Summary
Even with all the changes that the game makes to many of the series' long-running staples,Final Fantasy 16is still very much a classicFinal Fantasyexperience. Its use of real-time combat rather than a turn-based system and jettisoning of traditional party management mechanics aside,Final Fantasy 16still presents players with a complex and intricate narrative rife with emotional resonance and captivating plot twists, even if some of them are well-telegraphed. And, like some of the more recent games in the series, finishing the main story ofFinal Fantasy 16is a much less demanding task than opting for a completionist playthrough.
After the initial games in theFinal Fantasyseries gradually increased in length with each entry, the series hit a peak in terms of required playtimes during the PS2 era. Compared to other JRPGs, particularly thenotoriously lengthyPersona 5, beating the main story questline of aFinal Fantasygame is typically much more manageable, although players can stick around and see everything each entry has to offer at the expense of significantly increasing their time in-game.Final Fantasy 16is no different, with a main story that players can complete in an amount of time comparable to most AAA titles, and the total time necessary to 100% the game adding dozens of hours of playtime.
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Comparing Final Fantasy 16’s Length to Other Mainline Series Entries
While it doesn’t quite require the same amount of playtime as one of the longest single-player games in the series,Final Fantasy 12,Final Fantasy 16still sits slightly above its immediate predecessor in terms of how long it takes to complete the game’s main story. Dabbling in side quests and completing some of the optional activities available adds significantly more potential playtime, bringing it more in line with the 50-70 hour average most players expect fromaFinal Fantasyexperience. Comparing the length of simply beelining through the main story ofFinal Fantasy 16to that of other games in the series shows that it sits somewhere right along the median for the franchise.
Disregarding the two MMORPG entries in the series (each of which have potential to take players thousands of hours to ultimately see and do everything across multiple characters and playthroughs), mostgames in theFinal Fantasyseriestend to fall around the 30-40 hour mark to simply beat their main quests. This playtime significantly increases when attempting to 100% each mainline entry, with the time necessary to grind out characters to level 99 and collect all pieces of ultimate equipment typically requiring the largest portion of total hours to complete. Surprisingly,Final Fantasy 16has the shortest completion time of any mainline game in the series since the franchise’s transition to 3D.
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Fully Completing Final Fantasy 16 Is Arguably the Best Way to Experience It
Final Fantasy 16’s narrative is potentially one of the best in the series and provides plenty of value to players who simply wish to experience it and then move on to another game, but there’s a strong case to be made that some of the title’s best content lies behind the non-critical path. Taking the time to completeFF16’s Hunt side questscan provide Clive with significant advantages in battle as many of the parts needed for crafting the game’s best equipment are only attainable via slaying these optional “super” boss fights. Further, getting to know the denizens of the Hideaway by completing requests for them adds gravity to the importance of Clive’s ultimate goal as “Cid.”
Considering that seeing and doing everythingFinal Fantasy 16has to offer takes less time than even a single main story run ofPersona 5and significantly less playtime than attempting 100% playthroughs of several of its predecessors, there’s even more reason to take time with the title and enjoy everything it has to offer.Final Fantasy 16’s snappy and responsive combat, along with its reasonable time-to-completion ratio and a great New Game + in “Final Fantasy” mode, give every incentive for players to stick around until Clive’s adventure is fully concluded.
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