It is all the time a bit bizarre to return to a recreation you completed for story-centric DLC, particularly when the bottom recreation had a reasonably definitive ending. Nonetheless, people who have just a bit bit extra left within the tank can take the chance to present a recreation you actually beloved another excessive be aware to finish on. I usually consider the Mass Impact 3 Citadel DLC as the perfect example–an oddly positioned, but near-perfect send-off. Closing Fantasy XVI: The Rising Tide evokes comparable emotions in that I used to be simply completely satisfied to have an excuse to revisit that world and spend a bit extra time with characters I cherished. Whereas it does largely play out like extra Closing Fantasy XVI content material, The Rising Tide fills in a couple of blanks left behind and allows you to wield two new Eikons in a questline that reaches comparable heights of the unique recreation.
The Rising Tide questline is slotted into FFXVI proper earlier than the principle recreation’s level of no return, making it really feel like an impromptu diversion at a important level within the story. That mentioned, it is mandatory, as most of the occasions main as much as the DLC present the context round its story. As Clive, you and the crew are invited to go to a area known as Mysidia–a quiet space tucked away within the north and cloaked beneath the veil of highly effective magic to each conceal itself from the remainder of the world and keep a facade of vivid blue skies. It is a new space for the sport that has its personal attention-grabbing, remoted society and allows you to discover a comparatively small however vibrant area, and its gorgeous views remind you of how FFXVI makes use of its technical strengths to color an expansive and engaging world.
A lot of FFXVI was visually dour given its grim nature, so Mysidia’s tropical tinge is a refreshing distinction. However this is not a trip for Clive–The Rising Tide revolves across the historical past of Leviathan as an Eikon that, like each different Eikon, was wielded in dangerous religion. By means of the principle situation quests and sidequests, you study in regards to the folks of Mysidia, their lifestyle, and their explicit relationship with Leviathan. The persons are self-sustaining and deal with magic fairly in a different way from the remainder of Valisthea, and their chief, Shula, embodies their ethos as she accompanies you all through the DLC. She’s not precisely a standout character within the grand scheme of issues, however she is a stable anchor for The Rising Tide and supplies a ok excuse for dragging Clive off the overwhelmed path. It is a twist to the everyday FFXVI plot beat and comes round to be a quite candy story about breaking generational curses in a means that lends itself extra to FFXVI’s softer aspect.
That is to not say The Rising Tide would not go exhausting, as a result of like the bottom recreation, its mix of intense boss fights woven into spectacular cinematic cuts stays the muse right here. Together with the brand new area are an extra dungeon and one other larger-than-life Eikon battle. Whereas the dungeon itself is kind of brief, the boss struggle that awaits on the finish of it options some intelligent and creative mechanics that even impressed the Closing Fantasy XIV Savage raider in me. FFXVI’s base recreation shares a number of similarities with the MMORPG when it comes to battle mechanics, and this stays true right here, however a couple of twists caught me off guard and left me grinning once I was capable of overcome them. And even when I may see it coming from a mile away, the build-up to a different climactic Eikon battle and the arduous struggle itself introduced again that particular feeling of hype FFXVI was so rattling good at evoking. The telegraphing of sure mechanics within the EIkon battle aren’t all the time nice, so there’s some trial-and-error as you bang your head in opposition to the wall to get by it. Nonetheless, determining the right way to resolve the mechanics together with pulling off nasty, weighty assaults as Ifrit was as gratifying as ever, matching the perfect of what the unique recreation needed to supply.
As a chapter all about Leviathan, with the ability to use the ability of the long-lasting serpent is a particular spotlight. Inventive Enterprise Unit III actually mentioned, “What if we gave Clive a gun?” and that is basically what they did. Leviathan is a projectile-focused Eikon energy that has its personal distinctive mode that turns Clive’s arm right into a shotgun able to blasting deadly chunks of water, and boy, does it soften away enemies’ stagger meter. For cooldowns, you additionally get a rapid-fire bubble blast and wave-like capability that begins from the edges and crunches small enemies collectively, making them straightforward targets for shotgun blasts or another AoE spell you’ve got lined up. There is a satisfying suggestions to touchdown pictures and weaving between Leviathan’s moveset, and it is nice to see that FFXVI model of motion fight nonetheless had room for inventive concepts.
On prime of that, you additionally get to wield Ultima as an Eikon energy, which permits Clive to hover with wings that may additionally violently swipe at mobs of enemies. Most of the cooldown skills with Ultima are heavy and dramatic shows of energy that are not precisely conducive to swiftly weaving into an assault rotation–if you simply need to disrespectfully pummel enemies, Ultima is the Eikon for you. Ultima is unlocked by beginning up the brand new content material known as Kairos Gates, which is a part of the DLC’s package deal. It is a run-based fight problem the place you progressively construct Clive with boons and enhancements to assist make it by a genuinely powerful gauntlet of enemy hordes and remixed bosses. The menus and sound results between rounds are encased in an old-school Closing Fantasy presentation which is a cute contact, however these fights are something however cute. Should you’ve been wanting FFXVI to up the problem, it is a respectable, albeit easy, approach to get extra out of its fight.
The Rising Tide accommodates a handful of sidequests to fill out Mysidia, which provide rewards or unlock options for the area. These vary from speaking to NPCs, fetching gadgets on the earth, taking out sure targets, or some mixture of these things–mostly persevering with the everyday FFXVI quest design, which wasn’t precisely its sturdy swimsuit. Not that it is shocking, however most of the conversations within the DLC nonetheless have that odd, stiff model of dialog by way of a cutscene that stood out like sore thumbs within the unique recreation. It is one other a kind of FFXIV-isms that do not fairly maintain up when utilized in a extremely produced, prestige-style recreation.
Nonetheless, the DLC does use sidequests successfully in a couple of key methods. For one, they are typically extra combat-focused in order that they’re alternatives to sharpen these new Eikon-wielding abilities. However after the DLC’s important situation is completed, a brand new batch of sidequests pop as much as let the general story breathe, they usually’re important for giving Shula and the folks of Mysidia closure. I am a bit shocked these are marked as sidequests contemplating how impactful they’re in contextualizing The Rising Tide. And whereas the reward for finishing all of it is not essentially a tangible one, it is an emotional payoff that as a substitute brings some a lot wanted heat to FFXVI’s darkish world.
The wonders of Mysidia are additionally represented within the new music for The Rising Tide. To the shock of completely nobody, composer Masayoshi Soken and his staff had been cooking as soon as once more. The primary village of Haven has a catchy but sorrowful acoustic tune that splendidly captures the setting, and the attractive overworld theme struck me as an extension of the bittersweet emotions I had taking part in by components of FFXIV: Endwalker. The dungeon theme incorporates mild digital parts to speak one thing inexplicably magical in regards to the setting whereas additionally calling again to the principle leitmotif used all through FFXVI, as if to wrap the entire journey collectively by sound. Whereas the Eikon boss battle theme is among the many explosive and spectacular tracks to hype you up within the second, it is the extra calming music the place the emotional nuances of the journey are delivered by the notes that make up the songs.
Enjoying by The Rising Tide was bittersweet. For all its flaws, I’ve a deep fondness for Closing Fantasy XVI, so I used to be completely satisfied to have a powerful hook to convey me again to Valisthea, even when it was a quite short-lived journey that wrapped up simply as I used to be beginning to vibe with the brand new setting, skills, and characters. In a number of methods, The Rising Tide gives one thing I want the unique recreation had a bit extra of in its story: vibrance and heat. FFXVI was outwardly grim and dark–fitting what it was going for. However having this distinction that enhances the core themes of the unique recreation was an actual deal with, particularly with some nice gameplay twists alongside the way in which. The Rising Tide is a simple advice for many who loved the bottom recreation, and a rattling effective approach to ship off FFXVI.