Final Fantasy XVI: The Rising Tide

The Rising Tide works great as one last hurrah with new Eikons and a short but worthwhile adventure that shows a different side of FFXVI.

Final Fantasy 16: The Rising Tide is a great expansion to an excellent action RPG, offering up one of the game's most intriguing and considered chapters. With yet more memorable boss battles, an emotional storyline, and some downright stunning environments, it's the worthy sendoff that Clive and company deserve.

Final Fantasy XVI: The Rising Tide is an excellent continuation of everything that made the base game great: excellent battles, a plethora of options in battle, and most importantly, strong characters.

Simply put, The Rising Tide is a fitting end to Final Fantasy XVI. It delivers more stellar gameplay and an interesting narrative, all while further solidifying the legacy of the franchise's sixteenth title. While it may play it safe with the characters, bosses and story, it makes up for it with the addition of Leviathan and Kairos Gate. Furthermore, the DLC is a perfect sendoff to the game, lending itself well to what was established and giving fans a chance to return to Clive, Torgal, Jill and Jonathan one last time. Those who enjoyed the base game will find The Rising Tide to be an enjoyable and worthwhile adventure to travel back to Valisthea for.

The Rising Tide once again delivers a short yet epic adventure full of challenging bossfights and incredible Moments. If you wish to embark on a one last journey with Clive, The Rising Tide is a must play.

Overall, Final Fantasy XVI: The Rising Tide DLC is both a satisfying experience and kind of a disappointment. Had this content been part of the base game, I wouldn't have had any complaints, but since this is set at the tail end of the game, it feels like there should've been more to the plot and presentation. Instead, it feels too divorced from the game world to have an impact. The new abilities and additional boss fights are very cool, but the fact they come only at the end of the game means they are basically for fooling around the Karios Gate or doing a New Game+ run. If you are a big fan of Final Fantasy XVI, you'll absolutely have fun, and it isn't a bad DLC. It just could've been better, and it missed the chance to improve on some of Final Fantasy XVI's weaker points.

Final Fantasy XVI is a fantastic game from start to finish, which manages to combine the classic structure of the series with a combat system focused on action and customization. The Rising Tide is the perfect complement to this experience, and although this marks the end of this chapter in the history of one of my favorite video game series, I can't wait to see how Square Enix takes everything that worked here and expands these concepts in Final Fantasy XVII, or in a sequel to Clive and Joshua's adventure.

The Rising Tide may not offer anything new or novel to Final Fantasy XVI, but it does continue its streak of incredibly polished and fun gameplay. The story is a nice cherry on top of the main adventure, and the Karios Gate mode will keep you coming back for more.

The Rising Tide is a great expansion of Final Fantasy XVI. The battle with Leviathan is sensational and the whole plot involved is very good to follow. Kairos' Gate is a fun challenge format, too. The only problem is the length of the DLC itself: it's quite short.

The Rising Tide is a content-rich expansion, with a well-written story and just the right amount of novelties, from the new location to explore to the Kairos Portal. It fully succeeds in its intention of bringing us back to Valisthea, tying up loose ends and making us dream a little more. A DLC not to be missed by anyone who enjoyed the world of Final Fantasy XVI.