Cliff Notes – Square Enix should hire the Expedition 33 team for Final Fantasy 17
- The reader expresses disappointment with Final Fantasy 16, feeling it strayed too far from the series’ Japanese roots and unique identity.
- They advocate for Sandfall Interactive, creators of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, to develop the next mainline game, citing their appreciation for classic gameplay elements.
- The argument is made that returning to an older school approach could satisfy fans and potentially be more profitable for Square Enix, especially after the mixed reception of Final Fantasy 16.
Square Enix should hire the Expedition 33 team for Final Fantasy 17 – Reader’s Feature
Final Fantasy 16 wasn’t to every fan’s taste (Square Enix)
A reader imagines what would happen if Sandfall Interactive made the next mainline Final Fantasy game and created a more old school experience.
It’s always sad when you feel yourself losing touch with something you used to love. Whether it’s a film series or a hobby, sometimes you grow out of the thing or sometimes it evolves in a way that no longer interests you. That’s where I am with Final Fantasy at the moment, at least in terms of the mainline games.
If I’m honest with myself, I haven’t truly enjoyed any of them since Final Fantasy 12 and it’s only the surprisingly good Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy that hasn’t made me completely cynical about the whole series.
The final straw, so to speak, for me was Final Fantasy 16, which was the first one I actively hated and never finished. I do not want my Final Fantasy games to be some weird attempt to copy Games Of Thrones. These are Japanese games, and I’d like them to reflect that. If I wanted to play The Witcher 3 I’d go ahead and do so, not put up with a bad copy.
It’s not even a question of whether 16 is a good game or not, it’s just not a Final Fantasy game, in my opinion. And what’s worse is that they’ve stripped so much out of what makes the series unique that I worry they’re going to go even further with the next one, so that it’s totally unrecognisable as being part of the franchise.
That’s why I’d like to see Sandfall Interactive, the people behind Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, make the next Final Fantasy. I realise they’re not Japanese, but I feel we’d get a more authentic experience if we let them make Final Fantasy 17 then if we had Square Enix do it.
You’d get a game that had a strong Western influence, probably lots of new and original ideas, but also a team that appreciate the older Final Fantasy games. One of the reasons I love Expedition 33 is that it has an old school overworld map and turn-based battles. Square Enix would never do that and yet Expedition 33 will probably end up outselling Final Fantasy 16 in the end.
Expert, exclusive gaming analysis
That alone is crazy to me and all the reason Square Enix needs to talk to them. After all, if they don’t they could end up becoming close competition.
I think it’s probably unlikely to happen though, because Sandfall (kind of a boring name, don’t you think?) will want to make their own games now. I imagine they’ll want to have a career like Larian Studios but remember that their biggest hit was Baldur’s Gate 3, a licensed game, so maybe Sandfall would be interested in making a Final Fantasy at least once, just to get some money rolling in.
Of course, Square Enix could just do it themselves, take Expedition 33 as proof that an older school approach can work and make it internally, but I’m just not sure they have the nerve. Final Fantasy 16 was their big experiment and as much as I’m enjoying the Final Fantasy 7 remakes they’re not turn-based at all really.
But I do think that the answer for most of these big franchises, that are getting too expensive to make nowadays, is to go back to what they used to be, just with modernised graphics and features. Not only would it give fans what they want but they’d be cheaper to make and more profitable. After the failure of Final Fantasy 16, what have they go to lose?
By reader Lusk
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Final Fantasy-esque (Kepler Interactive)
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