For folks who are calling this an RPG. There are some honest reviews at least in this regard. This is a character action game. Not an RPG, and frankly, not even an action RPG, because I do play those as well. It sure as hell isn't a traditional final fantasy rpg with parties, lots of stats, menu driven combat, etc etc. I didn't love the FF& remake tendency towards action, but at least they tried to incorporate some JRPG stuff into the mechanics. this game isn't even trying, and honest reviewers are saying it plainly.
"Large parts of
Final Fantasy XVI feel like they were designed more out of obligation than anything. It’s as if the developers wanted to make a pure character action game, but feared that it would be a drastic change that longtime fans couldn’t accept. "
"The more I played, the more I began to question why so little was engaging me outside of Eikon battles. Not too long into my journey, I’d find that a lot of my problems came back to one thing: shallow RPG hooks. Though
Final Fantasy XVI is being positioned as an action-RPG, the latter half of that genre hybrid is severely overstated. There’s leveling up, stats, and a few equipment slots, but a lot of its systems are a placebo hiding an entirely restrictive approach to power. For instance, Clive has six stats, but look closely and you’ll realize that three of those aren’t really stats at all. Strength, for instance, is actually just Clive’s attack stat combined with an extra buff he’s getting from equipped gear. It’s smoke and mirrors that hides the fact that Clive’s power progression is fairly static from start to finish."
Final Fantasy XVI impresses with awe-inspiring action, but shallow RPG systems turn the time between big battles into an unrewarding chore.
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