FINAL FANTASY XVI

Purists may cry as the RPG series embraces action

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Sixteen instalments in, developers of any series would struggle to retain the element of surprise – bearing in mind that deviations from established formulae risk upsetting fans. On the surface, Final Fantasy XVI appears to be a rather conservative return to the series’ high-fantasy roots, in the same vein as the revered ninth entry. After the turbulent development of its predecessor, it’s also in the safest possible pair of hands. Producer Naoki Yoshida, still hailed as the man who turned FFXIV from catastrophe into the publisher’s most profitable title to date, powerful creatures that reside within select individuals called Dominants. These are treated like royalty in some nations, but considered terrifying abominations in others, analogous to weapons of mass destruction. The immediate contemporary comparison, however, is with fantasy titles from western studios, such as The Witcher 3 and God Of War: narratively rich and beautiful blockbusters that appeal to a mature audience and are driven by action-packed combat.

While past Final Fantasy games dabbled with a more action-oriented approach, they still clung to command menus and timed gauges as you micro-managed your party. FFXVI jettisons these remnants entirely. You control a single character, Clive Rosfield, who follows in the series tradition of brooding leading men such as