WithFinal Fantasy XVdue to be released tomorrow after being in in development for over ten years, I’ve thought a lot about my relationship to theFinal Fantasyfranchise. There have been a slew of ads for the latest main installment in the franchise (there have been countless other games bearing the “Final Fantasy” moniker, but I’ve never paid them much mind with the exception ofFinal Fantasy Tactics Advanced), and yet every time I see an ad touting the next great fantasy, I find that I don’t care at all.
Back in high school, I was a die-hardFinal Fantasyfan. I playedFinal Fantasy VIIto the bone. I leveled up all my characters to 99 (except for Cait Sith because his limit break was too unpredictable), collected all the materia, defeated all of the bosses, and completed every side quest. While I wasn’t as enamored ofFinal Fantasy VIII, I still bought it the day it came out, and liked aspects of the story and design. I didn’t really care that much forFinal Fantasy IX, but I still played it from start to finish.Final Fantasy Xwas a nice bit of redemption for the series, and I really dug the “sphere grid” system.
But afterX, I started to drift away from the series. I don’t play MMORPGs, soFinal Fantasy XIandFinal Fantasy XIVheld no appeal to me.Final Fantasy XIIwas so bad I couldn’t bring myself to finish it (seriously, who thought “Yes, you need a license to wear a hat,” was a fun gameplay mechanic?), and the reviews onFinal Fantasy XIIIwere so toxic that I didn’t even bother. So it’s been over ten years since I’ve played a mainline title in theFinal Fantasyseries, and a new generation of consoles and an entirely new story should be enough to giveFinal Fantasy XVa chance, right?
Except I look atFinal Fantasy XVand see nothing appealing. TheFinal Fantasyseries has been around since 1987, and yet here is yet another game where the plot revolves around warring kingdoms and magic crystals. I know that other JRPGs have drawn from this well too, but the developers had ten years to work on a story that could help breakXVfrom the mold, and instead Square-Enix is pushing the same narrative in slightly different clothing.
There also doesn’t seem to be much in the way of an interesting cast. Rather than getting to determine your party and grow attached to the characters you choose, you’re basically stuck with Noctis (never a great sign when your protagonist’s name sounds like “noxious”) and his three bros. And even if the game featured a spectacular celebration of bro-dome, I really don’t have much interesting in hearing about that story. I don’t care about four wealthy dudes who get in an expensive car, go on a road, trip, camp, and fight so that the main wealthy dude can be king.
And it’s not that I’m done with JRPGs. I acknowledge that they’re silly and melodramatic, but they can still be fun. I adoredFire Emblem: Awakening, and I’m always on the lookout for fun new additions to the genre (I’m currently crossing my fingers thatPersona 5will be good). I haven’t outgrown JRPGs (although there are certainly fewer good ones today than there were back in the 90s), but I have outgrownFinal Fantasy.
I have to lay some of the blame at the feet of Square-Enix, a company that’s a far cry from Squaresoft in terms of cranking out classic titles. They’ve also done some baffling things like creating 3D remakes ofFinal Fantasy IIIandFinal Fantasy IVbut notFinal Fantasy VI, one of the most revered entries in the series. Their business model seems to be cranking out as many spinoffs as possible with no regard to keeping fans hooked, instead assuming that fans own every system. They’ve tried to remedy this with their recentKingdom Hearts“remixes”, but it’s hard to be excited forKingdom Hearts IIIwhen it seems like the mythology has become impossibly convoluted over the course of seven spinoffs/prequels/sequels that have been released sinceKingdom Hearts II. So in addition to giving up onFinal Fantasy XV, I’m dubious I’m going to be going in forKingdom Hearts III.
Which is hard to admit. Our embrace of certain franchises becomes a part of our identity, especially when it comes to nostalgia. I don’t know ifFinal Fantasy VIIwould hold up if I played it again today (and I have mixed feelings about the remake that’s in development), but I know that going forward, I don’t have much interest in what lies ahead for the franchise. It seems like Square-Enix has run out of ideas, and while I’m usually happy about sequels when it comes to video games (I was thrilled thatRed Dead Redemption 2was finally announced), it feels like it’s finally time to say good-bye toFinal Fantasy.
