For the longest time, the Final Fantasy franchise was stuck in a bit of a rut. With the ending of the Final Fantasy 13 trilogy, it would be a long time before Final Fantasy 15 would eventually release to fans. That’s without even counting the death and rebirth of the Final Fantasy 14 MMO, which was in and of itself a rollercoaster of game development. However, that rollercoaster and ultimate success of Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn would lead to the creation of the upcoming Final Fantasy 16, which has already impressed several fans. Couple that with the previously improbable Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and Square Enix has a bright future ahead.
Lately, Final Fantasy fans have been eating real well, with both Final Fantasy 7 Remake finally released and the reveal of Final Fantasy 16 in September. Both games, Final Fantasy 16 as well as the second episode of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, are on the way for PS5 in the future as well. There’s a lot to look forward to for the evergreen JRPG franchise, for both of the signature camps in the Final Fantasy fanbase. Those looking for the sci-fi fantasy get to play the legendary Final Fantasy 7 reimagined, while medieval fantasy fans can jump into the Game of Thrones-like Final Fantasy 16 in a few years time.
For those in the sci-fi fantasy camp, Final Fantasy 7 Remake‘s already proven itself as one of the best offerings from the franchise recently. While Final Fantasy 15 had its own merits, Final Fantasy 7 Remake intelligently reimagined the original game into an action-RPG that improved upon 15‘s combat considerably. Melding some of the strategic elements from the original’s turn-based combat into a unique action-hybrid system made fighting a very interesting middle-ground for fans. Pair that with expanding the depth of the original Final Fantasy 7‘s plot (and in some cases, adding more original content), and Final Fantasy 7 Remake sets itself up for success.
Plus, the legacy of the original already gave the game a ton of momentum, and the development team ran with it. Even if some of the new story content may not vibe well with diehard fans of the original, there’s still plenty to come for Final Fantasy 7 Remake‘s next episodes. Final Fantasy 7 Remake is a rare case in that the expectations of what’s coming in the “sequel” are actually warranted. While the remake has changed some story details, for the most part it’s remained true to the original game, and thus means subsequent episodes will still largely follow the original narrative. Overall, Final Fantasy 7 Remake will have a sustained hype moving into its second episode.
Then there’s Final Fantasy 16, which is clearly appealing to the fanbase looking for a more traditional medieval fantasy setting. Taking on a similar role of Final Fantasy 9, though executing in a very different manner, Final Fantasy 16 is bringing the franchise back to its roots through a very different method. Warring nations, elements of political intrigue, all of the trappings of a classic Final Fantasy JRPG are being wrapped up in a modernized, Game of Thrones-style setting. Plus, similar to Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Final Fantasy 16 is once again iterating on an action-based combat system with former Devil May Cry and Dragon’s Dogma designer Ryota Suzuki.
Much of this new Final Fantasy project is building off the massive success of Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn, which also appeals to the classic medieval style of Final Fantasy in its MMO format. Considering the game still boasts over 20 million registered players, the classical medieval setting is clearly something that’s been sorely missed from mainline Final Fantasy for a long time. There’s only been tidbits of gameplay shared of Final Fantasy 16, but from what’s been shown so far and the positive reaction from fans and media alike, the game will certainly scratch that medieval itch. Even among its sci-fi fantasy counterpart, which could release in a similar time frame, Final Fantasy 16 will excel on its own.
Either way, this is the first time Final Fantasy has ever really double-dipped on two vastly different singleplayer experiences. Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn did release in the same year that Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13 did, but those were two fundamentally different games. Final Fantasy 16 and Final Fantasy 7 Remake releasing potentially within a year of each other is much closer than any other release plan for the franchise previously. It’s a nice change of pace between the three years of silence between Lightning Returns and Final Fantasy 15, even longer without counting the many Final Fantasy 13 sequels.
Both camps of the Final Fantasy fanbase have a lot to look forward to in the coming years. Assuming neither of these games gets delayed significantly, this may be the shortest amount of time between two huge singleplayer Final Fantasy game releases.
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