As I sit down to write this, it’s been exactly a week since Final Fantasy 16 was released, less than a week before the review embargo (our FF16 review will have passed by the time you read this), and the game is being tweeted Popularity. Click on the trend, what will you find?a bunch of damn crap if it was a final fantasy game or not.
By the way, this is also nonsense from all sides. On the one hand, some people did not strictly abide by the regulations of “FF16”. These people don’t like the tone and style of the game, it’s very different from past games, so it’s not a FF game. On the other hand, there are fans who are keen on “FF16”, and they will notice how different each game of “FF16” is from the last one. I’m sitting here, 100% through the game, desperate to tweet and give both sides a digital slap. but I can not. So, when I finally got permission to talk about the game, I used to write to you guys here.
So, let’s start with a big, stupid question, shall we? Is Final Fantasy 16 a Final Fantasy game? Well, of course it is, dumbass, shut up – but that doesn’t mean it isn’t complicated.
What I mean is: Final Fantasy is exactly what Square Enix said it would be. The company nominated key employees to serve as stewards of the series, and these individuals developed the artistic vision for the latest entry in the series. It has been so in the past and it will be so in the future. This is the only way to do expensive artwork that requires hundreds of people to make.
However, some people say that FF16 doesn’t feel like Final Fantasy to them, is that completely wrong? After 45 hours of playing the game, I’m here to tell you that they are absolutely not.
I mean, on the one hand, those feelings are subjective. But second—let me offer a theory here—Final Fantasy isn’t actually as radically transformative as one might think.
Picture a graph in your mind with X and Y axes labeled 1 to 10. Here’s my theory: Final Fantasy has changed a lot compared to most video game series, but it also moves more or less entirely on one axis. So on the X axis, it’s always at 10, 1, and everything in between; but on the Y axis, it’s moving between 1 and 3, and it doesn’t really move much.
This creates a comfort zone. For example, the series took on a punk, tech-filled world in FF7, which was indeed a radical departure–but its gameplay remained the same as its predecessors, which kept it on solid ground. In the post-FF7 world, the series experimented more with different mechanics, but the series was generally grounded in one mood, one atmosphere — characterized by a certain look and feel of characters, worlds, stories, and delivery.
I think that’s what sets FF16 apart. That’s not to say it’s an action game, but it’s the first time in 20 years that you can rely on the typical tone and atmosphere of FF regardless of the setting or mechanics. People like to compare FF12 to Tactics, but I honestly think these games have more in common with “typical” FF (most typically FF6 and FF7) than FF16.
There are many reasons for this. Fans need to admit that the importance of Final Fantasy has declined. When FF7 was released and sold 10 million copies, it was one of the most important games on the market. More than two decades later, FF15 is the fastest-selling title of all time, but it barely cracked 10 million copies when it was born, despite the massive expansion of the video game market. Meanwhile, titles like The Witcher 3 have sold over 50 million copies; even Cyberpunk launched with disastrous results, but FF15 doubled in sales. In a sense, the series has stagnated — at least commercially.
For this reason, FF16 is radical. It takes inspiration from games like Game of Thrones and God of War and offers something new. Whatever fans may have said and complained about the changes to FF, make no mistake, this is the most radical departure the series has ever seen – and if you don’t like it, that’s fine. After all, FF7 Rebirth will be more traditional, and it’s coming.
However, that’s not to say that FF16 feels less like FF. As the story progresses, it begins to cautiously slip into some of the more typical “FF” tropes and story beats. Masayoshi Soken’s soundtrack pays homage to several classic FF oldies, with a few tunes from the first game being featured prominently. There are also some familiar enemies and concepts. Summoning plays an important role, perhaps the biggest thread that ties it to other games.
By the same token, however, it’s clear that FF16 treats its origins and history with a little more skepticism than past entries. For example, Bestiary has about 50 creatures, but aside from summons, only a few are series canon. For example, no Tonberry or Cactuar. Many of the typical enemies, like goblins and gigas, have been given a look that I’d say feels less series-traditional and closer to typical western fantasy designs. There’s also the very traditional Fantastic Orcs, the first in the series’ single-player series.
Sure, there are Chocobos, but when you mount a Chocobo, you hear a two-bar jingle that teases the Chocobo theme, and that’s it; quite unlike other games that feel like they need to be installed Time to blast the theme triumphantly. Money is called “Gill” in the menu, but NPCs usually refer to it as “talent” or “gold” etc. While there are “team members,” you can only control Clive–teams are pretty pointless in combat, to be honest. The highlight of the party structure is what their small talk brings to the narrative.
Many times, the more typical FF elements are infiltrated through “The Fallen”, an ancient long-extinct civilization. For example, the Fallen apparently have airships. With The Fallen long gone, all that’s left is the typical FF-looking ruins, and in an interesting way, this positions FF16 as a post-FF FF game. The people of this world built something new out of the hollow ruins of the more FF – something more traditional than western fantasy.
In a way, “FF16” has just the right amount of teenage feel. Remember when you were 16 and vaguely embarrassed by your parents, family and history? FF16 feels like it’s suffering. Sometimes it has to wear the sweater it inherited from its older brother, and sometimes you can almost feel the game grimacing as it reluctantly does so. Other times, even cool in this new tone, 16 will happily accept inheritance. But this dichotomy is an important part of growing up. That period shaped and changed us—but it didn’t ultimately change our origins. This is the case here.
Like I said, as the game progresses, despite feeling like it doesn’t quite resemble its predecessors, FF16 begins to dabble in their preferences. This is especially true as the narrative slowly shifts from personal vengeance, political intrigue, and warring states to an epic of gods and monsters.
However, the tone is still very different. This is a terrible, cruel world. People died in terror, covered in blood and with their eyes open. Characters dismember dead bodies to settle accounts with loved ones; in this sense, heroes don’t have clean hands either. The characters curse constantly and are colorful. Innocents were cut, tortured or burned simply because they existed. Terrified characters slit their own throats in full view of the camera, rather than face a worse fate—sometimes our protagonist’s rage. Not even Ivalice, but that’s okay.
everything is fine, you know? It’s okay to like this. It doesn’t matter if you don’t. Square Enix already does this, and there’s nothing wrong with it. The company is experimenting and taking some risks with one of its biggest games ever, and that’s better than “okay” — and, in fact, it’s great.
Fans of FF16 should realize that when someone says the game doesn’t feel like your typical Final Fantasy to them, it’s not necessarily a pejorative. To deny how different this game is is to deny reality and underestimate the great and bold move Takai’s team has made with this game.
What they offer is very, very different, but it enhances the overall textural richness of the FF series. If you don’t like it, there’s always the next game. After all, that’s always been the promise of Final Fantasy.
