Final Fantasy 16 Is the Best Game of 2023 So Far and Square Enix's Most Important PS5 Game Yet

Final Fantasy 16’s pre-orders are the highest the franchise has ever seen in India.

The Final Fantasy series was never a big-seller in India. There are a host of reasons for this such as the RPG genre not having as many takers as say, shooters or racing games and lack of effort from Square Enix in India for games that weren't Hitman or Tomb Raider. This changes with Final Fantasy 16. And about time too.

With the PS5 India sales at around 200,000 — double of what it was around God of War Ragnarok’s launch (including grey and official PS5 console sales with the Digital Edition being just about 10% of total sales), Final Fantasy 16’s pre-orders are the highest the franchise has ever seen in India as per sources at retail. The Deluxe Edition has sold out and had multiple restocks while the standard version continues to sell steadily.

This success is attributed to a host of factors. For one, the game had a superlative demo. This drove a surge of last minute pre-orders in tier 2 and 3 cities. Secondly, there were generous pre-order bonuses at retail which helped discerning Indian PS5 owners part with their money — to the point where these bonuses sold out weeks prior to the game’s release this week. And finally: the release date. Major AAA games seldom launch in June and Square Enix has taken full advantage of the situation.

The end result? Over 5,000 pre-orders at retail alone. Assuming digital is about 50% of the business, 10,000 pre-orders for a niche genre in a nation that considers Final Fantasy as a niche franchise isn’t too bad. Particularly at a steep price starting at Rs. 4,799. For perspective: the only RPG to break this mould was The Witcher 3 selling close to 50,000 units since its launch in 2015 while Final Fantasy 15 sold about 2,500 copies at launch.

So, how is the game itself? After blitzing through the story in about 34 hours, it’s safe to say Square Enix has a winner on its hands. If you want to read my thoughts on the game without any of the sales perspective, head on over to The Mako Reactor.

Final Fantasy 16 combat

The most obvious change to Final Fantasy 16 is in its combat. Gone is the party system from past entries as are the turn-based battles. The action is in real-time and its all the better for it. From switching between different abilities to stacking up combos, Final Fantasy 16’s combat is a treat.

There are your usuals from previous Final Fantasy entries such as summoning powerful monsters (known as Eikons), use Elixirs or two when the going gets tough, and cast magic spells as well as the series’ flashy Limit Breaks that let you unleash maximum damage.

Throw in a steady stream of unlockable abilities such as encasing your foes in ice or lancing them with a giant thunderbolt, you’re never short of entertaining and expedient ways to end your foes. Final Fantasy 16’s combat system is on par with what you’d expect from PlatinumGames. 

You can tweak gameplay options further by removing up to three pieces of gear that make combat a cakewalk. When playing it in story mode, my preference was to keep the accessory that made dodging easier equipped while removing others related to combos and switching styles.

Final Fantasy 16 graphics modes and performance

Nearly everything about Final Fantasy 16’s action is in-game. They’re coupled with well-directed, over-the-top action sequences punctuated by slick quick-time events making the proceedings feel extremely epic. It helps that this is visually and technically on par with what you’d expect from a Sony first-party release.

Though Final Fantasy 16 is a grim game, the art direction does a good job of showcasing the variety of environments, structures, and personas that you’ve come to expect from the series. In some places, it even surpasses it. From verdant forests to colossal monsters, every single inch is visually polished and a treat to look at.

There are two graphics modes — quality and performance. In terms of quality mode, the game was solid through most of my playtime. There were just two or three instances of momentary slowdown towards the end, though thankfully, none of it during critical combat sections.

At the moment, this is probably the best way to play the game until Square Enix decides to release more granular options or an update to optimize the experience. Friend of the newsletter Mikhail Madnani played the game in performance mode but had to deal with uneven frame rate in non-combat sections.

Given how unplayable recent games like Star Wars Jedi Survivor were at launch, Final Fantasy 16 is actually playable from start to finish with no patch needed. I played 34 hours of Final Fantasy 16 and had no crashes or progression issues. I saw the main story through the credits and have played more of the post-game and New Game Plus without any trouble right now.

I can't comment on any improvements in the day one patch though as my full playthrough was in version 1.00. Besides, we’re yet to see a day one patch deliver on its promise this generation. Perhaps Final Fantasy 16 will be the exception rather than the rule. For now though: we will see.

Final Fantasy 16 story and Active Time Lore feature

Without spoiling much, from the get go you’re treated to a realm replete with political intrigue which quickly turns into unraveling a sinister plot that threatens mankind’s existence. However, Final Fantasy 16’s story is far from perfect with some cut-scenes and dialogue bordering on self-indulgence not too dissimilar to what you’d expect from a Hideo Kojima game.

Nonetheless, Square Enix does enough with its fantastic world to tell a great story that had me genuinely invested to see what happens to its various characters. It does a great job of being unpredictable with some welcome surprises to befall its many factions. Evidently, the writers had a lot of fun piecing this tale together.

Where it really shines, is with the Active Time Lore feature. With a game as sprawling as this in terms of story-telling, it’s easy to lose sight of its many characters. This is solved by a tap of the DualSense touchpad that gives you important details on their motives, state of the world, and more.

It’s as if someone on the development team is a fan of Amazon Prime Video’s X-ray feature and not only cribbed from it, but made it better. This should be a staple for any modern piece of media hereon out, video game or otherwise. It just makes the experience a whole lot more richer, contextual, and comprehensive.

Final Fantasy 16 quest system

My time with Final Fantasy 16 feel genuinely enjoyable as there’s no real pressure to do absolutely everything the game has to offer as there are no major distractions to keep you from its main plotline.

Outside the usual side quests that range from fetch quests and kill quests to learning more about the world of Valisthea, there are also other optional quests that give you rewards for helping out, bounties against uniquely challenging enemies and bosses, and a myriad of other things to keep you off the critical path. As you progress through the game you’ll also earn Renown. This grants you access to new crafting materials and equipable items too. 

Where Final Fantasy 16’s optional content scores is that it actually respects your time. Reason being: there are specific quests marked with a '+' symbol that unlock something important. These range from discovering how to ride Chocobos to increasing the number of potions you can carry into battle.

Final Fantasy 16 PS5 DualSense, 3D Audio, and Activity Cards

Sony and Square Enix have waxed eloquent about the power of the PS5 and Final Fantasy 16. While the game certainly meets expectations from a visual and technical perspective, I was curious to see how more bespoke features like DualSense works. In short: DualSense is excellent in Final Fantasy 16. There’s smart use of adaptive triggers when riding a chocobo or opening gates while haptic feedback in combat is slick. Combat audio also pipes through the DualSense mic, making for a more immediate, intense experience.

3D Audio also makes a welcome appearance. Paired with the right pair of headphones, Final Fantasy 16’s dialogues and music feel a lot more immersive than they usually are.

Finally, Activity Cards. They’re great for tracking main and side quests. More importantly, they work as intended, letting you jump into the specific point in the game you want to be in without having to sit through splashscreens and menus. Considering big third-party studios like Blizzard get this wrong with Diablo 4 (the feature has been broken since launch in my experience), it’s nice to see one studio do more than just pay lip service.

Final Fantasy 16 sales analysis

So how would Final Fantasy 16 sell in India? For reference, Final Fantasy 15 (2016) sold over 5,000 units over its lifespan including the Royale Edition on all platforms — PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

At the time Sony had about 100,000 PS4s. Now the PS5 has an install base of around 200,000 units. All these figures are both grey and official sales combined.

As it stands, the Deluxe Edition will sell out at launch (if it hasn’t by the time this is live). Pre-orders between digital and physical are around 10,000 units as per estimates. Assuming positive reviews, and a general increase in marketing around it, we should see this double in the first month itself between official retail orders, grey imports, and digital sales.

Hopefully, Square Enix take the right lessons from Final Fantasy 16 for the inevitable PC release in terms of pricing. Rs. 4,799 on PC in India is a no go. While PS5 owners shore up day one sales, the PC audience has long been the lifeblood of many a canny publisher. Given the reception to Spider-Man’s PC release, even Rs. 3,999 may be too much even as PC gamers level up in the country.

Other interesting insights from the Indian games market

• Microsoft India will be bringing the Xbox Series S 1TB model to the country at a price of around Rs. 38,990. Given that the PS5 Digital Edition retails for around the same price, this is pretty much dead in the water when it’s available from September 1. Much like most things Xbox in India.

• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom continues to dominate at retail. It was the best-selling game in the country in May and this continues over to June as well with over 20,000 units sold since its May 12 launch (not including digital sales). This is despite Nintendo not having an India presence and the game having an average price of about Rs. 4,500-Rs. 5,000 more than what most other Switch releases cost. However, a vocal community around its games and stable Switch console pricing and availability has helped immensely. It will be interesting to see if this remains the case with heavy hitters slated towards the second half of the year, though I’d hazard a guess that Nintendo’s latest blockbuster will stay relevant.

• Star Wars Jedi Survivor bombs at retail in India. Multiple retailers have resorted to in-store discounts to move stock of EA’s latest. Furthermore, the used game market has been flooded with copies for it as well. Sources point to the game’s many bugs as well as a hefty download for the physical release as reasons for this. With just under 600 units imported at launch, I’m told, EA will be hoping EA Sports FC aka FIFA 24 (minus the ‘FIFA’ moniker) can pick up the slack.