#5 - Final Fantasy 16 | Push Square
pushsquare.comAfter years of underwhelming mainline Final Fantasy games, Square Enix finally seemed to get its act together for Final Fantasy 16. Spearheaded by the development team behind Final Fantasy 14, this felt like a much more focused project right from the start, and the all-out action RPG that Creative Business Unit III delivered has made an impact as one of the best games of 2023.
Its unapologetic pursuit of bombastic hack-and-slash battles won't be for everyone, but Final Fantasy 16 is an undeniable epic in terms of scope. It's a game that's carried by moments of incredible spectacle, with boss fights in particular serving up some of the most insane clashes ever seen in gaming. When Final Fantasy 16 is good, it's damn good.
Add a stunning musical score to the mix, and you've got an emotional rollercoaster of an adventure. The voice actors absolutely nail their respective roles, and Clive is probably the strongest protagonist the series has had since… well, we're going back entire console generations, here.
Final Fantasy 16 may be the furthest the franchise has ever strayed from its traditions, but that doesn't stop it from being an often outstanding action RPG. In a year so packed with top tier titles, Final Fantasy 16's greatest moments (mostly the boss fights, we'll admit) will stay with us forever.
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Robert's been a dedicated PlayStation fan since the days of Tekken 2, and he still loves a good dust up. When he's not practising
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