As a seasoned gamer with decades of experience under my belt, I can confidently say that the PC port of Final Fantasy 16 is a game of two halves – a high-frame action feast and a stuttery movie.
In terms of which part you’re experiencing, Final Fantasy 16 can be seen as either the pinnacle of video game evolution or a predictable cinematic action-adventure on repeat. It offers moments of greatness that are often overshadowed by moments that induce eye rolls. A year after its PlayStation 5 release, all the points made in Lucas’ review still hold true following updates and two DLCs. Now let’s discuss how the PC version performs.
It was Moss the Chronicler who said…
Regarding visual upgrades, there isn’t a significant enhancement over the visually stunning PlayStation 5 version. However, using my powerful RTX 4070 graphics card, I managed to achieve impressive performance outcomes. With all settings maxed out at 1440p, along with DLSS, DLAA, and Frame Generation activated, I typically maintained a consistent frame rate of 80-90 frames per second (FPS) in most scenarios. In busier areas such as towns or stages, the frame rate would occasionally drop to 70 FPS and rarely dip to 60 FPS, often depending on the number of NPCs displayed simultaneously. Experimenting with different DLSS presets and toggling the Dynamic Resolution option might have yielded better results in terms of frames, but it noticeably degraded image quality during cutscenes, resulting in a blurry and pixelated appearance, even if it didn’t impact my gaming experience.
Even during Final Fantasy 16’s all-out Eikon fights when your screen is blasted with particle effects performance remains stable for the most part. The same goes for combat, even if the game can occasionally dip in frames here and there depending on what is going on. Compared to the PlayStation 5 version, I cannot overstate how much better the gameplay feels at high framerates. In an action game like this having twice, thrice, or even four times the visual information to react makes all the difference. FF16 is a game that wants you to learn timings for parries, dodges, and basic combos and stuff I had difficulty nailing 100 percent of the time on the PS5 came much easier to me this time around. And if you’re an action game sicko with the necessary hardware to run this game, that’s the main selling point of this port.
From High-Frame Action Feast to Stuttery Movie
Despite its appealing visuals, Final Fantasy 16 has some technical hiccups. The game maintains a cutscene frame rate at 30, leading to occasional stuttering as it transitions in and out of these scenes. Additionally, the cinematic depth-of-field effect used frequently in cutscenes can clash with DLSS, resulting in odd artifacts or extreme blurriness that makes distant objects appear as vague, ghostly remnants from Christmas past. These choppy cutscenes may detract from your immersion in the gameplay experience.
In certain areas, textures didn’t adjust properly, and in a key scene, a character’s eye textures were absent. There were some odd problems with plant life generation – one tree would switch among multiple sets of leaves, and a specific patch of grass showed the same inconsistency. These issues might have been related to Frame Generation, but they only occurred in a few places.
In comparison to other PC ports, there are limited customization options available for optimizing performance. Unfortunately, it doesn’t offer native support for widescreens or uncommon resolutions, and the only anti-aliasing choices are DLSS, XeSS, or FSR. Given its high resource demands, it’s unlikely that Final Fantasy 16 will run smoothly on a Steam Deck. If your system isn’t modern and powerful, you may not be able to fully experience all the game has to offer.
The PC Port Unlocks FF16s Potential as an Action Game for Sickos
Which now begs the question: Was the PC port worth the wait? The answer is a bit complicated. If you have a decently specced PC this is one of Square Enix’s better port jobs, even if it lacks many of the options PC players would appreciate. If you’re only here for the sights and story of Final Fantasy 16 with no interest in its jaw-dropping combat system, the PC version has little upside over the console version aside from a higher resolution and potentially better performance. Some of the issues mentioned here, like the framerate cap for cutscenes or lack of proper widescreen support can already be addressed by mods which makes me wonder why those weren’t part of the release in the first place.
Despite the game having already exceeded expectations on console, the ongoing efforts to release it on PC are commendable. This move could potentially convince Square Enix that a simultaneous PC launch is worthwhile. While the PC version of Final Fantasy 16 might not be flawless, the ability to play without framerate limitations makes it the superior edition of the game.
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2024-09-25 16:27