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As a piece of epic fantasy, I anticipated Closing Fantasy XVI to dazzle me visually—particularly on my costly PlayStation 5. However whereas choose scenes do delight visually, they’re sadly rare. For no matter cause, about midway by means of Sq. Enix’s newest mega-budget RPG the sport decides that it’s principally going to drown you in drab, overcast skies, the quantity of which solely improve because the story goes on. Thematically applicable? Maybe, however as an alternative of inspiring narrative dread, the gloom merely makes for an excessively bland, one-note visible expertise that wears on the senses, particularly after a pair dozen hours.
Closing Fantasy XVI is notable for taking up a darker, extra “mature” theme in its storytelling and artwork design. Whereas the collection has by no means been shy about protecting darkish themes, FFXVI chooses to go together with storytelling and aesthetic kinds extra befitting of Recreation of Thrones and related (often western) works of fantasy. Too usually, sadly, that leaves the sport trying wan and dreary. That’s unlucky, as a result of the map design is in any other case fairly beautiful.
I’m going to get into some minor spoilers for Closing Fantasy XVI in addition to the unique Closing Fantasy VII and Closing Fantasy X. You’ve been warned.
Seaside climate this ain’t
Not like its controversial predecessor, FFXVI made the (good) determination to forgo an open world in favor of linear-yet-sprawling, interconnected, thematic environments with devoted setpieces. At first look, the primary few environments, consisting principally of darkish fortress corridors and woods, aren’t terribly visually spectacular. However the first journey to Martha’s Relaxation is a breath of contemporary air with vibrant blue skies, lush inexperienced vegetation, and distant ruins and mountains. After I first arrived, I felt a way of openness akin to stepping outdoors of Closing Fantasy VII’s Midgar for the primary time. I hoped that was an indication of what was to come back, a gradual unfurling of visible splendor and wonderful colours. However nope!
Because the story progresses, occasions within the area of Rosaria take a flip for the more serious as villages are attacked by the Black Shields, roaming loss of life squads out to take away “impurities” from the land. That is when the area falls right into a endless state of overcast with a facet of drab. And whereas certain, thematically it is sensible to go for a moodier, darker palette that displays the tragedy that befalls the area’s populace, this explicit everlasting grey remedy makes for a bland, tiring exploration and looking floor.
It’s not that I’m anti-gloom; Dying Stranding pulls off moody vibes with an evocative eeriness that provides that sport a memorable ambiance all its personal. So I’m undecided if it’s a technical problem or a creative one, however no matter’s happening in FFXVI’s dingy landscapes doesn’t work, and I’m not satisfied the.fixed dreariness is actually essential to convey the sport’s somber themes. And in contrast to Kojima’s sport, sadly, FFXVI can’t work out the right way to make that aesthetic visually interesting.
The sport pulls this “every little thing sucks now” trick a second time. Whereas its visuals get extra full of life when you arrive on the desert areas in Dhalmekia, that’s short-lived. At a sure level within the story, the cosmic big-bad Ultima casts your entire world right into a state of—you guessed it—cloudy and overcast, and from that time on, your entire world principally sucks to have a look at.
Darkish themes and visible splendor needn’t be mutually unique
Closing Fantasy’s narratives have by no means shied away from calamities and different darkish themes; little or no in FFXVI is arguably any “darker” or “mature” than earlier Closing Fantasy video games. The distinction, it appears, is that FFXVI doubles down on the drudgery and distress throughout to its colour palette, and the sport is poorer for it. Different Closing Fantasy video games have embraced wider colour palettes, reveling in the advantages of being set in otherworldly fantasy realms whereas proving that darkish themes and wealthy colour palettes aren’t mutually unique. Take into account Yuna’s “sending” dance, after numerous individuals are murdered by Sin in Closing Fantasy X:
FFX’s sending scene not solely takes place throughout a lush sundown, however the blue flame of the torches and the various hues of the spirits of the fallen rising out of the ocean creates a visible spectacle that makes for a memorable scene, one which feels prefer it’s set in a fantasy world. Whereas Closing Fantasy XVI feels prefer it’s set in Seattle or one thing.
It’s an ongoing downside that spoils side-quests as effectively. The gloom of everlasting overcast skies would possibly’ve been palatable had they been tied to particular narrative beats. However as an alternative, the fixed grayness overshadows every little thing. It’s particularly painful provided that monster hunts really activity you with scouting out particular areas as an alternative of simply beelining to a ping on the map. Sure, in concept I need to spend time traversing Closing Fantasy XVI’s world, however when it’s continually grey and monotone, the entire expertise feels miserably the identical.
Worry the large scary grey factor within the sky
Closing Fantasy XVI disappoints visually but once more in its closing act, when the antagonist has sealed himself in an enormous crystal that hangs ominously within the sky. However the crystal is generally only a colorless, featureless object. At first it’s sort of spooky, however that impact barely lasts. Within the sport’s hub, an NPC usually repeats a line about feeling referred to as to it, however that’s by no means mirrored within the visible storytelling, because the crystal simply type of fades into the sky’s bland grayness. Examine that to Closing Fantasy VII’s related late-act backdrop of the daring, purple meteor hanging within the distance. Although hardly visually spectacular by fashionable requirements, it’s hanging nonetheless.
And nothing happening in FFXVI’s story is any darker than the occasions of FFVII or FFX, for that matter. FFX is rife with mass loss of life and spiritual persecution. FFVII sees an NPC throw himself off a cliff as a result of he’s satisfied he’ll by no means be father. FFXVI can’t lay declare to completely providing “tough grownup themes,” so the ocean of endlessly bland, grey skies and in any other case dismal areas doesn’t actually translate to a way of daring, distinctive distress distinctive amongst Closing Fantasy video games. At greatest, the sport’s visible look is simply generic medieval fantasy. And that’s a disgrace.
It actually doesn’t assist that a lot else in Closing Fantasy XVI is simply visually disappointing in different areas. It’s not like there’s a lot appeal or spectacle piercing the boring environments. The ruins left behind by the Fallen (a precursor civilization whose artifacts are strewn concerning the world) are at all times the identical pale grey colour interrupted solely briefly by flashes of blue mild. The Eikon fights provide a pleasant reprieve of splashy particle results, however these additionally diminish in frequency as the sport goes on. And whereas it’s good to have the ability to stroll round cities once more (one thing FFXV and FFXIII actually dropped the ball with), it’s laborious to understand the map design’s extra alluring points when it’s all blanketed in that infinite mire.
It simply wears on you
Among the sport’s environmental issues, I believe, may’ve been solved by a easy day and evening cycle. Such a dynamic would possibly’ve added a mild quantity of liveness to the linear (although generously wandering) maps. That’d be a begin, no less than.
However in selecting to freeze the state of the world in place after key narrative moments, and the drudgery bred by the world’s depressing lack of colour, I discover Closing Fantasy XVI miserable to have a look at in a approach that fails to stir have an effect on. It barely even conjures up moody dread; as an alternative it’s merely boring. The exhaustively drab and dismal environments have performed a big function in my determination to desert my quest proper earlier than the finale, with little intention of going again to complete it. Even when banishing the large unhealthy from “the Realm” had been to abruptly brighten the skies, it’d be too little, too late for this participant.
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