Final Fantasy 16: The Rising Tide Review (PS5)

You have to admire Square Enix’s efforts. First, they deliver a spectacular Final Fantasy 16 on June 22, 2023. Soon after, their first DLC, Echoes of the Fallen, launched on December 7, 2023. And, finally, a second and final DLC, The Rising Tide, on April 18, 2024. Now, fans of Final Fantasy have no excuse for dull afternoons with the wealth of content out there. Granted, Echoes of the Fallen may have fallen short of some of your expectations. Its story could have been more in-depth and, in that regard, The Rising Tide more than makes up for it. 

Essentially, the two DLCs have prerequisites. You’ll have to complete certain side quests to unlock specific party companions necessary for branching out of the base game. Also, while you can play Final Fantasy 16 alone and still experience the full story the base game offers, the DLC packages offer more lore and content for gamers who simply don’t want to say goodbye just yet. That said, is The Rising Tide worth it? Yes, of course! It builds upon an already stellar combat and world experience, it’d be utterly ridiculous for Square Enix to go wrong. 

So, I guess the question here is whether the playthrough is lengthy and beefy enough to warrant taking out for a spin. Well, let’s find out in our Final Fantasy 16: The Rising Tide review. 

The Eikon of Water Awakes

Remember the Leviathan sneak peek we were treated to in Final Fantasy 16? Not once did the game even pretend to delve deeper into water-based Eikon. It turns out that avoiding the Leviathan subject pays off in The Rising Tide DLC, which focuses its combat and story efforts almost entirely on the colossal sea serpent. The story actually starts off seamlessly from the base game. Clive heads out into the Hideaway, a hub-like base area you can visit between your action-packed adventures in Final Fantasy 16. He picks up a mysterious letter from an unknown party, which sends Clive and his companions, Joshua, Jill, and Torgal, into the unexplored, well-hidden, but very familiar land of Mysidia. 

Mysidia is a sight to behold. It displays shockingly clear blue skies that, however seemingly small, do plenty to alter your experience of exploring. You venture out across shimmering waters and sweeping waterfalls and tread on foot between rich, green foliage. It’s all so breathtakingly beautiful you almost want to take a few minutes to breathe it all in, especially in the moments when you’re not fighting for your life. Enemies are similar, with new ones added to the mix. As always, combat is a joy, and while you’re often stuck on the beaten path, it’s great to keep on track and, well, do what you came to Mysidia to do: save the Dominant of Leviathan, “the Lost.”

Serviceable Story

All in all, a neat story to unravel awaits your undivided attention. You’ll often spend time in a village with mysterious new NPCs who help delve deeper into the lore and worldbuilding. You’ll go on fetch-side quests that fill up your playthrough to roughly eight hours long. However, with only the main story, you can easily spend under three hours to complete. And, uhm, well, yeah. That’s it for the story: mysterious, packed with twists and turns you may or may not see coming, and a completely viable arc to wind through the mysteries behind the ‘rising tide.’

Alongside the story is an often linear explorative experience. You trek down beaten paths, picking up collectibles and slaying enemies. I will say exploration barely has any secrets to uncover or puzzles to solve. However, it doesn’t hurt the pace too much, as the world in itself is enough to keep you chipping away at more content. Meanwhile, NPCs have splendid voice acting. You also get a new party companion, Shula, who also happens to be the chief of the Mysidian people. Shula is pretty entertaining, developing progressively in abilities and personality. She’s cautious of Clive in the beginning and gradually begins to trust and open up more in the later stages of the game. Unfortunately, Jill and, to an extent, Joshua don’t receive the same care and love. They could even be plucked out of the DLC without losing too much. 

Sharpen The Sword

Exploring fresh territories in the world of Valisthea aside, let’s talk combat. Now, the difficulty here is pretty intense, even after attaining level 50 and above. Dying is inevitable, especially in the strenuous but oh-so-satisfying and fantastic final boss fight against Leviathan. You’ll slay down enemies, big and small, grotesque and beautiful, and much to your complete player satisfaction, thanks to fast and fluid controls. The Rising Tide focuses its efforts on the water-based Eikon’s and Leviathan’s powers, even granting you the new ability early on in the DLC. 

In no time at all, you’ll be casting ranged tornadoes and shotgun-like water bullets at single and grouped enemies. You can decimate multiple enemies at once, shooting out of your serpent-left water cannon arm. The sheer satisfaction of Leviathan’s abilities is indescribable; you’ll just have to experience it for yourself. No enemy, either too far or close, can escape your mighty water gun, and the animations, too, are to die for. Besides Leviathan’s abilities, you do unlock another new Eikon to equip, the Ultima, and for spoiler’s sake, I’ll just leave it at, “It adds incredible depth to combat, albeit a little later to achieve the best impact.” 

Tough As Nails Endgame Content

Even after you successfully complete the main story, endgame content awaits. It’s tough as nails, I’ll say, with a semi-roguelike structure you can return to multiple times. Named ‘Kairos Gate,’ you essentially take on 20 stages of intense scoring, ranking, and unique battles against waves of deadly foes. We’re talking global leaderboards, the perfect place to really put your skills to the test. It’s the best way to show off your skills thus far, facing nearly every type of enemy from the main game. After five stages, you face a boss fight head-on and raise the stakes even higher.

Above all, Kairos Gate is a load of fun to beat.  Yet, it still doesn’t compare to the Leviathan battle. That alone is enough of a reason to check The Rising Tide out for yourself. Feel free to also trek back, especially for completionists looking to comb through and check off every side quest possible. It won’t be frustrating, either, to backtrack because you can always fast-travel with the simple press of a button. Some of the first few side quests feel lacking, especially the ones whose reward is unlocking access to the shop or your Chocobo. However, the latter ones are definitely beefier, with interesting options to uncover more lore and engage in The Rising Tide’s stunning world. 

Echoes of the Fallen may have been a perfect way to extend your time defying the gods a little more. But The Rising Tide takes its job more seriously, offering a more robust experience, complete with gigantic fights you’ll remember post-credits. And now, despite The Rising Tide being a paid DLC, you can get both Echoes of the Fallen and The Rising Tide for a discounted price.

Verdict

It’s perfect that Final Fantasy 16: The Rising Tide keeps it short and sweet. In just under three hours, you can complete the main story. Depending, of course, on your affinity for completion and skill, you can easily stretch that out to eight hours or so. You hardly find filler content, which is, again, perfect. Yet, you still can’t help feeling a little more content couldn’t hurt. Still, for what’s currently present, it’s an entirely fulfilling experience to take on. 

For one, you finally grapple with the water-based ability Leviathan, plus another new Eikon, Ultima. Both drastically change gameplay, breathing life into what’s ultimately an extension of the combat in Final Fantasy 16. You do face off against familiar enemies, but you also venture out exploring new dungeons, bosses, locations, sidequests, and more. 

Indeed, The Rising Tide looks stunning, offering a change in scenery with its clear blue skies and shimmering green foliage. You can’t help taking it all in as you ride your Chocobo, breezing past its intricate nature. 

Combat remains as blissful as you remember, with new powers to master. Your new Leviathan ability is a game-changer. You equip it way early on and decimate enemies, both from up close and afar. While combat starts off slow, it quickly picks up pace and difficulty in the latter boss fights and endgame Kairos Gate content. You do push yourself to the limit, failing one too many times, yet you are always more than happy to give it another shot. 

Perhaps the only caveat is that you may find the overall gameplay a little flat. However, you have to keep in mind that The Rising Tide is only a DLC. It’s the arm of the larger Final Fantasy 16 body, perfect for gamers who simply can’t get enough of Clive’s adventures.