It’s at all times a bit bizarre to return to a recreation you completed for story-centric DLC, particularly when the bottom recreation had a reasonably definitive ending. However, those who have just a bit bit extra left within the tank can take the chance to provide a recreation you actually liked yet another excessive be aware to finish on. I typically consider the Mass Effect 3 Citadel DLC as the perfect example–an oddly positioned, but near-perfect send-off. Final Fantasy XVI: The Rising Tide evokes comparable emotions in that I used to be simply comfortable to have an excuse to revisit that world and spend a bit extra time with characters I cherished. While it does largely play out like extra Final 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 essential level within the story. That mentioned, it’s vital, as lots 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 referred to 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 preserve a facade of brilliant blue skies. It’s a brand 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 a vibrant and engaging world.
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Now Playing: FINAL FANTASY XVI – The Rising Tide DLC Release Date Trailer
Much of FFXVI was visually dour given its grim nature, so Mysidia’s tropical tinge is a refreshing distinction. But 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. Through the principle situation quests and sidequests, you be taught concerning the individuals 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 gives a ok excuse for dragging Clive off the crushed path. It’s 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 facet.That’s to not say The Rising Tide does 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. Along with the brand new area are a further dungeon and one other larger-than-life Eikon battles. While the dungeon itself is kind of brief, the boss combat that awaits on the finish of it options some intelligent and ingenious mechanics that even impressed the Final Fantasy XIV Savage raider in me. FFXVI’s base recreation shares lots 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 might see it coming from a mile away, the build-up to a different climactic Eikon battle and the arduous combat 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 at all times nice, so there may be some trial-and-error as you bang your head in opposition to the wall to get by way of it. Still, determining find out how 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. Creative Business Unit III actually mentioned, “What if we gave Clive a gun?” and that is primarily 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 perimeters and crunches small enemies collectively, making them simple targets for shotgun blasts or some other AoE spell you will have lined up. There’s 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 artistic concepts.On high 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. Many of the cooldown talents 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 referred to as Kairos Gates, which is a part of the DLC’s package deal. It’s a run-based fight problem the place you regularly construct Clive with boons and enhancements to assist make it by way of a genuinely robust gauntlet of enemy hordes and remixed bosses. The menus and sound results between rounds are encased in an old-school Final Fantasy presentation which is a cute contact, however these fights are something however cute. If you have been wanting FFXVI to up the issue, it is a first rate, albeit simple, method 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 robust swimsuit. Not that it is stunning, however lots 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’s one other a kind of FFXIV-isms that do not fairly maintain up when utilized in a extremely produced, prestige-style recreation.However, the DLC does use sidequests successfully in a couple of key methods. For one, they are usually extra combat-focused in order that they’re alternatives to sharpen these new Eikon-wielding abilities. But after the DLC’s most important situation is finished, a brand new batch of sidequests pop as much as let the general story breathe, they usually’re important for giving Shula and the individuals of Mysidia closure. I’m 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 gives as an alternative 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 workforce have been cooking as soon as once more. The most important village of Haven has a catchy but sorrowful acoustic tune that splendidly captures the setting, and the gorgeous overworld theme struck me as an extension of the bittersweet emotions I had enjoying by way of elements of FFXIV: Endwalker. The dungeon theme incorporates gentle digital components to speak one thing inexplicably magical concerning the setting whereas additionally calling again to the principle leitmotif used all through FFXVI, as if to wrap the entire journey collectively by way of sound. While 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 way of the notes that make up the songs.Playing by way of The Rising Tide was bittersweet. For all its flaws, I’ve a deep fondness for Final Fantasy XVI, so I used to be comfortable to have a robust 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, talents, and characters. In a number of methods, The Rising Tide affords 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. But 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 straightforward advice for many who loved the bottom recreation, and a rattling positive method to ship off FFXVI.