An incredible action game that is a little bloated.
I won't get into the controversy about this game's place in the FF franchise. My review will focus on the game as a stand alone action-adventure.
Overall, I ended up really loving this game, but it isn't perfect by any means. The combat has a lot of depth to offer, and you are constantly provided new abilities and attacks. I was highly impressed with the way the combat evolves and adapts throughout the story, even going into the final chapters. Also, the characters and cinematics are some of the best I've seen for the PS 5. It was the first game that made me feel like I was actually playing a next-gen title. However, the pacing in this game is very mixed. It goes through periods of endless cut scenes with conversations that are sometimes pretty boring and bland ...these cut scenes are then followed by endless walking/battle sequences that often involve multiple phases and hoards to get through. The stamina system makes every boss a sponge, and by the end of the game I was sick and tired of the stamina system. There is also a lack of enemy variety, which can make the combat even more daunting. BUT.... the overall story, the relationship between Clive and Joshua, and the over the top cinematics more than made up for its flaws. There is a lot of filler, frustrating repetition, and bloated storytelling in this game, yet somehow it still kept me coming back for more. There is something about Clive's journey that I really connected with.
Square Enix definitely has found a solid new formula with this title, but they will need to iron out a lot of the flaws for the next mainline FF game (in my opinion). As for FF 16, it is a gorgeous, cinematic game with much to love if you're willing to put up with quite a bit of bland filler.