Summary
The following contains spoilers forFinal Fantasy 16and The Rising Tide.
Final Fantasy 16’s highly anticipated Rising Tide DLC expansion honors the base game’s strengths while simultaneously adding on top of it a new story, a fresh set of abilities for Clive, and two thoroughly satisfying boss fights to cap everything off. To start The Rising Tide, players must first reach the final quest ofFinal Fantasy 16’s main story. The only problem is thatFinal Fantasy 16was released almost a year ago, so chances are many players have already completed the main story, and quite possibly a second time as well via a New Game Plus playthrough. This has the potential to make things feel a bit awkward in certain places during the Rising Tide DLC.
By all accounts,Final Fantasy 16’s Rising Tide DLCis probably best experienced before finishing the base game’s main story. Several factors contribute to this, with the most notable involving the involvement of the main story’s primary antagonist in the DLC expansion. Thankfully, those who have already completed the base game — even multiple times — can still find plenty to love about The Rising Tide, as it is essentially more of whatFinal Fantasy 16does best, with some additional content to freshen things up. Even so, those who have yet to completeFinal Fantasy 16’s main story may find The Rising Tide to be a more fulfilling experience.
Why Final Fantasy 16’s Rising Tide DLC Is Best Experienced Before Completing the Base Game’s Story
Ultima’s Involvement in The Rising Tide Can Make Things Feel a Bit Awkward
The most glaring reason why completingFinal Fantasy 16’s main storybefore playing The Rising Tide provides a better experience is due to Ultima’s involvement in the DLC expansion. Near the end of The Rising Tide, between the final two boss fights, the screen turns a ghostly black and white and Ultima begins taunting Clive, essentially implying that Leviathan’s freedom is all part of his grand plan.
Once players completeFinal Fantasy 16’s main story, Ultima is defeated, so hearing him again in The Rising Tide makes things a bit awkward from a continuity perspective. This is especially true because, unless players begin aNew Game Plus playthrough ofFF16, their saved game stays at the moment just before the final boss fight with Ultima in the main story. As such, if players haven’t revisitedFinal Fantasy 16in quite some time, hearing Ultima’s voice again after they’ve already defeated him may feel out of place.
The Rising Tide Could Have Easily Excluded Ultima Altogether
Ultima’s role in The Rising Tide is so insignificant, it might have been better left out altogether. His monologue is just under one minute long, so its inclusion in thethree-hour Rising Tide DLCis trivial at best. During the DLC’s epilogue, Clive mentions Ultima’s speech to Joshua and Jill, and even that could have been excluded. It doesn’t do much to preserve any continuity, as those who already played through the base game’s main story know of Ultima’s plans, and those who have yet to play it probably wouldn’t have thought otherwise.
Despite the inclusion of Ultima’s dialogue throwing off the timeline of those who have completed the base game already,Final Fantasy 16’s Rising Tide DLC still shines in the best ways. Clive Rosfield is still an unforgettable protagonist, hisnew Leviathan abilitiesare satisfyingly fun to use, and the boss fights are some of the best in the game. It’s a shame that a third DLC forFinal Fantasy 16isn’t likely (though not impossible), as The Rising Tide truly showcases what this installment is capable of.
Final Fantasy 16
WHERE TO PLAY
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.
