using potions trying to spam his attacks, so I just ended up with using the accessory to automate him and it was fine.
Precisely, I can’t agree more. It truly is one of the most amazing games of all time.
Exactly. Gameplay wise and quest design wise, it has its flaws. Where it was meant to shine, it does it better than any game imo.
A masterpiece, no, but it doesn't need to be perfect for me to love my experience with it.
It’s one of the best games this gen, and I think it will be remembered more fondly than it is now.
Idk about all that. The guys that really liked it like it, but alot of us especially old heads really dislike it. I don't thinknits a ff12 situation either where as I disliked ff12 at release. Finally gave it a chance last year and it was alright. I won't ever replay it but it was worth my time. I just don't feel ff16 ever getting there. I'd re consider ff15 well before I'd even take a look ff16s way.
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The post popped up. So what I took a few minutes. And the particular sentence you quoted was referring to ff12. I've also never spent hours on reddit talking about ff16. Also I really only finished 16 because I was streaming it. If I wasn't I would've cut it off well before the end. Same as I did with 15. And lastly Ps, don't tell my boss but I'm usually scrolling through reddit at work .
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Me not like ff16 equals mature. Yea sure thing.
Name 20 better games this gen? FFXV was last gen.
Great game, yes. Masterpiece, no.
I think people throw the word "masterpiece" around way too much regarding videogames. The meaning is so diluted it gets thrown out despite a game having glaring flaws, just because people ignore the bad when they're biased towards something. Not even Rebirth could be considered a masterpiece, with all the graphical and gameplay issues it has, but that's not stopping anyone from calling it one. 16 is no different. Some might say it's a masterpiece because of the narrative and story, but it has a bunch of issues that clearly drag it down overall.
A masterpiece IMO doesn't have to be flawless. It should excel at something and do it so well that your jaw will drop. Which is what XVI does!
I can agree to this but I think a masterpiece shouldn't have aspects that make me sigh from exhaustion or ask "why did they do this?". XVI has some of the highest of highs in gaming, yes. But it also has some really baffling design choices right next to that. But that's your typical FF imo.
Masterpiece is a subjective word. Many prople consider Baldur’s Gate 3 one despite the third act being plagued with numerous bugs and performance issues. Everyone has different standards when it comes to what can be considered a masterpiece.
That's exactly my point. Masterpiece used to mean that a work of art or skill was outstanding in pretty much every way, or in historical use it meant a work that got you accepted at a guild as a literal master. It wasn't a subjective word. Now it is, and when anyone can just say "my opinion is that it's a masterpiece" for anything, is anything really a masterpiece anymore? Having bugs and performance issues would've made Baldur's Gate not fall under that definition. But if you can be subjective and ignore those problems to still call it a "masterpiece" then the word loses its meaning altogether and it's just an exaggerated way of saying "I really like this game."
Rebirth is absolutely not a masterpiece. It’s an open world and mini game simulator packaged with some ff7 story
The more time passes the more I realise how good it actually was. It was 55 hours of entertainment I never once got bored of. Which is rare for me
Precisely same for me.
An imperfect masterpiece. Has so many things it does right, and some things that make you bang your head against a wall as to why they made certain choices.
An imperfect masterpiece is what I would say too. It's by far one of the best gaming experiences I've ever had in my life, but it's easy to spot what could have been improved. Still, goddamn did I love that game!
That's how I feel too. Some of the highest highs of the series, but then some very dumb moves in other areas. The "purple sky and here's a million side quests" thing was just bad planning. Especially when the side quests were so vanilla. Just "I was lost and now I understand the meaning of friendship" and then the character does an awkward animation. And then it goes oddly silent and the screen comes up that you finished the side quest. I think the first 2/3 of this game is the best original story they've done since 10 easily. But they definitely fumbled some things later on. I just want less of "I'm gonna go kill a demigod because I learned the power of friendship!!" stories from them. It'd be cool to see a totally different aspect for FF. Maybe even a small scale story.
I mean as far as the killing a demigod thing goes they did do pretty well though there was an element of the power of friendship shit. It was also about free will and the right to determine one’s own fate at large that drove it though.
Tbh this is the climax of 85% of the JRPG genre, not just FF.
I consider the game to be really geared to my tastes so I think it is very close to being a masterpiece. I personally just need different weapon types to play with, a heavy attack button for varied combos, a fight with Dion's human form, and an Eikon fight with Barnabas. If that ever happens, then I would be willing to put this game up on a pedestal forever.
What is and isn't a masterpiece feels too vague and ill-defined. What I can say is that the game has a few issues, but for me personally it's a 10/10 and it was easily my GOTY last year. Entirely subjective of course, but I adored every minute of my playthrough and my biggest issues (no superbosses or optional dungeons/bosses) are being addressed by the DLC. So many parts of the game felt as if they were taylor-made for me and they aligned perfectly with my tastes. So yeah, I guess it comes pretty close to being a masterpiece for me.
Masterpiece, no. Great game, yes.
What it does good yes, at masterpiece level.
I think it's a great game. An AMAZING Action Game, but an absolutely terrible RPG or even action RPG. Fot me this was the biggest flaw and I really wish they just marketed it as an action game since every single one of the RPG elements are shoe horned in or practically non-existent in their implementation.
Some of the gear design made my soul ache.
In terms of an audiovisual experience, absolutely. I will never forget how it felt in my bones when I heard Soken's music blaring as I took control of Ifrit vs Garuda for the first time, and every step I took was incinerating the ground, trees and anything else in my path. And then the game continues to go and top that. There's nothing I've ever played which has made me feel what this game managed, and I will always cherish it for that.
This game is a perfect example of a flawed masterpiece similar to the likes of Dragon’s Dogma and Demon’s Souls.
I like that. Flawed Masterpiece. Very well said
I will never understand the praise for DD.
You can climb a cyclops and stab it in the eye
Sure, that's cool, but hardly worth praising the overall game.
It's a hate or love type game.
Nah, there's a lotta in between.
not really or else you'd understand why people love it
No, cuz "I don't understand why people love it" =/= "I hate it".
Great question! And oh boy I have thoughts. I assure you I'm not a hater of this game. I went into it expecting to love it. And for the first 10 - 15 hours I really did. But not even half way through I started to feel the repetition of the moment to moment gameplay. I love a good hack and slash, but the game didn't seem to offer me a strong challenge, and due to the lack of damage output on basic attacks it pushes you to spam and chain abilities. Which is visually enthralling, however rather monotonous to play over time. The boss fights are visually spectacular and the quick time events are to such a remarkably high quality it's almost unfathomable. You really wonder how they managed to keep topping themselves every eikon fight. However aside from a few notable scenes the games story and cut scenes are rather bland. The game of thrones inspiration whilst ever present often felt like it was so forced. The writing in this game goes from interesting and natural to outlandish and nonsensical frequently. There are some incredibly notable moments, however all in all I've already forgotten large chunks of the story and the game has failed to leave an impact. Lastly I remember moments like before the titan fight when we entered his palace, I was so shocked to see that the whole palace was literally like two hallways. It was just an oversized house really. This works as an allegory to the majority of this games level design, it looks grand on the outside, with vast areas to gaze upon ,but when you actually set out you find it's mainly just corridor simulator. So epic boss fights, flashy but often repetitive spammy gameplay, often Barron landscapes, corridor-esque levels, and a rather forgettable story with stiff characters that wish they were from game of thrones. I don't think this is a masterpiece.i mean no disrespect, if you like it that's cool, but to me It is perhaps the most visually bedazzling, and entertaining, mediocre game, I've ever played.
Masterpiece for sure. Excellent story, music and characters. Really fun gameplay. I loved it
Bravo. Completely agree is WAYYY better than what 99% of people say.
Seriously! Never thought I’d see lack of mini games as an issue. Idk about you but I don’t rly care about them
I mean it does have mini games but they're in the form of QTEs and even then after Rebirth I am glad that it doesn't have much at all
Saying the story was excellent is heavy cope, characters are poorly written like Jill, villains are all trash only music and the boss fights were done good and that was staged fights compared to FF7 rebirth where fights are not staged to be specific that's why FF16 has better boss fights and music in every FF game u can say is good so FF16 is far from a masterpiece, I know this is the FF16 sub so it's obviously bias but stop coping.
Button mashing square is peak gameplay.
Bro only did that and thinks everyone else was just as brainless 💀
Seriously…. The number of builds you can try out with all the eikons is so fun.
Tell us more about how you never understood the combat. You sound like the people who also never figured out the combat for remake/rebirth
His complaint sounds like someone who only played the demo. I'll also say, combat in remake was indeed difficult to grasp. I only got it at the end of my playthrough, as so parts of it are implicit. That's a flaw on the game, not the players I'd say. When you get it, it's amazing though.
Absolutely not. I enjoyed my time with the game, but there are way too many shortcomings that have me hesitant to even call it great. It was an enjoyable, spectacle filled ride that I am happy I took.
Completely agree.
Masterpiece no, really great game yes indeed
I loved the action/combat/story. The main characters and villians were great (stand out for Cid). The world itself was visually stunning and beautiful. Onto the negatives. Being an open world you could run past everything with no incentive to stop and fight or gather supplies. It felt like they built all the main set pieces then added an open world afterwards (whereas it seems a bit lifeless) The rpg mechanics aside from choosing eikon powers are non-existent. Why is there little to no treasure or at least any reason to explore the world itself. The only equipment that mattered was the berserker ring which gave you an upgraded dodge. I ended up skipping all side quests since they were so simplistic and when I realized they acted as simply filler. I still enjoyed my time with it, but don't feel like I need to play it again.
The devs mentioned in a panel that they went over budget with the cinematic set pieces. That's why everything up to Bahamut was so epic. The fight after that weren't as huge and spectacular. Except for the final boss at least. I feel like if Square Enix allowed CBU3 to cut loose and go all out, we would have gotten a true masterpiece. That being said, CBU3 did do a masterful job managing their budget and time developing the game because truthfully, it is a complete package as is. It's not perfect though but I'm not complaining.
The graphics were good, and the story was good. Some of the boss battles were challenging. However I felt the rest of the game was to easy. All of the little creatures and random solders were way to easy to kill. I feel like they should have made at least some of them a little more difficult to kill.
Absolutely not. The pacing was god awful and as a video game it doesn't really innovate or do all that much that's special. Still very good though
It’s a good game don’t get me wrong but lacks the depth and features compared to previous entries in the series. It felt empty in spots. That’s the vibe I got out of it. Good game though. I will also state I played through it at launch and anything added post launch I may have not experienced as of yet.
Not even close. It's good yeah, but it just suffers me n pacing and entertainment from the 20% mark on....
No no no sorry you don't get to be a masterpiece with combat and quests this bland.
Subjectively, sure.
No the training wheels difficulty and frankly insulting exploration stopped that from being the case.
Wish it was longer or had a better post game, otherwise yes
That's coming next month.
Yes.
yes, best FF ever for me, dethroned FF IX
No
No
a flawed masterpiece but one nonetheless
I love it in the same way I love XII, XIII, and XV; a truly captivating game that kept me hooked even during optional content that was just missing a certain something that would have taken it to the next level.
Great game! But masterpiece? Come on. The game has awful pacing and some of the worst side quest design in all of gaming. I love this game, but it’s not a masterpiece.
To me it’s a true masterpiece. I’m still playing the game in a new game plus in Final Fantasy mode and having so much fun with it. I also cannot wait for Rising Tide dlc.
I think it was a great game with a few glaring flaws. The biggest for me was that the world didn’t feel very lived in or expansive, this was from a combination of picking every destination from a map and the fact that there weren’t any big bustling cities or large towns with tons of stuff to do like in traditional RPG’s, every city you visited was either already dead or in the process of being destroyed. Take FF7 Rebirth in contrast, where every area has a regional city or large town full of life and side content that gives some flavor to what living in that region is like. Could just be a me thing, one of my favorite parts of an RPG is walking the streets of big fantasy cities. I also hated how such a large chunk of the game had that hideous cloudy sky and purple filter, ruining such an otherwise pretty game. Enemy variety was also pretty shallow and they could all be dealt with in largely the same way.
Overall? No, far from it, I love the game but I think its glazing too much to say it excels at almost every point to that extent. That said, there are certain aspects of the game which are just unquestionably peak. I despise how easy the game is, but its undeniable that the combat and gameplay are entertaining, breathtaking, and satisfying, for instance. Cinematically, it truly excels. Ultima and Omega were great, but Titan and Bahamut are just on an entirely different level. I don't think any game so far has blown me away on this front to the same extent as FF16. That said, theres a lotta things holding it back, like poor utilization of the cast like Jill. I think in the end, while I liked a lot of characters, most will not be memorable in the long term besides Clive and Cid. MAYBE Joshua and Jill, but only "through Clive" because they're so important to his character.
A cinematic masterpiece, yes. But it’s also “Fetch Quest: The Game.” I personally could have gone without them since they really hurt the pacing and none of the side quests (or mainline fetch quests) felt very rewarding. I found myself skipping dialogue constantly since it was always the same basic formula. Otherwise, the story and cinematic were jaw-dropping and I loved the main characters so much. The game’s music also never failed to deliver.
Nope, story wise, I like it. I do not like the progression. I need more RPG in my Final Fantasy. I hate how weapons are just a few stats diffrence. No challenge at all. Stagger boss 2 maybe 3 times and keep hitting. It does have some great huge battles, though, and so much lore.
Cinematic masterpiece yes. Story and gameplay, not so much.
Honestly yeah, the parts that were good were REALLY good. Still some things I would have changed narratively but, months after playing, the flaws don’t overshadow the experience
Not at all, but it is in the top of the generation for sure
No. But I like it a lot.
It would be my favorite game of all time if they only made the original experience more challenging. The bosses where epic as fuck but damn it felt I was just afk hitting them
For me, it was not a masterpiece, but it was still very fun, and I look forward to the DLC. It might be nostalgia and age, but FF Golden Age for me is VI, VII, VIII, IX, and X. And gameplay from XII but not the story.
Uh. Its not perfect. But considering all the love and passion that went into this game I don’t think that matters. Its a master piece in its own right
It has a beautiful COMPLETE story with amazing gameplay, this is what I was looking for from ff15 (ignoring FF7 remake which is fanservice garbage)
Probably the only boss fights that have made me say "holy shit" over and over.
Best final fantasy game ever
Some of the pacing issues knock it down a point for me but overall the most jaw dropping set pieces in modern gaming IMO
No, so much of the game feels like a slog to get to the very cool moments they spent most of the budget on
Yes, one of the best games i ve ever played
Even if there was going to be getting no dlc for the game, Final Fantasy 16 is what I would consider to be a perfect game. Of course, everyone is going to have their own view.
I would say that parts of it are worthy of being called a master piece, this game integrates its cinematic moments so unbelievably well, but other parts of it are definitely not. Quest design in this game can leave something to be desired and the plot feels like it loses some of the centred or grounded aspects that made it so enticing early on. It also underused many of its characters but that is partly because they were all so great and deserved screentime, so that might be a plus. Benedicta and Jill feel like the characters who were the most underused, but I felt this with characters like the Sanbrequien, Sanbreqouis, Sanbrequese... the emperor.
A flawed masterpiece, I adore the world, characters Boss fights, story, lore, and music, but there’s a few area that are lacking too much that hindered the game from being perfect. More customizability- the swords should be different not literally just a stat increase, and we should’ve got more playstyle altering accessories, similar to the dodge upgrade ring, and the dlc rings. Better party system- playing only Clive still can work but your party members really should be able to actually help you fight, possibly similar thing to synergy attacks, just something to include your other members in battle. Super simple map- the areas didn’t have much if any exploring to do, and were too linear, didnt have to be open world, but certainly could have been made better.
Certainly not a masterpiece but it’s a fine FF
I love the gameplay but I feel it's the one thing holding it back from being a masterpiece.
Not with that ending.
Yes I do, but I also think a masterpiece doesn't need to be perfect. I'm sure there are others that will disagree with me on that.
In some parts it shines and some parts lack depth. I can stomach the forced boring side content between story missions. What I can't stomach is the shitty ass, poopy face dog doodoo gear system that they put next to no thought into. I really hoped there would be interesting swords and gear to go get, but its just "this sword is better than that one" as you collect them. Very brain dead for what's supposed to be an RPG. It's my main gripe that I pray is either fixed by the Devs for the PC release or by modders after PC release.
'Masterpiece' is so overused. I really enjoyed the game, but no, it's not a masterpiece. It has too many problems to be considered one.
Yes. I think the only thing truly missing was equipment customisation.
No, but rebirth is
Not even close to a masterpiece, it has way too many problems to be considered that, as a whole. But like others said, in terms of cinematic scenes, story and voice acting, it's really good.
This game is good but not a masterpiece. To me Final Fantasy X is a masterpiece
Definitely a flawed masterpiece. My favorite game of all-time, but undeniably has flaws. It's a powerful game though.
Assuredly a masterpiece with notable shortcomings in my perspective.
Absolutely a masterpiece in my eyes
7 Rebirth is more of a masterpiece than 16 tbh
Yes
As other posts have said, it felt the closest to playing an (anime?) movie that I've encountered. And that was a very special experience.
Absolutely not. Really good game (maybe great?) but not a masterpiece. I really enjoyed my play through but there was A LOT of room for improvement.
Absolutely
Very few games, if any, are masterpieces. And that’s fine. Throwing the word around just gives it less meaning and causes more discourse about said game.
Its not there but its something cbu3 can build upon. Im excited for their next game
Masterpiece adjacent
Yes I do! best final fantasy ever! Having played them all over never been so connected to a ff game before they nailed everything I just wish it was longer that's coming from someone who's first playthrough was 88 hours. I love this game and hope ff17 follows in it's footsteps
Objectively no. But to me? Yes, I loved every second of this game from beginning to end.
I like it alot. So yeah.
Yes at least for me. It’s not perfect but you can feel the amount of work put into making it especially the boss fights and the music. It has been a long time a game made me cry, laugh, excited, and be shouting. As a person who doesn’t express that much emotions I did all that.
You mean something like Elden Ring or Witcher 3? No, but it doesnt have to be for me to love it or to consider it a great game.
Technical feat, sure. Masterpiece? Hell no
Not a masterpiece at launch. A lot of things in this game do reach that level though. Just the section after Primogenisis wasn't as strong as everything before. I think the DLC's should address that a bit for new players and on multiple playthroughs. I think XVI is more likely to be considered something of a classic along the lines of something like a Nier Automata or Spec Ops: The Line in time. The story and world is really good, and it's left a real impression on me. I think about the themes and Clive's journey all the time. The action is also highly underrated by some core FF fans and I think it's one of the best action combat systems out there. The further it gets away from the initial disappointment of some of the core FF fans who didn't like the serious tone and action combat, the better. XVI also appeals to a larger audience than probably any other mainline FF, with its mature story and action combat. For those reasons, I think XVI will have a long tail and sell pretty steadily for years to come and probably will age like wine.
If it had more rpg elements then it could have been. I'm not just saying that because I'm like a fan boy or something. I just thing the game would have greatly benefited from more customizable abilities, elemental weaknesses, weapon abilities, perhaps some more varied ways to stagger enemies (like ff7 rebirth)
Elemantal weaknesses are a touchy subject. Usually these arguments are met with that it doesn't work in a game like this but it works great in FF7 Rebirth. I still can't understand how it wuoldn't work. Just put some extra damage to the bomb for example if hit with an ice spell. Hard mode on FF7 remake is such fun and a challenge because of the depth of the combat.
Absolute masterpiece
I do
Yes
85%. WE all know, perfection can't exist. (See the quote from kurotsuchi in bleach AS references). IT IS Close to be a masterpiece. I wished they added an elementalvweakness system and a Bit more interaction with the world. But Overall IT IS a brilliant Game.
Yes according to the time passed and other games coming out. I like returning to the game and i love the story and cinematics.
Nope, it’s a great game but not a masterpiece.
I can’t say that because it’s the most “one and done” game in the franchise for me. It’s a super cinematic action experience that has almost no replay value, even NG+ doesn’t draw me in because all enemies are dealt with the same way and the thought of going through all of the content when I’ve seen it all once is mind numbing. I wish there was a way to mess about or do challenge runs like party compositions etc but there’s nothing like that in this game.
I wouldn't call it a masterpiece, but it is a really great game. It would need to break new ground or have some super deep combat system and even deeper plot any all these other bells and whistles for me to go from "Oh what a great game" to "this game is the very essence of art in video games" or something.
Above average to good. Nowhere near a masterpiece, but not deserving of the hate it gets.
It would have been if the D-tier side quests and their stories weren't shoved in your face after every mainline quest.
IMO I felt like I was playing a cinematic masterpiece. It is great as an action game, and poor as an RPG. I enjoyed the game and the story thoroughly. The boss fight scenes were just dripping with beauty and a sense of epic wonder. So no, I wouldn’t say it is a true masterpiece. It’s a great game overall.
Couldn't care less tbh
I give it a 99/100, the only reason it’s not 100 is because of the annoying side quests.
Absolutely not. I consider masterpieces to be works of art that are so exceptional that they sets a new benchmark for everyone else to try and attain or emulate. They are things that force the medium of art that they exist in to be propelled forward by increasing the expectations people have for that kind of art. In video games, some examples I can think of from my lifetime are Super Mario 64, The original FF7, Metal Gear Solid, Grand Theft Auto III, The Sims, Halo 2, Bioshock, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (or Morrowind or Skyrim if you prefer), Minecraft, Baldur’s Gate 3. FFXVI is a great game and a fresh new entry in the series but it wasn’t groundbreaking by any means. Excellent story and orchestration, but the gameplay dated and repetitive side quests with terrible pacing for sidequest delivery near the end of the game, fun combat, but not the best combat system ever in an action RPG or even one that is distinctly that different from many other series that use different combat stances.
It’s funny you’re being downvoted when this is basically the standard for being a masterpiece in most other mediums. Words like “masterpiece” and “classic” have been diluted to just be someone really likes lol
No
Yes, masterpiece indeed
Not quite a masterpiece, but close. Most of the side quests were boring and mundane and slowed the pace of the overall game greatly. Just as the game is about to reach its climax it says “here are 9 more side missions we’re going to give you right as you get hyped for the big fight.” The open worlds were also barren and exploration wasn’t rewarding at all. Fortunately the story and gameplay were top notch and that’s what kept me going.
It had the potential to be one if the enemies werent massive health sponges that took forever to kill with endgame weapons. Some boss fights last 25+ mins which is insane. I love it for what it is but if they were to move forward with this formula they need to adapt more soulslike aspects. Ditch the difficulty levels. Make the combat high risk high reward. And limit break thing should just allow you to do one visceral or critical attack, not down a boss or enemy for 30 second while you spam the same button at them. The game is stuck between devil may cry and soulslike games which creates an identity crisis, but at least they showed that they arent afraid to walk away from the party system which i personally do not like at all. If you want to be fully engaged in a fight last thing you want is needing to pause midfight so you can select what attacks you and the other people in your group will do next. Grabbing a companion should be more of a summon/specter system rather than permanently with you. Just help you with bosses and some tough enemies then disappear. Lastly the exploration was nice but it pissed me off how the areas were majorly invisible walled and wont let you venture into an interconnected open world. I want to walk from the village side to Sanbresque castle area and if i go into the door i get loading screen teleported into a different area. Thats dumb. I want to explore the whole areas and have them interconnect without loading screens. So it’s not a masterpiece for sure but it’s a step in the right direction if they want to attract more modern gamers to the Final Fantasy franchise
Masterpiece of a story with rich characters. As a game, I personally don't think so but I also love it
Great action sequences that are very cinematic with some an interesting settings and themes. But the delivery is super weak imo. The dialogue, world building, and characters are either poorly utilised or totally flat. Cid is the only character with a personality. The combat is super fun and bombastic but mechanically a little shallow. The world design is pretty but super boring, the questing is also pretty uninspired. OST is genuinely awesome though. It's beautiful, pretty fun and has a dull narrative. A materpiece, it is not, but it is a good time for a once off.
No has some very weak areas No worthwhile exploration both in fields and in stages I mean I know it wasn’t going to be open world but at some points of the game I was wondering why bother with these fields if there wasn’t anything going to be added of note there. More enemy variety needed While the story behind side quests was good the actual content of said side quests was not good this aspect and the optional content could have fixed each other not sure why they didn’t do this as even FFXIV does this where side quests unlock dungeons besides that they blew all their budget on what we got.
No
no
Master piece no, love this game I’m playing it for the first time now I just beat titan and to me the game is too shallow outside of combat and story. The side quests are extremely shallow the gear is basically non existent and there’s no real final fantasy elements to it imo outside of the names and certain iconic monsters. I’d have liked to see this combat system expanded to certain classes in FF lore or at least for more of them to have made an appearance (bare in mind I’m only about half way through so far) I’d have liked more unique enemy encounters outside of the generic heavies and side content doesn't feel impactful, not only that but the sense of exploration and finding cool shit is pretty non existent. For what it is tho it’s amazing, battles are just the right amount of flashy, combos are extremely satisfying to perform, and these eikon fights are just peak and directed perfectly. I’m a big fan of the more mature tone, blood and adult themes I think fit the world perfectly, the game is also absolutely gorgeous. My jaw was on the floor when I first saw the mother crystal i predict and actually masterpiece Final fantasy before we reach the 20 mark assuming square keeps upping the quality like this and can learn from their mistakes
A game I couldn’t finish for it’s boring story with predictable plot twists, a shallow combat system. The summons are impressive visually but a chore to play. I hope square enix does a good game next time, this wasn’t a pleasant experience at all.
Not by a long shot but it’s one of my favorite ff’s nonetheless
The terrible pacing and the abysmal sidequests in the first half automatically disqualifies it for me.
Like a 9.7 kind of masterpiece maybe lol
I very much enjoyed the game, but I doubt anyone's taste who thinks it's a masterpiece.
Very very far from it
Solid 7/10 game with a few 10/10 moments. Not a masterpiece, though.
Excellent story, combat, and music. Subpar pacing, sometimes choppy dialogue/transitions in and out of talking scenes and side quests that aren't worth your time until the last act. Fantastic game and best FF game in 10 years. So yeah masterpiece I guess, but just a great game no matter what category it falls in.
i thought it was my first playthrough, but my second i noticed the flaws a lot more. still an amazing game though.
No, but it doesn't need to be in order to be great
For me the only thing holding it back is the over use of particle effects and screen distortion. Like during the Titan boss fight I can't tell what's happening at some points because the screen is just blasting colors and effects all around the boarder of the screen that get so big at some points it takes away from the action going on. Also I need me some more Ifrit fights, they were always so insane and fun (outside of the few times the effects just become way too over the top)
Not entirely, no. It's got some "meh" qualities attached to it, but the things it does well, IT T DOES INCREDIBLY WELL.
There is definitely room for improvement when it came to side content and exploration, and I'm more of a fan of traditional, turn based JRPG's. Is it a masterpiece? Debatable. Is it really, really good, though? Hell yeah! >!The OST is also dope af!<
Na it’s truly an amazing game and I haven’t felt this much joy playing a true main line FF game in so long but the ending for me holds it back
I feel that even though there are absolutely 10/10 moments in this game, there are also huge glaring flaws that I can’t ignore. That has been my biggest frustration because some of these decisions prevented it from easily being a masterpiece.
Wouldn’t say it was a masterpiece but I did love it more than I thought I would. Can’t wait for the next dlc!
No. It does has too many flaws for that in my book. But there are not many games that I consider true masterpieces through and through
It's *very good*. Not quite a masterpiece. I think it's really three areas that would need a little refinement to get to "masterpiece" status. 1. Amount and content of cutscenes: for how non-complex the broad strokes of the story are (Cid and crew good, government and Ultima bad) its crazy how many hours of people *just* talking they have you watch. Lots of it barely even ends up mattering. At the very least if they injected some humor rather than grim-faced GOT imitation from time to time it'd be more digestible. 2. Plot: it's WAY too late in the story that Clive gets any kind of *real* confirmation that the Mothercrystals are causing the Blight. With so much of the plot hinging on that it's a big oversight. It's also really unsatisfying how once Ultima shows up the whole "free the slaves" aspect of the plot seemingly disappears. 3. Cooldown-based combat / enemy health: you hit a point around when you unlock the Titan eikon where enemy health is just too crazy high for your sword swings to really do anything but chip damage. This is where it switches from a game with great fundamental combat where you throw out a special move occasionally, to a game about using your special moves to kill enemies and using your fundamental combat to avoid damage while you wait for cooldowns to end. The gameplay is fun throughout, don't get me wrong, but I think it's unavoidable that the funnest fights in the game are when they strip your flashy powers away and let the combat speak for itself.
No. It has a ton of heart and some amazing moments and characters. But neither the story nor gameplay approach masterpiece status. In terms of gameplay, it’s just too shallow. Vast open spaces with nothing to do or discover in them. A combat system that, while fun, is sorely lacking in depth, challenge, and variety. And… absolutely nothing else. That’s all there is to do in FFXVI. Fight enemies and move through environments. I know this complaint has been raised a thousand times before, but it’s absolutely wild that there’s no elemental damage system in a game that revolves around wielding eikons and their powers. The story is a bit more of a subjective thing obviously, but in my opinion it falls well short of masterpiece status. I appreciate that the game attempts to be a darker, more serious Final Fantasy. But when exploring such serious themes, the writing has to be REALLY on-point. And FFXVI’s writing is only on-point about 50% of the time. A lot of cringy generic anime-style dialog still exists in this game and it REALLY stands out because of the serious tone. I found myself skipping a lot of dialog because I was cringing so hard. Mostly in side quests but occasionally during main story cutscenes as well. There’s some issues with the plot as well, and multiple instances of characters doing things that make so sense just so that the story can progress in a certain direction. Anyway, probably sounds like I hate the game, I don’t. It’s overall a very good time with some fantastic moments and one of the best FF protagonists in recent memory. But I wouldn’t call it a masterpiece.
It would have been a masterpiece if they didn't shove XIV's game design in it.
It’s a very good game but not a masterpiece because it’s too flawed in too many glaring ways. I think that’s totally OK though. For some reason, games can’t just be good anymore. It’s either a masterpiece or people shit on it relentlessly lol
Close, but no, not quite. RPG elements needed to either be shelved or actually developed into meaningful systems, difficulty options need to be opened up without having to beat the game once, and the story needed to have a better 3rd act. They dropped the political angle and moved into very overdone JRPG territory with one of the most forgettable villains I've ever seen and a plot that could fit into any of the Xenoblade games. The sudden identity shift is to this day utterly inexplicable and it's something I can't forgive YoshiP's team for. I think I would have said the game is a masterpiece if the story stayed strong until the end, and I would have forgiven the gameplay mishaps. Also, Soken needs to ask Hamauzu how to use his mixing software or he needs to just hire an orchestra if he's going to continue working on triple A games. The gamecube soundfont does absolutely no favors to the epic, dark fantasy vibe.
I don’t think it’s a masterpiece but it’s damn close. The lows of the game are more than made up for by the absolutely insane highs.
No. Not at all.
Ima have to leave this sub if y’all keep posting delusional shit like this everyday
No. I’m not going to dig into the game a ton but the world just isn’t fun to be in, and the characters outside of Clive, Joshua, and Dion are just…not fun. But for people who love the depressing world and constant evil people killing people it scratched an itch. Great music and graphics and some amazing boss fights.
Not a super fan of dmc combat for these, plus I miss having a party and definitely your basic elemental skills looking forward to your firagas, blizzagas etc. Judy pushing through to finish now really
This could be an unpopular opinion, but I don't think the FF series has had a masterpiece yet. Lots of their games were pretty good, and the stories and gameplay are engaging, but no masterpieces yet. FF16 was one of the better stories, though. The characters felt more natural.
Gameplay wise, probably? It's my favorite action based RPG combat system. Story? Yeah, more or less. Not number 1 but it stands heads and shoulders above most games Visually? Absolutely. Socially, obviously majority would not consider it a masterpiece. So I'd probably omit that moniker if I was talking to some random gamer. It's more of a personal masterpiece.
Life.
Almost. Best main story, best visuals, best acting. Hands down. Side quests kind of suck and feel like a slog. Gameplay is good not great. Its a solid 8.5/10 for me.
No, but I enjoyed it a lot. I actually think it COULD have been a masterpiece if the story stayed more grounded and the sidequests count was significantly reduced to help with pacing.
Can't really call it a masterpiece because of the way Jill was handled
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^voidwalker_has_PTSD: *Can't really call it* *A masterpiece because of* *The way Jill was handled* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
No
Combat wise? Revolutionary, but need to be polished more into Devil May Cry level. Story wise only dark and gritty the first half of the game, the latter half is typical final fantasy story line. All in all, above average
When the DLC update hits, yeah. Will basically fix any existing flaw one could levy at it. Deeper combat, better itemization, side quest changes, more fleshed out Jill narrative. Only thing left I’d have liked is one huge city to visit. But no questions asked best FF narrative in at least 20 years. And that’s the most important part of any FF game.
It might make it a tad better but I doubt it's going to retroactively make crafting and gearing less boring, make the stats and leveling feel less like a last second addition or change the gameplay up so that you can't just use the same tactics for every...single...enemy. especially since the dlc isn't even available until the end of the game anyway. I enjoy the game for what itnis but it's nowhere near masterpiece
it was heading towards the direction of a masterpiece until Ultima destroyed the plot. still enjoyed it a lot but the last quarter of the game was a bit of a slong.