IGN FF16 review is almost like a critique of FF14's own issues

[Kisshu]

The ludicrous amount of padding it does, have got to be some of the worst game design in 2023. It's funny because we chalk all of those similar issues in XIV to it being an MMO with 1.0 jank, but apparently it's just a CBU:III thing, because they brought the same exact jank with them to a single player game. I don't know if it's just that they're stuck in a bubble and have only really worked on an MMO, so they don't really know how else to design a game or what.

The padding quickly becomes obvious.

"Come, we must get to the Phoenix Gate.

*Gets to Martha's Rest

"Well, the bridge is out, so you have to find our carpenter to fix it.

*Finds the carpenter

"Good job finding the carpenter, but he can't repair the bridge in a single cutscene. So you have to go see some dying bearers.

*Bridge is finally repaired, on to Eastpool

"Hey, before you can exit this gate, I need you to talk to this old dude, who just so happens to have wandered off so you have to find him first

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Not even done with the game, yet it's nearly every time a village becomes a bottleneck I have to solve that area's problem before I can get past it.
Martha's Rest, Eastpool, Amber, Northreach (Tbf, it was after getting past it that the quest starts), Dalimil, Boklad.

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I do enjoy the game, but unlike some I really don't hope that this is the future of Final Fantasy in gameplay design and story.

Also a bit of a personal gripe. In the intro as young Clive you have the dragoon boss with an awesome thematic intro, looked so good. Then in the Greatwoods you got the Ninja boss, not a special intro but a nice cinematic ending. King's Fall boss was another dragoon, but still had a nice intro with the wyvern and the mirage jump part.
But after that it felt like human bosses just were less focused and never really used the job themes that well outside of the Dominant fights.
Even the Black Shields was another dragoon fight without anything special. Could have been so much cooler to introduce a Dark Knight here to keep the job themes going.