This past weekend, I finally completed the main story in Final Fantasy XVI. This is quite the feat considering I’ve been playing this game since the very start of 2025. Of course, I did take a couple of breaks throughout the year to focus on some other games.

I started my journey with Final Fantasy XVI back in January, and my breaks have lasted anywhere from a couple of weeks to a few months. After noticing I had completed over 90% of the story, I decided it was time to make that final push — during Thanksgiving weekend.

Over the course of 2025, I took well over one hundred in-game photos. It’s nice to be able to look back at this photo album and reminisce on some memorable moments. I now realize how massive the story of Final Fantasy XVI truly was. There were so many instances along the way where I thought a boss battle had to be the final boss, and I was always wrong. Even this past weekend, I faced the real final boss about four different times before finally rolling credits.

New Game, New World

Starting a new game is always a wonderful experience. From the very beginning I was in love with the world and characters in Final Fantasy XVI. Clive was my main dude from the very beginning (voiced by the great Ben Starr). I loved this medieval fantasy setting, especially after my last Final Fantasy experience took place in the more modern/futuristic setting of Gaia in Final Fantasy VII Remake.

The different kingdoms, houses, and creatures within Final Fantasy XVI brought to mind some great fantasy tales I’ve immersed myself in. I thought of the many houses of Westeros in Game of Thrones. The magic, wizardry, and creatures made me think of Tolkien’s worlds in The Lord of the Rings. Some of the magic was even reminiscent of the Mistborn book series by Brandon Sanderson — which I’ve been reading this year.

It’s nice to have an understanding of many of these fantasy elements through other works of fiction and media. It gives you a baseline to see how they compare to this world.

What I’ve begun to understand about the lore of Final Fantasy is that every game is so different, yet there are still many constants within these distant worlds. There are multiple Cid characters within the different games. I’ve seen Chocobos all over the place, and Ifrit too. There’s also always a ton of magic, spells, and materia to play around with.

Gameplay Loops — Start & Finish

In the beginning I was a huge fan of exploring every nook and cranny within Valisthea — that’s where they hide crates and items. I was digging the gameplay loop of going out on a big adventure (fulfilling a couple of story quests) and returning home (or to some “base”) to perform smaller side quests for the locals. It was a nice mix of large and smaller story points. I didn’t mind delivering meals or information to the townsfolk for a few gil (or Final Fantasy currency).

I started off eating up the entire story, the lore. I love the way everything story-related is kept in order within the game’s menu. Anytime I found a new entry, I’d go in and read it. At some point, that wonder was lost just a bit. I was chugging through missions, instead of slowly taking them in and really enjoying them.

Once I thought I was nearing the end — and in reality I was nowhere near it — I stopped paying so much attention to everything going on around me in the world. This is where I began surfing on my iPhone during cutscenes. I also found good save points to take longer breaks for other games.

I moved away from completing the local townsfolk’s chores (or side quests). I decided to focus solely on the main quests, and maybe a side item if it was on my current path. It wasn’t that I disliked the game. I loved every moment of Final Fantasy XVI. I can’t get enough of the intense fights with their cinematic battle sequences. I was just also ready for something new to catch my eye. This is why I rarely finished large games as a kid, I always wanted something new and shiny.

I started to see the repetition within many of the annoying side missions. Whenever someone would ask me to travel far away to find some herb or go help another person in another part of the world, I would accept the quest just in case I ended up nearby at some point. I now have so many unfinished side quests, but I did beat the game and that’s what matters. I was never looking to platinum a Final Fantasy game.

Materia Memorias

Looking back at my collection of Final Fantasy XVI photos, I started to remember all of the great story beats — and there were many. Sure, there were plenty of smaller, pointless pieces to the game, but the storytelling was fantastic throughout. There were many twists and turns along the way.

Here are some things that make Final Fantasy special to me:

Iconic Characters

Each Final Fantasy game features a unique cast of memorable characters. In Final Fantasy XVI you spend your time as Clive Rosfield, but there are other characters that I fell in love with. I loved Uncle Byron, who had a small role, but a lasting one. The feud with Hugo Kupka was also quite memorable. I love that Torgal was with you from his early days as a puppy until the very end.

Thanks to the large number of iconic characters across the Final Fantasy franchise, the Magic the Gathering X Final Fantasy set was one of the highest selling collaborations to date. I’m sure there was already a huge intersection between players of both Magic and Final Fantasy, but I’m also willing to bet that this specific property pulled plenty of new players into Magic the Gathering.

Great Big Stories

Even with a few commonalities from game-to-game in the Final Fantasy franchise, it’s wild that each game features a separate and unique story. Instead of easily continuing the same tale sequel-after-sequel, each game has to build a brand new world. 

It’s not even an anthology series featuring different stories within the same place. Each new entry introduces new characters, world building, history and lore. I’ve only encountered a few of these stories, but so far they’ve all pulled me right in. The music also plays a big role in pulling me in.

Epic Battles

The fight sequences in Final Fantasy XVI, and in most Final Fantasy games are quite epic. In this game I controlled Clive in battle, with a few simple cues for Torgal. In Final Fantasy VII Remake, I was able to control the whole party and jump around from player to player. So, I guess there are small changes in combat strategy game-to-game.

They do a great job of mixing real-time action with special attacks. Many of the specials even feature beautiful animations. I also enjoyed the one-button cinematic battle sequences throughout the game. The more I played Final Fantasy XVI, the better I got at blocking, dodging, and parrying to deal more damage to my opponents.

What’s Next?

The main reason why I wanted Final Fantasy XVI to end is so I could jump into one of the many RPGs in my backlog. Once I reached the end credits on Friday, I immediately moved onto Dragon Age: The Veilguard. I only previously logged a few short hours in Dragon Age: Inquisition on my PlayStation 4, and I’ve been looking forward to finally getting into this game.

I like that Dragon Age is a completely different experience in so many ways, but it’s still a large-scale action RPG. I’m hoping to reach the end of this game in less than a full year. 

I also plan to one day get into the Final Fantasy XVI story expansions — Echoes of the Fallen and The Rising Tide.