Final Fantasy XVI: The Rising Tide review — The circle of water

Leviathan the Lost disappeared from the face of Valisthea over 80 years ago. None know what happened save for a small community hidden in the northern coast. Just before the final battle, Clive receives a missive pleading for his help in rescuing Leviathan’s dominant. The party then sets off to the north to aid this mysterious sender.

The Rising Tide is Final Fantasy XIV’s second expansion, and is far bigger than its counterpart in the season pass. You get a whole new area to explore – thankfully not under Ultima’s Primogenesis – one stage, two Eikonic styles, a boss fight against Leviathan, and even an entire rogue-like mode. There’s a lot here, yet somehow it also still feels very small.

The Rising Tide’s main quest is like a microcosm of the full game, at least in terms of theming. I won’t spoil anything, but it focuses on finding freedom and helping others do the same, making for a really nice reaffirmation before the final act of the base game. While both Joshua and Jill accompany Clive, the real focus is placed on the Dominant you’re trying to help and Shula, the woman who sent the letter to kick things off. I do wish Jill especially got more screen time, but Shula is a cool and interesting character. She’s also the game’s first major character who isn’t white, which is great. Overall, it’s a great addition to the story.

As for gameplay, it’s nice to get back into the typical formula for an area in the game. Progress the main story a bit and a ton of side quests open up, so I always finish those before progressing any further. Some side quests marked with a + symbol will unlock things like your chocobo, smithing, and the item shop, allowing the new town of Haven to be a useful hub for your adventures. Most of the side quests involve combat, which is the perfect chance to test out the first new Eikonic style, acquired early in the DLC’s story, Leviathan.

Leviathan’s style focuses on ranged attacks. Pressing Circle will have Clive use a miniature Leviathan head as a super soaker, with Square becoming a ranged spread of three shots and triangle forming explosive spheres of water near the enemy you’re targeting. You can’t just shoot forever though, and you’ll need to reload by pressing Circle again and completing a timing minigame. Failing will still fill you up to 100% but succeeding will grant unlimited ammo for a short period of time. Meanwhile, Leviathan’s abilities include a lengthy rapid fire of water that requires you to stand still, a crowd control ability that will shove multiple enemies together, a chargeable, multi-target burst of shots, and an ultimate tsunami. I really like having something more active that actually does decent damage, unlike Odin’s ability before Zantezuken, so this stayed on my loadout the entire DLC.

There are new enemy types to contend with over the course of the expansion, such as the dreaded Tonberries, but it largely feels like more of the same. That’s not the worst thing as more of the same is still great, but I was hoping for something more as a paid expansion, at least gameplay wise. Visually this is one of the coolest areas in the game, with a frozen wave always in the distance and ruins perpetually crumbling and stuck in time. I’m a sucker for that kind of thing, making the new stage instantly one of my favorites. The music here is amazing, and it’s got a great, challenging boss fight too that I look forward to tackling in Final Fantasy mode.

The battle against Leviathan was also very difficult, I died at least three times just trying to figure out how to avoid some of his attacks. It’s not unfair, but it does take a few attempts to figure out what’s going on. The thing I did find frustrating was how much of the fight was just me spamming ranged attacks while trying to catch up for melee, only for the titan to flee to the other side of the arena before I could finish a single combo. It makes this feel less like a fight and more like an endurance test. While I wasn’t a fan of the music that played for the majority of this fight, Leviathan’s theme from XIV does cut in at one point which is a fantastic touch.

After completing the DLC, interacting with the Arete Stone in the Hideaway will reveal two final surprises: Ultima’s Eikonic style and the rogue-like Kairos Gate mode. Ultima’s style allows Clive to hover in the air, with the ability to to use magical wings for melee attacks and a barrage of un-aspect magic shots. Its abilities are incredibly powerful too, but often leave you vulnerable while charging. It’s great for crowd control given its wide hits and ability to keep pressure on multiple targets, though given its long charge time it’s less useful for one-on-one encounters.

The Karios Gate sees you tackling a series of 20 floors, each with several waves of enemies or a boss fight. You don’t have access to your equipment or potions, but you do have Torgal and any Eikonic abilities you bring with you. Between floors, you can swap Eikons or use purple points earned for clearing a floor with a high score to permanently increase your stats for that run and green points on more temporary boons. This is truly an endgame challenge, requiring you to be at your best at all times and plan ahead for when you might need a boon in a pinch. You’ll face enemies and bosses from throughout the game, so knowing your opponents is also a must. It’s incredibly challenging, and I was only able to reach the 10th floor in my time with it. I adore the combat, and this is great for giving the game a bit more longevity and really putting your skills to the test.

Final Fantasy XVI: The Rising Tide review — The circle of water

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