Skill Up - Final Fantasy XVI Review (Spoiler-free)
Final Fantasy XVI promised to be an 'evolution' of the Final Fantasy formula. Instead, I think it's a big step back, hollowing out core franchise pillars such as party members, exploration, itemization, character progression and customization. In short, this just isn't an RPG, and as flashy as the combat and cutscenes are, I really hope this style of game is not the future of the Final Fantasy franchise.
Sadly my opinion as well. Flashy, fun even, but that is not a Final Fantasy. FFXV was pushing it a bit, already, but XVI just feels like something else. Games like those in the Tales series feel more FF than FF, nowadays…