Which Is the Higher Ultimate Fantasy Sport?

It’s not every single day two genre-defining RPGs launch again to again, however it’s even rarer to see two top-caliber Ultimate Fantasy video games launch inside a yr of one another. And but, that’s precisely what’s occurred with Ultimate Fantasy VII Rebirth and Ultimate Fantasy XVI.

This, in fact, has led many to ask which is the higher Ultimate Fantasy sport. Even when they’ve very completely different themes and tones, they’re nonetheless the exemplars of the sequence’ present trajectory and what we will anticipate from it shifting ahead.

That’s why we’re right here to just do that and pit each video games towards one another in a number of classes. When the mud settles, you’ll be able to relaxation assured that you simply’ll know which Ultimate Fantasy title is most value your time (not less than in our opinion).

Story and Narrative

Ultimate Fantasy has all the time been hailed for its tales and narratives, however the newest video games actually pull out all of the stops to make theirs the perfect round.

Ultimate Fantasy XVI delves into decidedly darker territory with a narrative impressed by Sport of Thrones and different darkly lifelike fantasy epics. An try is made to look at the ramifications of a world run by magic, and the way social norms would emerge across the remedy of these able to unleashing otherworldly powers at a second’s discover.

Admittedly, it’s nonetheless not an ideal execution. The story by no means absolutely digs into these themes the best way you’d need them to, and it forgoes them utterly by the top of the sport for a extra customary story of crystals, celestial entities, and saving the world. Nonetheless, although, it’s an earnest try to attempt one thing new with the franchise and feels satisfying when all is alleged and executed.

Ultimate Fantasy VII Rebirth, in the meantime, retells a story followers know all too properly; or not less than, it retells a part of it. Selecting up after the occasions of Ultimate Fantasy VII Remake, it digs into Cloud and his celebration’s pursuit of Sephiroth and their eventual discovery of his true motivations.

Concurrently, it provides some new parts within the type of Zack’s adventures in an alternate timeline and its eventual collision with the principle timeline’s occasions. This new materials isn’t all the time laid out clearly although, and may really feel overwhelming when it’s dumped on the participant late into the sport. It’ll virtually actually make extra sense when the subsequent sport within the Remake trilogy releases although, and is a welcome addition to the FF7 mythos.

Winner: Ultimate Fantasy XVI

In comparison towards one another, nevertheless, Ultimate Fantasy XVI comes out on high. It extra successfully introduces its new parts to the sequence’ storytelling, and manages to weave a coherent narrative with no need a number of different video games to prop it up. Not solely that, however it provides a brand new path that future entries can discover versus retreading concepts which have already been explored ad-nauseum.

Fundamental Forged & Characters

Up subsequent are the characters gamers spend their playthroughs with, and each titles take decidedly completely different approaches to how they current their stellar casts.

Ultimate Fantasy XVI is decidedly extra minimal with its characters and forged. The primary celebration normally consists of three core characters by way of Clive, Jill, and Torgal, and different characters like Cid and Joshua rotate in because the story permits. This retains the character constructing intimately targeted on the core characters, which does admittedly make for some extra private narrative progress moments.

On the identical time, nevertheless, there are many partaking moments created by means of the supporting forged. Whether or not it’s the politically savvy Benedikta or the tragic final days of Cid, the characters gamers meet as their playthrough progresses maintain the world feeling lived in and vigorous.

Then, there’s Ultimate Fantasy VII Rebirth, which arguably takes the alternative method. The primary celebration is loaded with completely different characters, all of that are given time to shine and work together with one another. Granted, most of those interactions occur with Cloud as a centerpiece, however they nonetheless enable the core forged to really feel like absolutely fleshed-out characters.

The supporting forged is rather less fleshed out, however nonetheless simply as attention-grabbing. Gamers can spend time with the bombastic Gold Saucer proprietor Dio, the multi-talented Shinra Center Supervisor, or the various Queen’s Blood gamers scattered all through the world, they usually all serve to make the general expertise higher with each scene they’re in.

Winner: Ultimate Fantasy VII Rebirth

Greater isn’t all the time higher, however it’s laborious to not give this one to Ultimate Fantasy VII Rebirth. Its forged is bursting with oddballs gamers can’t resist spending time with, they usually all make the general sport a pleasure to participate in for its many hours.

Visuals and Presentation

To say each of the newest Ultimate Fantasy video games are visually gorgeous could be an enormous understatement.

Ultimate Fantasy XVI leans extra into top-notch lighting and particle results. All of its Eikons, whether or not one is speaking in regards to the fiery Ifrit or the gargantuan Titan, are all the time aglow in ethereal sparks and magical parts, and this stays true right through the expertise. The battles are full of fantastical assaults that really feel like they may leap off the display, and actually promote the visceral nature of every landed hit.

The remainder of the sport’s visuals are simply as spectacular. Character fashions could be minutely detailed, with lifelike facial actions and small results like scars or blemishes rendered fantastically. The environments provide lifelike depictions of lush forestry and bustling cityscapes alike, and additional immerse gamers into any a part of the story.

Ultimate Fantasy VII Rebirth provides a lot the identical, however with reverse focuses to its counterpart. The majority of its efforts go into the character fashions and environments, which pop with a sort of hyper-realism that melds with its fantasy setting. One can actually get invested within the dramatic story moments due to the painstakingly crafted facial animations for Cloud, Aerith, and Sephiroth, and the quantity of effort put into bringing each setting to life can go away gamers enraptured.

The fight and particle results are nonetheless jaw-droppingly beautiful although, and assist the moment-to-moment gameplay really feel all of the extra impactful. It simply feels a bit extra useful than gorgeous, and fades into the background in comparison with the whole lot else.

Winner: Ultimate Fantasy XVI

Now we have to present this one to Ultimate Fantasy XVI. Its visible presentation feels extra properly rounded in comparison with Ultimate Fantasy VII Rebirth, and it provides a greater feast for the eyes consequently.

World & Facet Content material

In terms of the world and the aspect content material on provide, there’s arguably the most important hole between these two titles.

On one hand, there’s Ultimate Fantasy XVI, which has a really attention-grabbing new setting on provide. The world of Valisthea and its novel method to Eikons makes for an excellent backdrop, and every likelihood one will get to additional look at its cultures is a splendid alternative. This helps to drive the participant to discover as a lot of the world as doable and to study all they’ll about its many characters and folks.

Sadly, its aspect content material is much from must-play materials. Most of its aspect quests boil all the way down to fetch quests that present small bits of lore as a reward, which might get grating after almost 100 hours within the sport.

Counter to that, Ultimate Fantasy VII Rebirth supplies gamers with an enormous world that sits simply outdoors of Shinra’s direct affect. The cramped and soiled passageways and corridors of the Sectors are changed with an enormous open world to discover, full with completely different villages and settlements which every really feel distinctive from one another in key methods.

Not solely that, however there’s significant aspect content material to distract you for hours on finish. The aspect quests provide alternatives to deepen Cloud’s relationship along with his celebration members, and are diverse sufficient to all really feel completely different from one another. The World Intel duties can function good methods to interrupt up the open world journey when taken carefully, and the plethora of minigames serve to interrupt up even probably the most dire segments with some levity.

Winner: Ultimate Fantasy VII Rebirth

This one handily goes to Ultimate Fantasy VII Rebirth. It revels within the likelihood to present gamers loads of moments to see the corners of its world and makes it endlessly enjoyable to take action.

Fight & Gameplay

Whereas it’d seem to be there’s a transparent winner on this class, the competition is much from a easy one.

To make sure, Ultimate Fantasy XVI is the sport with the sooner and extra dynamic fight system. Akin to Satan Could Cry or Bayonetta, it provides gamers all kinds of strikes and strategies they’ll use in fast succession to tear their opponents aside sans-turn-based fight parts.

The Summon fights are additionally a key a part of the sport, they usually don’t disappoint. Whereas they’re crammed to the brim with wild anime-esque scenes of huge monsters leaping backward and forward like zero-G gymnasts, there’s additionally a way of weight and impression that helps to promote the sensation that you simply’re battling with — and as — titanically huge monsters of fable.

As for Ultimate Fantasy VII Rebirth, it retains the gameplay type of Ultimate Fantasy VII Remake. Fight skews towards a mixture of turn-based and lively gameplay, which permits for each hack-and-slash brawls and thoroughly orchestrated bombardments with talents and magic.

Whereas this may sound extra gradual and methodical than its competitors’s gameplay, there’s truly loads of room for creativity. One can slash and tear their approach by means of foes quickly by way of hot-keyed strikes and talents, which makes it doable to drag off strikes simply as insane as these seen in Ultimate Fantasy XVI.

And it’s nonetheless greater than doable to go for a turn-based method too. One can select to activate a mode which makes it doable to present orders to the sport’s characters because the battle progresses, turning the sport right into a extremely cinematic trade between the participant and the enemy.

Winner: Tie

This class is a bit too near name. Each video games provide the identical type of innovation to the sequence’ tried and true turn-based fight, however in very completely different ways in which nonetheless work nice all the identical. As such, both one may take residence the win.

Audio & Voice Appearing

Lastly, there’s the audio and voice appearing, and each titles give it their all in these areas.

Ultimate Fantasy XVI’s soundtrack is dire and bombastic, with melancholy tunes for its extra dramatic moments and intense items to go together with the world-ending clashes between its Eikons. Each are used masterfully, and bolster the moments they’re utilized in to actually promote the stakes or emotional impression of every scene.

The voice appearing follows go well with, with performances that may vary from Oscar-worthy to proper at residence within the climax of an motion film. Specific kudos goes to Clive’s voice actor Ben Starr, who carries the sport along with his many line deliveries and spectacular vary irrespective of the scene.

Ultimate Fantasy VII Rebirth is equally spectacular. Its voice appearing is usually a little extra erratic resulting from its bigger roster of characters, however everybody offers strong performances that don’t ever pull the participant too far out of no matter they’re doing.

The sport’s soundtrack, nevertheless, is unmatched. Nailing a wide range of tones, it each revels within the themes of the unique Ultimate Fantasy VII and reinvents them in new and attention-grabbing methods. The result’s a treasure trove of themes and songs which aren’t solely excellent accompaniments to the sport however stand out as wonderful tunes in their very own proper.

Winner: Ultimate Fantasy VII Rebirth

Regardless that Ultimate Fantasy XVI has the higher voice appearing, Ultimate Fantasy VII Rebirth’s soundtrack units it aside as the higher sport when it comes to audio design. Its OST might be on many a participant’s playlist for months and years to come back, and it deserves all of the accolades doable for that reality.

General Winner: Ultimate Fantasy VII Rebirth

The competition was a detailed one, however Ultimate Fantasy VII Rebirth is the higher Ultimate Fantasy sport in our eyes. It captures the magic of the sequence at its greatest, and nails key areas that any actually nice entry within the franchise wants. If it’s a must to choose between the 2 video games, Rebirth is hands-down the one to check out first. As soon as that’s executed, give the opposite a glance to cowl your bases and enjoy what is well a brand new golden age of Ultimate Fantasy.