Final Fantasy 16 is almost here. But for those of you with a PlayStation 5, it won't be long now. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait a little longer before the latest installment of Square Enix's long-running RPG graces our beloved PC setup. How long will we have to wait, you ask? Director Naoki Yoshida probably doesn't know. First, there is no port to PC at all - buy a PS5 wink wink nudge nudge - and now the answer seems to be that it won't be ported as soon as the console exclusivity is lifted, but it will be at some point.

Perhaps one of the advantages of missing out for an undetermined amount of time is that all reviews and initial reviews are private far in advance. However, reviews have come in from a number of sites, and while the general critiques are consistent across the sites, the scores seem to vary considerably. Reactions to the "Game of Thrones"-like storyline have been a bit mixed, and the side quests have not been universally received. Final Fantasy 16 currently has a very impressive score of 88 on Metacritic.

Eurogamer: 3/5

We start with a Eurogamer review by Edwin Evans-Thirlwell. He praises the game's boss battles and Devil May Cry-style action combat, but laments the overblown world and side quests. The lore library, packed with all kinds of information, was also criticized." More "over-the-top" than "useful," it is thankfully mostly negligible. The same cannot be said for the many side quests that give useful items, crafting materials, and XP.

Push Square 9/10 Robert Ramsey

Robert Ramsey of Push Square feels much more positive about Final Fantasy 16's story." The character-driven story is epic and intoxicating, the fantastic world-building is superb, and the brilliant battles are ripe for exploding." However, he said the side quests left something to be desired, especially the early side quests, which were "mind-numbingly boring," pointing out the difference in quality between the main story and the side quests.

"Final Fantasy 16 is an epic, rarely seen epic at its best. It is the pinnacle of cinematic spectacle in modern gaming, with a gripping, emotional story that rivals the great battle systems." The overall quality falls off outside of the main storyline, but this is still a must-play action RPG and the best single-player Final Fantasy in over a decade."

IGN: 9/10

IGN's Mitchell Saltzman was among those who praised Final Fantasy 16; Saltzman also noted that the early side quests were tedious, and while the RPG aspects were "a bit underdeveloped," the action elements He also found the action elements "all top-notch. The Active Time Lore feature was also a big selling point for Saltzman, who appreciated the immediate access to game terminology and history at the touch of a button, even during cutscenes.

"The active-time lore feature is fantastic and should be the standard for all story-driven games going forward, and the combat, while perhaps not up to the sky-high standards of some of the other action RPGs of the best games in the character action genre, is near the top ' he writes.

"It has one of the best soundtracks of the year, great performances around every corner, and gorgeous visuals.

TheGamer: 9/10

Like Push Square and IGN, Jade King was a big fan of Final Fantasy 16. While she praised the game's combat, story, and "spectacular" boss battles, she lamented the lack of opportunities to explore the world of Valistia." Unfortunately, she wrote, "many of the large towns that appear in cutscenes and large battles are not fully explored." Instead, you walk through them as part of a mostly linear mission with only a few dozen battles and the occasional cutscene."

While King calls it an "outstanding package," she adds: much of it is a result of "Final Fantasy 16" desperately trying to set up some part of the story or create a combat system that goes beyond using three different abilities that you can trust while hitting the same button repeatedly. In trying to do so, it is awkwardly hampered. As great as the opening is, these shortcomings are doubly annoying."

Polygon Not Scored

Gita Jackson's review is not far behind Eurogamer's. She found the boss fights and "great action" excellent and called it "a fast-paced action game that makes you want to play it over and over again." However, she felt the story left something to be desired and called its poor comments about slavery. [Worst of all, the plot is the exact opposite of the gameplay. In some cutscenes, the characters' dialogue blurred through my brain like water off a duck's back, and I found myself falling asleep." This is not to denigrate the voice actors; they all did their best with what could have been very boring material. Ben Starr's performance as Clive stands out in particular, as does Ralph Inson of "Game of Thrones" fame. However, I have seen this story in much the same way, not only in novels, but also in movies, songs, video games, and even other Final Fantasy games.

GamesRadar+: 4.5/5

Sister site GamesRadar is also quite positive about Final Fantasy 16, with Iain Harris writing, "The design decision to make Final Fantasy 16 an action-RPG is one that will open the door for those with a slight interest in the series. The design decision to make Final Fantasy 16 an action RPG will open the door to those with a slight interest in the series," said Iain Harris. However, the accessories that can be equipped throughout the game will give all players the opportunity to feel eikonic," he writes.

Harris noted several visuals that make the screen difficult to follow, breaking up the flow of combat and making it difficult to continue fighting while the spectacular effects play out. Overall, however, he praised the game for taking the series in a new direction. By eschewing turn-based combat in favor of combo-driven meat-and-potatoes combat, "Final Fantasy 16" recaptures the series' inherent spirit of innovation. This new approach to action blends with a world that begs to be explored and a beloved storyline powerfully rendered by a voice cast." Overall, Final Fantasy 16 is an experience on par with the series' classics.

DigitalTrends: 3/5

Giovanni Colantonio is not as sold as some of the more favorable reviews. He wrote that the RPG "has a sluggish approach to storytelling, with most of the world-building done through long conversations with dead-eyed NPCs," and noted that the side quests in particular are "unusually weak for the team behind the beloved 'Final Fantasy 14.

Colantonio also criticized the "disjointed story," but was favorable about Final Fantasy 16's "extraordinary" boss battles. Throughout the story, "Clive awakens his inner demons and faces off against monster-sized monsters in shocking, cinematic battles. These battles constitute all of Final Fantasy 16's best and most varied moments," he wrote.

Like Eurogamer, Colantonio also stated that he wished the play time had been closer to an action game. Each battle tells its own story through epic action, showing that the creative team has a true gift for visual storytelling." If this were a 10-hour intensive action game built around a handful of those battles, it would be one of the best in the series. But its surrounded by 40+ hours of games... And it is hardly gripping."