WITH the recent launch of Final Fantasy XVI, it’s important to look back at previous modern Final Fantasy games since the franchise moved from its traditional style in Final Fantasy IX to Final Fantasy X, which set a new standard and direction for the franchise.
It’s also important to look at what each series either achieved or failed to do, particularly during development, as FFXVI seems to be the only recent game that did not go through substantial drama.
As FFXVI is a single-player game, this retrospective will only look at similar games in the franchise; the online games Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIV will be skipped.
Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2
The game that marked a new era for the franchise, 2001’s Final Fantasy X (FFX), was not just a step forwards; it was a leap across the yard.
With the release of the PlayStation 2 a year before, FFX not only gained the boon of the console’s graphic and performance capabilities, but it also introduced something new to the franchise: voice acting.
FFX featured a poignant story that saw Tidus, a teenager, being flung into another world called Spira, where he meets Yuna and a host of characters close to her.
A priestess of sorts, Yuna embarks on a religious pilgrimage to gain enough strength to defeat Sin, a monstrous creature that has been wreaking havoc on Spira for a thousand years.
Eventually, they fall in love, and Tidus realises the grave nature of Yuna’s mission.
In terms of modern Final Fantasy games, FFX set a standard, especially with its storytelling, that has yet to be beaten.
Two years later, Final Fantasy X-2 was released. As a sequel, the game instead focused on Yuna and made a drastic shift in tone towards pop music and aesthetics that fans did not like.
However, the battle system in FFX-2 is still lauded due to its perfect balance of being action-oriented and classically turn-based.
