In isolation, I had much fun playing Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Final Fantasy 16. However, the more I play through the Final Fantasy series, the more I hope its future looks a lot more like FF7 Rebirth than Final Fantasy 16. That is by no means a knock against FF16, but I do think it lacks some essential qualities that I have come to associate with the series. While there's nothing wrong with the game being different, I just wouldn't want to see it become the new normal.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, on the other hand, feels a lot more like a modernized version of the classic Final Fantasy formula. Although it caught some flack, I loved FF7 Rebirth's open world and overall wealth of content. I also think the game did a great job balancing innovation with classic series elements. That isn't to say I'm not open to seeing future changes or innovations in how Final Fantasy games play going forward, but I just think they should use FF7 Rebirth's approach to preserve the aspects of the series that make it unique.

Final Fantasy 16 Doesn't Feel Much Like A Final Fantasy Game

Final Fantasy 16's Innovations Feel Divorced From The Seires' Classic Gameplay

I was far from a Final Fantasy expert when I picked up Final Fantasy 16 for the first time. My first Final Fantasy game was FF8, which I followed up with the much-maligned Final Fantasy 13. I played a bit of Final Fantasy 14, but, like most MMOs, it failed to hold my attention for too long. So, I was pleasantly surprised when I first picked up FF16 and discovered that its combat mechanics were a significant departure from the previous Final Fantasy games I'd played.

Final Fantasy 16's combat isn't exactly deep, but it can be a lot of fun. Switching between different Eikons mid-battle opens up some fun possibilities, and doing so reminded me somewhat of switching between Dante's weapons in the Devil May Cry series. It feels satisfying to chain precision dodges and land a time-stopping parry on an enemy. That said, as much as I enjoyed Final Fantasy 16's combat for what it was, it's hard to deny it didn't feel much like Final Fantasy.

I've been playing many Final Fantasy games since Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth made me more interested in the series as a whole. The more experience I get with it, the more I realize how much of a departure FF16 feels like. One thing I strongly associate with the series is the ATB gauge that dictates when combat actions can be taken. While FF16's abilities have their own cooldowns, not having the signature meter makes the game feel less like a Final Fantasy game.

Final Fantasy 16's exploration style also doesn't feel much like earlier entries in the series. Instead of traveling between locations on an overworld map, FF16 mostly hops between linear maps for specific missions and occasionally sends you to a more open area to explore. The largely linear Final Fantasy 13 is one of the few FF games I'd played prior. I didn't really notice at the time how big of a departure this felt from most Final Fantasy games.

I Enjoyed FF16's World, But It Feels More Like Game Of Thrones Than Final Fantasy

Final Fantasy 16's Tone Was Much Darker And More Grounded

Another way that Final Fantasy 16 feels like a big departure from the rest of the series is through its tone. Although it incorporates high-fantasy elements, there seems to have been a deliberate effort to make the world feel more grounded than in previous entries. Interactions between characters are a bit subtler, and the dialogue feels a bit more naturalistic. Perhaps the most apparent way FF16's tone stands out is how it handles violence.

Characters don't just die in Final Fantasy 16; they often do so brutally and ingloriously. Watching guards have their throats slit, soldiers lit on fire, and Clive's father decapitated early on reminded me far more of watching Game of Thrones than it did playing the previous Final Fantasy games I had up until that point. Add to that the game's sex scenes and liberal use of curse words, and Final Fantasy 16's tone stands out even further from the crowd.

These aren't points against Final Fantasy 16, which is why I initially took to the game. I'm a big fan of George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, and with there being a lack of any good Game of Thrones games, Final Fantasy 16 did a good job filling that void. However, I don't think I would want this tone to become the norm for the Final Fantasy series because it would mean making the games a bit more generic.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Showed How To Update The Series Without Feeling Too Different

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Updated Classic Final Fantasy Elements Instead Of Abandoning Them

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth feels like a much better balance between retaining classic elements of the Final Fantasy series and updating its gameplay in fun and exciting ways. FF7 Rebirth's Active combat mode is still action-packed and includes elements like dodging and parrying that reward you for your precise timing. However, FF7 Rebirth (and FF7 Remake before it) brought back the ATB gauge. Including this iconic element of Final Fantasy combat makes it fit more definitively with the rest of the series than FF16.

FF7 Rebirth also has a Classic combat mode for players who want something even closer to an old-school Final Fantasy experience. While I was personally a bit too impatient to use this mode, I could see it being a good alternative for fans of the series who preferred turn-based combat. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's combat was also one way it felt more like a classic Final Fantasy game.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's world is entirely connected. Although you will have to progress through the story to freely travel the entire map, you will get to a point where you can go anywhere you want. This isn't just similar to the original Final Fantasy 7 but also reminiscent of older games like Final Fantasy 6, where you could travel the overworld freely aboard one of the game's two airships.

These fun distractions and lighter moments feel very characteristic of Final Fantasy games and aren't something I'd want to see sacrificed going forward in pursuit of a more mature tone like FF16's.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's tone is much lighter than Final Fantasy 16's. There are still many emotionally compelling moments, but things like violence, sexuality, and foul language are toned down significantly. The game also isn't afraid to include some absurd moments, like Nanaki's human disguise or a mini-game where everyone is turned into a frog. These fun distractions and lighter moments feel very characteristic of Final Fantasy games and aren't something I'd want to see sacrificed going forward in pursuit of a more mature tone like FF16's.

I'm not saying I'd be sad to see another game like Final Fantasy 16 at some point. I like that the series stays flexible in its settings and tone, and I'm happy to see something different from time to time. Still, I would prefer the series' future to look more like Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and retain more elements that give Final Fantasy games their unique personality.