The Final Fantasy franchise is in a bit of a strange spot at the moment. It is successful but has not quite reached the sales heights that Square Enix had hoped for by its own ission. While revisiting its most popular game with the Final Fantasy 7 Remake project has set it on a similar trajectory to where Capcom has Resident Evil now, the new entries have failed to make the same impact. Final Fantasy 15 was a mess, largely due to over ten years of strained development, and while FF 16 was a marked improvement, both are missing something.

In many ways, Final Fantasy 15 and 16 are missing that original FF charm. This feels somewhat intentional, especially in FF 15's case, with it originally being a spin-off concept called Final Fantasy Verses 13, with the game being a 'Final Fantasy based in reality' before being transformed. FF16 tried many new things, mainly its almost Devil May Cry-like combat, and while innovation is always appreciated in a series, both have deviated too far from the core of Final Fantasy, and one classic party feature could help solve this.

Final Fantasy 17 Needs A Non-Human Party Member

Final Fantasy 7 Remake Proves It Can Still Work

Final Fantasy has always had a wacky charm to it, although it seems like the more recent entries have been getting more gritty and have been losing this charm. This doesn't mean classic Final Fantasy games don't have their dark moments, like Kefka breaking the world in FF6, Aerith's death in FF7, and Vivi's existential sorrow in FF9, but these games had a sense of whimsy to them. This can be brought back by having non-human party , which all three games previously mentioned have, while FF 15 and 16 noticeably lack them (or at least the talking kind).

Final Fantasy 15, then called FF Verses 13, began development in 2006 as part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis: Final Fantasy collective series.

FF 16 does have Torgal, and while he is a good boy, he's not the talking and somewhat philosophy-challenging kind of party member that classic Final Fantasy titles have had. FF6 has Mog and Umaro, FF7 has Red XII and Cait Sith, and FF9 has Vivi and Quina. These are just a few examples, with FF10 having Kimahri, and it feels like something that the franchise has been slowly removing since FF13. While FF14 lets players pick non-human races and has the classic Final Fantasy charm in droves, its MMO nature sets it apart from the rest of the series.

If Final Fantasy 17 wants to endear people to the original charm of the franchise again, a non-human party member who helps with the more whimsical side of world-building or who delivers a surprisingly philosophical gut punch, like Vivi, is a good option. Plenty of other RPGs offer unique experiences, and Final Fantasy should leverage what makes the series unique. Other RPGs don't have Moogles, black mages (as a race), or the same kind of feeling this specific series gives people. Having another Vivi or Red XIII isn't something fans will say no to.

Final Fantasy Needs Its True Fantasy Charm Back

FF13, 15, And 16 Strayed Too Far From The Franchise's Core

It's difficult to nail what exactly makes a Final Fantasy game feel a part of the series, mainly because the settings of each can vary greatly. FF7's steampunk, retro-futuristic setting deviates massively from FF4 medieval, high-fantasy setting, and this deviation is partly what makes the series so accessible. Still, every game shares similar features, like Summons, but it feels like its charm is being pushed out of the games to follow new trends and different paths. Final Fantasy 15 is probably the biggest offender in this case, trying to put the series in a largely realistic setting.

FF15 doesn't always feel like a Final Fantasy game, and it would be quite hard to tell without the Summons. Sure, the boy band-like party certainly have their charm, but it feels like a bit more metaphorical magic could have been put into the game. Moogles basically don't feature outside a plush, and the strange creatures that seem pretty normal in other Final Fantasy games seem to stick out in FF15. This odd feeling is likely because the game was meant to be a Romeo and Juliet-inspired spin-off, and the abruptly changing direction probably harmed the project.

Final Fantasy Verses 13 (now FF15) was meant to revolve around a romance between Noctis and Stella, who later became Lunafreya.

FF13 is generally strange, and is polarizing to fans based on region. Japanese fans loved the futuristic setting filled with corridors, while western fans didn't get the same joy.. FF16 beats players over the head with its use of Summons, and while a return to medieval fantasy feels quite classic, the game is anything but, having hack-and-slash combat and an overall tone that feels like Game of Thrones with battling gods, given the political intrigue in the plot.

FF 17 Has A Lot To Learn From Expedition 33

Clair Obscur Feels More Like Final Fantasy Than Final Fantasy

For someone considered a somewhat newer fan of the series (essentially becoming a fan in the late 2000s), it feels to me that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the Final Fantasy game everyone wanted. While FF13 tried something interesting with turn-based combat, and FF7 Remake integrates it with action combat, Clair Obscur nails turn-based gameplay in the modern age. More than that, it has charm in abundance. The charm is obviously different, with the game being distinctly French, but the Gestrals do feel very classical Final Fantasy.

As seen by Monoco's character trailer on YouTube, and without spoiling too much, having a Gestral companion allowed Sandfall Interactive to have a party member offer a new perspective and dynamic that a human character wouldn't have been able to provide. Monoco is simple, funny, and wise all at the same time. It is a somewhat contradictory personality for a human yet perfect for a Gestral. Final Fantasy is missing this, which Red XIII has shown with his FF 7 Remake project appearances. Final Fantasy 17 has the chance to fix this.

Humans are all well and good, but having characters from different races of all kinds of shapes and sizes helps with world-building, offers unique storytelling opportunities, and can make Final Fantasy's classic charm more evident in the series' next title. It would help the series find itself, and while FF16 is still a good game, many aspects of it don't seem to fit in well with the rest of the series. FF15 suffers even more, mainly because of its setting and troubled development. Final Fantasy needs its charm back, and FF17 can right some wrongs.

Source: YouTube - Sandfall Interactive