Review embargo lifted. No spoilers in this post. Probably spoilers in the links below. Here’s a few:

Kotaku: https://kotaku.com/xbox-series-x-game-pass-price-increase-ps5-microsoft-1850561048

A bold shift to action and a stirring fantasy tale make this the best Final Fantasy in ages.

For the first time in years, I’m excited about a new mainline Final Fantasy game. It’s about time.

GameSpot: https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/final-fantasy-16-review-on-its-own-terms/1900-6418081/

FFXVI is a bold shift in both gameplay and narrative, yet captures the Final Fantasy magic in stunning fashion, earning a place within the pantheon of incredible entries in the beloved franchise.

9/10

Variety: https://variety.com/2023/digital/reviews/final-fantasy-xvi-review-1235650066/

‘Final Fantasy XVI’ Is a Messy, but Quietly Brilliant Next Step for Square Enix’s RPG Series

Destructoid: https://www.destructoid.com/reviews/review-final-fantasy-xvi/

Superb - A hallmark of excellence. There may be flaws, but they are negligible and won’t cause massive damage.

9/10

IGN: https://www.ign.com/articles/final-fantasy-16-review

Outstanding story, characters, and worldbuilding earn the right to depart from what fans expect from Final Fantasy.

Amazing - Featuring fast, reflex driven, action heavy combat, Final Fantasy 16 is certainly a departure from what fans may expect out of a Final Fantasy game, but its excellent story, characters, and world building are right up there with the best the series has to offer, and the innovative Active Time Lore feature should set a new standard for how lengthy, story-heavy games keep players invested in its world.

9/10

Please add and link reviews in comments.

  • Brawler Yukon@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    1 year ago

    Digital Foundry’s Tech Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Oyjldkh5kE

    They love the game, but Performance Mode needs some work, as it’s a very unstable 60 fps during exploration and a solid 60 during combat, albeit with a drastic drop in resolution via dynamic resolution scaling to achieve that (resulting in messy combat visuals).

    • eramseth@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      Interesting. I’ve found unstable less frame rates less jarring with VRR enabled (elden ring for example). Hopefully that applies here too.

      • Brawler Yukon@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1·
        1 year ago

        Unfortunately it doesn’t. With PS5’s implementation of VRR, there’s a window where it will work of 48-60hz. If a game’s framerate falls out of that window (which XVI does in exploration in Performance Mode), VRR will not be able to compensate. John mentions it briefly in the review that the dips are enough to break VRR, sadly.

    • AddfwynEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      I had some hitches here and there during the demo, but nothing too bad. I was playing on performance mod then too.

      Honestly, I am not usually a person prone to noticing these kinds of things, so I doubt it will affect me all that much. My TV isn’t exactly the best for gaming, so a lot of the bells and whistles wouldn’t work for me necessarily either.

    • SpicyMonner@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      This is exactly how I have found it,p. It’s by no means unplayable, but you do notice some FR drops exploring. I think the combat looks great.

  • AddfwynEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    Not too surprising overall. It seems a little weird that so many people keep harping on the action-combat. 7R and 15 were both heavily action-focused games, and I quite enjoyed those.

    From the demo, the combat seemed totally serviceable. It’s not God of War, but it really doesn’t need to be. Any concerns I have for the game are actually narrative in nature, and that’s something I won’t be able to judge without playing a lot more.

    • saucyloggins@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      1 year ago

      I’m not far. The game just came out. But. I’m REALLY enjoying the combat faaar more so than God of War. God of War was so repetitive and the enemies were so spongy. I’ve fought so many ubique fights in FF16 already. There’s so many mini bosses with their own strategies and patterns. Hopefully it stays that way throughout. But even if it dips a bit I’ll personally like it so much more than God of War where it’s mostly the same combo strategy for 90% of the fights.

    • eramseth@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      I didnt play the demo just watched the gameplay reveal a few months back. I think it looks cool. And yeah I liked 7R and 15. I also can see the viewpoint of wanting a slower paced more strategic battle mode. It’s kinda cool they are trying to accommodate both.

    • Omega@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      1 year ago

      7R and 15 were both heavily action-focused games, and I quite enjoyed those.

      Interesting that you mentioned these. 15 is pretty widely considered to be pretty mediocre, while 7R is widely considered to be high tier.

      I didn’t care for either, but I loved XVI’s from the demo. They really made it just complicated enough to not be repetitive like XV’s. You mention it not being God of War, but honestly that’s a pretty decent comparison IMO.