As a longtime fan of the series who has finished every mainline title and a majority of spinoffs, I’m so glad I can finally say this is a Final Fantasy I’ve been waiting for since I pretty much started following the series. I have been enamored with the classic turn-based games seemingly forever, but nary a good one has been released in my lifetime. I had a lot of fun with FF7 Remake despite some direction issues, but it didn’t feel like the groundbreaking scope and genre defining game that THIS one is. While following many trends paved in the industry recently by character action games and western RPGs, it marries these influences with outside influential works of fantasy and anime and of course the heart of what makes Final Fantasy truly special.
I could go on to gush about the characters, the music, the plot, the DMC style combat with God Hand special moves, the hideaway, and everything else I loved about this entry in the series but I’ll just leave it at this is the best mainline entry I’ve played since 10 and also the only one since Sakaguchi left that doesn’t feel half-baked or misguided in some way. I really recommend this one to everybody because y’all deserve to experience it, and I’m glad it’s receiving the acclaim it has. Creative Business Unit 3 really set forth and stuck to values that just felt absent from 12, 13, and 15. They did high fantasy with high stakes better than 12, the people rebelling against fate story better than 13, and a protagonist-centric destiny discovery journey tighter than 15. It really feels like a Final Fantasy they’ve been trying to nail for a LONG time that’s finally arrived.
Some complaints I see but don’t totally get:
Not enough rpg mechanics - the series has been action-slanted since Lightning Returns almost a decade ago. It certainly has more rpg mechanics than FFXV which was also completely an action game. I loved the battle system of ff7r, but this gameplay makes way more sense for the game’s content and is extremely polished and fun in it’s own right.
Too many fetchquest sidequests- not any more boring than the ones in ff15 or other recent entries. It’s almost like people forget that other ff games had pacing slogs too ahem ff10 cloister puzzles cough. They got on my nerves once about halfway through the game where it sends you to a second desert town that looks unremarkable where you have to talk to a bunch of people, but that was the only point where I REALLY wanted a break from them. Most sidequests in this game are story-rich or pretty interesting, some pretty essential to the development of these characters, and they feel worth doing even if the tasks are the same.
Jill being underwritten - I totally agree with this one actually. She has moments they just could have been stronger or more consistent throughout. But props to this game for really fleshing out so many other characters who would have been forgettable in the hands of lesser writers.
One thing I noticed that bumped for me a little was just that something that this game did that was REALLY awesome with the music direction didnt continue throughout the duration of the game. The first few hours there are battle themes that are SEAMLESS renditions of the field music that transitions in/out of combat. It was really noticeable and a really nice touch so I was confused when it came to a halt after the first few areas of the game. Soken’s soundtrack is glorious regardless but I wonder why that was only in the beginning when it made a huge impact on experience.
Final Fantasy is finally back at last. No DLC, expansions, or sequels needed. Tho I’d still shell out for a Leviathan fight fast.
I could go on to gush about the characters, the music, the plot, the DMC style combat with God Hand special moves, the hideaway, and everything else I loved about this entry in the series but I’ll just leave it at this is the best mainline entry I’ve played since 10 and also the only one since Sakaguchi left that doesn’t feel half-baked or misguided in some way. I really recommend this one to everybody because y’all deserve to experience it, and I’m glad it’s receiving the acclaim it has. Creative Business Unit 3 really set forth and stuck to values that just felt absent from 12, 13, and 15. They did high fantasy with high stakes better than 12, the people rebelling against fate story better than 13, and a protagonist-centric destiny discovery journey tighter than 15. It really feels like a Final Fantasy they’ve been trying to nail for a LONG time that’s finally arrived.
Some complaints I see but don’t totally get:
Not enough rpg mechanics - the series has been action-slanted since Lightning Returns almost a decade ago. It certainly has more rpg mechanics than FFXV which was also completely an action game. I loved the battle system of ff7r, but this gameplay makes way more sense for the game’s content and is extremely polished and fun in it’s own right.
Too many fetchquest sidequests- not any more boring than the ones in ff15 or other recent entries. It’s almost like people forget that other ff games had pacing slogs too ahem ff10 cloister puzzles cough. They got on my nerves once about halfway through the game where it sends you to a second desert town that looks unremarkable where you have to talk to a bunch of people, but that was the only point where I REALLY wanted a break from them. Most sidequests in this game are story-rich or pretty interesting, some pretty essential to the development of these characters, and they feel worth doing even if the tasks are the same.
Jill being underwritten - I totally agree with this one actually. She has moments they just could have been stronger or more consistent throughout. But props to this game for really fleshing out so many other characters who would have been forgettable in the hands of lesser writers.
One thing I noticed that bumped for me a little was just that something that this game did that was REALLY awesome with the music direction didnt continue throughout the duration of the game. The first few hours there are battle themes that are SEAMLESS renditions of the field music that transitions in/out of combat. It was really noticeable and a really nice touch so I was confused when it came to a halt after the first few areas of the game. Soken’s soundtrack is glorious regardless but I wonder why that was only in the beginning when it made a huge impact on experience.
Final Fantasy is finally back at last. No DLC, expansions, or sequels needed. Tho I’d still shell out for a Leviathan fight fast.