I love FFXVI, and I understand the pacing and sidequest criticisms. I'm nearing the final boss battle, and let me tell you, the pacing gets worse as the game goes on.

The sidequests feel like all the budget was funneled towards the huge setpiece moments (which are cool), and then everything else was tacked on as an afterthought. They're just so flat and boring. I do recognize the need for quiet moments in between the huge bombastic scenes, and sidequests sort of do that in the beginning, but they just drag. On. So. Long.

It's hard to understand when there's 5 high-octane boss battles in a row in between two 4-hour fetch quest sessions.

I do really enjoy the story and characters overall, though I have some criticisms here, too. (Like Jill being relegated to "useless damsel".) I enjoy the reflection of the slavery themes in both the beginning and end of the game, the fact that the characters want to overthrow oppressive systems for the good of all (and are allowed to! Refreshing!), the dark tone, the political focus. I find Clive an incredibly endearing protagonist. I think the deciding factor for if you enjoy the game is whether or not you like the story, since it's what holds everything together.