For those that don’t keep up with the latest Final Fantasy news, many believe that the next main entry in the series, Final Fantasy 16, will launch alongside or shortly after the next generation of consoles this holiday season. Though a simultaneous launch would be amazing, a lot of launch titles have already been revealed, and given that nothing has been said about a Final Fantasy 16, it seems unlikely. Still, long time fans of the series and newcomers alike are absolutely loving Final Fantasy 7 Remake, so it could make a good basis for how the next entry in the series will look.
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Final Fantasy 15
Disregarding Final Fantasy 7 Remake, the most recent main entry was Final Fantasy 15. While Final Fantasy 15 may have launched to less than favorable reviews, the game has redeemed itself quite a bit since then. Still, the combat system is lacking in depth, as the player can mostly get through any fight with just two buttons. Furthermore, the AI is incredibly deficient, as even making a build based on powering up Noctis’ teammates leaves them mostly useless in any major fight, especially given how many fights they are excluded from.
Arguably, Final Fantasy 15 did have a good story with compelling characters and some pretty cool moments, though. The main focus of this entry was the bond between all the characters, something which no other game has quite replicated, although the Final Fantasy 7 Remake makes Midgar feel alive in a similar way, as well as building strong connections between characters. Still, most would agree that Final Fantasy 16 needs to take a different direction than Final Fantasy 15, at least to a certain degree.
Final Fantasy 14
Final Fantasy 14 had similar problems at launch, albeit to a much greater degree, but has since been completely rebooted and is now one of the most beloved MMORPGs on the market right now. Unfortunately, that very denotation is also what takes it out of the running as the being the basis for Final Fantasy 16.
Given that Final Fantasy 14 is still going very strong with the release of its third expansion, Shadowbringers, it would make little sense for Square Enix to try and tackle another MMORPG at this time, especially with the new Final Fantasy 15 MMO coming out. Beyond that, it is unlikely that fans even want another MMORPG right now, as the audience for such things is admittedly more limited than a standard Action-Adventure RPG.
One thing that Final Fantasy 14 has done incredibly well is weave an amazing story full of intriguing characters that the player actually grows to care for. If Final Fantasy 16 takes anything from this title, hopefully it will be the epic worldbuilding and character growth that is prevalent throughout its entirety. Obviously a lot of the social features and mechanics will need to get left behind, but perhaps Final Fantasy 16 could be one of the first multiplayer titles in the main entries of the series.
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Final Fantasy 13
Final Fantasy 13 is yet another beloved entry in the series, but is honestly quite old at this point. The first game set in that world was released 11 years ago way back in 2009, and even the third installment, Final Fantasy 13 - Lightning Returns, is seven years old by now. What this entry did well was bridge the gap between the older battle systems of Final Fantasy 10, 11, and 12, which use a combination of turn-based combat and the ATB system, and modernize it into something that looks and feels a lot more engaging. This kind of feel has transferred over to Final Fantasy 7 Remake (albeit in a more action oriented way) more than any other title, as Final Fantasy 14 obviously went for a more MMO appropriate system.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake
Final Fantasy 7 Remake feels like the culmination of everything that was good about every entry before it. The freedom of movement in combat found in Final Fantasy 15 returns in full force, characters are developed more than ever before and the relationships between them feel real, just like in Final Fantasy 14. Finally, the remake makes battle look cool and feel free but not at the expense of a truly deep and engaging system, much like Final Fantasy 13. It really feels as though Square Enix has learned from all of their past mistakes and successes and packed everything they could into this game.
It only makes sense, then, that Final Fantasy 16 will mirror this kind of gameplay while enhancing on its flaws even more. What more, Final Fantasy 7 Remake still has at least two more episodes to get better, all the while the company will no doubt pay attention to what works and what doesn’t. The remake even brings back older staples of RPGs, such as somewhat vague choices the player makes early on affecting things in later segments of the game. These kinds of things are what people have been asking for this whole time.
Final Fantasy 16
Of course, Final Fantasy 16 will have its own brand new setting and characters, a unique story, and new ideas like every Final Fantasy game before it. Another request from many fans of the franchise is for the series to return to its more fantastical roots, meaning players might be leaving motorbikes and machine guns behind in Midgar when it finally comes time to play the sequel. Really, only time will tell what direction Square Enix decides to take the franchise from here, but Final Fantasy 7 Remake has certainly impressed fans and would work great as a baseline for the future.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake is available now exclusively on PS4.
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