Recurring conventions grow on long-running game franchises like ivy, gradually becoming traditions. Oftentimes, the full merits and drawbacks of these tropes are only fully appreciated after a fresh installment makes a sharp break from what came before. This dynamic, a balancing act between reverence for the past and future reinvention, is especially evident in the Final Fantasy franchise. After a series of experimental titles, compilations, remakes, and futuristic outings, Final Fantasy 16's crystal-saturated medieval setting is poised to serve as a return to form.
But not everything that is old is new again. The gameplay on display in Final Fantasy 16 seems to closely resemble Final Fantasy 15 and Final Fantasy 7 Remakes' action-oriented combat systems. At time of writing, there is no evidence as to whether the game will make use of menu-based combat or ATB bars at all. This begs a simple but potent question: What hallmarks from past Final Fantasy titles should make a comeback? And what new affectations should be laid to rest?
Final Fantasy 16 has already shown off several franchise staples, including the concept of nation states built around magical crystals—Mothercrystals, in the game's parlance—and individuals known as Dominants who are capable of summoning the series iconic, elemental deities referred to as Eikons. The trailers that have been revealed so far also show off other familiar fixtures, including the faithful Chocobo bird-steeds and noxious Malboro plant enemies. But there are other, bigger features the game should borrow from prior Final Fantasy titles.
Putting 'Role' Back into Role-Playing Game
Early installments of the Final Fantasy franchise revolved around variations of the "job system," which itself was a riff off of Dungeons & Dragons' character class framework. In certain titles, like Final Fantasy 4, characters were largely locked into classes based on the game's predetermined narrative, but in other games like Final Fantasy 5, the player could change characters' classes on the fly. Apart from their stellar implementation in Final Fantasy 14, jobs have fallen to the wayside in recent main series installments, and it would be refreshing to see classes make a comeback in Final Fantasy 16.
One of the problems with a fully customizable class system, however, is that characters can end up feeling fungible. If everybody has the potential to become everything, nobody has a meaningful mechanical identity. Final Fantasy 6, 7, and 8 circumvented this problem by allowing the player to customize characters magic and equipment freely while giving them special, character-specific skills to make them feel distinctive and suitable for specific roles. Final Fantasy 16 could mix both of these systems, giving characters changeable classes with learnable skills that supplement character-specific abilities.
It must be acknowledged there is currently no guarantee that Final Fantasy 16 will feature a playable party, as all the screenshots to date show Clive in solo-combat. Therefore, it might seem pointless to have a robust job system, as certain classes excel based on their ability to synergize with others. But classes should return even if Clive is on his own, as they would present the game with an opportunity to differentiate itself from other action games like Devil May Cry, Demon Souls, and even Square Enix's own Final Fantasy 7 Remake.
A Medieval World to Get Lost In
The sharpest, most consistent criticism that has been leveled against recent Final Fantasy titles is their comparatively linear story-telling. Rather than developing a large, open world that is ripe for exploration, the player proceeds from one corridor or playground-like level to the next. This is a huge missed opportunity, as one of the reasons fans adore older Final Fantasy games is their capacity for immersion and exploration, and players have asked for more freedom since Final Fantasy 13 launched.
Earning an airship in a classic Final Fantasy title was thrilling, because it meant the player was finally free to explore the entire world map. Finding a secret area that held valuable equipment, magic, or best of all, an optional party member, gave those earlier adventures a sense of personal discovery and made the experience feel more like a virtually realized tabletop game than a playable blockbuster.
Hopefully, Final Fantasy 16 will give players the chance to explore, because the game's apparent time-skip gives exploration a whole new dimension of potential. If players have freedom to explore the world, Clive's actions as a teenager have the potential to lead to lasting changes in those regions when he is an adult. There is no need for a complete focal shift to Fable-esque "all actions have consequences," causality, but seeing Clive make a choice in act one that ends up paying dividends in act two or three would be a brilliant evolution for the series, and another way to make the game feel immersive.
A Self-Contained Quest
While freedom is intoxicating and appealing, there is one respect where Square Enix should try to reign Final Fantasy 16 in. Since the launch of the three-part Final Fantasy 13 saga, every main installment of the Final Fantasy franchise has been fragmented in some way or another. Final Fantasy 14's story is phenomenal and poignant, but divided between expansions, and as an MMO, the story never really draws to a close. Final Fantasy 15 was released with a transmedia barrage of crossover stories and DLCs, but rather than expanding that game's world, each disparate piece of content contains information that is absent or under-developed in the main narrative.
More than anything else, what Final Fantasy fans want to see from the next game is a completed story. Something whole unto itself, with a well-built beginning, middle, and, most importantly, a definitive ending. There are few things more frustrating than reaching the end of game, especially a mind-bending conclusion like Final Fantasy 7 Remake's, only to know that answers, and the next instalment, are years away.
No matter how Final Fantasy changes throughout the years, the best-loved games that have gone on to expand, spin-off, and crossover, first started out as self-contained narratives. And that is a trend that desperately needs to return to the franchise. Square Enix has yet to announce a release date for Final Fantasy 16, so the title is still likely a long ways away. Fortunately, eager players have several compelling options to get reacquainted with the Final Fantasy franchise, and the general state of JRPGS in the interim.
Final Fantasy 16 is currently in development.