Summary
Final Fantasy 16was released earlier this year to critical acclaim. While it was a big departure for the series, abandoning the RPG genre for the character action one, change is perhaps the only constant among mainlineFinal Fantasyentries. Because the games are developed by different teams under different directors at Square Enix and share different goals, entries in the franchise tend to be vastly different. This also means that while one game in the series may excel in combat but have bad cutscenes, the next could have the opposite problem. Despite the strong reception ofFinal Fantasy 16, there are still things that otherFinal Fantasygames did better - even some of the series' most maligned entries.
Final Fantasy 13was released around the globe between December 2009 and March 2010 to a mixed reception. While the game landed well with fans in some markets, in North America, the game was critically panned.FF13was received poorly because of its linearity, static world, the obtuseness of theFabula Nova Crystallisanthology, meandering cutscenes, and the fact that its gameplay system took a dozen hours to truly open up and still left players feeling out of control. In spite of this, Lightening and other characters from the game remain iconic, and there were plenty of other things the game got right.
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FF13 and FF16 Are More Similar Than They Seem
Final Fantasy 16’s story may have resonated with fans more than that ofFF13, but both games tell their stories with lengthy cutscenes.Final Fantasy 13was panned in part for its pacing, which can be attributed somewhat to the game’s 9 hours of cutscenes. While gamers felt much more invested in Clive’s story,Final Fantasy 16’s cutsceneshave a runtime longer thanThe Lord of the RingsTrilogy, and often, it feels like a movie more than a game. While the cinematics are well-crafted, it’s hard not to wonder if the game might have been better as a television series. Again, the cutscenes are mostly high quality and helped form a strong story, butFF16requires more time spent watching them thanFF13,and more storytelling should have happened in playable segments.
Another way in whichFinal Fantasy 16was a step back fromFF13was the party system, or rather, the lack thereof.Final Fantasy 13’s combat system was designed with the intention of letting the player control every party member at once in real-time combat. While it took far too long to open up and become satisfying, the idea is cool and laid the foundation forFinal Fantasy 7 Remake.FF16,on the other hand, throws out the party system for companion characters. While the player can direct Torgal to do certain things, it’s a far cry from previous entries. This also impacted the story, which was centered almost entirely on Clive and could have spent more time exploringDion, Jill, and other characters if the game had a proper party system.
Final Fantasy 16’s Combat Was A Huge Step Forward
Final Fantasy 16’s combat, on the other hand, is a huge step forward from that ofFinal Fantasy 13. While the combat system ofFF13is conceptually cool, given its ambition of letting the player control a full party in real-time, it lacked a sense of direct control.Final Fantasy 16,on the other hand, gave players direct control over Clive, and its action combat system is excellent. With the combat director having worked onDevil May Crygames before coming to Square Enix, the action combat inFF16is on par with some of the best games in the genre.
WhileFinal Fantasy 16’s overabundant cutscenes and lack of a party system feel like a step back fromFF13and other games in the series, its excellent new combat system still pushed the series forward.One of the coolest parts of theFinal Fantasyfranchise is that each new entry re-imagines what the series can be.Final Fantasy 7 Rebirthwill be released early next year with a fully fleshed-out party system and RPG mechanics, andFF14Dawntrailwill drop next summer, delivering more MMORPG action to fans.Final Fantasymight not always be improving in a linear fashion, but the diversity of experiences it provides more than makes up for this.
Final Fantasy 16is available now on PS5.
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