Last year, I found that Final Fantasy XVI was one of my favorite games. I was captivated by Clive's quest to free the oppressed magic-wielding Bearers of Valisthea and rid the world of the blight that was spreading because of its sincere and endearing characters, spectacular and intense fight scenes, serene and majestic sound effects, and the enormous, unforgettable boss battles.
Despite its many accomplishments, Final Fantasy XVI sometimes seemed a little basic and undeveloped. Some design decisions seem to have been influenced by the developer's prior work on Final Fantasy XIV, although other aspects fall short of the MMO equivalent in terms of complexity and diversity.
These are some of the enhancements that would really take the game beyond its present level, should the freshly renamed Creative Studio III have the chance to continue in the footsteps of previous Final Fantasy games.
Less busywork in side quests, please
The side missions in Final Fantasy XVI are excellent, providing significant background information and complete narrative arcs for several supporting characters. With too many side missions that need players to go from point A to point B, battle a few opponents, press a button to pick up three important objects, and then return to point A, the objectives themselves are not nearly as engaging.
Even in the MMO industry, this kind of hectic employment is out of date. It's a tedious and convoluted approach for a cinematic action game. More varied goals and scenes that aren't just battle sequences would be great for future versions. Imagine taking out a neighboring village's colonies of poisonous insects or seizing and retaining many locations during an Akashic assault. With a little more time and concentration, I'm confident the team can come up with ideas leagues better than my own.
A vast and empty planet with nothing to do
Because of how big and gorgeous Valisthea's universe is, players are encouraged to explore its many locations and go out on their own explorations. The only issue is that, in the midst of it all, there isn't much that is worthwhile. There is a lot of room in the current design for intriguing things to happen and secrets to be found, but most of these opportunities aren't available until the right side mission has been completed. Apart from a few scattered item chests and a few Chronoliths that house combat challenges, there is very little interesting stuff to find in these areas.In other words,The explorable areas require more discoveries to happen by accident in order to encourage players to explore the maps if we ever have the opportunity to return to Valisthea or its spiritual descendant.
Battles get boring when cooldowns are used excessively
The fundamental mechanism of Final Fantasy XVI's combat, eikon abilities are striking and powerful additions to Clive's standard skills. All of them have a cooldown, however, so after using up all of these abilities, players are left with a pretty basic and uninteresting set of capabilities. The early stages of the game, when players must rely on a relatively small range of skills, break up this.
At first, it's really satisfying to upgrade techniques and gradually acquire new abilities to include into combos, but it's also simple to become stuck in a rut and destroy opponents with the same combination of flaming uppercuts and laser blasts. It would be much more enjoyable to weave in extra button combinations with the standard swordplay and magic casting to enhance the heart-pounding excitement, especially when combined with the Eikon abilities.
The supporting cast is not fully exploited.
Party members are not well incorporated into FFXVI's general gameplay, even though each member's existence is necessary to the plot. Togal is the only reliable party member; he has a special action command menu, although it's not really helpful.
Imagine having a few partygoers reserved at the hideaway, able to come and go as needed, prepared for the call to action on whatever mission you choose. The story's actions may still restrict the partner selections, allowing for more player choice and intricate playstyles while eliminating people as required.
Although controlling several party members in FFXVI's action-RPG combat style would be too laborious, being able to alter each teammate's talents to better compliment Clive's would provide more nuance to each fight. When combined with their own equippable weapons and equipment to enhance their skills, these auxiliary allies would transform into indispensable allies in battle.
Crafting, treasure, useless equipment, and the general economy
Remarkably little in the form of loadout optimization and stat boosting is available in Final Fantasy XVI, considering how much focus is placed on the battle and Eikon techniques. There are only four fundamental metrics in the game: assault, defense, health, and stagger damage. In theory, there are more attributes like strength, vitality, and willpower, but they are independent of equipment and only grow when a character levels up.
Only six slots may be used to enhance Clive's qualities in total: three accessories, a belt, bracers, and a sword.Because the character's basic attributes are the only things enhanced by the first three pieces of gear, the power scaling of weapon and gear upgrades is quite linear. Customizing characteristics to account for variances in play style is just not possible.
In contrast, accessories provide a much greater variety of benefits, such as healing potency, cooldown reduction, and even stacking boosts on well-executed moves. With only three slots available, however, it takes little time to settle on a favorite loadout, which makes it hard to feel enthused about finding new items in chests or as prizes for completing quests.
The incorporation of the recognizable materia system from the series, which would have allowed for the attachment of additional benefits to already-existing gear, might have greatly enhanced the game. This might also vary the upgrades obtained at the forge, giving players the option to choose materia slot expansion over basic stat boosts, or just in addition to them.
The game's economics is worthless, to put it above everything else. Purchasing potions makes little sense since they are always fully restocked when a game is ended. Tonic buffs, on the other hand, are not very appealing to buy since they are hard to find and quite expensive for regular replenishment. The only worthwhile purchase is orchestra rolls, which are more of a collection than a good use of your hard-earned Gil.
Although crafting goods may be acquired throughout the game, they are seldom used since they are limited to basic forge improvements and item manufacturing. The game's economic mechanisms may be strengthened if, for example, forge enhancements came with a price tag or if the crafting mechanic served a more significant function to encourage the purchase of crafting supplies. However, things are basic and unmemorable as they are.
I swear, Final Fantasy XVI is still amazing!
Even if there appear to be a lot of issues, in the end, they are only dents on an amazing experience. Outshining any marks against it, the stunning presentation, engrossing action, and grimly hopeful plot and concepts remain as brilliant as the Phoenix's fires.
Any attempt by Creative Studio III to build upon the legacy of Final Fantasy XVI is definitely something to be enthusiastic about, in my opinion.