{"id":34091,"date":"2023-06-21T16:00:55","date_gmt":"2023-06-21T14:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1847626"},"modified":"2023-06-21T19:56:26","modified_gmt":"2023-06-21T17:56:26","slug":"ff16-review-game-of-thrones-meets-devil-may-cry-in-fantastic-ps5-game","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/ff16-review-game-of-thrones-meets-devil-may-cry-in-fantastic-ps5-game\/","title":{"rendered":"FF16 review: Game of Thrones meets Devil May Cry in fantastic PS5 game"},"content":{"rendered":"

Final Fantasy XVI wears its inspirations on its chainmail sleeve. <\/p>

By Rob Leane\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 21 June 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n
<\/div> 4.0 out of 5 star rating<\/span> <\/span> <\/div> <\/div>

The wait is nearly over. Final Fantasy XVI<\/a> \u2014 also known as FF16 \u2014 is launching this week as a PS5 exclusive. As is normally the case with mainline numbered Final Fantasy games, this action-packed release is designed to be an entry point for new players, as well as being a satisfying reimagining for returning fans.<\/p>\n

This means there\u2019s a whole new voice cast<\/a>, playing a fresh host of characters<\/a>, in an original story that includes lots of familiar elements like magical beings, sword combat and deep lore. In this case, some new inspirations are also fairly obvious, with the influence of Game of Thrones being hard to miss.<\/p>\n

This is no accidental homage, either. FF16 producer Naoki Yoshida told Eurogamer<\/a>, \u201cWe had our core team of about 30 members very early on buy the Blu-ray boxset of Game of Thrones and required everyone to watch it, because we wanted this type of feel.\u201d<\/p>\n

We\u2019d argue that this was a genius move, which goes a long way to making Final Fantasy approachable to a wider pool of players. The game is more grounded than you might expect, introducing you first to a handful of human characters, before gradually layering on thicker helpings of high-concept lore and increasingly wild set-pieces.<\/p>\n

Leading the narrative is a new character called Clive<\/a>, played by British actor Ben Starr (Netflix\u2019s You, Sky\u2019s Jamestown). Clive is a sort of Jon Snow<\/a> type. At the start, he\u2019s in the bosom of a powerful family, receiving the very best in combat training. But as you may have seen in the FF16 demo<\/a>, Clive is soon clad in black armour on a solemn solo adventure.<\/p>

As Clive sets off on a revenge mission tied to the plot of the prologue, he\u2019ll gradually learn an impressive array of magical attacks. Not unlike Thanos in the Avengers<\/a> movies, he picks up different colour-coded abilities at crucial points in the story. These moments are spaced out nicely, giving you plenty of time to learn each set of attacks before you\u2019re taught a new one.<\/p>\n

This is where the other obvious influence comes into play. The combat \u2014 which allows you to quickly swap between powerful attacks, as well as juggling your enemies in mid-air and dishing out fun combos \u2014 feels very reminiscent of the massively enjoyable Devil May Cry 5. This makes sense, because the games share a key combat developer named Ryota Suzuki.<\/p>\n

As the layering on of lore and abilities gets more complex, Ben Starr\u2019s impressively rich performance at the heart of the game does plenty to keep you engaged. There\u2019s also a lot of readable lore that you can refer back to if you ever get lost with all the families and factions. The game goes to admirable lengths to make sure you know what you\u2019re meant to be doing, even if you may lose track of the \u2018why\u2019 from time to time.<\/p>