Final Fantasy 16 is the latest venue of the difficulty debate, and players are oh so tired
Final Fantasy 16 players are hotly debating the game's perceived difficulty, and some are just plain old tired of the arguing.
The entire debate seems to stem from a Maximilian Dood video, a snapshot of which you can see just below, where the streamer argues Final Fantasy 16 is simply too easy. While part of the argument is that players can be trusted to handle more, a second complaint centres around an upper-difficulty option only being unlocked once you finish Final Fantasy 16 for the first time.
I agree with @maximilian_ This is my biggest complaint about FFXVI. I wish they would have just let us choose ourselves. It’s why I’ve barely made any guides on the game, what’s there to make a guide about? Everything is so ridiculously easy. pic.twitter.com/oRO1IK5pphJuly 3, 2023
Now, plenty of players are railing back against this opinion. The player just below, for example, argues that you need to centre your expectations around what Final Fantasy 16 is. Is it a FromSoftware-like game? No, it's a mass-marketed action-RPG blockbuster game, the player argues.
My take on this is if everyone is so willing to be ok with Souls games being so hard with no difficulty options and players just have to suck it up as thats the way it is, then it applies reverse here. It's easy. Oh well tough shit. Take it or leave it. https://t.co/h9shDA4DZqJuly 3, 2023
Another player reckons you need to consider Final Fantasy 16's new direction. The new game has been marketed as a Final Fantasy for newcomers and casual players, that anyone could, in theory, pick up, and keeping this attitude from Square Enix in mind, of course Final Fantasy 16 wouldn't be overly punishing to players in its difficulty.
FFXVI is supposed to be a cinematic experience first and foremost. Max's complaint is accurate if your expectation is DMC, but this is a FF game taking the franchise in a new direction. Your average player is going to wanna be wow'd by spectacle and fun the 1st playthrough. The… https://t.co/hu2atJjFm4July 3, 2023
Meanwhile, others are just tired of the whole debate. Accessibility consultant Steve Saylor, for example, thinks its exhausting to hear players go back and forth on what they actually want from difficulty levels, and thinks plenty of people are just looking for something to moan about most of the time.
Now seeing some folks complaining that FFXVI is too easy and wishing there would be an option to make it harder.You complain about folks wanting an OPTION to make games a bit easier. And now you are complaining there is NO OPTION to make games harder?!I...I give up. 🤦July 3, 2023
The whole argument over whether Final Fantasy 16 needs to, or should be, difficult really misses Square Enix's ethos with the new game. The game's lead devs spoke at length before launch about how there'd be optional items to help players who aren't familiar with action games, clearly looking to appeal to as many players as possible, and it's this mindset that's at the heart of Final Fantasy 16's approachability.
Elsewhere though, players have been celebrating Final Fantasy 16's inclusion of a queer romance, the series's clearest inclusion of a same-sex romance yet.
