Talking about final Fantasy it means telling about a brand that has more than 30 years of successes on its shoulders, sometimes even failures, but which still enjoys a huge fanbase built and consolidated over time. The first chapter of the saga born in 1987 at the studios of Square and developed for NES, owes the meaning of its name to the final fantasy, the last possible job for a company on the pavement and which would have closed its doors shortly thereafter if this last result had not brought a large sum of money. Strengthened by a vast world like never before and completely new graphics, the success of the title gave the company the opportunity to recover and contribute over the years to one of the most appreciated and acclaimed video game brands ever. Suffice it to say that only the main series consists of 15 chapters to which countless spin-offs must be added that lead the brand to exceed 50. Although it was born as a role-playing game, over the years it has been able to adapt to numerous different genres such as MMORPGs, fighting games, tactics and many others. But how's the final fantasy of Square Enix? What future is in store for the series after the good success achieved with the fifteenth chapter?
The latest missteps
As we said before, the saga during its long life has made several missteps. Just think of Final Fantasy XIII, released in 2009 on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and subsequently for PC, considered by many to be the worst chapter ever among the main ones. Not even the next two episodes (FF XIII-2 and Lightning Returns) were able to revive a chapter born in a bad way already during the presentation at theE3 2006, completed worse due to a lack of gameplay depth, role-playing elements and flat settings that the public has definitely not liked. Even the fourteenth chapter, exclusively online like any other MMORPG, was launched on the market although full of graphical problems, several bugs and an inefficient netcode. Only the arrival of Naoki Yoshida at the helm of the project, thus avoiding Hiromichi Tanaka, managed to save the day, practically recreating everything from scratch with a lot of name change: Final Fantasy XIV: A Real Reborn. The title has been able to rise and hold its own subscribers to date. Even the fifteenth chapter was not free from numerous problems: also announced in 2006 with the title Final Fantasy Versus XIII, over the years he has seen both cooked and raw. Born as an episode that is part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis, it has been repeatedly given up for cancellation due to the excessive delay in development. However, during theE3 of 2013, was renamed as we know it today: Final Fantasy XV. Only in 2014, following the "changing of the guard" which took place between Tetsuya Nomura (convinced by SE to devote himself to the development of Kingdom Hearts 3) e Hajime Tabata director, the game has finally managed to find a worthy conclusion (or we could say a new beginning) and be ready for a release closer than previously thought, becoming a very good work loved both by fans of the series but above all by newbies. What should we expect from Final Fantasy XVI now?
The chapter that isn't there
To date we know practically nothing for sure about the new episode of the saga, except that it will be called without a shadow of a doubt Final Fantasy XVI. However, some rumors on the net have been circulating for some time now and we have collected them in this special to take stock of the situation and analyze everything. At the head of the project there seems to be again Naoki Yoshida, the director of the fourteenth episode who took over from Hiromichi Tanaka. Several times he has let himself go to phrases of how the new episode will have to take a step back and go back to being more "fantasy" and less "tech". Just during the Paris Fan Festival, when asked how he would direct a possible new chapter, he declared verbatim words:
This is a tough question. I thought Fan Fest were days to have fun and instead here you are asking me super hard questions [laughs]. Speaking personally I would like a Final Fantasy that goes back to the origins of fantasy, without technology and mecha. After all, we've seen how much trouble we're having with the Garleen Empire with their technological might. Ok this was a bad joke.
The director then specified that he does not despise technology within the game worlds, also given the inclusion in his title, however a moderate use compared to the past could benefit the continuation of the brand. In fact, in the last few episodes the implementation of machines, robots and anything else has been greater when compared to the previous chapters where magic, monsters, wizards and sorcerers were the main enemies of the adventure and protagonists of the world.
Next-gen or current gen?
Other possible rumors related to this new chapter want it to be already under development at 3 Division, a studio inside Square Enix that, a few months ago, published several job advertisements and a particular concept art that shows a very suggestive scenario: a castle with numerous towers overlooking the city and a dragon in the lower left part, which flies near a human figure. To further accredit what is written is the statement of the studio which states that it has already completed the very early stages of development of an important work for the next generation of consoles and that the pre-production phase has already started in April 2019. inside the world of leaks we are able to say that the music could again be composed by the famous and magnificent master Nobuo Uematsu (author of the soundtracks of numerous FF titles and more). The concept of the series could be the one shown several years ago in the video "Agni's Philosophy", the tech demo showing the game engine Luminous Engine. Set in a more fantasy world than in the past, the title should be inspired in the early stages of the game by the architecture of medieval and Renaissance Europe, and then move on to more oriental settings, with the influence of steam-punk elements that could make an appearance.
A further vast world with many main and non-main characters, secret areas and enemies, mini-games such as Chocobo races and various card games embellish what seems to be the largest title the company has ever produced. There are even those who speak of two new Final Fantasy. If one of these appears to be the sixteenth chapter, the other accredited title could be Final Fantasy Versus XV. This mysterious game, of which we know even less, appears to be set in the same universe as the fifteenth ... but in an alternate reality. Noctis will always be the central protagonist of the events, who could consider the adventures of the past title as a simple dream. Here too it will be possible to play within an even larger area than in the past, with the whole Insomnia explorable far and wide. A combat system rather similar to the original, but with some elements taken from Kingdom Hearts 3 could be placed in the context that, moreover, will also allow it Switch between one character and another with a lot of "gambit" as in FF XII.
Conclusion and analysis
First of all, we would like to say that even the wait for a new chapter of Final Fantasy more "concrete", or for Final Fantasy VII Remake. The title, released on April 10 on PlayStation 4 (one-year time exclusive), is certainly the most desired of the entire saga, which prompted Square Enix to produce a completely recreated version to allow both newbies and longtime fans to enjoy what many say was the best Final Fantasy ever. Most likely this chapter will also serve as a forerunner for the future sixteenth, as it will likely resume some game mechanics. However, the good success of FF XV and the will of Square Enix to expand more and more the worlds it creates, makes possible the actual existence of Final Fantasy Versus XV. Finally, we find a return to the fantasy settings of the past with a lot of dragons, wizards and sorcerers plausible; definitely more innovative a possible location with an oriental character that would give a breath of fresh air to the series but that will have to blend well with everything else.
Final Fantasy will always remain in the hearts of many, especially the greatest, the role-playing game par excellence capable of bringing to life unforgettable stories, sometimes dreamlike and fairy tale, other times warlike and daring. The continuation of the saga is certainly well received, even more so if accompanied by a return to the origins, as well as being able to set foot inside Insomnia and wander around with the Regalia, together with that small group of friends who made us laugh so much and remember how friendship is one of the most precious goods we can receive.
