When I first loaded up Final Fantasy 16 on my Xbox Series S, I felt lost within the first five minutes. As a total newcomer to Square Enix's beloved franchise, I'd expected as much. But even with my notepad and pen handy for scribbling notes when faced with confusion – like "what the hell is a chocobo?" – the one thing I was not prepared for was Final Fantasy 16's gameplay.
I'll be completely honest with you: the main reason I'm playing this game is because of Ben Starr. More specifically, his performance as Verso in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. I'm loving turn-based games right now, and figured I might as well stay on that JRPG-adjacent hype after rolling credits on Sandfall's stunning debut.
But Final Fantasy 16 is a very different JRPG – touted as more of an action RPG hybrid – when it comes to combat encounters, and I'm surprising myself by how quickly I've managed to fall under its spell now that I can finally play it on Xbox… even if I didn't quite know what I was in for.
