Nostalgia is one of those hot button buzz words that can trigger an intense debate. There are Hollywood directors that have taken over long running franchises with their main aim being to make a film so different no one knows it is part of the same franchise. They openly criticize nostalgia and fan service. The open distain for things like nostalgia and fan service is why the Scream franchise transitioned to a new cast of characters more successfully than Star Wars.
When I think of the term Nostalgia I often think of the longing for a past that never existed, but in the fictional world that past did exist and it is not only etched in our memories but burned into celluloid, and it is why Final Fantasy XVI hit all the right notes. It pays homage to where it came from while taking the franchise in a new direction.
Unlike Scream or Star Wars Final Fantasy doesn’t have to worry about transitioning to a new core four. Each entry in the series is a self contained story. There are clues that they happen on the same world at different times or in alternate universes or any other number of explanations but it is only hints, and Finally Fantasy XVI is no different.
What we get from Final Fantasy XVI is the story of Clive, a shield of Rosaria, sworn protector of the flame of the Phoenix, who happens to be his younger, sickly brother Joshua. Clive takes his duty seriously and it is this that makes the tragedy of the opening hours hit that much harder.
The story of Final Fantasy XVI is tragic, Shakespearean, epic, operatic, and ,at times, pure spectacle. Nothing could have prepared me for the EIkon v. Eikon fights. It was during the first of these that I realized that the cutscenes and the gameplay have the exact same graphics. I remember being a teenager playing Final Fantasy VII and being awed by those cutscenes, and here I am a 42 year old man leaving out my teenage fantasy of controlling those cutscenes.
After that first epic boss battle the Eikon v. Eikon fights only get bigger, better, and more spectacular. Each one of them is magical in its own way and it doesn’t hurt that the Eikons themselves are the classic summons from previous Final Fantasy games. I remember playing Final Fantasy IV and fighting Odin as an optional boss, struggling to defeat him before the timer ran down and he killed the entire party in one blow.
Now, 30 years later, I am battling Odin yet again, and what happens but a countdown. A callback to that moment long ago in this ongoing series, and that isn’t the only call back. The music. If you have ever played a Final Fantasy game or are a fan of video game music then you’re familiar with The Final Fantasy Theme or Crystal Prelude or One Winged Angel. All epic and familiar sounds.
There was a moment leading up to the final boss fight where the main theme of the entire series gently started to play first with a soft piano. Then violins joined the accompaniment, and then to top it all off the percussion section came in to create a familiar yet unique arrangement of the beloved theme. And that is far from the only musical callback in the game.
With every new generation of video games there is a game that has made me feel like this is truly the game to usher in this generation. To show what the power of the hardware can do, and Final Fantasy XVI did that and more. I described one boss fight to my friend as an operatic acid trip. Final Fantasy XVI is over the top, but it is over the top in a good way. Like a Stephen Sondheim musical.
The first thing I did on completing the game was to text my friend that I have a new favorite game of all time. The funny thing is when I completed the last game to hold that place, Mass Effect 2, I instantly started a new play through. That game was so great I had to experience it again. With Final Fantasy XVI I have no desire to play it all over again. I want to sit back, relax, and let it all digest.
My feeling must be much like Clive’s when he chases a single foe half way around the world engaging in battle after battle, both parties seeking revenge, and ending up fighting them in throne rooms, on mountain tops, up into the clouds, and finally into the bowels of the earth. For a long time fan of the series, or at least this longtime fan of the series, everything Finally Fantasy XVI did was perfection. It was an operatic acid trip down memory lane with unforgettable characters and epic spectacles of boss fights set to the new standard of video game soundtracks.
David Huzzard Writes 