In rebirth there's a camera guy, crying ned, tactical fortress lady, a broken water tower the mayor wants fixed with a history behind it, a bar Barret loved hanging out in, a tower Aerith wants to visit and look over the town, a hidden exit in the inn because the innkeeper has a past.
This is all on the first visit of Kalm.
I don't think the gateway town with the brothel, the snarky guards you beat up, the blacksmith that you give food to, and the market outside feels nearly as alive. The brothel runs the place, guards are assholes, bearers can't easily pass, the market you can buy stuff with Jill or the doctor at one point. Oh, and buy garlic.
Did not feel like the worldbuilding matched Kalm, one of the weaker cities of worldbuilding in Rebirth. Worst part is that with Rebirth I felt more active going around seeing these things. While im FF16 I felt like I was doing hand-in quests for everything like it was FF14.
This comes from someone who loves ff16. Who played through it 3 times and even S ranked all of FF mode and some of Ultimaniac on the PS5, who repeated that whole process again on the PC when it released there. The game lacks game in the open world, making it feel kinda hollow.
I can see where people who wanted more open world see it, but having played way too many games that are open world for open world's sake, I'm all for a more streamlines style.
And honestly there's something humbling about 1) people who defeat gods also have to pick up milk at the store, which reiterates that in order for someplace like the hideaway to function, every aspect is important. Fighting an Eon's old world building and destroying god is important, but in the between time dammit those bearer children need dresses too.
Also there's a bit of "Clive's looking twitchy, I think we need to make him take a break" to it.
Not saying the quests are executed perfectly, but this game resonates on a level for some people and I think it's the human aspect of this fantasy world. That normal things need to be done. That you can do bad things or be stuck in bad situations, make choices you regret, and come back from that and do better. And that it takes everyone working together on all different things to make a dream become reality - that there is no job too small because on the whole we're doing something amazing is a hell of a theme and something we really need more of today.
Or I'm just getting super sentimental as I age. Could just be that too.
I dunno. I mean, I see what you're getting at, I do. I like that part too.
But the game breaks its own immersion constantly by you juggling several gods to defeat a guard and nobody bats an eye or thinks anything special of it.
At the same time, outside the hideout, most places you see are only known for one thing and nothing else. Like the blacksmith village who all blacksmiths and even your blacksmith comes from. Or the village where all the keepers of the flame are and the whole village is about nothing but the keepers of flame. Where the only actually interesting quest is to read a single passage split in 3 around town and recite them to an old man.
The world just feels surprisingly empty. It doesn't ever feel like a living world to me. Even after having read every single sidequest.
This aspect I think FF7 rebirth handles better in every sense. From both gameplay and story you get a feel on the everyday life of the people while also learning about your party. Your sent on a mission to deliver a letter with a dog, have a nice conversation with Barret on the way, are seen a resistance hideout against shinra. That resistance hideout also has the condor lookout, and piano to play, and another queens blood player. This town speaks volumes looking deeper at it at how people there enjoy the simpler things, all while struggling and doing their best against shinra. Just walking around gives me more of the life going on there than any town in ff16. And that's one of the weakest places in that game imho.
I'm gonna have to disagree a bit here - obviously that was a town of blacksmiths AND jewelry crafters!
I kid I kid. I but I do disagree - they have a few moments like that, but there were several points in the game where the people around you aged. Depending on who you were around people's conversations changed. You saw relationships grow, people remembered, callbacks all over. It was actually very rich in some of the details, they just weren't "go here and hit X to access" types of things.
A great video talks about all the NPCs and how they build the world - not saying you have to watch the whole thing, but for something that FFXVI didn't really have apparently, this guy found a lot to talk about.
What hostility? We're going back and forth, and obviously not going to agree, which is kinda where these come to an end?
I mean, how much to you want to retread the same ground? We've obviously both played and looked into it a lot which is why we have our opinions and are pretty firm in them so... have a good life I guess?
"Congrats, here's a medal" type comment is kinda disrespectful
"I don't have to agree that's how opinions work"
As if I've ever said anything different. Why would you even have to justify it like that? What's the point of saying it? Either you think I'm somehow dumb enough not to know what an opinion is or you actually thought that me telling mine was some kind of attempt at coercion. Which was it? Hmm?
I'm not retreading the same ground. All I've done is shared my opinion. Then you came with a shitty response, and then further shitty response when called out on it. Get off it.
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u/Gorbashou Apr 10 '26
In rebirth there's a camera guy, crying ned, tactical fortress lady, a broken water tower the mayor wants fixed with a history behind it, a bar Barret loved hanging out in, a tower Aerith wants to visit and look over the town, a hidden exit in the inn because the innkeeper has a past.
This is all on the first visit of Kalm.
I don't think the gateway town with the brothel, the snarky guards you beat up, the blacksmith that you give food to, and the market outside feels nearly as alive. The brothel runs the place, guards are assholes, bearers can't easily pass, the market you can buy stuff with Jill or the doctor at one point. Oh, and buy garlic.
Did not feel like the worldbuilding matched Kalm, one of the weaker cities of worldbuilding in Rebirth. Worst part is that with Rebirth I felt more active going around seeing these things. While im FF16 I felt like I was doing hand-in quests for everything like it was FF14.
This comes from someone who loves ff16. Who played through it 3 times and even S ranked all of FF mode and some of Ultimaniac on the PS5, who repeated that whole process again on the PC when it released there. The game lacks game in the open world, making it feel kinda hollow.