In the trough of the wave
With The Rising TideNaoki Yoshida's team undoubtedly had their posterior between two chairs. On the one hand, it was necessary to dwell on the case of Leviathan, the last Primordial, while mixing it with the great intrigue of the game, without making this new story essential to understanding Clive's overall epic. The result is a completely ancillary story, despite subjects and characters that are intimately linked to the heart of the main plot of Final Fantasy XVI.
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Clive and his troupe are here invited to unravel the secret surrounding the emissary of Leviathan, who finds himself imprisoned, or rather frozen in time, within the sublime region of Mysidia. A quest that allows us to change scenery, literally, by making us leave the sad purple grayness of the world for a region where the blue sky shines, and reminds us that Final Fantasy XVI can offer a real technical boost when it is served by lighting that highlights it.
Even though this new quest attempts to provide bits of lore explaining why Leviathan is no longer one of the Primordials to be reckoned with, don't expect any earth-shattering revelations, or anything that will really change the way you look at the base game's narrative. Which is not necessarily a bad thing given that we don't want the game to rely on DLC content so that we can understand everything it tells us (right? Final Fantasy XV), but you should be aware of this when purchasing this new content. Especially since it will only take you three to four hours to complete this mission.
We can hardly console ourselves with the unsurprising but dramatic story surrounding the Water People, their emissary and Shula, the warrior who serves as our guide during the epic and who even comes to lend us a hand in combat. It's difficult to really get excited about this parenthesis in Clive's adventure, which despite everything offers great moments of bravery.
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A torrent of action
We owe this in part to the new and final battle of Primordials, opposing Ifrit to Leviathan. These bosses were one of the strong points of the initial game, and The Rising Tide wants to celebrate this with a totally epic and impressive clash, with several distinct phases punctuated by always enjoyable compositions from Masayoshi Soken (we wouldn't have said no to a little more new tracks here that said). We find what Final Fantasy XVI knows how to do better here, even if the fight would undoubtedly have benefited from being a little shorter.
The games against the Primordials have always dragged on, but this is especially visible against Leviathan. Which is also the fault of a great difficulty, despite the numerous checkpoints. Even if we won't complain too much about having a bit of a challenge, better balancing was undoubtedly possible. This battle remains despite the apotheosis of the DLCwhich also did not wait for its conclusion to impress.
Because the other enemies, like the Tomberrys, that we encounter also provide confrontations worthy of the name. As evidence a boss capable of freezing time and summoning numerous weapons, which also offers one of the best clashes of all Final Fantasy XVI.
Especially thanks to its diversity and the number of abilities in its possession, since even if it remains a HP bag, it never makes the fight monotonous. This once again shows that the gameplay of this episode goes much further than simple button mashing as we sometimes hear.
Especially since unlike the previous DLC, The Rising Tide provides something to expand Clive's abilities in combat. Thanks to the powers of Leviathan (which we fortunately recover quite early in the DLC), our dark hero can sort bursts of water from a distance by transforming his arm into a cannon.
He is entitled to skills that use this power wisely, but also to a slide that makes Clive significantly more skillful than normal. Enough to push the dynamic of the fights a little further while offering a feeling quite different from what the other Primordials have to offer.
The gates of hell
He also gains another power (just as pleasant) by going to the Kairos Portalthe additional mode which is added to the training stele in the Landmark.
This is an almost rogue-like mode in which we must face around twenty enemy waves, punctuated by bosses, while increasing Clive's powers as the levels progress. For example, you can choose between Benefits and Virtues, which will offer passive bonuses over time or only for a limited number of floors, with many possible choices to best personalize your own Clive.
In short, a good mode for those who are fans of scoring and looking for difficulty. We would simply have liked to have a little madness in the arenas presented, which are always the same (except for the bosses) apart from a color filter. We console ourselves with the definitely retro interface of this mode, which refers to the first episodes of the saga. A nice, although surprising, nod.
A change of scenery worth a look
The sadness of these arenas contrasts especially with what we saw a few hours earlier in the game, thanks to the region of Mysidia. It's very simple, This is the most beautiful area the game has ever presented., which offers breathtaking panoramas. The frozen wave which serves as a landmark in the settings is striking, but so is the entire lush forest which surrounds it.
The light effects are particularly well done and the ruins of ancient temples blend in wonderfully with the rest of the decor, so much so that we don't mind exploring this place with the help of the game's new side quests, which are also successful. than in the basic title (so, not really). Everything is still very narrow in a large corridor which has few junctions, and that's a shame, but the slap in the face is there.
The Rising Tide is a little more substantial and worthy of interest than was Echoes of the Fallen, in particular thanks to the sumptuous region that it brings and the great spectacle that it brings. From there to qualifying it as essential, even if you liked the game, it's a big step that we won't take, the fault of a fairly conventional new quest, always imperfect balancing and a short lifespan. a little short. If, on the other hand, you were totally won over by the gameplay of this episode, the addition of the additional powers and the Kairos Portal mode will undoubtedly justify the purchase a little more.