We're weren't totally convinced that Final Fantasy 16 needed story-based DLC, but now that we've played through Echoes of the Fallen — the first of two promised expansions — we're actually glad it's happening. If nothing else, this additional slice of adventure is a welcome reminder of how flashy and downright fun 16's combat can be.
Clocking in at only three to four hours, Echoes of the Fallen isn't the kind of RPG expansion that'll be remembered for generations to come. Essentially, it boils down to being a linear trek through a brand new dungeon, although it does slot quite neatly into the main game's existing story. Indeed, it takes place just before the conclusion of Clive's tale, and sheds some more light on the lost civilisation of the Fallen.
Initially setting off to uncover the origins of strange crystals that have suddenly found themselves in the hands of the populace, Clive and his pals follow up on a lead that takes them to a giant Fallen tower, known as the Sagespire. As you can probably guess, our heroes are tasked with climbing to the very top of this architectural marvel, facing off against all manner of monsters on the way.
The DLC's definitely a bit light on story — outside of, as mentioned, some fresh context surrounding the Fallen — but it makes up for that with some banging boss battles. The action's as enjoyable as ever, and while the combat system remains rooted in what the base game has to offer, you do get access to some intriguing accessories that might just inspire a slightly altered approach (alongside a sick new sword).
All in all, Echoes of Fallen feels like little more than another chapter in Final Fantasy 16's story — but it's a good one, especially in terms of action. Oh, and it might just feature the most insane boss encounter in the entire game, if you can believe it.
Comments 34
If anyone's got any questions about the DLC, let me know and I'll try to answer them.
Short?... yeah, I'm out. Takes a decent sized DLC to get me to refire up a game.
@tselliot For what it's worth, the second expansion coming next year is supposed to be quite a bit bigger. But yeah, redownloading a huge game and then relearning how the combat works can be a tall order when it's only for the sake of a few more hours.
The game’s just kinda done for me. One of those been and gone things, I rarely re-download for a DLC.
Damn, guess it's time to reinstall.
I was very much expecting this dlc to be short because of the fact that it was announced nearly 6 months after the game came out. Still a fun time and especially with the final boss that was genuinely a fun challenge. I am hoping the next DLC expands on the basic moveset because when you get to the part where you need to fight goblins in the blighted area of Eastpool it really shows how lacking the moveset is. Also if they are to add the Leviathan would that not change the ending of the game?
I bought the expansion pass and I'm playing through Echoes of the Fallen as we speak. It's more of a great game!
Note: the expansion pass is $25, but Echoes of the Fallen is $10 a la carte. That tells me the next expansion might be $20 on its own, provided buying the pass does provide a discount instead of paying full price for both expansions.
I already bought the expansion pass, because I loved the game and definitely want to play both DLC's, but now I'm thinking I'll wait for the second one to drop and incorporate both of them into a complete replay of the game.
I don’t even remember how to play lol imma have to touch that training thing to refresh my memories
My current save has Clive at level 92 with best equipment. I don't see this dlc last long for me.
Wow the title art is great!
I finished it today and agree with everything.
It is short but it fleshes out the “fallen” lore, gives you nice equipment and lets you enjoy the combat, visuals, and characters once again (not you Jill, your meek, cardboard-presence is as useless as ever )
Very enjoyable, I was honestly sad I couldn’t hop on the next adventure right away and I had to part ways with Clive once again. It’s like that good book you just want some more of.
@AndyKazama I was in a similar state and got to level 100 in the expansion. The enemies scale a little bit in this game so you’ll be fighting level 90+ enemies.
@ShogunRok how easy did you find it to drop back into the game after a break i tend to forget the controls and how to play titles pretty quickly after finishing a game - and having completed 16 at launch, i am curious if its a tall order to drop back in
@Rob_230 I hadn't really played FF16 much since I reviewed it, but getting back into the swing of combat didn't take that long. Muscle memory kicked in after a few rounds in the training mode, and then I was fine for the DLC. Some of the bosses are quite tricky, though!
@Nei Must admit, while I was playing the DLC, part of my brain was saying "maybe you should start a new playthrough after this". Would like to do a full New Game+ run at some point!
I bought it and have it downloaded! I’m gone this weekend but it’s on my list to play when I get back.
For a very lackluster base game, it doesn’t surprise me they’ve done the bare minimum with this dlc.
@SlySnake0407 Yup. Exactly my plan too.
Well, that explains why this is $9.99 and the Expansion Pass is $24.99. I thought that was weird, but the fact that this is just a dungeon is why.
If The Rising Tide is pretty good, I will consider getting the Expansion Pass and actually playing through both then. I'm not firing up the game again just to play through 3 or 4 hours of one dungeon.
@ShogunRok if you played all the way to the end of Final Fantasy XVI I do not think you will forget the combat and have to relearn it.
hey there's the thing, it's inexpensive, fun, challenging (at least for me) and grant's you nice gear as well as expands the level cap by 5 levels.
I don get why people complain about the length of this DLC, it's not supposed to be this massive expansion, and hey, we'll get more later on as well.
I think i'm going to wait for the full expansion and startva new playthrough.
Off topic: why isn't the new ffvii rebirth trailer being posted on Pushsquare?
Think I'll wait til the second DLC releases. It's been a while since I played FF16 so by now I have forgotten how the combat works which means I would need to relearn it for a short DLC and then again relearn it once the second DLC releases
I got torn away from the base game by a string of new releases, so this’ll be a good excuse to hop back to it and complete the base game along with the DLC, after BG3 of course. And Goodbye Volcano High. And Sea of Stars. And…
Think I might wait until both DLC’s are released before I dive back in.
I’ll doubt I’ll ever play it, but if I do it will be combined with the next expansion. 3-4 hours is just too short to dive back into it and for me as a FF fan it already wasn’t a very strong game to begin with. Also, € 10 for 3-4 hours is quite expensive.
For me personally, Final Fantasy XVI was my favourite game of the entire year, so when I heard that the first DLC dropped, I wanted to play it right away. But now, like a few others here, I think I’m gonna wait for the second part to release, and then start a whole new playthrough. I properly adore this game and I’ll soak up all that fresh DLC in the spring.
Considering how boring and dull the combat is i can't see myself ever buying this. Expansion Pass just seems to exist because.
Finished the dlc it was alright looking forward to the leviathan dlc more though! I forgot how to play the combat so I wasn’t as good as I was when I first played the game lol
Seeing as there's nothing else coming out next week I guess I'll be buying the Expansion Pass. I haven't even started Final Fantasy XVI anyway because of the so called PS5s getting too warm issue which has since been fixed and it looks like the perfect time to jump in.
Really enjoyed the base game and plan on jumping back into these expansions once they are both released. I don’t want to relearn how to play only to forget once again and relearn next fall as well haha
To be frank, by the end of it, I was really tired of this DMC, FF wannabe experience, as I didn't particularly enjoy the combat in the first place, so wouldn't pay for more of it.
@The_Pixel_King From what Ive seen in an interview the second DLC is apparently 8, maybe 10 hours long so yeah it would definitely be recommended to wait until the second dlc comes out in spring.
@ShogunRok any side quests? Or just the main path towards top of the tower ?
@Uromastryx No side quests, just a linear sequence of main quests.
I didn't like the base game, no interest in a low effort DLC for it.
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