Chronicling the completion of the backlog, one game at a time.

This is Coffee from Games with Coffee, and welcome to Backlog Busting! As the tagline above says, I’m writing about the games in my backlog that I’ve completed. I’ll share what I enjoyed, what I didn’t, and whether or not it was worth my time and investment. At the end, I’ll share a Busting Grade – an aggregate rating made up of four categories: Length, Difficulty, Replay Value and Fun Factor. Scoring explanations will be found at the end of the post for reference.

The tenth game I’m covering is Final Fantasy XVI for the PlayStation 5. I finished this game around June 2024. Let’s dig into the report.

A Game of Crystals

Final Fantasy XVI was Square-Enix’s attempt at making a darker, gritter Final Fantasy story. This change in tone was a direct result of two things: First, dark fantasy shows like Game of Thrones gaining popularity. And second, a change of tastes for their target audiences. For Final Fantasy XVI, it wasn’t enough for the story and setting to return to a more medieval and fantastical setting – the game also had to portray a harsh and cruel world where political machinations mattered more than omnipotent beings initiating world-ending apocalyptic events. Though, in the end, a world-ending apocalyptic event was spurred on by the political machinations of the ruling class, forcing the main character to kill the omnipotent being in order to save the world. It’s proof that no matter how hard you buck against the trend, Final Fantasy will always conclude the same way they always have – killing gods to save the world.

Final Fantasy XVI is set on the fictional world of Valisthea and comprises of two major continents – Ash and Storm. Scattered across the continents are titanic, mountainlike crystal structures called Mothercrystals. Infused with enormous magical energy, people use the shards of Mothercrystals to cast magic for practical purposes, like lighting fires or heating forges. Due to their usefulness, the Mothercrystals form the basis of the societal and political structure of Valisthea. Whoever has more access to the crystal determines the extent of their domain.

While normal people rely on the crystals to cast magic, certain subset of humans can use magic without the need of a crystal. These people are known as Bearers and are typically identified with a mark tattooed on their face. Despite their power, Bearers are treated like slaves, their abilities abused by the masses to the point of total petrification and death.

Dominants are eight people blessed with the ability to transform into immensely powerful magical beings known as Eikons. The eight Eikons correspond to the major elements in the game – Fire, Ice, Lightning, Wind, Water, Earth, Light and Darkness. Unlike Bearers, Dominants play a vital role within a nation’s politics and military, and are generally treated with reverence and respect. The sole exception being the isolated Iron Kingdom, where they abuse, enslave and even kill Bearers and Dominants. There exists a ninth Eikon that threatens to usurp the balance of the other eight and its Dominant is none other than the main playable character of the game, Clive Rosfield.

The firstborn son of the Duke of the Grand Duchy of Rosaria in northwest Storm, Clive was passed over for the title of Duke when his younger brother, Joshua, manifested the Phoenix Eikon and became its Dominant. Since the Dominant always ruled Rosaria, Clive instead took to the blade and swore that he would become his brother’s protector. Along with his own Bearer abilities, Joshua also blessed Clive with Phoenix magic, giving his swordsmanship an extra edge. Tragedy strikes though when Joshua dies from an unknown Eikon attack during a sacred rite that the Rosarians perform prior to a major skirmish. Clive’s last sights as a free man was the second Eikon of Flame killing the Phoenix.

Fast-forward 10 years to the start of the game, where Clive is a Bearer Knight of the Holy Empire of Sanbreque – forced into abysmal servitude by his mother, the Duchess who betrayed Rosaria for her own gain. A chance encounter with an old friend on a battlefield allows Clive to break free from his bondage and find the truth of his brother’s killer. Imagine his surprise when he discovers he did it!

Now as the Dominant of Ifrit, the second Eikon of Fire, Clive must travel through Valisthea to learn the meaning of his power while destroying the Mothercrystals – the very things that keeps Valisthea’s society afloat.

Even though the story felt fairly familiar to Game of Thrones, gameplay-wise, Final Fantasy XVI played like a generic Action-RPG game. I was very invested in the story and in some of the combat – especially when I unlocked abilities from other Eikons – but eventually, the combat became a bit of a chore to complete. It’s not like Final Fantasy VII Remake’s system, where strategic use of your abilities and spells is the key to victory; XVI’s system was a bit more simple in comparison.

What drew me in the most was the lore and worldbuilding behind Final Fantasy XVI. The game had these nuances within the different regions – from dialects, to superstitions, to how people treated each other – that made the world feel alive. The plight of the Bearers – from their enslavement to their emancipation – was also compelling. Seeing these normal-looking folks being treated like trash just because they can cast magic without crystals felt a bit close to home.

All in all, I greatly enjoyed my time with Final Fantasy XVI, despite its flaws. It’s a title I feel I will return to someday in the future; specifically, the DLC content, if I can get it for dirt-cheap.

Busting Report

Pros:

Good story, great world-building. I highly enjoyed learning about the history of Valisthea and of the ruling kingdoms that make up the continent.
Characters felt well-developed – I was very invested in learning of the relations between Clive and his close allies, especially Jill and Joshua.
TORGAL! He is the best friend a man can ask for. And a great party member. Also, you can pet the dog! Anyone who doesn’t pet the dog is a monster, in my opinion.
A lot of the sidequests in the game tied into the overall lore and it was fun to pull away the layers that made up the people and places of Valisthea.
The twists and turns of the story felt very similar to Game of Thrones. I was at the edge of my seat, wondering what was going to happen next.
The Eikon fights were CRAZY! Kaiju-level fights in Final Fantasy games aren’t new, but the execution of these fights were very well done.
I loved the town/peaceful music themes, they were very relaxing. Hide, Hideaway and Find the Flame are my favourites, though Our Terms is also very good.

Cons:

Combat ends up being pretty mundane, despite the multitude of Eikon options. Once you lock in a strategy with your three favourite Eikons, you can go to town with just about any enemy.
I’m also not a fan of the combat’s button-mashing nature. I feel like Final Fantasy VII Remake found that sweet spot between tactical and real-time combat, of which there was a dearth of in XVI.
Though they advance the lore, most side quests end up being fetch quests or hunts.
The endgame boss was a bit lame, despite their creepiness. Their whole vibe fit the Final Fantasy motif (a bit of futuristic/advanced culture influencing present day situations), but still very unsatisfying when all was said and done. A very unmemorable final boss.
Despite my mention of the music above, not all of the music in the game was memorable.
I feel like the game missed lots of opportunities to focus on Jill – her moments of growth did more to further develop Clive’s character rather than her own. She’s still a great character in her own right.
The ending left me with lots of questions and little answers. I don’t like endings like that.

Interesting Notes:

Despite what people say, I consider Final Fantasy XVI a Final Fantasy game. It has all the classic tropes of a Final Fantasy game, it’s just viewed through a grim, dark fantasy lens.
I’m a fan of the will they/won’t they trope in romance stories. It was agonizing watching Clive and Jill tiptoe over their feelings for one another. It made the resolution much more enjoyable when they fessed up. Too bad it was just so short-lived thanks to the somewhat bleak yet hopeful ending.
XVI just barely squeaks into my list of top ten Final Fantasy games, but that’s only because I have so much nostalgia and love for the other nine games.

Backlog Busting Grade

Length: 1/5

Difficulty: 3/5

Replay Value: 4/5

Fun Factor: 5/5 plus bonus point because Torgal is a good dog.

Busting Grade: B+

The Backlog Busting Grade is an aggregate letter grade made up of four categories: Length, Difficulty, Replay Value and Fun Factor. A high grade means that the game in review is an excellent addition to the backlog. On the other hand, a low grade means that you can choose to pass up on this title if you wish. Honestly though, the grades aren’t meant to be taken seriously – this is just me having fun with clearing my backlog. Your mileage may vary depending on preferences, time commitments, etc.

Each category is given a score out of five. Length measures how long a game took for me to complete. 5 being extremely short (30 minutes – 1 hour) and 1 being extremely long (40+ hours). Difficulty is self-explanatory – 5 for being very easy and 1 for being very hard. Replay Value scores how likely I’ll return to play again. 5 for most likely and 1 for never touching it again. And Fun Factor measures how much fun I had with the title. 5 for lots of fun and 1 for no fun at all.