The messy truth about FF16 and the PS5

For all its F-bombs and brooding darkness, Final Fantasy 16 isn’t that different from its older siblings. Oh sure, it looks different and plays different. But the philosophy behind most of those differences is entirely in keeping with the way Square Enix made Final Fantasy games for decades — namely, never repeating a central conceit for two games in a row. Final Fantasy 16 ditching the traditional party was a controversial choice that longtime fans decried for cutting out part of Final Fantasy’s identity. It was also a completely natural and expected change after how party-centric Final Fantasy 15 was. Was it the right choice? I don’t think so. Not when the game also presents Jill, from the start, as a co-protagonist with as much reason to fight as Clive, if not more. But it was an understandable change.