This is coming from someone who, despite the recent missteps, still believes Final Fantasy is the greatest role-playing franchise of all time.
It has been declining ever since Final Fantasy XII, even though I managed to enjoy FFXIII and FFXIII-2. Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII was an abomination and an insult to the legendary name, as far as I’m concerned, and I’m not expecting a return to glorious form with Final Fantasy XV.
Recently, Square Enix said they were surprised at the great response Bravely Default received, as if they were mystified that a traditional RPG could still earn great reviews and big sales numbers. I said in a previous article that if Square Enix isn’t ready to learn, FFXV is toast. It’s that simple.
Thing is, I don’t believe Square Enix when they say they’ve “seen the light”
Why? Because we’ve heard it before. Just because the company says all the right things doesn’t mean we’ll see a great RPG. In fact, I have no idea what Lightning Returns even was. The fact that Square Enix was surprised at Bravely Default‘s success in the Western territories tells me just how clueless they really are. There’s no chance they’re going to revamp their current development plans for FFXV just to reflect these recent “lessons learned.” That’s the problem.
Therefore, when the action game with minor RPG elements called “Final Fantasy XV” arrives, I won’t care. No, I’m not saying it has to be turn-based; I’m merely saying it could take cues from other fantastic modern RPGs and implement them effectively. They could take that classic Final Fantasy style and blend it with, you know, a real RPG. That’s all I’d ask. I just refuse to believe it’ll happen, though, and that’s why I’m not holding my breath.
Had you told me there’d be a time when I chose Kingdom Hearts over Final Fantasy, I would’ve LAUGHED
Hey, I like Kingdom Hearts just fine. I’ve played the games and they’re fun. They’re not a patch on the best installments in the FF series but they’re still great games. I have every confidence that Kingdom Hearts III will be another stellar entry, and I’m almost 100% certain I’ll want to play it. I can’t say the same for FFXV. This is a nigh-on unfathomable scenario for me, the lifelong FF follower who, at one time, honestly believed Final Fantasy could do no wrong.
The idea of a new Kingdom Hearts being ahead of a new FF on my “most wanted” list almost makes me want to cry. That’s just because it illustrates how far my beloved Final Fantasy has fallen over the years; when Square Enix can’t stop using the word “action” to describe a new game, I just want to throw something at the screen. Sure, KHIII will be real-time and everything but that’s hardly a departure. I’m sure it’ll play very much like its predecessor, which is what the fans want.
My, how times have changed. And not for the better.
