In isolation, I had much fun playingFinal Fantasy 7 RebirthandFinal Fantasy 16. However, the more I play through theFinal Fantasyseries, the more I hope its future looks a lot more likeFF7 RebirththanFinal Fantasy 16. That is by no means a knock againstFF16, 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 classicFinal Fantasyformula. Although it caught some flack,I lovedFF7 Rebirth’s open worldand overall wealth of content. Ialso 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 howFinal Fantasygames play going forward, but I just think they should useFF7 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 aFinal Fantasyexpert when I picked upFinal Fantasy 16for the first time.My firstFinal Fantasygame wasFF8, which I followed up with the much-malignedFinal Fantasy 13. I played a bit ofFinal Fantasy 14,but, like most MMOs, it failed to hold my attention for too long. So, I was pleasantly surprised when I first picked upFF16and discovered thatits combat mechanics were a significant departure from the previousFinal FantasygamesI’d played.
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Final Fantasy 16’s combatisn’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 theDevil May Cryseries.It feels satisfying to chain precision dodges and land a time-stopping parry on an enemy. That said, as much as I enjoyedFinal Fantasy 16’s combat for what it was, it’s hard to deny it didn’t feel much likeFinal Fantasy.
I’ve been playing manyFinal Fantasygames sinceFinal Fantasy 7 RemakeandRebirthmade me more interested in the series as a whole. The more experience I get with it, the more I realize how much of a departureFF16feels like.One thing I strongly associate with the series is the ATB gaugethat dictates when combat actions can be taken. WhileFF16’s abilities have their own cooldowns, not having the signature meter makes the game feel less like aFinal Fantasygame.
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Final Fantasy 16’s exploration style also doesn’t feel much like earlier entriesin the series. Instead of traveling between locations on an overworld map,FF16mostly hops between linear maps for specific missions and occasionally sends you to a more open area to explore. The largely linearFinal Fantasy 13is one of the fewFFgames I’d played prior. I didn’t really notice at the time how big of a departure this felt from mostFinal Fantasygames.
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 thatFinal Fantasy 16feels 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. Perhapsthe most apparent wayFF16’s tone stands out is how it handles violence.
Characters don’t just die inFinal Fantasy 16; theyoften do so brutally and ingloriously. Watching guards have their throats slit, soldiers lit on fire, and Clive’s father decapitated early onreminded me far more of watchingGame of Thronesthan it did playing the previousFinal FantasygamesI had up until that point. Add to that the game’s sex scenes and liberal use of curse words, andFinal Fantasy 16’s tone stands out even further from the crowd.
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These aren’t points againstFinal Fantasy 16,which is why I initially took to the game. I’m a big fan of George R. R. Martin’sA Song of Ice and Fireseries, and with there being a lack of any goodGame of Thronesgames,Final Fantasy 16did a good job filling that void. However, I don’t think I would want this tone to become the norm for theFinal Fantasyseries 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 Rebirthfeels like a much better balancebetween retaining classic elements of theFinal Fantasyseries 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(andFF7 Remakebefore it) brought back the ATB gauge. Including this iconic element ofFinal Fantasycombat makes it fit more definitively with the rest of the series thanFF16.
FF7 Rebirthalso has a Classic combat modefor players who want something even closer to an old-schoolFinal Fantasyexperience. 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 combatwas also one way it felt more like a classicFinal Fantasygame.
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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 originalFinal Fantasy 7but alsoreminiscent of older games likeFinal Fantasy 6,where you could travel the overworld freelyaboard one of the game’s two airships.
These fun distractions and lighter moments feel very characteristic ofFinal Fantasygames and aren’t something I’d want to see sacrificed going forward in pursuit of a more mature tone likeFF16’s.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s tone is much lighter thanFinal 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 ofFinal Fantasygames and aren’t something I’d want to see sacrificed going forward in pursuit of a more mature tone likeFF16’s.
I’m not saying I’d be sad to see another game likeFinal Fantasy 16at 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 likeFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthand retain more elements that giveFinal Fantasygames their unique personality.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is the sequel to Final Fantasy 7 Remake and will see Cloud and his friends set off beyond the walls of Midgar to explore the world, stop Sephiroth’s machinations, and see the world outside their slum prison. Now that the whispers of fate no longer guide the characters along the pre-destined path set in the original PlayStation classic Final Fantasy 7, the heroes (and villains) will shape the future. The game will still visit prominent locales and revisit crucial story points, but it will be a more significant departure from the first game from the source material.
