While some of them might think they saw too much of it prior to release, Final Fantasy fans will probably forget all about their apprehensions when they finally get their hands on Final Fantasy 16 today.
Though some will be continuing their efforts to try and avoid spoiling the sense of wonder they’ll inevitably experience upon jumping into the game for the first time by playing through already released titles or sharing wholesome stories instead, others are racking up more hours in its demo to make sure they’re an expert at its combat or reading as many reviews as possible.
However, it seems that, in the case of one group of fans, doing the latter has re-ignited the long running debate regarding whether one of the series’ most controversial entries actually deserves its mixed reputation.
Are you hyped up to get your hands on Final Fantasy 16 today?
The discussion in question is taking place in a recent thread on the subreddit r/finalfantasy, which user JallerHCIM kicked off by posting a meme suggesting that anyone claiming that Final Fantasy 16 marks the series becoming good again should play the four expansions for Final Fantasy 14.
Naturally, this opinion has garnered a polarised reception from their fellow fans. Some have agreed with JallerHCIM’s take, such as user rairyuu_sho, who argued: “I understand if an MMO doesn’t interest a player, and it's cool if you don’t or won’t play Final Fantasy 14, but outright not acknowledging its existence, its success and how much it affected the Final Fantasy franchise and Square Enix itself is just baffling to me.”
On the other hand, many have reiterated their negative stance on the game, citing issues like the number of hours that have to be put into truly get the most out of it, and the fact that some of its content simply can’t be accessed without playing alongside other people as reasons they don’t rate it as highly.
Meanwhile, a few users have said that they can see both sides of the coin, like pokepok, who mused: “I loved my character in Final Fantasy 14, but she always felt like a witness to someone else’s story, because she doesn’t actually say or do anything. Honestly, [in my opinion] these games shouldn’t be numbered [entries]. They’re spin-offs, like Tactics or Crystal Chronicles.”
As you might imagine, it looks like this discourse is set to rage on for some time yet, with fresh fans continuing to flock to it and make their voices heard. Hopefully they’ll all take a timeout to actually dive into Final Fantasy 16 before things get too heated.
Regardless of what you’re doing while you wait for your chance to finally play the full version of Final Fantasy 16, make sure to follow us for updates on and an array of helpful guides to both it and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.