The arrival of a new Final Fantasy game is always an event, and that is certainly the case for Final Fantasy 16. With JRPG fans looking forward to sinking hours upon hours into the adventures of Clive Rosfield in the world of Valisthea, knowing exactly what they are signing up for will help make time management much easier.
With a more mature story this time around, players can expect to spend a considerable amount of time in the boots of the protagonist, all while watching pivotal events unfold both near and far, as the fate of the world hangs in the balance. That is, of course, not all there is in Final Fantasy 16, and after factoring in all of the optional content, the clock is far from stopping.
Beating Final Fantasy 16 Requires About 40 Hours
To beat the story of Final Fantasy 16 and witness the conclusion of Clive's story, it will take most players about 35 to 40 hours on an Action Focus run. That will mean combat is at the difficulty the developers meant for it to be, and players will have to master the combat system in order to have a chance of coming out alive, while also ignoring anything that is optional.
The time can be cut significantly if players choose to skip the many cutscenes that are part of the experience. However, to fully enjoy the story, it is not advisable to do that. Instead, players should prepare to go on a ride with this JRPG, so that the impact of the ending can be fully appreciated.
A Final Fantasy 16 Completionist Run Takes 50+ Hours
Now, for players who are into the full experience no matter how long it will take, engaging with all of the side quests and optional Notorious Marks bounty hunts will require about 50 hours of playtime in Final Fantasy 16.
Listening to the people of Valisthea and coming to their aid will often lead to interesting snippets that help to add more context to the events of the game, while the hunts are even sterner tests of the combat prowess of players. Certain crafting materials are also only available through these activities, so that is another incentive to jump in.
Final Fantasy Mode & New Game Plus
Once all of that is done and the game is completed, there is still the small matter of New Game+ mode for Final Fantasy 16. The developers have taken extra care with the newly unlocked Final Fantasy mode difficulty, promising a greater challenge, different enemy placement, and a new way to enjoy Arcade Mode with the Ultimaniac Mode variant.
Completing this new run can easily take another 40–50 hours, so in total, fully completing the game and unlocking every Final Fantasy 16 trophy will take players close to 100 hours. This task isn't for everyone, but for those who pride themselves on such achievements, this is what will be expected.
Final Fantasy 16 is available now exclusively for the PlayStation 5.
