FF14
Overall Ranking: S
Plot quality: S
Character development: S
Core mechanics: A
Difficulty: Easy/Medium
Replayability: F (Unless you're a die hard, like me)
Should you play it?: Yes, it has a free trial so why not?
I do not think it would be fair to say that any game could be my favourite game ever save for final Fantasy XIV. We have games that shape your younger self like Ocarina of Time. Games that scratch that maturing sense of adventure like Expedition 33. Games like Sekiro that will keep me coming back again for the tight mechanics and gameplay. But no game will ever truly captivate me like FFXIV.
I have been playing FFXIV since around 2013/2014 when I was in school on a PS3. This game has since followed me across PS4 and to PC, across 4 different accounts, and has been in my life from school through marriage, 4 jobs, 1 baby and 2 houses. So needless to say I have some stake into the game and some bias options, but lets start with the stinkers.
CONS: This game can be SLOW. There is a very fixed formula of:
1. Go to new area.
2. They don't want to help us so lets help locals with random stuff.
3. Locals are pleased.
4. they help and the plot can progress.
I have lost numerous friends to the early game ARR story slosh because half the people that try this just wanna fight things and level up, which is valid and how I played the game initially. But sometimes all the test and cutscenes makes you feel like you are witnessing a political TV show rather than a game. ARR is not that bad having recently replayed it. There is lots of lore and I did not find the slog that bad but it does seem insurmountable at first.
There are multiple systems in the game that tend not to make sense either than can mount frustrations and cause people to lose interest such as 1 million side quests, not getting a mount until level 20, actually making an account and downloading the game is harder than most the content, Glamour plates not applying outside of towns, no level boost/story skip built in so you can join your friends without paying extra, etc etc.
This game is not exempt from its issues I will give it that and sometimes it is hard to try and get people into it but once they do, its some of the most enjoyable gaming I have had. Enough negativity though.
PROS: This games narrative is easily 100% my favourite game story bar none. It is akin to a long running series and there is so much lore and spectacle, triumph and terror, love and hate, war and peace to keep me coming back for each patch and expansion just to see what will happen next! There are moments that nearly drove me to tears, moments that gave me chills that I will never forget.
"This is our future. Our story" - The best part of the MSQ
This game will see your titular Warrior of Light (Or WoL as they are called) climb the ranks of local adventures into folk hero before rising to hero of nations and beyond. You are, for all intents and purposes, that MF. But you are not alone, you have your buddies the Scions to assist in your heroic endeavors which you may not warm to initially as I didn't but these are my ride or die gang and each expansion adds more allies to your list of compadres.
But what of the content outside of the story? There are three roles you can slot yourself into: Tanks, healers and DPS.
Tanks: you manage Aggro and keep the enemies hitting you, using mitigative abilities to minimize damage taken while ensuring to dish out as much damage as you can in the interim. (You pull you tank is weak limp D energy. DPS and Heals are free mitigation, let them pull if they want and grow up).
DPS: You bring the pain, plain and simple. you can be a melee fighter such as Samurai and Dragoon, a caster such as Black Mage and Summoner, or a ranged attacker like a Bard (Bow and arrow) or machinist (GUN).
Heals: You make sure no one dies, and even if they do, just bring em on back.
No matter what you choose to play there is something for everyone to enjoy.
I love games with roles where each group does their part in a well oiled machine and the job designs and identities are quite varied with a fairly equal player base among each of them and this game has the best class balancing I have ever seen. There is also two extra classes called Blue Mage (giga chads) and BeastMasters (wish they were Blue Mage) but these are special and do not count.
The battle content is the bread and butter of the game for many. There are dungeons to navigate through, bosses to kill, raids to conquer and ultimate's to test your limits. Each of these also come with their own narratives which is nice. There is PvP too which is not as popular. Raids are mostly where it is at. You attempt to beat a boss, maneuvering difficult role based mechanism like solving a puzzle, making sure you do your part for the team and when you finally beat them you get new gear for your trouble making the next time you fight them easier while you test your speed and efficiency. Beating a savage raid is some of my favourite content in the game and while challenging, is very fun to figure out.
This game has the greatest and most diverse soundtrack of any game I have ever played too. By virtue of both it's longevity but also the mastermind Masayoshi Soken to steer the music team and give a wide array of enjoyable tunes.
I could gush for hours but I am getting bored of typing but in summary this is my fav game ever. Basically no one will read this but I thought I would at least give it a good review non the less. Give this game a try.
