I’m a big FF fan, and I’ve been purposely avoiding media releases on 16. Too many games lately overhype/overpromise and underdeliver. Played the demo over the weekend and loved it, then I found out it releases this week and immediately ordered it. First game in years that I’ve bought before release day, so really hoping the rest of the game holds up. Very excited to start playing this week.
I’ve been really enjoying it so far, but there are certain aspects that could use more polish. Like some textures in scenes that could use more love, or when the end of a quest boots you to the overworld map but you only have one location you can choose. In that instance it should just load you into the next area rather than put you on a map with a bunch of crossed out areas. That being said, I don’t mind the overworld map as a mechanic at all.
Past that, the combat is fun and the world feels very “Final Fantasy” which I haven’t felt in a while (other than FFXIV). I’ve never played Kingdom Hearts but I’ve played most of the FF games and I don’t mind that they chose to go full action in this one. It feels like it fits the game well, at least in my opinion. There are definitely periods with less/no side quests but in those instances, just play through the story. It’s not going to compare to the amount of quests FFXIV had, and that’s okay.
The graphics are certainly similar to FFXIV, but for the most part I think they look better. Same with the music, I haven’t examined each track and compared it to FFXIV but while playing it felt familiar but new. I didn’t notice any similarities with animations, but that could just be me.
I have not finished the game yet, but am looking forward to playing through it. Furthermore, I plan to play through New Game + as well, which is rare for me personally.
When the first trailer for this game came out I basically went media blackout on it until the game demo was released. I find I’ve been doing this more and more with games and movies lately, it makes the whole experience better. No overhype, no pre-orders, no spoilers, less disappointment.
It may not be 10/10 but in my opinion it’s damn close.