Final Fantasy 16 is a Redemption for Asura’s Warfare
The time we spent at Cultured Vultures Towers was probably similar to that of many other people in the world. We played a great deal of Final Fantasy 16. The latest installment in Square Enix’s RPG series is FF16. It’s a little different from the previous entries, with a focus more on action than RPG. But the Devil May Cry combat and the bombastic set-pieces have kept us entertained over the last couple of weeks.
Final Fantasy 16’s anime-inspired Eikon battles are what make it stand out from its competition. The game has more cinematic moments that are incredibly beautiful. They feature giant monsters destroying each other in stunning scenes. These moments are rare, and you may not see them often if your main goal is to complete all the sidequests and quests between story beats. But when they do arrive, they can be utterly beautiful.
It’s not a new comparison, but the Eikon battles in Final Fantasy 16 bring to mind Asura’s Wrath. This underappreciated game was released on PS3 and Xbox 360, back in 2012. Asura’s Wrath, developed by Capcom was basically a playable animation experience that combined beat ’em-up gameplay with rail shooters, and lots of fast-time events. All three are key parts of Eikon’s fights in Final Fantasy 16
Asura’s Wrath received some negative reviews when it first launched. But seeing the same concepts re-emerge in a new release a decade later feels like redemption for a title I loved as a child. It felt as if we would never again see Asura’s Wrath. So, to see Final Fantasy allow those same ideas to thrive on a larger stage is a great redemption for a game I loved when I was younger.
Asura’s Wrath’s gameplay is criticized by longtime Final Fantasy fans for its style. The FF16 game is certainly simpler than the other Final Fantasy games. We don’t say that’s the way the series should go forward. But there is a clear desire for Asura Wrath-style gameplay.
Perhaps the success of Final Fantasy 16 inspires Capcom to create more for Asura’s Wrath in the same manner that Ghost of Tsushima inspired Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio to release Like A Dragon Ishin! The west. Capcom has yet to release Asura’s Wrath for PC. It would be great to have a remaster of Asura’s Wrath that includes the true ending. Asura’s Wrath has a very special place in me, but that DLC disaster was “not it”.
It’s nice to have the style and ideas of an old cult classic resurrected. We can only hope that we will see Asura’s Wrath-like games more in the future.
