The epic story of Clive - Final Fantasy XVI

Final Fantasy is a name that is easily recognized not only by avid fans of the virtual world. Undoubtedly, the franchise marked a generation of gamers, with Final Fantasy VII being perhaps the most memorable, becoming so popular that Cloud's adventures remain as present as any other more recent title. Sadly, I can say that it passed me by when I was growing up. Yes, it still passed through my hands, but at the age, I was at the time, I didn't pay much attention to the high number of lines of text it presented. Can you blame me?

Over the years, the Final Fantasy formula has been mixed with other game mechanics. Something that the series has always given us is the implementation of something new. Different game mechanics, level progression, an online title that has thousands of players every day, and so on. Well then, Final Fantasy XVI is a whole new approach, both in terms of graphics, set this time in a period with environments that are in no way connected to the cyberpunk aspect, passing through a more violent and serious theme, as in the exploration of new paths in terms of gameplay.

To open the appetite of all players, this title had a free demo version (around two hours of content), which tells precisely the beginning of the story. And what a great start! The first hours of the game are undoubtedly remarkable. Everything around Clive, the main character, is tremendously beautiful, from explosions, combat, and the environment. Without wanting to reveal much of what the story presents, the biggest connection I see is with the history of Game of Thrones, where many want to control the entire region without looking at the means, moving to acts of betrayal and genocide that lead to bloodbaths that are not common in the world of Final Fantasy.

This title is set in the world of Valisthea and in particular around two large islands that form a continent of great geopolitical complexity. These islands form the bases where five colossal Mother Crystals are based, and each one of them feeds the ambitions of the different nations that unfold between their survival or total supremacy, depending on the character of the person who is on their throne. Crystals are the source of all magical power in the realm, with exceptions in the form of Dominats, superhumans who can use the powers of beings called Eikons, such as Ifrit or Shiva, well known from past titles.

Clive's story begins when he was discarded from the Kingdom of Rosaria, where he was in charge of protecting his brother in the coming battles. Now in the shoes of a mercenary completely mentally destroyed by everything that happened to him in the past, he will have to carry the will to understand what really happened when he was a child and the remarkable events that come his way, in an adventure full of maturity.

Final Fantasy has always been very marked by its Turn Base combats, and perhaps that has made many of its fans feel somewhat upset with the completely different vision of combat of the sixteenth title. Combat is fully action, with no stops to select skills, a situation similar to what happens in Devil May Cry or Bayonetta, although it is less complex in terms of combos. The idea I had during my time with the demo was that it really was a complex combat, mainly because it is not introduced gradually with the inclusion of 3 different skills without a natural progression like the one found in its version Final.

The player will exclusively control Clive, either in his human form, or later in a much more explosive form. Party members are also able to attack, but are completely controlled without player intervention. The combos are easy to apply, the dodge mechanic is undoubtedly one of the most important mechanics in the confrontation against enemies and there is also a parry system and, as already mentioned, a range of special abilities associated with various Eikons. Honestly with this being an RPG experience, I didn't feel great depth in terms of selecting different gear. Just in the sense of improving stats and... that's it.

While the main story will always be the main focus, there are small side quests ready for the player to explore. Unfortunately, most of them don't add anything new to the story. Missions that go mainly through running errands to NPC's that could very well complete their needs, but who see Clive as the errand boy. If you want to receive "rocks" as a reward, this is the way.

There is in fact enough to be dissected both by the story and with the new combat mode, but the technical side that involves the player makes the tastiest victory of all. The moments that make anyone shiver while drinking every second of the epic cut-scenes, the clashes against Bosses that present themselves with a jaw dropping detail. The detail in the models is impressive, although the NPC's models are somewhat bland, the main characters are eye-popping. Don't expect to have big clothing details like in previous titles, this is an interpretation with details closer to reality than anything else.

Final Fantasy is an emotional journey that has plenty of points to retain. The robust combat mode, breathtaking environments, serve as a pretext for an epic adventure. I hope this isn't the last action-packed title from the franchise, but I also hope that the turn based mode will be featured in the future. The variety presented in all its titles is what gives so much value to its journeys and I look forward to falling more and more in love with this captivating world.