This might be a hot take, but I disliked XVI even more than I disliked XV. Largely because the game demo’d so well and then the final product just didn’t follow through. I don’t know if there’s ever been a game where I thought so many things were completely devoid of merit. So many of the problems stem from the fact that nothing in the game does anything.

Exploration? Not fun because the only reward is crafting items (which don’t do anything) and Gil (which doesn’t do anything).

Side quests? Not fun because the rewards are crafting items and Gil (which don’t do anything) and learning more about Larry Bob the chef and how he can’t carry a bowl of soup five inches to someone.

Crafting and weapons? Not fun because combat has absolutely no variation. All the upgrades are incredibly small upticks in numbers.

Even the story, which was so promising with its Game of Thrones inspired political start, had so many plot holes and important unanswered questions by the end, it’s just got you mashing your head against a wall through all the cutscenes.

The game’s redeeming feature is its boss battles, which are epic, but it’s so clear that’s where they poured all the budget, and I just kind of wish they spent less there so it could have been a better rounded final product.