Final Fantasy XVI is back with its first of two major story DLCS. Despite early claims that there were no plans for DLC content, fans were always confident that there would be eventual DLC options, with a missing primal and a seemingly useless door existing in the game.

The first of the two DLC expansions for the game is out now. A brisk three-hour experience, Echoes of the Fallen serves more as a ‘sorry we forgot super-bosses, here is some’ form of content, more so than a story rich DLC piece. New weapons, accessories, enemy variants and even a slightly increased level cap, Echoes of the Fallen adds some aspects to the endgame that players felt was lacking in the original release. Alongside the new in game features, there is also a Buster Sword weapon and an orchestrion roll of ‘Away (1987)’, which allows for a chip tune version of the song to be played in the hideaway. The Buster sword is more cosmetic than useful, with the weapon being very low in stats.

Echoes of the Fallen takes place in the very last segment of the game. Before heading into the final encounter with Ultima, Lady Charon reveals a worrying appearance on the black market. Dark crystals have begun to circulate, with people being desperate for any crystals they can get after the destruction of the other Mothercrystals. Almost in response to this sudden revelation of the potential of a hidden Mothercrystal still existing. For the most part, that is about as much story as this DLC really offers. There is an encounter with a group of traders who have apparently been able to enter a Fallen Tower for centuries, that nobody else had been able to. And whilst they seem to have some importance, their actual relevancy to the DLC is limited.

For players who were looking for more challenge in the endgame of Final Fantasy XVI, Echoes of the Fallen exists to fill that void. The story is light, explores what the Fallen were capable of, and finally gives relevancy to a door that served no purpose in the base game. The upside here is the four major boss fights are all incredibly well designed. These are easily Final Fantasy XVI’s version of super bosses, but realistically, they fall short of any other super boss from the entirety of the series. Interestingly, they are reminiscent of former super bosses in other titles in the series, without being direct copies of them. This is something that Yoshi P has done a tremendous job within Final Fantasy 14, and you can feel his influence here, even in a piece of content that lacks the heavy story he is typically known for. 

Beating the DLC will also allow you craft the new strongest weapon in the game, as well as give you two new equipment pieces to craft to +2. The problem with this being that you must beat the final boss of the DLC to be able to craft this gear, so it becomes somewhat redundant after the fact. The only major benefit to this is if you cleared the DLC on the base mode, and then went into the scaled up Final Fantasy mode (the New Game+), to give yourself an early boost and benefit. It may also be helpful going into the second DLC that is slated to release later into 2024.

The ideas presented in Echoes of the Fallen are interesting and could have benefited from being explored further. A deeper insight into why this group of traders have been able to access this seemingly inaccessible tower. More insight into how this new Mothercrystal was truly created, and why the synthetic eikon Omega exists. The story was forsaken for the benefit of having a focused combat experience and does lend more credibility to the initial plans for no DLC expansions for Final Fantasy XVI. The four major boss fights, and the battles between them are easily some of the best in the game. The final boss is one of few boss fights challenging enough that death is a real fear. For those looking for a bit more of that action-based combat of Final Fantasy XVI, this relatively cheap first DLC is a good pick-up. If you’re wanting more story and a deeper look into the already lore rich world, it may be worth holding off until the second story DLC drops, to reinstall this behemoth of a game.