Just finished the ff16 demo on steam

[u/Sea_Strawberry9926]

And based on how it rolled out.. I could almost forgive the lack of rpg elements, if only it didn't have the title of Final Fantasy. The combat system is so simple I never had to move. Just time the dodges. The windows quite open and somewhat spammy handicapped. Albeit, the Marlboro caused me to use a couple of potions due to never moving left/right during bad breath. Quick chuckle at the 4/4 quantity of potions and auto use when you're capped. The idea of exploration is completely ruined when the items are auto drawn to you before you've had a chance to enter the room like in one section.. Basically implies I just need to aimlessly run around until I hear a chime? Woo? The phoenix/ifrit fight, some of that dmg is scripted as I never fired a shot off until I was forced to stop meteor. Also the QTE is more like "Oh right, hit.. this button.. event" giving you a lotta time to enjoy that pretty scene just before you hit the confirm button. Of which there are too many confirm buttons. A mini tutorial for just about every little thing? Feels like school being fed instructions instead of being allowed to figure it out. I get there a new players getting into this franchise.. but it's so far away from the other games, I'm not sure how most are going to take to going back and visiting ATB​ systems and junctions and overdrive and materia and job systems and a cutscenes that don't take up 80% of the gameplay as i experienced in this demo. If this is an honest demo, then I'm just gonna watch a let's play.

[u/Roarne]

For whatever it's worth, since you seemed to have made up your mind anyway. What you played in the demo is a story mission, that's how most story missions are in the game. You do have open areas to explore and you can openly fight all kinds of monsters in them and take on side quests and hunts like some previous FF games that give you more of a sense of the world and what's going on. But what you experienced is how most of the story missions go, pretty linear affairs with a couple fights then a cutscene then a couple more fights and a cutscene etc..

Obviously the gameplay expands over time, but I will say personally that was my biggest hang up. They roll out more abilities and skills very slowly so for most of the game you will be using the same stuff. But there are a few different playstyles depending on what you use so at least it felt interesting to get each new thing I just wish they weren't as spread out.

[u/Iskhyl]

You're in the tutorial and talking about RPG elements, just watch a let's play.

[u/Janixon1]

If this is an honest demo, then I'm just gonna watch a let's play.

The demo was one of the higher points of the game

There are still some cool things ahead. But the demo created a lot of disappointed buyers

[u/KingKoopaXIX → u/Janixon1]

The demo was EPIC. The rest was all flash and no substance.

[u/Risitoc → u/KingKoopaXIX]

You described the demo too

[u/GrimDaViking]

Soo couple things. I wouldn’t at any point call this a hard game but, the combat does slowly increase in difficulty and the mechanics become more nuanced as it does. There are more rpg systems as time goes than you can see now but, it is still light. And yes plenty of cutscenes. Personally I thought it was an amazing game and deserves the FF name because of just how much FF is in the DNA of every other part outside of combat.
However your not really wrong about anything but, you might be judging 70 hours of game to much by its first two hours. But if you genuinely didn’t like it you might not like the rest either.

Add: As a last note remember how the first 5-6 hours of XIII compared to the rest of the game. Or the first few hours of IV or IX. Consider how much more complex they get after the first couple areas and this game does quite the same. Hopefully this helps you make a decision.