To say that Final Fantasy 16 is a somewhat divisive game would perhaps be a bit of an understatement. Wholesale changes made to the franchise's tried and tested formula had some fans questioning whether it could even be classed as a JRPG, with the inability to control secondary party members or even choose their equipment being two of the biggest complaints.
Final Fantasy 16: How to Start The Rising Tide DLC
The second FF16 DLC expansion is a lot more substantial than the first, though some players may need help figuring out how to start The Rising Tide.
Despite this, however, Final Fantasy 16 was fairly well-received by critics and most of the people who played it, prompting calls for the devs to release downloadable content for the game. These calls were eventually answered, with two pieces of DLC announced at the 2023 Game Awards, the second of which is called The Rising Tide and was released in April of 2024.
How Long Does it Take to Beat The Rising Tide?
It will take most players around three hours to complete the main story of The Rising Tide, give or take thirty minutes or so on either side. Unlike the first DLC expansion, though, there's a fair amount of side content available here, with side quests and the Kairos Gate battles pushing the total completion time up to around six or seven hours. Those who skip dialog and cutscenes may be able to shave a little bit of time off of their total, but even with these time-saving measures, Kairos Gate should end up taking a few hours to couple; longer still, when played on Final Fantasy mode.
Is The Rising Tide Worth the Money?
Given that the standalone price for The Rising Tide is double that of Echoes of the Fallen, prospective players would be forgiven for expecting to get twice as much content. In that respect, The Rising Tide falls a little short, as both pieces of FF16 DLC are around the same length when it comes to main story content alone. However, when side content is also taken into account, The Rising Tide's total length is more than twice that of Echoes of the Fallen, so anyone satisfied with their purchase of the first DLC expansion should be happy enough with the second. It's also worth noting that players can save themselves $5 by purchasing both pieces of DLC together, in which case, they'll be paying around $2.50 for every hour of playtime.
Final Fantasy 16
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Publisher(s)
- Square Enix
- Platform(s)
- PS5
- Released
- June 22, 2023
