A friend mentioned they preferred Final Fantasy XV’s party to FFXVI’s because he felt more connected to them. At first, I scoffed, but after thinking more, I MAY agree. FFXVI improved almost everything from FFXV but I don’t think the bond among the “party” is anywhere near as strong. XVI has great characters like Gav, Byron, and Jill, and while each feels fully fleshed out, their relation to Clive outside of cutscenes feels mechanical. There’s little to no banter and no control of their actions (commands or even link-strikes). Additionally, the sheer silence of the party during traversal is just an odd choice- unlike the chatter that happens in XV and 7R. As a result, party members serve as little more than AI assistants, rather than comrades, companions, and friends. (Well, except Torgal. But he’s a dog.). I FELT my team’s absence in XV, whereas in XVI, I barely noticed their presence. And THAT informs the impact even in cutscenes (those final moments in XV for example hit so much harder as a result)
Never would’ve guessed I would miss Prompto yelling, “We’re alive! Let’s celebrate by eating something dead!” but here we are. Who’d have guessed his annoying quips would do such heavy lifting? 🤷♂️ #ffxvi #ffxv
Even on overcast and less than stella days, Japan's traditionality shines through, being so well looked after they don't even look hundreds of years old