It’s a great time to be a Final Fantasy fan, especially considering that every mainline game in the series is available on consoles, PC, or mobile devices. Final Fantasy 7 Remake is unique among these in that it is technically also a sequel to its original version, made many years after the fact. As far as fans know right now, it’s more of a meta sequel than anything so direct, but there have been direct sequels to numbered Final Fantasy’s in the past. Final Fantasy 4, 7, 10, 12, and 13 all have some form of direct sequel in game form, whether that’s something that adapts a side story or is a follow-up to the main plot a few years later.
While many enjoy the anthology feel to the Final Fantasy franchise, and that style does have many benefits like the ability to constantly try new ideas and tell different stories, it would still be great to see some of the old casts again. The fact of the matter is that many Final Fantasy games could do well with a modern sequel, whether that is in the classic sprite-based style, the Bravely Default chibi-modernized look, or just a whole new game built however Square Enix wants. It’s a nerve-wracking proposition, but there are so many great worlds and characters lying on the cutting room floor that something could surely be done with them.
Final Fantasy 1, 2, and 3
The idea of sequels to the original three Final Fantasy games is an interesting one, but probably not what anyone would think of when the subject comes up. The gameplay of these titles is awfully dated, and each game's plot is very simple. Besides, much of what’s threatening their worlds is dealt with by the end of each game, with only roaming monsters remaining.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to bring the casts back, as demonstrated by Final Fantasy 2: Dawn of Souls, which added a super-dungeon explored by dead party members from the base game. Final Fantasy 1 could expand upon its vague post-apocalyptic elements in a prequel showing the downfall of its ancient civilization, and Final Fantasy 3 could start a whole new quest with its guest party members teaming up to fight in the Light Warriors’ stead. There are ways of making sequels to these games work, but they would be more for novelty than anything.
Final Fantasy 5 and 6
Final Fantasy 5 and 6 have worlds and gameplay that are much more open for expansion. These sequels would show what the playable casts are doing after the endings of their respective games. Bartz and Boko would continue adventuring, possibly wrapping up their old friends in a new quest. And after so many appearances in other games, Gilgamesh might be able to finally return to Final Fantasy 5 as a party member, bringing his character arc to a close — before fate conspires to send him back to the Rift to continue his franchise-wide tour, of course.
Final Fantasy 6’s world was left in a heavily altered state by its finale, but there are plenty of fighting-capable party members left to continue adventuring. Perhaps an extreme sect split off from the Gestahlian Empire, or a remnant of Kefka’s cult, is still vying for power in the recovering world. Regardless, it would be nice to see Locke and friends in action again, and many of them could still have interesting playstyles without violating the loss of magic at the end of Final Fantasy 6.
Final Fantasy 8 and 9
However, as nice as all of that would be, those aren’t the games Final Fantasy fans tend to think of when asking for a remake or sequel. Final Fantasy 8 and 9 still have plenty of fans who want to see them get a similar treatment to Final Fantasy 7, and Square may want to look into doing so after the Final Fantasy 7 Remake series concludes.
Final Fantasy 8 could shine with another take on its junction mechanics, and Triple Triad will be great regardless of what game it shows up in. It wouldn’t be too hard to have the party continue their efforts to sort out the various sorceresses and Guardian Forces plaguing/being plagued by the world, and there could still be some political machinations to sort out. A sequel would also finally put the old “Squall is dead” theory in the ground, which a subset of fans would probably be very happy with.
Final Fantasy 9 is another instance of a sequel being used to revisit its characters, but it would also be a good chance to revisit its themes. Seeing the Final Fantasy 9 cast deal with the continuation of their lives would be fascinating, and would present opportunities for plenty of heartwarming moments. This hypothetical game could also pick up the loose and abandoned plot threads of the original, including restoring Hades as a villain instead of hiding him as a secret boss and blacksmith.
Final Fantasy 15
If there’s one Final Fantasy game in desperate need of a sequel, it’s Final Fantasy 15. Final Fantasy 15 is infamous for its clearly rushed final third, with the empire of Niflheim and much of the World of Ruin cut. Final Fantasy 15 Royal Edition did some work to make the game’s finale feel more fleshed out, but there’s still a lot that’s clearly missing. It would take a sequel’s worth of development time to put in many of the areas that were intended to be included and ended up scrapped.
Of special note is the game’s cancelled DLC episodes, which were supposed to flesh out Aranea, Luna, and Noctis’ own role in the world at large. Luna and Noctis’ DLC were also intended to lead into a new ending where the heroes take the fight to the true source of all their misery, Bahamut, and end the Starscourge without any of them needing to die. This alternate ending is present in the book Final Fantasy 15: Dawn of the Future, but it could certainly use its own game. Besides, fans would love seeing Final Fantasy 15’s beloved party get the send-off they truly deserve.