2023 saw the return of the latest mainstream entry in the Final Fantasy series in 2023 with the action-RPG styled Final Fantasy XVI.

Telling a complete, compelling story it told the tale of Clive, Jill and Joshua as they strive to rid the world of magic, and by doing so set the downtrodden Bearers free.

But now Final Fantasy XVI is receiving story DLC in the form of Echoes of the Fallen, a new roughly 3 hour chapter set right at the end of the game. Unlike what felt like emergency downloadable content for the last full entry, Final Fantasy XV, this is not a patch up job nor an attempt to make the main narrative somewhat comprehensible. Instead, it is its own thing, fully separated from the main goings on in Valisthea.

As such, it is really only for those who have already invested the 40 odd hours necessary to complete XVI’s main story. To access the DLC at all, you’ll need to be right before the final mission, with a high level character and multiple upgraded Eikon abilities at your disposal. Unfortunately, unlike many recent DLCs, there’s no ability to start this mini-story separately with a pre-configured character. This will limit the number of people who will be able to start the DLC, at least initially, but, if you’ve run out of steam in the main campaign this extra content is not so different to bring you back to it anyway.

The DLC starts off with the revelation that so-called ‘dusk crystals’ are being traded at extravagant prices amongst the desperate populace. Upon investigation, Clive realises these are coming from a previously unknown mothercrystal, one that was created by the previous, technologically-advanced society, the Fallen.  With the help of some fairly poorly voice acted new characters, he conveniently finds this mothercrystal base quite quickly, and sets off to dismantle the entire operation.

So in reality, this DLC is one more ‘dungeon’, just like the other main missions that you have gone through a number of times in the story campaign. It is a shame that the structure adheres so closely to what has come before. Given that the DLC is only accessible at the end of the campaign, it starts to feel a bit rote by the end of it. Fight enemies, move forward, fight a mini-boss, move forward, fight another wave of goons, move forward, and pass muster at a big end battle.

While there is some good lore revealed during your travels, there is little urgency or personality that made me invested in getting to the end of the dungeon. Instead of a rival Dominant to face off against, all I had was a faceless voice speaking technical gibberish and a final boss that had little introduction and an even shorter send-off. Worse, there’s not even any real reward for your troubles, and like the rest of the game the experience, ability points and gil are doled out in disappointingly frugal amounts.

In the end, its more Final Fantasy XVI. If you liked the original game, then this will be a nice little reminder of what was enjoyable about the main experience. It does reveal more about the world and history of Valisthea, even if its impacts are not obvious nor enduring after the DLC’s self-contained story is over. I would have liked to see it impact the world more, and to have more of an impact on the rest of the game, especially in Clive’s abilities.

The post Final Fantasy XVI: Echoes of the Fallen (PlayStation 5) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

A Final Fantasy like never before.

Now at it’s sixteenth edition this enduring and epic franchise has taken on full on action mixed with classic RPG, appealing to a wider gameplay graphic.

Final Fantasy XVI (FFXVI) puts you in to a cinematic story that can only exist in the Final Fantasy universe. In fact, the could be described a Final Fantasy CGI film with moments of action and RPG play to break up the on screen cinematics.

Your are Clive the eldest son of the King who is sworn to protect his youngest brother, Joshua, a boy who is frail but blessed with the power of the Phoenix. A flaming beast mightier than mighty. Able to heal as much as it is able to destroy.

While things seem tranquil in the Kingdom, there is a Blight upon the lands, wreaking havoc and death as it spreads.

When the King is attacked by a supposed ally, Joshua ascends in to the Phoenix and Clive (aka Wyvern) fails his duty to be the Shield of the Phoenix and protect his brother.

From present to past, through to present again, you’ll play as varying characters throughout the entire game.

Now it wouldn’t be a Final Fantasy without it’s magical RPG elements.

You’ll come across pick ups throughout each linear level. Generally after o boss fight you’ll level up and can of course change up your armour and tweak your magic abilities. Your current stats are found within a Gear & Eikon wrap up. You can cash in and spend up large via the Abilities menu.

You’ll also collect items, mostly potions that can give varying benefits or of course, health. To start off with the amount of items you are able to hoard is minimal.

Melee combat generally involves a combination of buttons as well as evade, Phoenix fire and sword mashing . And you can combo these up. There are a lot of QTE’s (Quick Time Events) in the more epic fights and it’s not uncommon for a cinematic to take over in the midst of melee.

Each different area in the game can be fast traveled via the World Map.

Final Fantasy XVI definitely has a story to tell.

There are NPCs that you can talk with. Some have very little to say, whereas others may give you a task to complete, which nets you rewards. From time to time you will also take on differing playable characters too.

It is a super lengthy play if you sit through all of the cinematics.

This is the Final Fantasy for all action and RPG gamers as well as keeping fans of the original games on the hook with it’s deep lore.

If you’re looking for a game that has a deep story, easy to pick up fast paced action, a plethora of monsters that are larger than the screen can take, Final Fantasy XVI is the one.

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