Final Fantasy 16 is out worldwide on PlayStation 5, and it’s pretty good. There’s plenty of praise for its story-telling, characters, visuals, world-building and music. However, the combat is probably one of the main reasons you’ll revisit the game, even after finishing the story. Let’s look at ten reasons why Final Fantasy 16’s combat rocks.
Responsive Controls
Controls are important in any game with combat, but especially in one with hack-and-slash mechanics. Getting it right is a challenge, given that each Eikon’s Skills feed into different strategies (and then there are the Eikon battles themselves, which flow differently). Nevertheless, everything, from the dodging and the attacks to pulling off complicated combos and dashing around, becomes second nature after a point. You’re naturally following up on downed enemies with Mortal Blows, juggling them in the air with the help of Torgal, and counter-attacking without missing a beat.
Good Feeling
Having good controls is one thing, but the combat needs to feel good, whether it’s the weight of your attacks, your enemies being impacted by them, etc. Once again, Final Fantasy 16 excels in that department. The smaller enemies are easily stunned by your blows and knocked back, and it’s easy to juggle them for combos or use area-of-effect Skills to mow down several at once. However, when facing tougher enemies, you can feel the weightiness of their defenses and attacks, which makes breaking their Will gauge and dealing more damage that much more significant.
Visually Over-The-Top
A major appeal of Final Fantasy 16’s combat is the over-the-top nature of combat. In many ways, Final Fantasy 16’s combat may feel like the most extravagant and visually insane mechanic yet. When you use Flames of Rebirth and annihilate everything in a pillar of fire or Pile Drive to damage and knock back enemies with electricity, it feels great.
You’re constrained from the outset when stuck with a single Eikon’s Skills. Yes, you can use those abilities on cooldown, but for the most part, it’s very hack-and-slash-heavy. Upon gaining a second Eikon, the combat really gets rolling, and by the third Eikon, you’re chaining together lightning between enemies, throwing out tornadoes, shooting heat projectiles and generally treating anything that gets in your way to a bad time. Even if some enemies can feel like fodder now that you have enough skills, the sheer power fantasy is amazing.
Skill Variety
Of course, even better is the fact that there are no wrong choices (if you’re not min-maxing for the most damage). Every Eikonic Skill is viable in one way or another – it’s all about how you use them. Scarlet Cyclone may not be ideal against a boss like Benedikta when she’s throwing projectiles left and right, with Heatwave being a better option.
However, when you’re facing waves of foes and want to create space, it’s very good. Though there could be more depth with the weapons (which increase Attack and Stagger damage) and the armor (for more Defense and Health), the Accessories make a difference. If you’re very Limit Break focused, there’s something for that. If you want more survival options, there are options. Again, no wrong choices and plenty to choose from, which further makes combat feel good.
Strategic Options
Perhaps my favorite part about Final Fantasy 16 is that despite receiving so many powerful abilities and solid hack-and-slash combat, this isn’t a mindless button masher. There are cooldowns to manage and specific situations where one Skill is preferable to another since some excel at Attack damage while others are better at staggering. A good combat loop for me is to use Wicked Wheel to reduce an enemy’s Will gauge, partially stagger them with attacks, use Deadly Embrace to drag them down and follow up with Gouge for the full stagger.
If it’s a boss, then there are other things to keep in mind – Heatwave is good against projectiles, but Rising Flames is excellent single-target damage (at least initially). It’s making those decisions and equipping the right Accessories which give meaning to your play style (and, of course, you can always refund Skills at any time with no costs).
Mastering Skills
Another interesting twist to the Skill system is Mastering Skills. Clive’s melee combat Skills and Core Skills like Phoenix Shift, Deadly Embrace and so on are improved and gain different effects. However, if you Master an Eikonic Skill, then it can be assigned in any Skill slot for any Eikon. Want to keep Titan’s Block as a Core Skill but also want Ramuh’s Pile Drive? How about equipping the best stagger Skills for one Eikon and keeping the damage dealers on your other two? Several combinations are possible, even if it can take some time to fully Master the desired Skills.
Abusing Mechanics
Part of the fun in any role-playing game is abusing the mechanics in different ways, and Final Fantasy 16 is no exception. When you use an Ultimate Skill like Flames of Rebirth, an enemy’s Will gauge recovery is paused (because everything around Clive is frozen in time). As a result, you can pump out a heavy amount of damage and still have time to throw in some more before a staggered enemy fully recovers. Pair this with Limit Break and Strength Tonic while also stacking damage increases with Accessories, and there are some pretty insane things to be done.
Of course, there are other cool mechanics, like parrying with a Charged Strike. Parrying creates a brief window where an enemy takes damage as if they were staggered, but it’s even shorter than a partial stagger. Get some damage in with a Charged Strike, pop a Strength Tonic, and unleash a Garuda’s Tornado or Titan’s Upheaval to stagger them. Then you can use Limit Break and Flames of Rebirth (if you have both Ultimate Skills assigned) for even more damage. Getting that initial Parry takes timing, but the reward is worth the risk.
Boss Fight Variety
The usual enemies in Final Fantasy 16 quickly fall as you gain more Eikonic Skills. Even if you face the Elites, you’ll have enough tools to stagger them and deal massive damage. So the game does start to get a bit easier and more forgiving as you go further in. However, the boss battles are a completely different story. Even if they’re not going to one-shot you or put you in danger, their elaborate patterns and stages require dodging, adjusting strategies accordingly, and knowing which Skills will be the best in a given section.
I also like just how varied each boss is – for instance, you’ll face another Morbol later in the story, and while it’s similar to the one in the Prologue, it also packs in several new attacks and mechanics. One boss quickly goes from a slow-moving, ranged enemy that can deal massive damage to gaining incredible agility and mix-ups. It’s fun and exhilarating and makes each boss something to look forward to.
Eikon Battles
The Eikon Battles are a highlight in a game full of them, and their sheer spectacle is something to behold. While the first battle from the Prologue isn’t too crazy, it familiarizes you with how these battles typically play out. When you get to the second, it’s another example of how movement and attacks work while offering more cinematic moments. Your combat abilities continue to expand with each subsequent battle, with more combos and attacks available. However, enemy Eikons also become more intricate, which leads to some truly awe-inspiring moments. It just rounds out everything else that’s amazing with the combat.
Optional Challenges
By the time you reach the end of Final Fantasy 16’s story, you’ll probably have Mastered several Skills, obtained powerful Accessories and treated regular enemies like a joke. Given how extensive the combat system can be, it’s good to know there are challenges for those seeking more. Hunts and Notorious Marks are a few, and there are the trials, time-based challenges that restrict you to a single Eikon as you clear out waves of enemies.
There’s also Final Fantasy Mode in New Game+, which raises the level cap and replaces and remixes enemy types and arrangements from the get-go, increasing the difficulty significantly. Those who enjoyed Arcade Mode can dive into Ultimaniac, allowing for even more challenges.
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