I really like Final Fantasy 16, but there’s no denying that it’s another very divisive installment in Square’s decades-old series.
While the franchise has been trying to innovate with each new game, it’s still easy to argue that 16 is the last fantasy that ever deviated from its traditional JRPG roots.
16 is an action game — hell, it’s almost more of an action game than an RPG. Fast-paced, cinematic combat is the beating heart of the title, and RPG elements — character progression, quests, etc. — kind of get around that.
But because 16 is so unique, I found myself recommending it to people who have never touched a Final Fantasy game before. In most cases, it is very close to the type of games they are most familiar with.
And to be fair, that’s what Square Enix had going for it; 16 is a very deliberate gamble on increasing the attractiveness of the area. Basically from top to bottom, it’s designed to rock new players.
You might suggest calling it Final Fantasy Sixteen it flies in the face of that goal, but this is an example of Square Enix trying to cover all its bases (and possibly damaging the game’s overall appeal in the process, but that’s a discussion for another time).
“Look at it is something a mainline Final Fantasy! But it’s also fresh and cool! Everyone wins!”
But even with Square’s mishandling of the new flagship franchise in mind, I’m a defender of Final Fantasy 16.
This game has times. Like the moments that are well remembered. And at least for me, that counts for a lot in an era where we’re bombarded with an unprecedented number of new releases every single week.
It’s very difficult to make a memorable game — it can feel like everything has already been done, and the new things are based on the old ones you’ve done, or whatever. it better, from the beginning.
That’s not to say that 16 is a completely unique and genre-defining masterpiece, but throughout its core story, it goes above and beyond to provide moments that will make your jaw drop.
To this day, I firmly believe that 16 holds some of the most amazing boss battles gaming has ever seen. They are there that good, and they deserve to be discovered by everyone.
In fact, I think it’s worth playing just to see this combo in action. They are truly outstanding in terms of scope, scale, and pure hype factor.
But this is where the biggest problem of the game comes. This is not a short journey, and it is there a lot in the content that separates these very important moments.
The majority of that content is absolutely fine. Some of it is great in itself. But its heavier pieces are surprisingly dull – so dull, in fact, that they feel like they’ve been replaced in a much lower release.
I’m mainly talking about side quests, lots of them. If you’re stuck on finishing them all as you move through the game’s various regions, you risk ruining everything.
That may sound strange, but I am speaking from my own experience. I’ve played through Final Fantasy 16 maybe… three or four times, I’m not entirely sure.
And for every run but the first one, I made the decision to skip all the side quests (except the combat-oriented hunting, because combat is fun). Honestly, it’s a game changer.
The thing with side quests is that most of them are useless. Crap characters that talk too much, boring quest-style fetch objectives, and garbage rewards await. They are almost exclusively filled with the purpose of extending the journey – to make it an “RPG”.
And if you’re planning to play Final Fantasy 16 for the first time with its inclusion on PS Plus Extra (available from June 16, 2026), I urge you to skip anything that sounds remotely boring.
I promise, you can push the main story into everything without touching the nonsense that surrounds it. None of it is worth sacrificing the gameplay that is already a process.
It’s not about me saying “ignore the haters”, but I think Final Fantasy 16 is a great game. You just need to get past its misguided attempts at modern RPG design, and hopefully, you’ll end up enjoying it as much as I do.
Are you going to try Final Fantasy 16 with PS Plus Extra? Let the flame burn in the comments section below.