Released worldwide for the PlayStation 5 on June 22, 2023, for the PC on September 17, 2024, and the Xbox Series X/S on June 7, 2025, Final Fantasy XVI is officially the sixteenth mainline game in the franchise (ignoring all of the spin-offs and sequels). The game was developed by Square Enix’s “Creative Business Unit III” team, which was made up of veterans from many of the other mainline games. The conception of the game began in 2015, with full production starting around 2016.

Final Fantasy XVI marks a stark departure from the style of most of the other turn-based games in the series. It utilizes a custom game engine that was developed specifically for this game, and it uses a real-time, action-based combat system and various difficulty modes, such as “Final Fantasy Mode” and “Ultimaniac Mode.”

This walkthrough and strategy guide will cover all aspects of the game, including the different difficulty modes, and videos for most of the battles demonstrating how to earn a Medal of Valor where possible.

Review

Final Fantasy XVI is truly an interesting entry into the series. It’s really the least “Final Fantasy” like game that they’ve ever created on account of the fact that you don’t play multiple characters, and there is no turn-based combat. Instead, the battles are real-time and action-oriented. As a major fan of previous titles in the series, I expected this to be more irritating than it ended up being, because the combat itself is very engaging and entertaining.

The combat is reminiscent of the style and approach to combat that other newer titles in the series have taken, such as Final Fantasy XV and the latest Final Fantasy VII remake games. And despite only being able to control one character, the different Eikonic Ability combinations and mid-combat ability swaps allow you to get creative with how you approach battles in this game.

In no time, you’ll find yourself taking to the combat and getting the hang of the controls. The more you play, however, the more you’ll start to find creative setups that border on the realm of being “too powerful,” allowing you to blast through difficult enemies with ease. Thankfully, Final Fantasy XVI also has more challenging game modes for players who still want that extra level of challenge.

The environment and graphics are also amazing. The scenery is gorgeous, and the music really adds impact to the game’s story. However, while some music is very well written and composed, such as the song “Away” during the Eikon battles, or the background music for Sanbreque and Mysidia (“Histoire” and “Safe Haven”), other music gets irritating fast. The piano tracks that play towards the end of the game as you travel through Valisthea under the cloud cover take away from the adventure and mystique of traveling through the world.

The other thing that adds to the story is how deep the Optional Quests get in this game. On the one hand, the developers managed to squeeze a lot of extra story into the game to help build up the lore around this game’s world. However, there are points in the game where it feels like this goes overboard. There are lengthy cinematics and cutscenes that could have been cut shorter, and some of the quests are so mundane that many players end up skipping through the dialogue or skipping movies entirely ( button and then ). For example, there are a couple of instances in the game where you defeat an Eikon and you’re about to get a whole host of new abilities. Instead, the game gives you a lengthy detour of expository dialogue, almost like it’s intentionally steering you away from the fun parts.

As a new player, the healing system is painful to get used to. Every game in the series eventually gives you access to some type of “Cure” spell to make you and your team more efficient, but that time never comes in Final Fantasy XVI. Instead, you have to rely on keeping a constantly high stock of Potions and High Potions, or relying on Torgal’s very gimmicky heal option. This system is something you quickly get used to, but it’s a stark departure from the “Final Fantasy” games of old.

And speaking of departures, gone are the days of good ol’ turn-based combat; instead, this game is a complete departure into a world of action-oriented combat. It actually ends up working quite well, but long-time fans of the series are right to be concerned with the proliferation of classic-style JRPGs. However, with the success of modern games like “Clair Obscur: Expedition 33,” whose game developers recently met with the Final Fantasy development team at Square Enix, hopefully, the next title in the series will be a return to the classic style of gameplay that fans crave.

All that said, this ended up being a great game and a great addition to the series. The team did great with the world-building, the music and soundtrack are absolutely fantastic (with great throwbacks to the styles and themes in previous titles), and this game, along with its DLC expansions, is worth checking out.

Overall Rating: 8/10