This is a long rant from a long time fan of the series.
Feel free to disagree and discuss but please be respectful.
I feel like the problem is that they try to adapt Final Fantasy to industry trends and make it a mainstream franchise.
Final Fantasy used to be regarded as probably the most quality of jRGP series (and this was when it really was not at all trying to be mainstream).
Dragon Quest on the other hand stayed true to it’s identity and even though the gameplay have barely changed since the beginning it’s more loved than ever before.
I think Square Enix needs to take a step back and look at Final Fantasy the same way they did when they created Final Fantasy IX.
Final Fantasy does not have to be a flashy action RPG, it doesn’t need to have the best graphics.
But what it needs to have is a great story, great memorable characters, charm, nostalgic moments, a sense of character growth (both as a story element and in gameplay) and loads of nostalgic elements.
for me the last great FF game was X and X-2.
XII had fun gameplay and a decent story, and I have to admit that I like Balthier. But the rest of the cast was boring and nothing interesting really happens between them.
XIII was not much better, in fact the gameplay got even worse with it’s linear approach and the boring way it handled side quests and how you acquired new gear.
XV - they changed the entire genre to action RPG, but they did it in a worse way than in Kingdom Hearts. In fact, Kingdom Hearts feels more like a Final Fantasy title than Final Fantasy XV did.
And the game is brutally short for a Final Fantasy title.
So they started adding more chapter (that does not carry over items or levels)
this just took you out of the main game and into another very short game in order to expand the story. Very poor way of doing it.
Final Fantasy VII remake is actually not a remake, but it’s actually fits the definition of a reboot much better...
And what other remake can you think of that changes both story and genre??
And the next part I heard is going to take the story in a completely new direction.
I really don’t get it... Why? Was it needed?
After all the backlash that Square Enix have got the last decade and a half, why don’t they just give in and take the safe route? it would be so much easier..
They just need to stop treating Final Fantasy as their experimental playground and just do what they do with Dragon Quest.
Stay true to the formulas that are proven to be working.
If they wanna experiment and out try new things then create spin-off titles or new IP’s.
Or revive some of their older franchises. The Mana series comes to mind..
I believe that if you buy a mainline Mario game, you expect certain things from it.
You expect it to be a platformer with tight controls and fun power-up’s. You certainly wouldn’t expect it to be a first person shooter.
And it’s the same with every franchise, if you change too much then you change the identity of the franchise.
This is even more apparent with a franchise like Final Fantasy (Where the stories and characters are completely unrelated from one game to the other)
This franchise is really only held together by gameplay mechanics and some things like returning names, races and monster enemies.
So it’s better to keep improving a working formula and just adding smaller twists or gimmicks to make it feel fresh.
And put the most effort on telling a new Final Fantasy story
At least this is what I think,
But hey! I am not a game designer
Feel free to disagree and discuss but please be respectful.
I feel like the problem is that they try to adapt Final Fantasy to industry trends and make it a mainstream franchise.
Final Fantasy used to be regarded as probably the most quality of jRGP series (and this was when it really was not at all trying to be mainstream).
Dragon Quest on the other hand stayed true to it’s identity and even though the gameplay have barely changed since the beginning it’s more loved than ever before.
I think Square Enix needs to take a step back and look at Final Fantasy the same way they did when they created Final Fantasy IX.
Final Fantasy does not have to be a flashy action RPG, it doesn’t need to have the best graphics.
But what it needs to have is a great story, great memorable characters, charm, nostalgic moments, a sense of character growth (both as a story element and in gameplay) and loads of nostalgic elements.
for me the last great FF game was X and X-2.
XII had fun gameplay and a decent story, and I have to admit that I like Balthier. But the rest of the cast was boring and nothing interesting really happens between them.
XIII was not much better, in fact the gameplay got even worse with it’s linear approach and the boring way it handled side quests and how you acquired new gear.
XV - they changed the entire genre to action RPG, but they did it in a worse way than in Kingdom Hearts. In fact, Kingdom Hearts feels more like a Final Fantasy title than Final Fantasy XV did.
And the game is brutally short for a Final Fantasy title.
So they started adding more chapter (that does not carry over items or levels)
this just took you out of the main game and into another very short game in order to expand the story. Very poor way of doing it.
Final Fantasy VII remake is actually not a remake, but it’s actually fits the definition of a reboot much better...
And what other remake can you think of that changes both story and genre??
And the next part I heard is going to take the story in a completely new direction.
I really don’t get it... Why? Was it needed?
After all the backlash that Square Enix have got the last decade and a half, why don’t they just give in and take the safe route? it would be so much easier..
They just need to stop treating Final Fantasy as their experimental playground and just do what they do with Dragon Quest.
Stay true to the formulas that are proven to be working.
If they wanna experiment and out try new things then create spin-off titles or new IP’s.
Or revive some of their older franchises. The Mana series comes to mind..
I believe that if you buy a mainline Mario game, you expect certain things from it.
You expect it to be a platformer with tight controls and fun power-up’s. You certainly wouldn’t expect it to be a first person shooter.
And it’s the same with every franchise, if you change too much then you change the identity of the franchise.
This is even more apparent with a franchise like Final Fantasy (Where the stories and characters are completely unrelated from one game to the other)
This franchise is really only held together by gameplay mechanics and some things like returning names, races and monster enemies.
So it’s better to keep improving a working formula and just adding smaller twists or gimmicks to make it feel fresh.
And put the most effort on telling a new Final Fantasy story
At least this is what I think,
But hey! I am not a game designer