The following contains spoilers forFinal Fantasy 16’s Rising Tide DLC.
Final Fantasy 16’s Rising Tide DLC is the latest expansion to the base game starring one of the RPG genre’s best protagonists, Clive Rosfield. As Clive, Jill, and Joshua travel to the island of Mysidia to investigate The Surge and the Dominant who is believed to be trapped inside it, a tragic story unfolds that sees Clive eventually gaining the powers of the Eikon Leviathan and even battling the legendary sea serpent near the end of the story. The fight with Leviathan is both thrilling and challenging, especially when playing onFinal Fantasy Mode, as even the slightest error can result in a Game Over for players. Nevertheless, it is a worthwhile addition toFinal Fantasy 16, and one that veterans and newcomers alike can enjoy.
The Rising Tide provides Clive with several new abilities to master once he absorbs the power of Leviathan. Leviathan’s abilities effectively complete Clive’s arsenal of skills, as all of them are ranged attacks, unlike the other Eikonic abilities that Clive gains in the base game. However, despite these new abilities providing Clive with a fresh set of skills to take onto the battlefield with him,Final Fantasy 16’s Rising Tide DLC missed the chance of a lifetime to improve one common criticism of Clive’s combat.
The Rising Tide Missed a Chance to Improve Clive’s Basic Attacks
Clive’s Basic Attacks Are a Button-Masher’s Dream
SinceFinal Fantasy 16was released in 2023, its combat has been divisive, despite offering a fresh approach after several decades. This divisiveness has primarily revolved around the fact that players can essentially repeatedly press one button if they really want to, especially if they have all ofFinal Fantasy 16’s accessibility itemsequipped. When it comes to Clive’s basic attacks, there are very few combos to speak of, and some might hesitate to refer to the ones that do exist as “combos” at all. Unfortunately, none of this changed in The Rising Tide, even though the game had yet another chance to do something about this very common criticism.
The Rising Tide Could Have Improved Clive’s Basic Attacks
The Rising Tide undeniably improved Clive’s combat arsenalby giving him new water-based ranged skills based on the sea serpent Leviathan. This is one of its best features and certainly not something to wince at. Unfortunately, while Leviathan’s abilities give Clive a wider range of special skills to use, his basic attacks remain untouched. When he’s not performing an Eikonic ability, Clive is simply swinging his sword left and right with the press of one button. As such, a longer list of attack combos might have served to give his basic attacks more variety and require a little more thought from players, even those taking advantage of the accessibility rings.
When it comes to Clive’s basic attacks, there are very few combos to speak of, and some might hesitate to refer to the ones that do exist as “combos” at all.
Final Fantasy 16’s Rising Tide DLCtook several opportunities to introduce some improvements to the base game, even down to giving players a fresh set of visuals to look at in Mysidia, as its lush greenery starkly contrasts the dark, gray skies of the base game. Still, not every feature ofFinal Fantasy 16was touched by The Rising Tide’s influence, and that includes Clive’s basic combat maneuvers. Still, The Rising Tide succeeds in the ways that matter, by providing players with two of the game’s most exciting boss fights, a fresh set of abilities, and new items to collect and craft. Even without new basic attack combos for Clive, The Rising Tide is a worthwhile reason to get back intoFinal Fantasy 16.
Final Fantasy 16
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An epic dark fantasy world where the fate of the land is decided by the mighty Eikons and the Dominants who wield them.This is the tale of Clive Rosfield, a warrior granted the title “First Shield of Rosaria” and sworn to protect his younger brother Joshua, the dominant of the Phoenix. Before long, Clive will be caught up in a great tragedy and swear revenge on the Dark Eikon Ifrit, a mysterious entity that brings calamity in its wake.
