They need to learn from capcom, capcom did a great job to rejuvenate there famous IPs after all the hate RE5&6 got they made a great comeback re7&2&village and 4 remake were all huge hit
I'm 42 years old and FFXV was my entry game into the FF games; being so, I really enjoyed the FFXV and FFXVI combat systems. I never liked the traditional base-turn combat back in the day, even though I enjoyed it very much while playing Persona 5. So, in relation to the combat system, I'd say I'm inclined to give it a try to the base-turn concept. However, going back to pixel art is a hard sell, in my opinion; whereas something in the line of a Persona, in which the aesthetic is pretty much timeless, as I see it, would really benefit the FF series. The pixel art still work in certain scenarios, but I don't believe many people would like to see a FF game going in this direction.
I wouldn't like to see it go back to SNES style pixel graphics. I think the golden age for final fantasy was 7 to 10. I agree it doesn't have to be a huge AAA title, maybe something like Dragon 11 with more cell shaded graphics. With that said ff7 rebirth was the perfect modern final fantasy for me.
Rebirth is awesome. It has issues but I'm enjoying it regardless. I'm currently at Gold saucer. The series should use Rebirth as a template going forward. FF16 was pure garbage by the way. Absolute crap smh
@hotcoldman77 YeahbI completely agree, every FF should be based of the rebirth model. I enjoyed ff16 at the start but the more I played it the more boring I found it. I ended up putting it on easy and speed running to the end just to finish it.
I agree. Not pixel graphics but heavily stylized AA title graphics. It doesnt need to be 1:1 real life ass graphics if the gameplay and story are great Or they can even reuse assets from Rebirth and 16 to save production cost.
@sosbrigaders yeah just use the ground work from rebirth ideally. I'd even take a chiby style game like a modern ff7. Or a modern ffx style game. I also believe turn based would be cheaper to make.
When 10 came out, I was over-the-moon, thinking about what the future of Final Fantasy would look like. Little did I know at the time, because the future looked so bright, that it didn't actually HAVE a future.
I think 16 bit style graphics are cool, but the best era of FF was the era of 7-10. Those games had great characters, beautiful visuals for the time, and were much better experiences than the snes games. Going back to the snes era would be a massive over correction and mistake.
Everything that you mentioned, I feel FF14 does the best. I'm someone whose fav FF games were 7, 6 & 9, with 10 right behind them. Friends were bugging me to give 14 a chance & I refused for years, but my god... I haven't got such a nostalgic feeling playing an FF game ever since the old days. And in terms of character writing, story & ESPECIALLY villains & emotions. Nothing even comes close. Heavensward is peak, but Shadowbringers & Endwalker were honestly the best story I ever experienced in gaming. I'd even say FF14 is the most FF game of them all. And that's coming from an OG hardcore FF1-10 fan who refused to give 14 a chance for years. Although, I do admit, the base game is very slow and the start can easily get boring, but my god is the payoff worth it.
Yea. 14 is the only worthwhile thing final fantasy has done in a long time. The problem is...their competition puts games just as expansive in offline games like elden ring and cyberpunk.
I’d play that. Actually yeah, doing remakes of 1-6 with octopath-style graphics wouldn’t take up nearly the resources of a AAA title and everyone would buy it. They could release one per year, ending with a compilation release with extra content on year 7 if they really want money.
I’ve heard this. I honestly don’t think I’ll ever get to it purely because of the time commitment needed to get through all of the different expansions which is unfortunate but who knows, maybe I will one day.
@@ErekLadd That's why the free trial is so long, going up to the second expansion now, so you can take your time and see if you jam with it. Even when you're caught up, you can play a few weeks at a time when new story patches drop. The mmo aspect is mainly in the endgame and casual social aspects, otherwise you can take XIV as multiple single player games, like XIV-0, XIV-1, XIV-2, etc... for each expansion, up to XIV-5 (very soon).
Yup, From Heavensward and on, and especially Shadowbringers, is top tier FF. Easily as impactful as some of the biggest story beats in the classic FF games. Except in this current age of impactful games like Last of Us so that's saying something.
@@ErekLaddWith XIV, you can easily think of the whole thing as a series rather than a single game. Each expansion's story basically ends with a sequel hook that is a good place to pause, think about what you've experienced, and maybe play something else for a while.
The point about pixel graphics (or maybe just simpler 3d) is the one I discuss with my friends since maybe ff13, when it started to become more and more evident that the difficulty of developing of all this high-end 3d graphics is forcing games to be less in scale. Seriously, do we really need these 4k AAA graphics, or would prefer more content, but with graphics like in Octopath Traveller II (which still looks just gorgeus).
Pixel graphics - personally I don't think so, it won't sell as well as you might think; as much as I love that style, pre-FF7 JRPGs were mostly flops in the West (and FF7 was "the" AAA JRPG of the time). Maybe they could do better in Japan, but I'm not sure, as they're moving towards mobile games/gacha instead. Something like the recently unveiled Expedition 33 - absolutely; turn-based system/smaller parties with tighter writing, with more modern graphics could work. Think Lost Odyssey, but Final Fantasy, and released on all the possible platforms for maximum accessibility.
@@nixilaas8071 Right, my point exactly. Something like Final Fantasy Dimensions (maybe with higher production values) would be solid as a spin-off, but as a mainline game I'd rather see something closer to Lost Odyssey with modern tech advancements and maybe some twists on the formula.
Been watching your vids lately, and I just realized you're the same guy who does covers of game music - I remember using your awesome Legend of Dragoon remix a while ago with your permission. Kinda blew my mind you're the same dude lol. Keep the awesome vids comin' man!
The merger killed Final Fantasy and Square Enix has not made a single entry on par with Squaresoft and Sakaguchi works. There were a few decent ones but none i would consider a masterpiece.
In my rambling opinion, the primary struggles Final Fantasy faces is that it's pushing 40 years old as a series and that it's grown so massive. I poured over the Nintendo Power Strategy Guide before finally renting the first game in the early '90s. Within a year or two Final Fantasy II was released, and that became my favorite until October 1994, when I bought Final Fantasy III. From 1990 to 1994, we got three games, plus Mystic Quest if you want to count that. Little did we know that there were actually six (+1) games dating back to 1987. Each of "our" games grew in presentation, size, and story: the quest that the Warriors of Light embarked on seems simple and straightforward (if extremely difficult) compared to Terra and crew resisting an Empire and eventually taking on Kefka in a ruined world. Gamers, like games, change. The latest game in the series that I've played is FFXII. It was enjoyable, as was FFX, but the pixel-based relative simplicity of the first six titles will always be my favorite era of Final Fantasy. I think that any life event can change how we view video games, regardless of genre. It just so happened that FFVII marked the last game in the series that I could devote a lot of time to. By the time FFVIII came out, I was a father, and I enlisted in the military not long after FFX was released. Naturally, I'm going to look at the hours I spent playing FFIV and FFVI with rose-tinted glasses, while FFI reminds me of my introduction to the series and FFVII marks the beginning of the end. To date, we have 16 main games, plus countless spinoffs, related titles, and remakes. Of these, I have FFI-X, FFXII, and a few of the outlier games (I might have even spent real money on Brave Exvius). A few days ago, I bought the Pixel Remaster bundle on Steam, and have been sitting here playing FFI about 34 years after first reading about the epic quest, and FFVI nearly 30 years after first inserting FFIII in my SNES. In the interim, I've bought rereleases and such on everything from the PS1 to the GBA/DS to PC to mobile; I probably have/had six versions of FFIII/VI alone. Someone like me, who has enjoyed some of the newer games and wants to check out the latest FFVII iterations, would probably be well-served with a throwback title or two. While FFIV: The After Years was somewhat flawed in presentation, I played the heck out of it years ago, as it brought back familiar characters with a nostalgic playstyle. I can't really say how Square-Enix could save Final Fantasy, but I think that the two games that are usually declared the "best" says a lot about how we feel. For me, FFVI is the absolute best, though I'm on the threshold and might have jumped on the FFVII bandwagon had I been born a year or two later. FFVI represents the pinnacle of 8-and-16-bit Final Fantasy and will forever be "the best". FFVII marked a transition to a more spectacle-driven experience, and fans of that game are probably much more receptive to the modern visuals and gameplay of the latest entries. Of course, that game is 27 years old itself, so it's entirely possible that a newer generation views it as little more than a blocky mess of graphics with some annoying gameplay elements (animations, hard-to-see maps, etc.).
LOVE the Zozo theme featured in the video. I agree with a lot of your points. I grew up with 4 and 6 so maybe I'm a bit nostalgic here. But I LOVE turn based battles when there is strategy required. I also agree with make magic matter and make Summons fun again. I played through 10 and 12 recently and while I loved both and had a lot of fun with them, I really didn't use magic in either outside of Lulu in 10 and anytime there was a battle that halted physical attacks. Going back to pixel graphics sounds fine to me too. I loved Sea of Stars so there is no doubt in my mind I could be captivated by a Final Fantasy with pixel graphics.
Dq11 style final fantasy would be ok. Turn based combat, old school jrpg snes psx mechanics, but modern graphics and voice acting. But even better would be HD-2D style like Octopath or the upcoming dq3 remake. We dont need or want the amazing 3d graphics like 16 or coomer fanservice waifu ism.
I actually remember thinking that graphics are becoming so much the norm that they forget you can tell a great story without even having to go all out on presentation. Bring back the old ways of playing FF and tweak a little bit without abandoning everything. FF10 was probably the last turned based game I enjoyed as a turned based game. FF12 probably as left field for me with gameplay before they pretty much went way way too left field for me to be interested in playing. They are lucky FF7 is a popular game but after that, u dunno...
Great video Erek! I do agree that SE should definitely keep that whole "old-school" thing going. I mean even if they continue with FFXVII to be the next over the top, action, spectacal thing, it would be great if they at least have like a new FF spin-off series that focuses on the style of FF I to VI. Would be neat to see that happening.
I like or love most of the mainline entries along with some of the sequels and spin-offs. Most of them have been "cinematic RPGs." They deliberately used Hollywood storytelling going all the way back to Final Fantasy II (original NES game). But, starting with XIII, they've slowly been focusing on the cinematic aspect over the RPG. I think, to SE, their perfect Final Fantasy would be a playable Advent Children. You can see the philosophy play out in XVI where the game is focused on spectacle over gameplay. Right down to the "Cinematic" QTEs. I think the way you turn Final Fantasy around is to refocus on the RPG elements. Or get Platinum Games to develop the next entry.
If it was up to me, I would start making FF in the style of 1-10 again, with middle of the road HD graphics. What I think SE should do at this point is just split the series like Yakuza did. Keep making mainline ones for the younger ff14 type crowd, and a side series making what i described in the first part of my comment.
I would definitely want to Square go the HD-2D route for future Final Fantasy games (Not spinoffs) and go back to Turn-Based battles. But, I sort of agree and disagree on the "Perfect the party" segment. I do wish Square would look at the Xenoblade series for ideas on how the characters in your party are and even Xenoblade 3 with so many guess characters to choose.
Fan service aside I loved the dress sphere system! It was a level grind I feel like ff has lost sight of what originally made ff great. You covered this very well with this video. Keep em coming.
It is doing well, but sales are also down compared to other IPs. For the brand having as much legacy as it does, it struggles in comparison. But I agree with the above comment - non-exclusives will help.
Because the last entri in the main series is not a final fantasy and the one after that have sales like shit and cost half of squares budget to make and real fans are pistoff , dont know maybe thats why
@@HonestEmillHead Wow I guess I'm not a real fan... and "not a final fantasy" is a subjective opinion, and I don't think you know what "sales like shit" actually is
you know what I believe? If they just Demake some of modern final fantasy games into a turn base setting, it may be fun and interesting. Also adding a party system for 16 in the demake
I'd love to see another conditional turn based system like 10 again or x2's system that was fun too. Strategy is a must have. 10s system was so great and i was surprised that it didnt return. 10 was my first FF. I do love turn based though. Id also be up for an octopath traveller styled game. Really loved the visuals.
The problem with FF now is it’s following and not leading. Also Rebirth was not built for PS5. That was a lie to avoid media questions about exclusivity. Sony just tried to pull a dirty move that ultimately failed.
If that’s true then I’m all for Rebirth coming to steam deck. I actually played 90% of rebirth on my PlayStation portal about 15 miles from my PS5 so I’d be down for it to get ported elsewhere. Agree with the follow/lead comment as well. Well said!
I'm looking forward to Square possibly going even more third-party with their bigger IP's like Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts. For the longest time, they've favoured PlayStation, but if I could play the newest entry in those bigger series on Nintendo, then I'll be one happy man!
While I can't see Square stepping away from trying to make it look as good as possible since that's how they've always done it since entering 3D, however, it would be neat to see a final fantasy side series that is like the pixel remasters or HD-2D, or even simpler 3d like Harvestella, kinda like there being the 2D and 3D Zelda and Mario games.
" since that's how they've always done it since entering 3D," ANd that has now led to the worst profit loss in video game history for a company. Youd be a fool to think they arent rethinking that strategy day in day out for the last couple monthbs.
yeah i'm really in two minds about this! personally i prefer turn based (ff10 was the best battle system imo) and i'm not really interested in cutting edge graphics/realism, so i'd enjoy a pixel game just as much as a 3D one. but even tho a more old school take would be good for me personally, i think i'd rather see them try something new than cater to the nostalgia of fans in our age group (even if that ends in them making a game i'm not interested in, like the last few). that being said, there's a lot of space to try new things in the turn based/2D pixel realm, so ideally, i'd like to see them focus their efforts on a novel approach to turn based battles!
I don't think you need to go back to pixel graphics to get costs under control, but I'd accept a graphical downgrade if it makes the games profitable. I would love a return to turn based or atb
I think you're onto something with the idea of smaller scale/budget FF games Erek. Maybe Square could work on one big AAA FF game (with, say, a 5 year dev cycle) at a time. And then in-between, they could release one or two SNES or PS1 (or PS2) style games - which cost less to develop, but reach a high level of quality and please long-time fans. I'd certainly be thrilled with that arrangement haha.
@@garrettstickel1189 Potentially! Those games haven't hit the same notes as the classic FF games do for me though. Something about the storytelling, structure, and presentation is quite distinct - even though it's got the character sprites and turn-based combat.
Man, this whole thing makes me kinda sad. But if im being honest, I think the trend of AAA studios aiming for hyper-realism has inflated development costs across all games. I'm always down for some great pixel style graphics, but I might extend from your opinion and say that any stylized art direction that isnt realism is gonna be cheaper and mote memorable in my mind. I want to see artists do more art in games
I really think this would also help with characters portray emotions and could help make them feel more relatable. With the realism stuff I feel that when characters try to emote or show strong emotion it almost always falls flat
I think they should try giving a mainline entry or a major spinoff to an American or European studio, let's see a Dissidia game in a turn-based situation like Baldur's Gate 3. Instead of classic magic and dragons let's see a game based on a more Japanese setting, like Kugane from 14. Let's see more games take place in Ivalice or Vana'diel.
You hit the nail on the head FOR THE MOST PART, with how to save the FF Franchise. I've been preaching this FOR YEARS ever sense FF13 and only now are people starting to wake up and smell the trash heap they slept in. Square is already going multi-platform but THAT ITSELF HAS A SPECIAL CAN OF WORMS As diffrent Consoles have diffrent specs with diffrent ways of development and to even optomize the game to be stable on multiple platforms is gonna cost more in the long run. I agree it shouldnt just be lokced on the Playstation AT THE MINIMUM it should have a PC Release as well, But with the Current Game Clement it may actually be smarter to make in on the Switch/2 Especally with the other points. Yes Final Fantasy MOST DIFINIVILY NEEDS TO SCALE WAY THE HECK BACK They focused on all the wrong things in Gamming and have fallen into the Western Game Development Trap "Focus on Pretty Graphics AND NOTHING ELSE" Focus less on making your characters look like people IRL and pick a Psuedo Anime Astetic that prior FF games had and put way more focus on the Gameplay, Story and Characters after all its A VIDEO GAME not a Movie. I do not agree however they should go back to a Pixel style of game It works for some games but not so much for FF, If anything FF should be in that happy Medium between FF10 and FF12 still have the 3D Graphics with characters and cutscenes and such but far more emphasis on Stylization Like their Competitors Dragon Quest, Persona, Xenoblade ect. I Also somewhat agree they do need to go back to a Turn based combat system, TURN BASED COMBAT WORKS AND IS TIMELESS!~ But they seem to have almost this allergic reaction to going traditional so much so we had this weird on going period where square keeps Reinventing its combat style at first trying to blend Action and Turn based togeather before just saying "Lets just go Devil May Cry" which only works if your game is a Full action game and not a RPG, but FF Is a RPG series so it needs to play to that. Honestly going back to ATB Is Fantastic after all it worked for FF 4-9, But I MUCH prefer FF10's combat system as that was Turn Based combat PERFECTED~, But if they really want to emphasize that "Gameplay" Poriton and add a little bit more action into its game, Well Look at Legend of Dragoon and the Recently announced Clair Obscur Do that! FINALLY SOMEONE ADDRESSES THE MAGIC PROBLEM WITH CURRENT FF GAMES!!! I dont need to comment on that your 100% right. With how you point sutff out later in the video I dont think adding a "Job class" system back into a FF Game would be a Good idea...It COULD WORK but I dont think they should do something like 5 or 10-2, Especally if you want a Character focus narrative like you say later. A Characters Class/Job could help shape their personality and quirks. If anything I think if they did bring back the Job System it should be reserved for the Main Hero Character. I also Agree have about 5/6 Characters and really focus on them and their stories and I will say the problem with square is LIGIT their Writting has been Awful ever sense FF12. For both Characters and Narrative, Theirs some fantastic ideas their but the execution dosent work. They also REALLY need to stop taking Insperation from Modern Day Western Writers because HOLY CRAP the Writting in our own stuff has been peak garbage these past 10 years. I also agree with Summons and I will say FF10 did this PERFECTLY. No FF dosent need to go full Future Fantasy, It works for games like Xenosaga, Star Ocean, Phantasy Star ect but not FF. I am not saying FF needs to stay in Traditional Medevil Fantasy as FF6.7.8, and 10 prooved but if it goes into High Tech Ultra Sci fi We'll end up with something like Spirtis Within or FF13. FF16 didnt really go back to its roots it more or less went to a more "Dark Age" Setting taking to much influence from Dragon Age and Dark Souls. Its true sweet spot is "Fantastical Fantasy" With no Decernable Time period, Something that Emphasizes Magic and Majesty that really makes us go "Wow this World, These Characters This Villain is Fantastic" and gets our Creative Brain Juices a Flowin sorta speal. I say take more Insperation from Something like Pathfinder and the world of Golarion where it combins all elements of Past Preasent and Future and blends them into a Fantastical Fantasy world. And finally, Yes give us a Great Villain we havent had a Decent enough Villain sense well...FF10, Ardyn was a "Good" Villain but he never felt Threatning, Powerful, Stressful, or Vengful. A Good Villain is someone you can "Love to Hate" And they can Range between a Character Villain like Kefka or Kuja to a Force of Nature like Sin or even a Combination like Chaos.
@@Aquylion5555 TBF, Either most Peeps havent played 14 because their broke AF, dont have good internet, dont have a platform to play it on, don't have the time to commit their entire lives to a 2nd life in a MMORPG, dont consider it a number final fantasy entry or all of the above. In my Case its all the above + I stopped buying and investing into FF games ever sense 12, If I played a FF game moving forward it was pee preassure from my firends who already owned the game or watched one of my friends play it, and Jumping ship off the FF Train was a smart move after 12 because holy crap did everything just get worse from there. It also awakened me to how Gamer Journalism is total horse crap. They said FF12 was a 8/10 game fantastic amazing even, my First Warning sign was THE ENTIRE WALL of my Local Gamestop was NOTHING BUT THE COLLECTORS METAL CASE EDITION OF 12 THAT WERE USED! I did play 14 a little bit I played the Free Trail but yeah all what I just listed happened. I aint in High school anymore where I can play 4 to 5 hours a day AND PLAY ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ELSE.
@@lionheart1013 Writing in caps lock won't make your point more valid. That's kind of a strange thing to say that people refuse to play FF14 because they don't have the money for it, when FF14 gives you 3 games worth of content for free. Besides, the devs themselves tell their players to play something else. FF14 is not designed to be played everyday. Just do what you want, stop playing when you want to, come back when you want more. Look, I'm not in High school anymore, I no longer have enough time to do whatever I want, but I'm able to play FF14 when I want to, while also maintaining my ilvl, DM a weekly DnD game, play other games or read novels. I can't do everything at once, for sure, but that's not impossible. What I find truly fascinating with you is that you think nowadays FFs are trash, so you won't try them, and if you do you'll just say they're trash because you've already made up your mind about that.
@@Aquylion5555 Lol I tend to type how I talk and use caps for some emphasis on things, Im weird like that Really? It didnt do it for me!? It only gave me 1 of the games and can only play up to that, unless they changed it in the past 5 years. Regaurdless the game didnt click for me but I see the appeal to others. I've never counted the MMO games as "Numbered" Games just as we dont consider Tactics, Crystal chronicles or Dissidia as the numbered titles because of their Drastic Gameplay diffrences n such. And I do try em, I just dont buy em, I got 2 friends that are absolute diehard of diehards of FF fans that look at every single FF game as "Perfection" it wasnt until FF7RE did they start to 2nd guess and start to see the point I was gettin at. And I don't write every game off I just kept my expectations at rock bottom as to not be disapointed, yet even then some titles somehow disapoint me due to the untapped potential and multiple missed oppertunities and mistakes that were made that could have made em GOY Material, Except for FF13 their was no Salvaging that mess. I often tought the last "Fantastic" FF Title in the main series was FF10. weirdly enough I've been seeing Dragon Quest be more like Final Fantasy lately even Octopath Traveler and Bravely Default. If I knew how to make UA-cam vids I'd 100% be making "How they could have fixed" Vids on a good ammount of FF games, with FF15 and 16 being the biggest 2
SE has a game that has almost all of that called Octopath Traveller. How did that turn out? And please, keep the nostalgia goggles off. I understand that these are your opinions but Final Fantasy has always been about moving forward, not back.
I started playing Final Fantasy with FF7 remake and absolutely loved it, FF7 rebirth is my favorite game of all time, I love FF for its stylish cinematics, world, and Art durection But in no fucking way am going from rebirth to a turn-based pixel classical rpg man 😭😭 do yall purists not want VA too or what now, if I want that I would play Octopath Traveler
I don't think the problems lie on graphic or game play or even settings, what make FF great is the story, everything must revolve around a story that have a theme, with believable characters. It don't have to be complicated, but need to be emotional and relatable!
Disagree with that entirely. Final Fantasy was a global phenomenon well before story was even introduced to the series in ff4. The gameplay is what makes it. Part of the gameplay is the exploration/interaction of the world with your party members, which would help what you are looking for.
@@AKABoondock19 you just don't get it. FF is always up ahead from other studios because of their story, how they tell a story. Graphic is one step behind. And let me tell you, even, i mean EVEN when they are with you on this matter. Then who wants to play a pixel game with a sh** story?
@@AKABoondock19 real mature here! Now i know why your channel has such little views and subscribers. When arguing with someone you should do it with facts and logic you know? I may as well be a child, but at least i don't pretend to be an adult, like you 😏
@@ngochanguyen5099 you think because i uploaded a random video for real life friends a couple times over a decade that I consider myself having a channel? lol
I'm not claiming a clearcut cause and effect here, but my interest in Final Fantasy (MMOs aside) waned as the mainline series shifted away from having a new title roughly every other year to becoming a spinoff machine where we ended up getting a new world every 5 years or so. Incidentally, that's also when the series moved away from its traditional combat systems and storytelling style. Also incidentally, that's when sales overall started going into a consistent decline. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Ffxvis buget was like 300m. It sold 3.4m copies its forst week. Meaning it made more than half its budget back. Its going to be fine. But i think a lot of folks who are hardline ff fans are getting alienated with features, playstyles, and worlds they didnt ask for
You actually believe that the game needs to rely on the PS5's technologies to be able to run? Really? Red Dead Redemption 2 has a larger seemless map and that's a PS4/Xbox One/PC game from five years ago. It also runs just fine on hard drives.
The situation can shift by doing multiplatform but for me SE must fix the budget and maybe the price tag first. Being honest; and respecting SE desire to always push hardware, release it minimun Play and PC day 1 (Nintendo will need their own FF game because they do not push hardware power like the rest and Xbox sorry for the reality check but JRPG are not successful there). I do not see main FF (not even DQ as classic as it is) going back to pixel, on a spin-off order yes but main no; pixel is more a nostalgic need than a factual one. Gameplay wise FF; and coming from completing FFX a few weeks back, going back to that turn based after FF7 Remake/Rebirth I have to ask that FF never go back to turn-based. NOW, making more active what you do durint you character turn is way more interesting (I am thinking how you potent GF and limit breaks in FF8, changing character like in FF10, Xenoblade gameplay overall, even Lost Odyssey and the now Expedition 33 anounce in Xbox showcase) and in the case of magic is making a better enemies design (some only receive physical damage and other only magical) or the job system as you stated. Towards the summons that is a thing alongside music SE has always keep amazing in FF games (main, spin-off, etc.) Party wise please be condensed (4 - 6 characters). Unless the writing is sublime (more than welcome), here the "less is more" phrase applies. Going to FF6 and even FF4 if I remember/love 5 or so characters was it, we do not need 14 characters (specially if they are optional). And yeah... I miss playing a JRPG with a threaten villain
Step 1. Make a full game, no episodes. Step 2. Make it epic like the older titles with lots of story and char development. Step 3. Big customisation, like we used to get. None of this 16 hollowness. I can barely call this an RPG. It was a fun action game, at first. Step 3. Multiplatform Win! Basically for me it's make FF anything like it was from 1 - 12, 14 and Remake/Rebirth. Any of those. I loved every single one of those. I didn't dislike 15 and 16 but they where not FF or RPG to me. I also don't hate 13, didn't like the combat much at first but after playing 15 and going back to 13 I realised how good 13 was in comparison lmao and 13 still felt like an RPG to me. I do love 13 but I wouldn't want to base anything on that going forward not like all the ones before it.
I thought they did well overseas, just not in Japan where most gamers are on mobile and many don’t own a console. Honestly though, it’s time for exclusivity deals to end. Like, in general. Leave the console wars in the 2000’s where they belong. Glad to see the sub ratio improved a bit since the FF8 video 😆
I think the battle systems are more complex than they need to be. Go back to turn based. Agree that materia has become obsolete. Too much variety, more than you'll ever need. I don't think pixel graphics would fly only because it's too niche, but I think something like Final Fantasy X would be perfect.
I honestly cannot see Final Fantasy XVII going back to turned based. And there's nothing wrong with that. If anything, in my opinion, I think they should just reuse FFVII Remake/Rebirth combat system. If not that, then perhaps a modified version of XVI combat with more RPG elements and team members. The only other mainline FF game that should go back to turned based, Is heavily rumored Final Fantasy IX Remake.
Odd you say 10, there didn't seem any pressure to fix it, just more or less the same status quo. Obviously though the characters themselves were desperate to figure this out once and for all
It's way too early to judge FF7 RE as a failure, or its current sales as an indication that back to the basics is the way to go; I plan to buy it as soon as it comes out for PC and I'm far from the only one, though I definitely don't think the juice of PS5 frontrunning is worth the squeeze, and hasn't really done the series any favours.
With realistic graphics and voice acting it does make characters look wooden in some places you can very easily tell a story without voice acting and also cutting costs and maintaing more profits I'd rather have a 1997 FF7 gameplay to 2024 rebirth the game play is too overcomplicated, summons are too short not looking as good as they used too Also with FFX gameplay I love an sphere grid and CTB with a summon sphjere grid game too I prefer turn based games but not tactics style that was way too hard for me but the game was great
Really great ideas! I want to build on a few of your ideas with a paraphrase of something I've heard other people talking about: Games should be shorter, made more cheaply, developers should be paid and treated fairly, and they should take as long as they need. If the games are cheaper to make, then developers can take more risks, because it won't hurt the company as much if it fails. I know it still has to be a big balancing act overall so that companies can stay open, but there's gotta be a way!
Personally I feel like these games take way too long for mid tier quality . Remake and rebirth are incredible , but 13 ,15, and 16 all seem like they are missing a lot of gameplay elements and combat elements
Square Needs To Put That Effort Into Dragon Quest People Are Sick Of FF Just Like COD 2k Madden Shelve It For a Couple Of Years & Let People Have a Chance To Miss It 🤷🏿♂️
The looks has nothing to do with it to me. Even the action based nature doesn't bother me. FF16 had very little strategy involved. It really became a button masher. No weaknesses, no real equipment, no treasure to find, limited exploration. FF15 started this trend. I love more customization and strategy. Jobs, materia combos, magecite... It needs something! FF15 also didn't have very interesting playable characters imo.
Square could be so much better! Square Enix has to come back to the roots and it appears as if they are going on that route! I’m so ready for it! Wonderful plan Erek. I think that pixel graphics are key and like you said, cut the budget in half! Great video Erek!
Does Final Fantasy need saved? Not for me. Please god, do not go "back"! You touched on it with loadsa pixel style RPGs around, so that area is covered. It is ever important that FF keep pushing the envelope and not follow that trend. They have been there and done that and the beauty is, is that they are still around to go back to. Goin multi-format makes sense financially. Turn-based or ATB or whatever is cool, but it needs to evolve cos it can get stale and boring. ReMake & ReBirth nailed it ✌️ I agree with the characters points you made, I like a single character narrative more, but I think we have peaked with ReMake/ReBirth. That is just perfection. In a nutshell, FF is doing the right thing, they cannot go back cos, whats the point, keep it fresh and new and different. Interesting views tho 👍
Going back to pixel graphics and pure turn-based combat, isnt going to save Final Fantasy..... if anything they should go the Ps1 style, but with modern graphics and hardware, that style would look photorealistic, and the worlds and stories could be *HUGE*! But SNES style would doom the series. The main thing they need to do is focus on storytelling and larger than life plots!
Live service games are ruining video game industry. To put in perspective: FF7 Remake released before the existence and launch of Genshin Impact. There's nothing wrong with FF7 Rebirth. It is a great game, just not profitable now that all us weebs are addicted to a bunch of 3D anime gacha games. So yeah. Live-service games are ruining the industry.
It's tough to say, "Make FF17 pixel graphics again." Even if it was HD 2D. Square has already done Pixel graphics with games like Octopath Traveler. With that said, I think a Final Fantasy off-shoot, like Legends or Tactics, would be incredible with that visual style. But the mainline FFs have always been about pushing the boundaries. Hopefully, going multi-platform from the launch date would help.
Not a fan of the mainline series going pixel. The only thing that will do is kill the series. I love pixel games but the vast majority of fans of the series who have found the game since XII will peace out with licel graphics. Meanwhile the sales numbers from older fans won't be there. Sure Octopath Traveler has sold well for what it us, but those aren't Final Fantasy numbers. Turn based? Yes. Strategy/Actual party? Yes. Stylized graphics that can cut down on costs? Sure. Straight up pixel for a mainline game? That's series murder.
I played the first FF on an NES in the 80’s. If FF goes back to pixel art for the main games I’m done. I love my pixel games but no, main line FF should be modern. FF16 performed poorly in a year a turn based game won GotY. That says it all. It should be a turn based game. After FF-13 flipped square chased western trends. They failed.
Besides the non-exclusivity part, this just feels like a nostalgia fueled take through and through. Older than you here, started with FF1 on the NES, and I really hope they don't go back. FInal Fantasy has always pushed the envelope of the system it's in, both in graphics and gameplay innovation. Rebirth is one of the best games they've ever made. Hell no to going back to pixels and turn-based on the mainline series. Let'em build on the new stuff and continue to evolve. Traditionalists always have Dragon Quest.
The games' audience is aging out. The pixel art was very 80/90's. The current melodramatic, sleepy eyed design choices for character design and story choices with the well worn beats are all very 2000's. If SE wants to stay current they simply have to move on to games made for the sensibilities of current generations. FF can't stay for "us". They have to move on or the gamers will move on without FF.
Final Fantasy will never return to its former glory. Period. And exclusivity really, really hurt FF16. I don’t think they can undo the damage. Hopefully we get some good games but it’s never going to be the cultural phenomenon that it was, defining gaming for over decade.
How about turn based and stop holding the games hostage on 1 platform, cmon square I’ve got every other FF available except 14 (not a big MMO fan, looks good just not my thing) on Xbox and $ just waiting for ya
Final fantasy needs to go back to its roots and stop chasing the AAA western market. Look at shin megami tensei/persona,still turn based after all these years and they sell like hotcakes. It’s the better jrpg franchise now and ff has fallen behind. SE needs to look back at ff4,6,8,9. FF needs to find itself again. FF 15 and 16 were made to sell out to the normie audience rather than the fans. We need something special like type-0 again. That was the last great FF
Nostalgia is not necessary better. It would be daunting to do the same thing over and over again and the creativity would just fall flat. The games would never progress if they are still using the same old system.
@@agamersinsanity certain elements of the franchise do need to stay the same though developers just need to mix it up to keep it fresh. FF7-9 is a perfect example. The core elements are there in all three but each had new ideas and variations to the formula. SMT/persona is another great example of this
I've completely fallen in love with FFXIV, and it's convinced me to go back and play through the old games. I'm currently in ff4. I have to say, without nostalgia to influence me, they pale in comparison to the modern games I've played. I loved the progression system and the keyword system for ff2, but the storytelling has been pretty bad for the first three games. I'm seeing a huge step up in ff4, but ff5-7 will need to be much better to justify this concept that the 2d turn based games were better
To me, FFIV is where it gets really good. All of those games are clear evolutions from one another, peaking with FFVI for the pixel based games anyway.
I dont think its a good idea to compare a games storytelling from the 80s with a games storytelling in 2024, altho i guess its somewhat fair, the gameplay loop of FFI and II are about as interesting as FFXIVs fetch quest marathon for dozens of hours, so i guess in some ways they are comparable.
@@yagokain4189 FFXIV tells stories in those fetch quests. I'm not there for the gameplay. The younger me would have hated them both. Now I enjoy them both, but the storytelling makes all the difference.
@@LinkingYellow and ff1 and 2 have an open world like no other on the NES, playtime like no else on the Nes and ff2s story was above average for its time. Also not being there for a gameplay is fine and all, but its a videogame, having good gameplay loop should be the bare minimum and games like ff1,2 and 3 had it for their time.
@@yagokain4189 I don't have any issue with the gameplay loop of any of the games in question. It's just not the highlight. I also think FFXIV's gameplay loop is good for an MMO. But it has, by far, the best story and characters I've seen in an MMO, or any other type of game. I think that makes up for MMO-like gameplay, especially since it does such a great job at leveraging the MMO elements such as the interconnected nature of the NPCs over the massive world, the long-term story that takes so much of the small details along the way and brings them together for satisfying payoffs, and the creative ways the multiplayer mechanics get referenced in the story. The whole "warriors from beyond the rift, heed my call" moment was one of the most satisfying and hype payoffs I've ever seen in a game.
"How Square-Enix Can SAVE Final Fantasy" Yeah. Stop ruining classics by turning them into 'live-action' abominations, or long, drawn out trilogy cash-grabs. Just give the fans what they want, instead of the BS you want us to want.
There are a small number of traditional turn based fans who will play these action rpgs, but its not many going by chats on forums from steam to gamefaqs. Most traditional fans loved FF BECAUSE it wasnt an action title. Lets be honest....Square got greedy. They wanted to tap into the much larger action scene at the cost of their traditional fanbase, and its suffered for it since. Because as a traditional turn based JRPG, they were untouchable. But in the action gaming scene, they arent really anything special. Just another on the pile. Thats why Atlus is leaving them in their dust. I want FF to make a huge comeback, but until they realize this thats not going to happen.
Ff doesnt need saving. They just need to not develop huge open world games with endless side quests that take a decade to make. Give us the job system again. Go back to a proper fantasy setting. 3d is still fine and can work. Ffxv proved however that photo realistic games doesnt make a game a success.
I don't think it needs saving. What it needs is fans needs to stop stigmatize FF14 as like any other MMO. I was among those that didn't skip FF11 and FF14. I am glad too because it helped me realize what Final Fantasy could be outside of tradition. FF11 is still the best experience I had when exploring the world. Ask any veterans to FF11 their favorite moments. Most would say their first journey to Jueno. And FF14 has rekindle my interests in mature storytelling and the journey you take.
I’ve got to disagree hard about the battle system to go with, and on the same note the point about magic. Rebirth is the way on both counts. That beautiful mixture of action and turn based you get with building and spending ATB is probably the most accessible and palatable to modern/younger players and veterans that we will ever see. Turn based games just immediately turn off a lot of the 100 play through. That’s disappointing
i think the right move would be to actually respect the roots of the franchise. And i don't even mean going back to turn based (that being said, i don't see going back to turn based as a bad thing, but square for sure do). I kinda like xvi but it was such a departure that it doesn't feel like final fantasy anymore, it's like they are aiming to sell the game to gamers that don't even play RPGS and never will, it's fuicking mind boggling hahah. I would love a game in the veins of FFIX (a love letter to the franchise), that doesn't feel ashamed of being a traditional final fantasy experience. We are on a stagnant moment where every fucking game looks and feels the same and that is fucking depressing man. Sorry for bad english.
3:30 no pixel graphics… ffs are known for having state of the art graphics for the time they are produced 🥹 Ff16’s magic / abilities definitely helped a lot lol…. It depends on how you play
The reason for the sales lacking is due to the economy and inflation, people don't have as much disposable income as they did five years ago so people have to be more frugal with what games their buying
Do you agree with my plan? If not, what do you think can get Square on the right path? 🤔
Hope Square hears you. I have regained faith in my favorite saga after the 7 Remake.
@erekladd I'm not convinced they weren't already on the right path...
I 100% agree. The 2d hd graphics are breathtaking and I'd love to see ff9 ff8 remakes of them. Chrono trigger etc
They need to learn from capcom, capcom did a great job to rejuvenate there famous IPs after all the hate RE5&6 got they made a great comeback re7&2&village and 4 remake were all huge hit
Remake final fantasy 11 and remake Chrono Trigger ❤
I'm 42 years old and FFXV was my entry game into the FF games; being so, I really enjoyed the FFXV and FFXVI combat systems. I never liked the traditional base-turn combat back in the day, even though I enjoyed it very much while playing Persona 5. So, in relation to the combat system, I'd say I'm inclined to give it a try to the base-turn concept. However, going back to pixel art is a hard sell, in my opinion; whereas something in the line of a Persona, in which the aesthetic is pretty much timeless, as I see it, would really benefit the FF series. The pixel art still work in certain scenarios, but I don't believe many people would like to see a FF game going in this direction.
I wouldn't like to see it go back to SNES style pixel graphics. I think the golden age for final fantasy was 7 to 10. I agree it doesn't have to be a huge AAA title, maybe something like Dragon 11 with more cell shaded graphics.
With that said ff7 rebirth was the perfect modern final fantasy for me.
Rebirth is awesome. It has issues but I'm enjoying it regardless. I'm currently at Gold saucer. The series should use Rebirth as a template going forward.
FF16 was pure garbage by the way. Absolute crap smh
@hotcoldman77 YeahbI completely agree, every FF should be based of the rebirth model. I enjoyed ff16 at the start but the more I played it the more boring I found it. I ended up putting it on easy and speed running to the end just to finish it.
I agree. Not pixel graphics but heavily stylized AA title graphics. It doesnt need to be 1:1 real life ass graphics if the gameplay and story are great
Or they can even reuse assets from Rebirth and 16 to save production cost.
@sosbrigaders yeah just use the ground work from rebirth ideally. I'd even take a chiby style game like a modern ff7. Or a modern ffx style game. I also believe turn based would be cheaper to make.
Totally agree, the pixel graphics thing doesn't make sense
When 10 came out, I was over-the-moon, thinking about what the future of Final Fantasy would look like. Little did I know at the time, because the future looked so bright, that it didn't actually HAVE a future.
A pixel art, turn based Final Fantasy 17 returning to 5’s job system?
I’ll take your entire stock!
A FF 16 pixel Remaster in the style of Secret of Mana would be AMAZING
I think 16 bit style graphics are cool, but the best era of FF was the era of 7-10. Those games had great characters, beautiful visuals for the time, and were much better experiences than the snes games. Going back to the snes era would be a massive over correction and mistake.
Everything that you mentioned, I feel FF14 does the best. I'm someone whose fav FF games were 7, 6 & 9, with 10 right behind them. Friends were bugging me to give 14 a chance & I refused for years, but my god... I haven't got such a nostalgic feeling playing an FF game ever since the old days. And in terms of character writing, story & ESPECIALLY villains & emotions. Nothing even comes close. Heavensward is peak, but Shadowbringers & Endwalker were honestly the best story I ever experienced in gaming. I'd even say FF14 is the most FF game of them all. And that's coming from an OG hardcore FF1-10 fan who refused to give 14 a chance for years. Although, I do admit, the base game is very slow and the start can easily get boring, but my god is the payoff worth it.
Yea. 14 is the only worthwhile thing final fantasy has done in a long time. The problem is...their competition puts games just as expansive in offline games like elden ring and cyberpunk.
Yup, HD2D, turn based combat, and oh Hell yes, bring back proper magic! We must make this happen 🙏
Final Fantasy VI remake(all in one package) please...
Would have been great for the 3DS.
I’d play that. Actually yeah, doing remakes of 1-6 with octopath-style graphics wouldn’t take up nearly the resources of a AAA title and everyone would buy it. They could release one per year, ending with a compilation release with extra content on year 7 if they really want money.
I find 14 hits some of the nostalgia feels of the old school games a bit, but is a significant time investment
I’ve heard this. I honestly don’t think I’ll ever get to it purely because of the time commitment needed to get through all of the different expansions which is unfortunate but who knows, maybe I will one day.
@@ErekLadd That's why the free trial is so long, going up to the second expansion now, so you can take your time and see if you jam with it. Even when you're caught up, you can play a few weeks at a time when new story patches drop. The mmo aspect is mainly in the endgame and casual social aspects, otherwise you can take XIV as multiple single player games, like XIV-0, XIV-1, XIV-2, etc... for each expansion, up to XIV-5 (very soon).
Yup, From Heavensward and on, and especially Shadowbringers, is top tier FF. Easily as impactful as some of the biggest story beats in the classic FF games. Except in this current age of impactful games like Last of Us so that's saying something.
@@ErekLadd just chip away at it, can do a heck of a lot for free which is super nice so nothing really to lose
@@ErekLaddWith XIV, you can easily think of the whole thing as a series rather than a single game.
Each expansion's story basically ends with a sequel hook that is a good place to pause, think about what you've experienced, and maybe play something else for a while.
The point about pixel graphics (or maybe just simpler 3d) is the one I discuss with my friends since maybe ff13, when it started to become more and more evident that the difficulty of developing of all this high-end 3d graphics is forcing games to be less in scale. Seriously, do we really need these 4k AAA graphics, or would prefer more content, but with graphics like in Octopath Traveller II (which still looks just gorgeus).
Pixel graphics - personally I don't think so, it won't sell as well as you might think; as much as I love that style, pre-FF7 JRPGs were mostly flops in the West (and FF7 was "the" AAA JRPG of the time). Maybe they could do better in Japan, but I'm not sure, as they're moving towards mobile games/gacha instead. Something like the recently unveiled Expedition 33 - absolutely; turn-based system/smaller parties with tighter writing, with more modern graphics could work. Think Lost Odyssey, but Final Fantasy, and released on all the possible platforms for maximum accessibility.
I think as spinoff titles it'd be amazing, played sea of stars and that was great. but as a mainline game definitely agree it's not a great idea
@@nixilaas8071 Right, my point exactly. Something like Final Fantasy Dimensions (maybe with higher production values) would be solid as a spin-off, but as a mainline game I'd rather see something closer to Lost Odyssey with modern tech advancements and maybe some twists on the formula.
Been watching your vids lately, and I just realized you're the same guy who does covers of game music - I remember using your awesome Legend of Dragoon remix a while ago with your permission. Kinda blew my mind you're the same dude lol. Keep the awesome vids comin' man!
Yes that’s me!! 🎸
The merger killed Final Fantasy and Square Enix has not made a single entry on par with Squaresoft and Sakaguchi works. There were a few decent ones but none i would consider a masterpiece.
In my rambling opinion, the primary struggles Final Fantasy faces is that it's pushing 40 years old as a series and that it's grown so massive. I poured over the Nintendo Power Strategy Guide before finally renting the first game in the early '90s. Within a year or two Final Fantasy II was released, and that became my favorite until October 1994, when I bought Final Fantasy III. From 1990 to 1994, we got three games, plus Mystic Quest if you want to count that. Little did we know that there were actually six (+1) games dating back to 1987. Each of "our" games grew in presentation, size, and story: the quest that the Warriors of Light embarked on seems simple and straightforward (if extremely difficult) compared to Terra and crew resisting an Empire and eventually taking on Kefka in a ruined world.
Gamers, like games, change. The latest game in the series that I've played is FFXII. It was enjoyable, as was FFX, but the pixel-based relative simplicity of the first six titles will always be my favorite era of Final Fantasy. I think that any life event can change how we view video games, regardless of genre. It just so happened that FFVII marked the last game in the series that I could devote a lot of time to. By the time FFVIII came out, I was a father, and I enlisted in the military not long after FFX was released. Naturally, I'm going to look at the hours I spent playing FFIV and FFVI with rose-tinted glasses, while FFI reminds me of my introduction to the series and FFVII marks the beginning of the end.
To date, we have 16 main games, plus countless spinoffs, related titles, and remakes. Of these, I have FFI-X, FFXII, and a few of the outlier games (I might have even spent real money on Brave Exvius). A few days ago, I bought the Pixel Remaster bundle on Steam, and have been sitting here playing FFI about 34 years after first reading about the epic quest, and FFVI nearly 30 years after first inserting FFIII in my SNES. In the interim, I've bought rereleases and such on everything from the PS1 to the GBA/DS to PC to mobile; I probably have/had six versions of FFIII/VI alone. Someone like me, who has enjoyed some of the newer games and wants to check out the latest FFVII iterations, would probably be well-served with a throwback title or two. While FFIV: The After Years was somewhat flawed in presentation, I played the heck out of it years ago, as it brought back familiar characters with a nostalgic playstyle.
I can't really say how Square-Enix could save Final Fantasy, but I think that the two games that are usually declared the "best" says a lot about how we feel. For me, FFVI is the absolute best, though I'm on the threshold and might have jumped on the FFVII bandwagon had I been born a year or two later. FFVI represents the pinnacle of 8-and-16-bit Final Fantasy and will forever be "the best". FFVII marked a transition to a more spectacle-driven experience, and fans of that game are probably much more receptive to the modern visuals and gameplay of the latest entries. Of course, that game is 27 years old itself, so it's entirely possible that a newer generation views it as little more than a blocky mess of graphics with some annoying gameplay elements (animations, hard-to-see maps, etc.).
LOVE the Zozo theme featured in the video. I agree with a lot of your points. I grew up with 4 and 6 so maybe I'm a bit nostalgic here. But I LOVE turn based battles when there is strategy required. I also agree with make magic matter and make Summons fun again. I played through 10 and 12 recently and while I loved both and had a lot of fun with them, I really didn't use magic in either outside of Lulu in 10 and anytime there was a battle that halted physical attacks. Going back to pixel graphics sounds fine to me too. I loved Sea of Stars so there is no doubt in my mind I could be captivated by a Final Fantasy with pixel graphics.
Great discussion. I would absolutely love to see a new Final Fantasy in a futuristic setting that’s 16 bit. We can dream!!!
Dq11 style final fantasy would be ok. Turn based combat, old school jrpg snes psx mechanics, but modern graphics and voice acting. But even better would be HD-2D style like Octopath or the upcoming dq3 remake. We dont need or want the amazing 3d graphics like 16 or coomer fanservice waifu ism.
I actually remember thinking that graphics are becoming so much the norm that they forget you can tell a great story without even having to go all out on presentation. Bring back the old ways of playing FF and tweak a little bit without abandoning everything. FF10 was probably the last turned based game I enjoyed as a turned based game. FF12 probably as left field for me with gameplay before they pretty much went way way too left field for me to be interested in playing. They are lucky FF7 is a popular game but after that, u dunno...
Great video Erek! I do agree that SE should definitely keep that whole "old-school" thing going. I mean even if they continue with FFXVII to be the next over the top, action, spectacal thing, it would be great if they at least have like a new FF spin-off series that focuses on the style of FF I to VI. Would be neat to see that happening.
I like or love most of the mainline entries along with some of the sequels and spin-offs. Most of them have been "cinematic RPGs." They deliberately used Hollywood storytelling going all the way back to Final Fantasy II (original NES game). But, starting with XIII, they've slowly been focusing on the cinematic aspect over the RPG. I think, to SE, their perfect Final Fantasy would be a playable Advent Children.
You can see the philosophy play out in XVI where the game is focused on spectacle over gameplay. Right down to the "Cinematic" QTEs.
I think the way you turn Final Fantasy around is to refocus on the RPG elements.
Or get Platinum Games to develop the next entry.
If it was up to me, I would start making FF in the style of 1-10 again, with middle of the road HD graphics. What I think SE should do at this point is just split the series like Yakuza did. Keep making mainline ones for the younger ff14 type crowd, and a side series making what i described in the first part of my comment.
I would definitely want to Square go the HD-2D route for future Final Fantasy games (Not spinoffs) and go back to Turn-Based battles. But, I sort of agree and disagree on the "Perfect the party" segment. I do wish Square would look at the Xenoblade series for ideas on how the characters in your party are and even Xenoblade 3 with so many guess characters to choose.
All of the hype for Expedition 33 I’ve been seeing is great evidence for your case here with a return to form.
I’ve read a few things but yet to watch the trailer. I should fix that!
@@ErekLadd I think you’ll like it a lot! 😎
Fan service aside I loved the dress sphere system! It was a level grind
I feel like ff has lost sight of what originally made ff great. You covered this very well with this video. Keep em coming.
A return to turn based combat would probably be the best possible way to save it.
Idk final fantasy hasn’t really been turned based since ffx.
@@robertwheeler8023 Exactly. And that is why it has been crap since X.
They should make a pixel remaster version of Final Fantasy VII-XVI
As someone the same age and FF exposure timeline as you, I fully agree!
Why does it need saving?
Yeah, it’s doing great, just needs to stop doing exclusives. I bet they do crazy sales on switch 2
It is doing well, but sales are also down compared to other IPs. For the brand having as much legacy as it does, it struggles in comparison. But I agree with the above comment - non-exclusives will help.
Because the last entri in the main series is not a final fantasy and the one after that have sales like shit and cost half of squares budget to make and real fans are pistoff , dont know maybe thats why
@@HonestEmillHead Wow I guess I'm not a real fan... and "not a final fantasy" is a subjective opinion, and I don't think you know what "sales like shit" actually is
Based on things SE has said, they already appear financially unsustainable
you know what I believe? If they just Demake some of modern final fantasy games into a turn base setting, it may be fun and interesting. Also adding a party system for 16 in the demake
I am 100000% down for this and I genuinely hope it happens
You hit the nail on the head ...well said we have been preaching this for a while now on our podcasts 👏you get a sub just for being a real one!
I'd love to see another conditional turn based system like 10 again or x2's system that was fun too. Strategy is a must have.
10s system was so great and i was surprised that it didnt return. 10 was my first FF.
I do love turn based though.
Id also be up for an octopath traveller styled game. Really loved the visuals.
The problem with FF now is it’s following and not leading.
Also Rebirth was not built for PS5. That was a lie to avoid media questions about exclusivity. Sony just tried to pull a dirty move that ultimately failed.
If that’s true then I’m all for Rebirth coming to steam deck. I actually played 90% of rebirth on my PlayStation portal about 15 miles from my PS5 so I’d be down for it to get ported elsewhere. Agree with the follow/lead comment as well. Well said!
I'm looking forward to Square possibly going even more third-party with their bigger IP's like Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts. For the longest time, they've favoured PlayStation, but if I could play the newest entry in those bigger series on Nintendo, then I'll be one happy man!
While I can't see Square stepping away from trying to make it look as good as possible since that's how they've always done it since entering 3D, however, it would be neat to see a final fantasy side series that is like the pixel remasters or HD-2D, or even simpler 3d like Harvestella, kinda like there being the 2D and 3D Zelda and Mario games.
" since that's how they've always done it since entering 3D,"
ANd that has now led to the worst profit loss in video game history for a company. Youd be a fool to think they arent rethinking that strategy day in day out for the last couple monthbs.
yeah i'm really in two minds about this!
personally i prefer turn based (ff10 was the best battle system imo) and i'm not really interested in cutting edge graphics/realism, so i'd enjoy a pixel game just as much as a 3D one.
but even tho a more old school take would be good for me personally, i think i'd rather see them try something new than cater to the nostalgia of fans in our age group (even if that ends in them making a game i'm not interested in, like the last few).
that being said, there's a lot of space to try new things in the turn based/2D pixel realm, so ideally, i'd like to see them focus their efforts on a novel approach to turn based battles!
For me, I really hope they bring back jobs/classes and a good story. X and XII zodiac age were super fun!
I don't think you need to go back to pixel graphics to get costs under control, but I'd accept a graphical downgrade if it makes the games profitable. I would love a return to turn based or atb
I think you're onto something with the idea of smaller scale/budget FF games Erek. Maybe Square could work on one big AAA FF game (with, say, a 5 year dev cycle) at a time. And then in-between, they could release one or two SNES or PS1 (or PS2) style games - which cost less to develop, but reach a high level of quality and please long-time fans. I'd certainly be thrilled with that arrangement haha.
kinda like octopath traveler?
@@garrettstickel1189 Potentially! Those games haven't hit the same notes as the classic FF games do for me though. Something about the storytelling, structure, and presentation is quite distinct - even though it's got the character sprites and turn-based combat.
Man, this whole thing makes me kinda sad. But if im being honest, I think the trend of AAA studios aiming for hyper-realism has inflated development costs across all games. I'm always down for some great pixel style graphics, but I might extend from your opinion and say that any stylized art direction that isnt realism is gonna be cheaper and mote memorable in my mind. I want to see artists do more art in games
I really think this would also help with characters portray emotions and could help make them feel more relatable. With the realism stuff I feel that when characters try to emote or show strong emotion it almost always falls flat
good takes! i especially agree about the magic and summoning parts of the video
I think they should try giving a mainline entry or a major spinoff to an American or European studio, let's see a Dissidia game in a turn-based situation like Baldur's Gate 3. Instead of classic magic and dragons let's see a game based on a more Japanese setting, like Kugane from 14.
Let's see more games take place in Ivalice or Vana'diel.
You hit the nail on the head FOR THE MOST PART, with how to save the FF Franchise.
I've been preaching this FOR YEARS ever sense FF13 and only now are people starting to wake up and smell the trash heap they slept in.
Square is already going multi-platform but THAT ITSELF HAS A SPECIAL CAN OF WORMS As diffrent Consoles have diffrent specs with diffrent ways of development and to even optomize the game to be stable on multiple platforms is gonna cost more in the long run. I agree it shouldnt just be lokced on the Playstation AT THE MINIMUM it should have a PC Release as well, But with the Current Game Clement it may actually be smarter to make in on the Switch/2 Especally with the other points.
Yes Final Fantasy MOST DIFINIVILY NEEDS TO SCALE WAY THE HECK BACK They focused on all the wrong things in Gamming and have fallen into the Western Game Development Trap "Focus on Pretty Graphics AND NOTHING ELSE" Focus less on making your characters look like people IRL and pick a Psuedo Anime Astetic that prior FF games had and put way more focus on the Gameplay, Story and Characters after all its A VIDEO GAME not a Movie.
I do not agree however they should go back to a Pixel style of game It works for some games but not so much for FF, If anything FF should be in that happy Medium between FF10 and FF12 still have the 3D Graphics with characters and cutscenes and such but far more emphasis on Stylization Like their Competitors Dragon Quest, Persona, Xenoblade ect.
I Also somewhat agree they do need to go back to a Turn based combat system, TURN BASED COMBAT WORKS AND IS TIMELESS!~ But they seem to have almost this allergic reaction to going traditional so much so we had this weird on going period where square keeps Reinventing its combat style at first trying to blend Action and Turn based togeather before just saying "Lets just go Devil May Cry" which only works if your game is a Full action game and not a RPG, but FF Is a RPG series so it needs to play to that. Honestly going back to ATB Is Fantastic after all it worked for FF 4-9, But I MUCH prefer FF10's combat system as that was Turn Based combat PERFECTED~, But if they really want to emphasize that "Gameplay" Poriton and add a little bit more action into its game, Well Look at Legend of Dragoon and the Recently announced Clair Obscur Do that!
FINALLY SOMEONE ADDRESSES THE MAGIC PROBLEM WITH CURRENT FF GAMES!!! I dont need to comment on that your 100% right.
With how you point sutff out later in the video I dont think adding a "Job class" system back into a FF Game would be a Good idea...It COULD WORK but I dont think they should do something like 5 or 10-2, Especally if you want a Character focus narrative like you say later. A Characters Class/Job could help shape their personality and quirks. If anything I think if they did bring back the Job System it should be reserved for the Main Hero Character.
I also Agree have about 5/6 Characters and really focus on them and their stories and I will say the problem with square is LIGIT their Writting has been Awful ever sense FF12. For both Characters and Narrative, Theirs some fantastic ideas their but the execution dosent work. They also REALLY need to stop taking Insperation from Modern Day Western Writers because HOLY CRAP the Writting in our own stuff has been peak garbage these past 10 years.
I also agree with Summons and I will say FF10 did this PERFECTLY.
No FF dosent need to go full Future Fantasy, It works for games like Xenosaga, Star Ocean, Phantasy Star ect but not FF. I am not saying FF needs to stay in Traditional Medevil Fantasy as FF6.7.8, and 10 prooved but if it goes into High Tech Ultra Sci fi We'll end up with something like Spirtis Within or FF13. FF16 didnt really go back to its roots it more or less went to a more "Dark Age" Setting taking to much influence from Dragon Age and Dark Souls. Its true sweet spot is "Fantastical Fantasy" With no Decernable Time period, Something that Emphasizes Magic and Majesty that really makes us go "Wow this World, These Characters This Villain is Fantastic" and gets our Creative Brain Juices a Flowin sorta speal. I say take more Insperation from Something like Pathfinder and the world of Golarion where it combins all elements of Past Preasent and Future and blends them into a Fantastical Fantasy world.
And finally, Yes give us a Great Villain we havent had a Decent enough Villain sense well...FF10, Ardyn was a "Good" Villain but he never felt Threatning, Powerful, Stressful, or Vengful. A Good Villain is someone you can "Love to Hate" And they can Range between a Character Villain like Kefka or Kuja to a Force of Nature like Sin or even a Combination like Chaos.
Strange to say we haven't got a decent enough villain in the series since FF10 when we've literally had the best Final Fantasy villain in FF14.
@@Aquylion5555 TBF, Either most Peeps havent played 14 because their broke AF, dont have good internet, dont have a platform to play it on, don't have the time to commit their entire lives to a 2nd life in a MMORPG, dont consider it a number final fantasy entry or all of the above.
In my Case its all the above + I stopped buying and investing into FF games ever sense 12, If I played a FF game moving forward it was pee preassure from my firends who already owned the game or watched one of my friends play it, and Jumping ship off the FF Train was a smart move after 12 because holy crap did everything just get worse from there. It also awakened me to how Gamer Journalism is total horse crap. They said FF12 was a 8/10 game fantastic amazing even, my First Warning sign was THE ENTIRE WALL of my Local Gamestop was NOTHING BUT THE COLLECTORS METAL CASE EDITION OF 12 THAT WERE USED!
I did play 14 a little bit I played the Free Trail but yeah all what I just listed happened. I aint in High school anymore where I can play 4 to 5 hours a day AND PLAY ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ELSE.
@@lionheart1013 Writing in caps lock won't make your point more valid.
That's kind of a strange thing to say that people refuse to play FF14 because they don't have the money for it, when FF14 gives you 3 games worth of content for free.
Besides, the devs themselves tell their players to play something else. FF14 is not designed to be played everyday. Just do what you want, stop playing when you want to, come back when you want more. Look, I'm not in High school anymore, I no longer have enough time to do whatever I want, but I'm able to play FF14 when I want to, while also maintaining my ilvl, DM a weekly DnD game, play other games or read novels. I can't do everything at once, for sure, but that's not impossible.
What I find truly fascinating with you is that you think nowadays FFs are trash, so you won't try them, and if you do you'll just say they're trash because you've already made up your mind about that.
@@Aquylion5555 Lol I tend to type how I talk and use caps for some emphasis on things, Im weird like that
Really? It didnt do it for me!? It only gave me 1 of the games and can only play up to that, unless they changed it in the past 5 years.
Regaurdless the game didnt click for me but I see the appeal to others. I've never counted the MMO games as "Numbered" Games just as we dont consider Tactics, Crystal chronicles or Dissidia as the numbered titles because of their Drastic Gameplay diffrences n such.
And I do try em, I just dont buy em, I got 2 friends that are absolute diehard of diehards of FF fans that look at every single FF game as "Perfection" it wasnt until FF7RE did they start to 2nd guess and start to see the point I was gettin at. And I don't write every game off I just kept my expectations at rock bottom as to not be disapointed, yet even then some titles somehow disapoint me due to the untapped potential and multiple missed oppertunities and mistakes that were made that could have made em GOY Material, Except for FF13 their was no Salvaging that mess. I often tought the last "Fantastic" FF Title in the main series was FF10.
weirdly enough I've been seeing Dragon Quest be more like Final Fantasy lately even Octopath Traveler and Bravely Default.
If I knew how to make UA-cam vids I'd 100% be making "How they could have fixed" Vids on a good ammount of FF games, with FF15 and 16 being the biggest 2
SE has a game that has almost all of that called Octopath Traveller. How did that turn out? And please, keep the nostalgia goggles off. I understand that these are your opinions but Final Fantasy has always been about moving forward, not back.
I started playing Final Fantasy with FF7 remake and absolutely loved it, FF7 rebirth is my favorite game of all time, I love FF for its stylish cinematics, world, and Art durection
But in no fucking way am going from rebirth to a turn-based pixel classical rpg man 😭😭 do yall purists not want VA too or what now, if I want that I would play Octopath Traveler
I don't think the problems lie on graphic or game play or even settings, what make FF great is the story, everything must revolve around a story that have a theme, with believable characters. It don't have to be complicated, but need to be emotional and relatable!
Disagree with that entirely. Final Fantasy was a global phenomenon well before story was even introduced to the series in ff4. The gameplay is what makes it. Part of the gameplay is the exploration/interaction of the world with your party members, which would help what you are looking for.
@@AKABoondock19 you just don't get it. FF is always up ahead from other studios because of their story, how they tell a story. Graphic is one step behind.
And let me tell you, even, i mean EVEN when they are with you on this matter. Then who wants to play a pixel game with a sh** story?
@@ngochanguyen5099 You are just plain wrong and its obvious you are a kid
@@AKABoondock19 real mature here! Now i know why your channel has such little views and subscribers.
When arguing with someone you should do it with facts and logic you know?
I may as well be a child, but at least i don't pretend to be an adult, like you 😏
@@ngochanguyen5099 you think because i uploaded a random video for real life friends a couple times over a decade that I consider myself having a channel? lol
I'm not claiming a clearcut cause and effect here, but my interest in Final Fantasy (MMOs aside) waned as the mainline series shifted away from having a new title roughly every other year to becoming a spinoff machine where we ended up getting a new world every 5 years or so.
Incidentally, that's also when the series moved away from its traditional combat systems and storytelling style.
Also incidentally, that's when sales overall started going into a consistent decline.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Ffxvis buget was like 300m. It sold 3.4m copies its forst week. Meaning it made more than half its budget back.
Its going to be fine.
But i think a lot of folks who are hardline ff fans are getting alienated with features, playstyles, and worlds they didnt ask for
They just need to put them on all platforms. The industry is over saturated and financially people are hurting too
You actually believe that the game needs to rely on the PS5's technologies to be able to run? Really? Red Dead Redemption 2 has a larger seemless map and that's a PS4/Xbox One/PC game from five years ago. It also runs just fine on hard drives.
Ha, I literally bought a PS5 specifically to play rebirth a few weeks ago... No regrets at all. The game is a majestic triumph in my opinion.
Definitely no regrets for me either. TBH my ps5 is more or less just a final fantasy machine with a dash of Astros playroom 🤣
The situation can shift by doing multiplatform but for me SE must fix the budget and maybe the price tag first. Being honest; and respecting SE desire to always push hardware, release it minimun Play and PC day 1 (Nintendo will need their own FF game because they do not push hardware power like the rest and Xbox sorry for the reality check but JRPG are not successful there). I do not see main FF (not even DQ as classic as it is) going back to pixel, on a spin-off order yes but main no; pixel is more a nostalgic need than a factual one.
Gameplay wise FF; and coming from completing FFX a few weeks back, going back to that turn based after FF7 Remake/Rebirth I have to ask that FF never go back to turn-based. NOW, making more active what you do durint you character turn is way more interesting (I am thinking how you potent GF and limit breaks in FF8, changing character like in FF10, Xenoblade gameplay overall, even Lost Odyssey and the now Expedition 33 anounce in Xbox showcase) and in the case of magic is making a better enemies design (some only receive physical damage and other only magical) or the job system as you stated. Towards the summons that is a thing alongside music SE has always keep amazing in FF games (main, spin-off, etc.)
Party wise please be condensed (4 - 6 characters). Unless the writing is sublime (more than welcome), here the "less is more" phrase applies. Going to FF6 and even FF4 if I remember/love 5 or so characters was it, we do not need 14 characters (specially if they are optional). And yeah... I miss playing a JRPG with a threaten villain
Step 1. Make a full game, no episodes.
Step 2. Make it epic like the older titles with lots of story and char development.
Step 3. Big customisation, like we used to get. None of this 16 hollowness. I can barely call this an RPG. It was a fun action game, at first.
Step 3. Multiplatform
Win!
Basically for me it's make FF anything like it was from 1 - 12, 14 and Remake/Rebirth. Any of those. I loved every single one of those. I didn't dislike 15 and 16 but they where not FF or RPG to me.
I also don't hate 13, didn't like the combat much at first but after playing 15 and going back to 13 I realised how good 13 was in comparison lmao and 13 still felt like an RPG to me. I do love 13 but I wouldn't want to base anything on that going forward not like all the ones before it.
Crazy question, do you play guitar? Ever slap around some bass?
For sure!! A lot of music is over on my other channel youtube.com/@retrogameremix
I love 15 and rebirth.
I thought they did well overseas, just not in Japan where most gamers are on mobile and many don’t own a console.
Honestly though, it’s time for exclusivity deals to end. Like, in general. Leave the console wars in the 2000’s where they belong.
Glad to see the sub ratio improved a bit since the FF8 video 😆
Yeah it’s getting there very very slowly 🤣
I think the battle systems are more complex than they need to be. Go back to turn based. Agree that materia has become obsolete. Too much variety, more than you'll ever need. I don't think pixel graphics would fly only because it's too niche, but I think something like Final Fantasy X would be perfect.
I honestly cannot see Final Fantasy XVII going back to turned based. And there's nothing wrong with that. If anything, in my opinion, I think they should just reuse FFVII Remake/Rebirth combat system. If not that, then perhaps a modified version of XVI combat with more RPG elements and team members. The only other mainline FF game that should go back to turned based, Is heavily rumored Final Fantasy IX Remake.
Odd you say 10, there didn't seem any pressure to fix it, just more or less the same status quo. Obviously though the characters themselves were desperate to figure this out once and for all
It's way too early to judge FF7 RE as a failure, or its current sales as an indication that back to the basics is the way to go; I plan to buy it as soon as it comes out for PC and I'm far from the only one, though I definitely don't think the juice of PS5 frontrunning is worth the squeeze, and hasn't really done the series any favours.
With realistic graphics and voice acting it does make characters look wooden in some places you can very easily tell a story without voice acting and also cutting costs and maintaing more profits
I'd rather have a 1997 FF7 gameplay to 2024 rebirth the game play is too overcomplicated, summons are too short not looking as good as they used too
Also with FFX gameplay I love an sphere grid and CTB with a summon sphjere grid game too
I prefer turn based games but not tactics style that was way too hard for me but the game was great
Really great ideas! I want to build on a few of your ideas with a paraphrase of something I've heard other people talking about: Games should be shorter, made more cheaply, developers should be paid and treated fairly, and they should take as long as they need. If the games are cheaper to make, then developers can take more risks, because it won't hurt the company as much if it fails. I know it still has to be a big balancing act overall so that companies can stay open, but there's gotta be a way!
Personally I feel like these games take way too long for mid tier quality . Remake and rebirth are incredible , but 13 ,15, and 16 all seem like they are missing a lot of gameplay elements and combat elements
I’m totally with you. I totally grew up
Just make rebirth with less childish dialogues and insufferable minigames. There. You have the GOAT.
For me personally I don't want final fantasy series to continue to be an action jrpg they need to go back to turn based 🎮😁
I don’t see anything wrong with Final Fantasy rebirth they just need to put it on Xbox
Square Needs To Put That Effort Into Dragon Quest People Are Sick Of FF Just Like COD 2k Madden Shelve It For a Couple Of Years & Let People Have a Chance To Miss It 🤷🏿♂️
you lost me at pixel graphics.
A big No for a huge part of the FF fanbase😅
The looks has nothing to do with it to me. Even the action based nature doesn't bother me. FF16 had very little strategy involved. It really became a button masher. No weaknesses, no real equipment, no treasure to find, limited exploration. FF15 started this trend.
I love more customization and strategy. Jobs, materia combos, magecite... It needs something!
FF15 also didn't have very interesting playable characters imo.
Square could be so much better! Square Enix has to come back to the roots and it appears as if they are going on that route! I’m so ready for it! Wonderful plan Erek. I think that pixel graphics are key and like you said, cut the budget in half! Great video Erek!
Does Final Fantasy need saved? Not for me.
Please god, do not go "back"! You touched on it with loadsa pixel style RPGs around, so that area is covered. It is ever important that FF keep pushing the envelope and not follow that trend. They have been there and done that and the beauty is, is that they are still around to go back to.
Goin multi-format makes sense financially.
Turn-based or ATB or whatever is cool, but it needs to evolve cos it can get stale and boring. ReMake & ReBirth nailed it ✌️
I agree with the characters points you made, I like a single character narrative more, but I think we have peaked with ReMake/ReBirth. That is just perfection.
In a nutshell, FF is doing the right thing, they cannot go back cos, whats the point, keep it fresh and new and different.
Interesting views tho 👍
Going back to pixel graphics and pure turn-based combat, isnt going to save Final Fantasy..... if anything they should go the Ps1 style, but with modern graphics and hardware, that style would look photorealistic, and the worlds and stories could be *HUGE*!
But SNES style would doom the series.
The main thing they need to do is focus on storytelling and larger than life plots!
I agree. I think if they want to go action based combat get away from the souls/dmc type battles and model after the tales battle system
Live service games are ruining video game industry.
To put in perspective: FF7 Remake released before the existence and launch of Genshin Impact.
There's nothing wrong with FF7 Rebirth. It is a great game, just not profitable now that all us weebs are addicted to a bunch of 3D anime gacha games.
So yeah. Live-service games are ruining the industry.
It's tough to say, "Make FF17 pixel graphics again." Even if it was HD 2D. Square has already done Pixel graphics with games like Octopath Traveler. With that said, I think a Final Fantasy off-shoot, like Legends or Tactics, would be incredible with that visual style. But the mainline FFs have always been about pushing the boundaries. Hopefully, going multi-platform from the launch date would help.
Not a fan of the mainline series going pixel. The only thing that will do is kill the series. I love pixel games but the vast majority of fans of the series who have found the game since XII will peace out with licel graphics. Meanwhile the sales numbers from older fans won't be there. Sure Octopath Traveler has sold well for what it us, but those aren't Final Fantasy numbers. Turn based? Yes. Strategy/Actual party? Yes. Stylized graphics that can cut down on costs? Sure. Straight up pixel for a mainline game? That's series murder.
I played the first FF on an NES in the 80’s. If FF goes back to pixel art for the main games I’m done. I love my pixel games but no, main line FF should be modern.
FF16 performed poorly in a year a turn based game won GotY. That says it all. It should be a turn based game. After FF-13 flipped square chased western trends. They failed.
FF XIV expansion drops later this month & that game is a huge cash cow for them. FF XIV has been saving Square financially for years now.
Besides the non-exclusivity part, this just feels like a nostalgia fueled take through and through. Older than you here, started with FF1 on the NES, and I really hope they don't go back. FInal Fantasy has always pushed the envelope of the system it's in, both in graphics and gameplay innovation. Rebirth is one of the best games they've ever made. Hell no to going back to pixels and turn-based on the mainline series. Let'em build on the new stuff and continue to evolve. Traditionalists always have Dragon Quest.
The games' audience is aging out.
The pixel art was very 80/90's.
The current melodramatic, sleepy eyed design choices for character design and story choices with the well worn beats are all very 2000's.
If SE wants to stay current they simply have to move on to games made for the sensibilities of current generations.
FF can't stay for "us". They have to move on or the gamers will move on without FF.
Magic is absolutely broken in Remake/Rebirth
Final Fantasy will never return to its former glory. Period. And exclusivity really, really hurt FF16. I don’t think they can undo the damage. Hopefully we get some good games but it’s never going to be the cultural phenomenon that it was, defining gaming for over decade.
NO man
Simple.
Nothing but Final Fantasy VII content for the next 10 years.
How about turn based and stop holding the games hostage on 1 platform, cmon square I’ve got every other FF available except 14 (not a big MMO fan, looks good just not my thing) on Xbox and $ just waiting for ya
Final fantasy needs to go back to its roots and stop chasing the AAA western market. Look at shin megami tensei/persona,still turn based after all these years and they sell like hotcakes. It’s the better jrpg franchise now and ff has fallen behind. SE needs to look back at ff4,6,8,9. FF needs to find itself again. FF 15 and 16 were made to sell out to the normie audience rather than the fans. We need something special like type-0 again. That was the last great FF
Nostalgia is not necessary better. It would be daunting to do the same thing over and over again and the creativity would just fall flat.
The games would never progress if they are still using the same old system.
@@agamersinsanity certain elements of the franchise do need to stay the same though developers just need to mix it up to keep it fresh. FF7-9 is a perfect example. The core elements are there in all three but each had new ideas and variations to the formula. SMT/persona is another great example of this
Yeah the fighting style change is where it all went to trash.
I've completely fallen in love with FFXIV, and it's convinced me to go back and play through the old games. I'm currently in ff4. I have to say, without nostalgia to influence me, they pale in comparison to the modern games I've played. I loved the progression system and the keyword system for ff2, but the storytelling has been pretty bad for the first three games. I'm seeing a huge step up in ff4, but ff5-7 will need to be much better to justify this concept that the 2d turn based games were better
To me, FFIV is where it gets really good. All of those games are clear evolutions from one another, peaking with FFVI for the pixel based games anyway.
I dont think its a good idea to compare a games storytelling from the 80s with a games storytelling in 2024, altho i guess its somewhat fair, the gameplay loop of FFI and II are about as interesting as FFXIVs fetch quest marathon for dozens of hours, so i guess in some ways they are comparable.
@@yagokain4189 FFXIV tells stories in those fetch quests. I'm not there for the gameplay. The younger me would have hated them both. Now I enjoy them both, but the storytelling makes all the difference.
@@LinkingYellow and ff1 and 2 have an open world like no other on the NES, playtime like no else on the Nes and ff2s story was above average for its time. Also not being there for a gameplay is fine and all, but its a videogame, having good gameplay loop should be the bare minimum and games like ff1,2 and 3 had it for their time.
@@yagokain4189 I don't have any issue with the gameplay loop of any of the games in question. It's just not the highlight. I also think FFXIV's gameplay loop is good for an MMO. But it has, by far, the best story and characters I've seen in an MMO, or any other type of game. I think that makes up for MMO-like gameplay, especially since it does such a great job at leveraging the MMO elements such as the interconnected nature of the NPCs over the massive world, the long-term story that takes so much of the small details along the way and brings them together for satisfying payoffs, and the creative ways the multiplayer mechanics get referenced in the story. The whole "warriors from beyond the rift, heed my call" moment was one of the most satisfying and hype payoffs I've ever seen in a game.
I agree. Make Final Fantasy Final Fantasy again.
"How Square-Enix Can SAVE Final Fantasy"
Yeah. Stop ruining classics by turning them into 'live-action' abominations, or long, drawn out trilogy cash-grabs. Just give the fans what they want, instead of the BS you want us to want.
There are a small number of traditional turn based fans who will play these action rpgs, but its not many going by chats on forums from steam to gamefaqs. Most traditional fans loved FF BECAUSE it wasnt an action title. Lets be honest....Square got greedy. They wanted to tap into the much larger action scene at the cost of their traditional fanbase, and its suffered for it since. Because as a traditional turn based JRPG, they were untouchable. But in the action gaming scene, they arent really anything special. Just another on the pile. Thats why Atlus is leaving them in their dust. I want FF to make a huge comeback, but until they realize this thats not going to happen.
Ff doesnt need saving. They just need to not develop huge open world games with endless side quests that take a decade to make.
Give us the job system again. Go back to a proper fantasy setting.
3d is still fine and can work. Ffxv proved however that photo realistic games doesnt make a game a success.
I don't think it needs saving. What it needs is fans needs to stop stigmatize FF14 as like any other MMO. I was among those that didn't skip FF11 and FF14. I am glad too because it helped me realize what Final Fantasy could be outside of tradition. FF11 is still the best experience I had when exploring the world. Ask any veterans to FF11 their favorite moments. Most would say their first journey to Jueno. And FF14 has rekindle my interests in mature storytelling and the journey you take.
I’ve got to disagree hard about the battle system to go with, and on the same note the point about magic. Rebirth is the way on both counts. That beautiful mixture of action and turn based you get with building and spending ATB is probably the most accessible and palatable to modern/younger players and veterans that we will ever see. Turn based games just immediately turn off a lot of the 100 play through. That’s disappointing
i think the right move would be to actually respect the roots of the franchise. And i don't even mean going back to turn based (that being said, i don't see going back to turn based as a bad thing, but square for sure do).
I kinda like xvi but it was such a departure that it doesn't feel like final fantasy anymore, it's like they are aiming to sell the game to gamers that don't even play RPGS and never will, it's fuicking mind boggling hahah.
I would love a game in the veins of FFIX (a love letter to the franchise), that doesn't feel ashamed of being a traditional final fantasy experience. We are on a stagnant moment where every fucking game looks and feels the same and that is fucking depressing man.
Sorry for bad english.
The series is fine they just need to release there games on more platforms day one ps5/xbox/pc
3:30 no pixel graphics… ffs are known for having state of the art graphics for the time they are produced 🥹
Ff16’s magic / abilities definitely helped a lot lol…. It depends on how you play
Square needs to go back to making games for real fans and not COD fans
The reason for the sales lacking is due to the economy and inflation, people don't have as much disposable income as they did five years ago so people have to be more frugal with what games their buying