When I first heard that Final Fantasy XVI would be rated M, I was bummed.
According to Twitter, the series was going to go full Game of Thrones. Which is, to those not in the know, a part of a darker genre of fantasy where sex is cheap, the f-word is used constantly, and characters you love are killed on a whim. Oh, Ned Stark… (As a reader, I hate what George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones series has done to fantasy.)
I found myself asking, why was the series known for Chocobos, big swords, and angsty heroes embracing darker things?
And then the demo dropped.
I played the Final Fantasy XVI demo from beginning to end. I was engrossed in the story of Clive, his brother Joshua, and the intrigue of their world.
I loved the unique blend of titans (think Attack on Titan, titans), magic, and the all powerful Eikons (think of the Phoenix, Ifirit, Shiva, etc.; previous games called them Summons).
I disliked how certain characters used sex (or the implication of) to influence others. For some reason, all of the characters who did this, in the demo, were female and EVIL. (Weird to watch a random character mount someone in a hallway and then proceed to whisper, caress, and kiss her way into getting the male character to do something. With the implication that more could follow–hint, hint–if the character does as she says.)
I also disliked the f-word being used. It isn’t used all the time but when it is used it is SPAMMED. I am no prude though, I will note that there was a scene where they used it, I thought it was funny. Like, I laughed out loud. I just think that foul language in a game is poor writing. Especially when it is used, like it was in Final Fantasy XVI, when things got bad. Felt as if another word could have been used and instead, the writer’s chose the easy button to “build character”.
In closing, Clive seems like a really cool character, that I wouldn’t mind getting to know. Plus, the SPOILER ALERT ending had me considering pre-ordering the game, just to figure out what happens.