It’s not day by day two genre-defining RPGs launch again to again, but it surely’s even rarer to see two top-caliber Final Fantasy video games launch inside a yr of one another. And but, that’s precisely what’s occurred with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Final Fantasy XVI.
This, in fact, has led many to ask which is the higher Final Fantasy recreation. Even if they’ve very totally different themes and tones, they’re nonetheless the exemplars of the collection’ present trajectory and what we are able to count on from it shifting ahead.
That’s why we’re right here to just do that and pit each video games towards one another in a number of classes. When the mud settles, you possibly can relaxation assured that you simply’ll know which Final Fantasy title is most price your time (a minimum of in our opinion).
Story and Narrative
Final Fantasy has all the time been hailed for its tales and narratives, however the newest video games actually pull out all the stops to make theirs the finest round.
Final Fantasy XVI delves into decidedly darker territory with a narrative impressed by Game of Thrones and different darkly real looking fantasy epics. An try is made to look at the ramifications of a world run by magic, and the way social norms would emerge round the remedy of these able to unleashing otherworldly powers at a second’s discover.
Admittedly, it’s nonetheless not an ideal execution. The story by no means totally digs into these themes the manner you’d need them to, and it forgoes them fully by the finish of the recreation for a extra customary story of crystals, celestial entities, and saving the world. Still, although, it’s an earnest try and attempt one thing new with the franchise and feels satisfying when all is alleged and accomplished.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, in the meantime, retells a story followers know all too effectively; or a minimum of, it retells a part of it. Picking up after the occasions of Final Fantasy VII Remake, it digs into Cloud and his social gathering’s pursuit of Sephiroth and their eventual discovery of his true motivations.
Simultaneously, it affords some new components in the type of Zack’s adventures in an alternate timeline and its eventual collision with the major timeline’s occasions. This new materials isn’t all the time laid out clearly although, and might really feel overwhelming when it’s dumped on the participant late into the recreation. It’ll virtually definitely make extra sense when the subsequent recreation in the Remake trilogy releases although, and is a welcome addition to the FF7 mythos.
Winner: Final Fantasy XVI
When in contrast towards one another, nonetheless, Final Fantasy XVI comes out on prime. It extra successfully introduces its new components to the collection’ storytelling, and manages to weave a coherent narrative while not having a number of different video games to prop it up. Not solely that, but it surely affords a brand new path that future entries can discover versus retreading concepts which have already been explored ad-nauseum.
Main Cast & Characters
Up subsequent are the characters gamers spend their playthroughs with, and each titles take decidedly totally different approaches to how they current their stellar casts.
Final Fantasy XVI is decidedly extra minimal with its characters and solid. The major social gathering normally consists of three core characters through Clive, Jill, and Torgal, and different characters like Cid and Joshua rotate in as the story permits. This retains the character constructing intimately centered on the core characters, which does admittedly make for some extra private narrative progress moments.
At the identical time, nonetheless, there are many participating moments created by way of the supporting solid. Whether it’s the politically savvy Benedikta or the tragic final days of Cid, the characters gamers meet as their playthrough progresses hold the world feeling lived in and vigorous.
Then, there’s Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, which arguably takes the reverse strategy. The major social gathering is loaded with totally different characters, all of that are given time to shine and work together with one another. Granted, most of those interactions occur with Cloud as a centerpiece, however they nonetheless enable the core solid to really feel like totally fleshed-out characters.
The supporting solid is rather less fleshed out, however nonetheless simply as attention-grabbing. Players can spend time with the bombastic Gold Saucer proprietor Dio, the multi-talented Shinra Middle Manager, or the many Queen’s Blood gamers scattered all through the world, and so they all serve to make the general expertise higher with each scene they’re in.
Winner: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Bigger isn’t all the time higher, but it surely’s onerous to not give this one to Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Its solid is bursting with oddballs gamers can’t resist spending time with, and so they all make the general recreation a pleasure to participate in for its many hours.
Visuals and Presentation
To say each of the most up-to-date Final Fantasy video games are visually beautiful could be a large understatement.
Final Fantasy XVI leans extra into top-notch lighting and particle results. All of its Eikons, whether or not one is speaking about the fiery Ifrit or the gargantuan Titan, are all the time aglow in ethereal sparks and magical components, and this stays true all the manner by way of the expertise. The battles are stuffed with fantastical assaults that really feel like they may leap off the display, and actually promote the visceral nature of every landed hit.
The remainder of the recreation’s visuals are simply as spectacular. Character fashions might be minutely detailed, with real looking facial actions and small results like scars or blemishes rendered superbly. The environments provide real looking depictions of lush forestry and bustling cityscapes alike, and additional immerse gamers into any a part of the story.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth affords a lot the identical, however with reverse focuses to its counterpart. The bulk of its efforts go into the character fashions and environments, which pop with a form of hyper-realism that melds with its fantasy setting. One can really get invested in the dramatic story moments because of the painstakingly crafted facial animations for Cloud, Aerith, and Sephiroth, and the quantity of effort put into bringing each setting to life can depart gamers enraptured.
The fight and particle results are nonetheless jaw-droppingly attractive although, and assist the moment-to-moment gameplay really feel all the extra impactful. It simply feels a bit extra useful than beautiful, and fades into the background in comparison with the whole lot else.
Winner: Final Fantasy XVI
We have to offer this one to Final Fantasy XVI. Its visible presentation feels extra effectively rounded in comparison with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and it affords a greater feast for the eyes in consequence.
World & Side Content
When it involves the world and the aspect content material on provide, there’s arguably the greatest hole between these two titles.
On one hand, there’s Final Fantasy XVI, which has a really attention-grabbing new setting on provide. The world of Valisthea and its novel strategy to Eikons makes for an important backdrop, and every probability one will get to additional study its cultures is a splendid alternative. This helps to drive the participant to discover as a lot of the world as potential and to be taught all they’ll about its many characters and folks.
Sadly, its aspect content material is way from must-play materials. Most of its aspect quests boil all the way down to fetch quests that present small bits of lore as a reward, which might get grating after almost 100 hours in the recreation.
Counter to that, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth supplies gamers with a large world that sits simply outdoors of Shinra’s direct affect. The cramped and soiled passageways and corridors of the Sectors are changed with a large open world to discover, full with totally different villages and settlements which every really feel distinctive from one another in key methods.
Not solely that, however there’s significant aspect content material to distract you for hours on finish. The aspect quests provide alternatives to deepen Cloud’s relationship along with his social gathering members, and are diverse sufficient to all really feel totally different from one another. The World Intel duties can function good methods to interrupt up the open world journey when taken carefully, and the plethora of minigames serve to interrupt up even the most dire segments with some levity.
Winner: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
This one handily goes to Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. It revels in the probability to offer gamers loads of moments to see the corners of its world and makes it endlessly enjoyable to take action.
Combat & Gameplay
While it would seem to be there’s a transparent winner on this class, the contest is way from a easy one.
To make certain, Final Fantasy XVI is the recreation with the sooner and extra dynamic fight system. Akin to Devil May Cry or Bayonetta, it affords gamers all kinds of strikes and strategies they’ll use in fast succession to tear their opponents aside sans-turn-based fight components.
The Summon fights are additionally a key a part of the recreation, and so they don’t disappoint. While they’re stuffed to the brim with wild anime-esque scenes of huge monsters leaping backward and forward like zero-G gymnasts, there’s additionally a way of weight and impression that helps to promote the feeling that you simply’re battling with — and as — titanically huge monsters of delusion.
As for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, it retains the gameplay model of Final Fantasy VII Remake. Combat skews towards a mixture of turn-based and energetic gameplay, which permits for each hack-and-slash brawls and thoroughly orchestrated bombardments with skills and magic.
While this may sound extra sluggish and methodical than its competitors’s gameplay, there’s truly loads of room for creativity. One can slash and tear their manner by way of foes quickly through hot-keyed strikes and talents, which makes it potential to drag off strikes simply as insane as these seen in Final Fantasy XVI.
And it’s nonetheless greater than potential to go for a turn-based strategy too. One can select to activate a mode which makes it potential to offer orders to the recreation’s characters as the battle progresses, turning the recreation right into a extremely cinematic change between the participant and the enemy.
Winner: Tie
This class is a bit too near name. Both video games provide the identical model of innovation to the collection’ tried and true turn-based fight, however in very totally different ways in which nonetheless work nice all the identical. As such, both one might take house the win.
Audio & Voice Acting
Finally, there’s the audio and voice appearing, and each titles give it their all in these areas.
Final Fantasy XVI’s soundtrack is dire and bombastic, with melancholy tunes for its extra dramatic moments and intense items to go together with the world-ending clashes between its Eikons. Both are used masterfully, and bolster the moments they’re utilized in to actually promote the stakes or emotional impression of every scene.
The voice appearing follows go well with, with performances that may vary from Oscar-worthy to proper at house in the climax of an motion film. Particular kudos goes to Clive’s voice actor Ben Starr, who carries the recreation along with his many line deliveries and spectacular vary irrespective of the scene.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is equally spectacular. Its voice appearing is usually a little extra erratic as a consequence of its bigger roster of characters, however everybody provides stable performances that don’t ever pull the participant too far out of no matter they’re doing.
The recreation’s soundtrack, nonetheless, is unmatched. Nailing quite a lot of tones, it each revels in the themes of the authentic Final Fantasy VII and reinvents them in new and attention-grabbing methods. The result’s a treasure trove of themes and songs which aren’t solely good accompaniments to the recreation however stand out as wonderful tunes in their very own proper.
Winner: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Even although Final Fantasy XVI has the higher voice appearing, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s soundtrack units it aside as the higher recreation by way of audio design. Its OST might be on many a participant’s playlist for months and years to return, and it deserves all the accolades potential for that reality.
Overall Winner: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
The contest was an in depth one, however Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the higher Final Fantasy recreation in our eyes. It captures the magic of the collection at its finest, and nails key areas that any really nice entry in the franchise wants. If it’s important to decide between the two video games, Rebirth is hands-down the one to check out first. Once that’s accomplished, give the different a glance to cowl your bases and experience what is definitely a brand new golden age of Final Fantasy.
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