After playing the first few hours of Final Fantasy XVI in preparation for an upcoming review, I’ve come to a pretty disappointing conclusion. This might easily be one of the least accessible Final Fantasy games I’ve ever played in terms of gameplay. I was skeptical of the inclusion of the “timely accessories” when they were announced as an alternative to traditional difficulty and accessibility options, but now I feel justified in that skepticism.

Since Final Fantasy XVI plays more like Devil May Cry than a traditional RPG, you might expect difficulty options to offset the more intense combat system. Instead, at the start of the game you are given several “timely accessories” that can be equipped to provide various alterations to the gameplay.

One accessory increases the amount of time you have to evade, one automatically blocks/parries attacks for you, one executes combos with a single button press, and one eliminates the need to issue instructions to your hound Torgal. These all sound simple enough and there are a few others, but there is a glaring issue here. For every timely accessory you equip, it takes the place of an accessory you might need to use otherwise.

Instead of being able to equip things that increase your attack, defense, or provide another effect in that slot, you’ll have to settle for having that timely accessory instead. Why couldn’t these have been options? Why punish players for needing them by eliminating a place to adjust/increase stats? This is just another example in FFXVI of how for every proper accessibility option they put in place, something else is missing.

I’m not going to go into a lot of detail on what accessibility options are and aren’t available here, because that’ll be in the main review. However, it is very clear to me that the Accessibility team for Final Fantasy XVI clearly missed the mark. Additionally, it makes things glaringly obvious that Square Enix’s teams don’t share the same accessibility staff, because games like Final Fantasy VII Remake do difficulty options and accessibility options exceptionally well.

My feelings about Final Fantasy XVI are complicated, and this is one of many reasons why. Had the timely accessories been made into options that could be toggled, they’d be an interesting idea. As it stands, players with mobility or endurance issues are punished for needing help, by eliminating slots for other accessories that could be useful.

Phenixx Gaming is everywhere you are. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Also, if you’d like to join the Phenixx Gaming team, check out our recruitment article for details on working with us.

Phenixx Gaming is proud to be a Humble Partner! Purchases made through our affiliate links support our writers and charity!