Final Fantasy 16 is drawing closer, and as part of the final round of previews and interviews we’ve seen producer Naoki Yoshida whip out some takes. Known as the saviour of once maligned MMORPG Final Fantasy 14, Yoshida taking the wheel on a single player entry was viewed with ample excitement from fans, representing both a return to the series’ roots and a much-needed departure after a decade of mixed results by Square Enix.
I agree with most of Yoshida’s observations, and empathise with the pressure he felt being known as the ‘MMO guy’ suddenly needing to prove himself in a different environment despite past successes. His work on A Realm Reborn and its myriad expansions might feature various sprawling worlds and larger than life characters, but delivering a similar experience in a solitary fashion with equal amounts of melodrama, heart, and circumstance can’t be easy. It’s a very different kettle of fish, and everything we’ve seen from Final Fantasy 16 represents a new direction.
Yoshida mentioned in a recent interview with GQ that removing the numbered continuity of the series has been considered by Square Enix, mostly to assist in bringing newcomers into the fold who might be turned off by fearing they have to play all the previous games, not understanding that the majority of games take place in isolation, and no knowledge is required to jump in and take them for a spin. The only exceptions are the rare sequel or spin-off such as Crisis Core, Revenant Wings, or Lightning Returns. Everything else can stand on its own.
Aaron Paul even mentioned in an interview after taking on the starring role in Final Fantasy: Kingsglaive that he hadn’t played a single game in the series, and wanted to start by playing the first one, so he didn’t miss anything. Don’t make the same mistake as Jesse Pinkman, I beg of you. Please ignore all the numbers and jump into whatever game tickles your fancy. Whether that be 6, 7, 10, 9, 3, or the upcoming 16 - all of them are equally welcoming. Part of me can see where Yoshida is coming from, though, and how a franchise ingrained with so much history and a ridiculous amount of numbers is eventually doomed to scupper its own approachability. What would you replace it with though? Overlong subtitles means you’ll just turn into Kingdom Hearts.
Taking away the numbers and opting for nothing but ‘Final Fantasy’ and an obscure tagline is never going to solve the problem ailing this series, not to mention it remains a household name in this medium that has arguably outgrown the sequential attachment to its naming conventions. Each new entry is recognisably different from the box art alone, while even a cursory piece of research will reveal that every game is independent with only a handful of tertiary themes and influences carrying over to each one. I’d rather this status quo stick around than Square Enix upend things pursuing another strategy that completely backfires.
Square Enix has the marketing prowess to alleviate this problem, and I can’t help but feel that trying to fix this issue that doesn’t really exist will only create further obstacles. Anyone interested in checking the series out only needs to do a tiny bit of research - or ask fans they probably know anyway - about what the deal is or where they should start. It’s like Yakuza or Dragon Quest or Grand Theft Auto, where history has already superseded the requirement to stand out because each new game is different enough to welcome newcomers at any conceivable impasse. It ain’t a big deal, so please don’t go making it into one.