Michael Kane

Go into it thinking, "insanely well built Final Fantasy XVI with the best character customization ever made for any RPG out there, and extremely tight ARPG mechanics," and you pretty much know what to expect. It's a lot -- and a mean a lot of hack and slash, and don't let the potion limitations fool you; most companions will come with a healing skill on timer if you aren't a fan of healing limitations. The graphics are just insane for this generation, and console frame pacing is ludicrously even. It's like someone waved a magic wand and commanded the game to almost never drop a single frame. Granted I'm playing on PS5 ATM, so my view is a bit myopic. The bottom line is while this game isn't what I consider the perfect RPG, it's insanely well built. For what it's worth, it's a far cry better than anything BioWare has put out in recent years. There is not one jot of live service to be found -- everything is earned through blood, sweat, and tears. Lastly, I may not be a fan of "on the rails" type fantasy adventures, but the game does have enough open space to give me the impression the world is big enough to explore. There are nooks to uncover, and secrets to unveil here. BioWare seems to have decided to go back to the Origins level exploration is all. Again, the exploration spaces aren't that small either. I would definitely watch the game either recorded or live streaming before buying if you have your preconceptions about what an RPG should be though. I had a hard time reconciling mine at first, and it did frustrate me for a few hours. Granted I did also have a screaming migraine as well, so I imagine my experience was a bit tainted by the combination of annoyances. TL:DR, it's a fun game with a crazy amount of eye candy.

Not a real Final Fantasy. No party management, exploration is a joke, and combat caters to easily amused, button masher fans of the MOBA, Japanese flash dancing combat variety. No open world, and travel is point and click on a world map. The game feels closterphobic, and constantly interrupted by the longest cinematic cutscenes I have ever seen. Do not buy if you're a true RPG fan. There is nothing here that you can't find elsewhere. No character generation, no customization; it's just boring, reused tripe.