Final Fantasy XVI: The Rising Tide DLC is finally here. With over 80 hours into the base game and more than 10 into the DLC, here’s my honest review of The Rising Tide.
P.S. This review is written with the assumption that you’ve played FF16—so I won’t go too much into the base game mechanics.
New map (Mysidia)
Mysidia is about the same size as Rosaria, which is, to say, not very big. The terrain is mostly forest (which, what a surprise, right, considering Leviathan is their Dominant). There’s nothing too special about it aside from the hordes of Tonberries and the local’s gripe with the monsters’ penchant for dark curses.
The devs made good on their promise to integrate more combat into it, but I wish the explorable overworld area was a little bigger.
Score: 3/5
New Eikons
One of the best things about The Rising Tide was the new Eikons you can gain. That’s right: Eikons, plural. Of course, there’s Leviathan as marketed, but you also get another, more powerful Eikon after completing Mysidia’s story. Both are some of the best Eikons I’ve ever used in the game. I’ll keep this review spoiler free, but I do talk more about them in depth in this Eikon guide.
These new Eikons were a big help in Final Fantasy mode, which I semi-abandoned a year ago in hopes of getting better kits to tackle it with. Suffice to say, the new Eikons did the trick.
The Leviathan fight was also rewardingly challenging, something that no previous Eikon battles can boast.
Score: 5/5
Kairos Gate
FF16 The Rising Tide is heaven for combat addicts. Aside from new Eikons, you also unlock Kairos Gate in the Arete Stone after your journey through Mysidia. It’s a fire-filled adventure down into the 20 circles of hell.
Kairos Gate grades your Eikonic performance and combos with points you can use to purchase enhancements and boons in stage, allowing you a slightly better time trapped in hell. Is it inspired by DMC5? Absolutely—which makes it great! The levels are even timed, if you thought three dozen enemies weren’t enough halfway down.
Score: 5/5
Story
Of course, while there are plenty of good things about The Rising Tide, it also has its downsides—the most notable one being its story.
Final Fantasy XVI: The Rising Tide narrates the story of the Motes of Water, a tribe thought long lost to the history of Valisthea. Their humble civilization is hidden far north, behind a veil that turns unsuspecting eyes away from their location. Their patron deity, Leviathan, is apparently not as lost as the stories foretold as well. Its Dominant, a babe by the name of Waljas, is alive yet frozen in time.
The entire premise seems really intriguing, right? As a lore enthusiast, I thought so too. The problem lays in how this story was executed: with one tapestry and lots of exposition. No cinematic flashbacks of Shula’s people and the moment Waljas was trapped. Just Shula’s character model telling the tale with the occasional quip from Joshua and Clive. And this pattern goes on until the main story of The Rising Tide finishes. The immersion just wasn’t there.
Story: 2/5
Side quests
Final Fantasy 16 has a penchant for hiding important things in their side quests (be it the fast travel chocobo and island lore), and the ones in The Rising Tide are no different. In fact, I would argue that not doing the side quests will render Mysidia's story incomplete. This was one of my biggest issues in the base game, and it continues to be one here.
For example, and if I may spoil some non-important info: Haven (the village) is something Clive comes to recognize has an “ideal” place at the end of the DLC—proof that bearers and non-bearers live as equals and strive to survive.
But where in the story do you learn that the village has bearers at all? That’s right; in the side quests. If you did not do them, what should have been a gradual realization before Clive spoke probably came off as a weird, out-of-the-blue exposition.
Related: All Final Fantasy 16 Secrets
The side quests themselves are nothing different from the base game’s, expect perhaps the fact that they all involve combat.
Score: 1/5
Verdict: A DLC only worth it for its addicting combat additions
Final Fantasy 16: The Rising Tide brings with it a lot of cool things that make the $24.99 worth it, such as new Eikons, Kairos gate, and more. However, as you may have noticed, most of them are combat-related. If you didn’t play and enjoy FF16 for the combat, The Rising Tide DLC is not for you to purchase.
A free copy of the DLC was provided to PGG by the publisher for review purposes.
For more Final Fantasy recommendations, check out my Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth review here on Pro Game Guides!
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Final Fantasy 16 The Rising Tide Review: A combat-filled journey through Mysidia
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