Jonie

FF16 is very different from it's predecessors and has different objectives. The game is heavily focused upon the story, action combat and scenes as opposed to a traditional RPG that is turn-based, exploration heavy and quest-heavy. This may turn some players off and away from the title but the execution is simply brilliant and hence the 5 star rating. The game attempts to give people control over their experience of the game in terms of combat difficulty, providing the tools necessary for people who aren't avid gamers to cruise through and enjoy the story if they so desire. This isn't an Elden Ring title, nor is a competitive fight, it's a story game for people to enjoy. On the other spectrum, it also has features that allow people to push their limits if they so do desire. Creative Business Unit III has done a superb job taking their learnings from FF14 (MMORPG) in making the game appeal to a wider audience. This isn't an Elden Ring, nor is it a Visual Novel, it's something that can be enjoyed by both sets of fan-bases. The game is very focussed which is both a pro and a con. There's no mini-side games, no puzzles, no mazes, no crawling through entire maps for quests. You have clear guidance on the main quest, direction to next location, side quest starting locations and where the next steps in these quests are. The only slight exploration required is related to hunts but even these are quite obvious in location. In a lot of ways, it does take away the joy of these aspects that you may find in an RPG. It is almost the reverse of an Open World RPG. Yet by doing so, the game controls the pacing of the story and allows you to build upon the world with each step without forgetting the key details that's in the main story line. The crux of the experience still falls in the main story and key characters and that's where it truly shines. Overall I've really enjoyed the title and the experience it's offered and would highly recommend for everyone to have a go. I would recommend Square Enix to publish these titles more regularly if it means a more regular release of the series - with a longer, more exploration title mixed in production in the background once in a while.