Highlights
- Final Fantasy 16's return to a medieval setting allows it to prioritize storytelling over exploration, resulting in a game that stands alongside the series' best entries.
- Jill is a great character in Final Fantasy 16, but it's disappointing that players don't have the opportunity to play as her. Her skill-set and position as the dominant of Shiva offer potential for fun gameplay opportunities.
- The game could have benefited from letting players take control of Jill in combat, similar to how The Witcher 3 allowed players to play as Ciri. This would have added diversity to the gameplay and showcased Jill's abilities and struggles.
Final Fantasy 16 is a return to a medieval setting, and the lack of an open world means it can prioritize storytelling over exploration, something the series has excelled at for 36 years. The end result is great, easily standing alongside the series' best entries, and making FF16 one of the 2023 releases that will stand the test of time. Clive's fight to relinquish Valisthea of its Mothercrystals is always entertaining, and the characters he interacts with on the way do well to make it feel like a collaborative effort.
Jill follows Clive through his journey, from the First Shield of Rosaria to the leader of the Hideaway and the savior of Valisthea. She's a great character, and one that has her own path to tread through the story, but while she's useful in combat and always a welcome face through the story, it's a shame that players never get the opportunity to play as her in Final Fantasy 16. Her skill-set and her position as the dominant of Shiva offers plenty of fun gameplay opportunities, and Square Enix could have taken cues from Ciri in The Witcher 3 to make this a reality.
Jill Could Have Been Final Fantasy 16's Ciri
Though their places in each game's story is fundamentally different, the decision for The Witcher 3 to have moments where the player takes over as Ciri did wonders for the diversity of the gameplay, and Final Fantasy 16 could absolutely have learned from it. Playing as Ciri is significantly different to Geralt, and gave a glimpse at her immense abilities that were a lot of fun to control. It's the same trick that Rocksteady used for Batman: Arkham City with the scenes where Catwoman was playable, which were some of that game's best moments.
Jill's abilities and personal struggles may lend themselves wonderfully to DLC, but there's no denying that it's disappointing to see that the player doesn't have any control over what she does in combat in the main game. Delving more into Jill's personal journey with the Iron Kingdom prior to rediscovering Clive, or simply playing through some of the Final Fantasy 16 story as her would have been a greatly appreciated new perspective. It would also bring her closer to the story and the world and make sure she feels more like Clive's equal rather than his unwavering sidekick.
Clive and Jill Could Be Contrasting in Combat
From aesthetics alone, it's clear that Clive's combat approach is largely different to Jill's. Her clothes and sword would imply a more musketeer-esque approach rather than Clive's edgy armor and thick-hilted sword. Having Jill be playable in Final Fantasy 16 could have served to juxtapose Clive's combat style, and keep the frequent battles as fresh as possible. Much like how V in Devil May Cry 5 feels altogether different from Dante, and Ciri had abilities unique to Geralt, a game that is heavy on combat is usually improved by diversity.
One of the big drawbacks of Final Fantasy 16 is its unwillingness to let players play as anyone other than Clive Rosfield. Final Fantasy 7 Remake wonderfully balanced party members, making sure they all feel fundamentally different but equally useful. Having that variety made all the difference, and though skipping from character-to-character might not have worked in Final Fantasy 16, just a few scenes where players take over as Jill could have been a lot of fun. Ciri showed that The Witcher 3 had more to give with its combat, and Final Fantasy 16 should have done the same.
Final Fantasy 16 is available now on PS5. A PC version is currently in development.
