Been enjoying FFXVI a lot so far. The plot feels like a mixture of Ff tactics (class warfare, noble born son who identifies with lower classes, not quite a bastard), FF14 (many from the same team, combat is very tight and involves reading clear cues to react to), and FF6 (imperialists abusing magic, etc).
The combat is far better than 15 as it's been tightened way more, feels like simplified devil may cry. The game gives you an option to use accessories that simplify combat so that it's incredibly accessible, but if you feel that using these accessories later is too easy you are benefitted by freeing those accessory slots for ones that give stat boosts.
Anyways it feels good to be able to enjoy an FF again. After 12 I kinda gave up on them (tried 15 and dropped it)
FF15 outran its own plot. Like, the first 1/3rd of the game was solid (not FF6/7/9 good, but good enough). Then you get on a boat and suddenly the entire story framework just drops away like the writers ran out of paper and had to start scribbling in the margins to get the job done.
By the end of the game, they were just kinda flinging story beats at you out of a train window.
The game tried to pack way too much new technology under the hood. You ended up with these really clunky battle scenes and half-finished dungeons by the end. Not to mention all the hanging plot threads.