After spending time locked in PS5 exclusivity jail, Final Fantasy 16 is finally coming to PC. This means that modders can fix an issue that has plagued the game since launch, one that the developers never addressed.
FF16 marked another step in the series’ shift to action RPGs, with battles focused on timing and movement. In many ways, the combat is similar to FF14, as effectively managing the cooldowns of your offensive & defensive powers is vital to victory.
The Steam/Epic Game Store port of Final Fantasy 16 launches on September 17. PC players can purchase the DLC, but that’s centered around endgame content. The real excitement around the PC port is what modders can do to improve the game.
FF16 is way too easy
FF16 only lets you control a single character at a time, though you do have the occasional NPC ally helping you. Unlike games like Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, this means you won’t have multiple party members ready with a Phoenix Down when a character is KO’d.
To balance this out, the Normal difficulty of FF16 was made extremely easy. There are a few reasons for this, such as the negative status effects being stripped down or removed entirely, which also simplifies the battle system, as you don’t have to account for preventing/curring debuffs.
The bigger reason that FF16 is too easy is due to the defensive options that the player has, along with some incredibly generous dodge/invulnerability windows. Powers like Flames of Rebirth (free healing), Rook’s Gambit (counter), Titanic Block (block and counter), Cold Snap (vastly increased mobility), and Rift Slip (instant recovery) trivialize combat.
Those are just your special abilities that are unlocked throughout the game. Protagonist Clive Rosfield’ also has incredible agility, with a precision dodge that can avoid/alleviate most attacks.
On top of that, you also have the healing items, which can be used at any time with a push of the D-Pad. While you can only bring a limited number into battle, the fact that you can use them at any time without any animation that can be interrupted means that it’s very hard to die, except in lengthy boss battles.
Imagine an Estus Flask from Dark Souls that works the second you press the button, and you’ll know just how powerful that ability is.
FF16 provides you with defensive options that make it difficult for the enemy to give you trouble. Indeed, when I played it, the only times I died were when I wasn’t paying attention. The combat became boring, the opposite of what fast-paced anime fights should be.
If you beat Shadow of the Erdtree, then FF16 will be a cakewalk
FF16 has items that make the game easier for new players, which is understandable, considering that many fans come from the turn-based era and might not be as skilled at action RPGs as others.
The problem is that the developers didn’t accommodate fans who are more experienced with action games. If you’re a fan of Bayonetta, Devil May Cry, or most Soulslikes, then you’ll blitz through FF16 without any issues.
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Since the launch of FF16 on PS5, we’ve seen the release of Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, which has sharpened players’ skills even further. If you’ve faced the might of Messmer, Rellana, Romina, Bayle, or the final boss, then you won’t even break a sweat in FF16.
In that sense, FF16 felt like it was developed in a bubble. It catered more to the old-school Final Fantasy fans, rather than appealing to the new players coming from contemporary titles. Making the game harder hasn’t been a priority since launch either, as no more options were added, despite FF16 receiving two expansions.
Wait, doesn’t FF16 already have harder difficulty modes?
Yes, but there’s a huge caveat. The “Final Fantasy” difficulty mode caps your level and increases the health and damage output of your foes.
The problem is that this mode is only unlocked after you’ve completed the game once. It also carries over all of your abilities from the previous run, so it’s more of a post-game mode.
FF16’s biggest flaw is not letting you activate Final Fantasy mode from the start, or at least letting you switch to it once you’re comfortable with its systems.
If you’ve already annihilated the game once and seen everything it has to offer, then you have far less incentive to play it a second time, especially as it’s so story-focused. Personally, it takes years before I want to replay a lengthy game (well, except maybe Baldur’s Gate 3), so it would take a long time before I’d have the desire to experience the game that FF16 should be.
How modders can fix FF16
The PS5 version of FF16 couldn’t be modded, but that will change with the PC port. The time has come for players to be able to unlock the Final Fantasy mode from the start, without needing to finish the game.
But why stop there? This is a chance to up the difficulty without needing to dip into post-story progression.
The FF16 modding community can drastically improve the game by shortening dodge/invulnerability windows, making the counter abilities less effective, and either reducing the number of healing items you can use even further or tying them to an action that can be interrupted.
If possible, the enemies could also use some tweaks, such as higher damage and more aggressive attack patterns. The game needs to keep you on your toes so that when you do pull off a flashy move, it feels satisfying, rather than you just spamming another special attack and waiting for the cooldown timer to fill back up.
Despite my complaints, FF16 is a great game. It just needed something a bit extra for the accomplished action game fans. The modding community can give the game that challenge we need to keep us engaged and feed us the sense of accomplishment we get from overcoming hard bosses.
