The legendary creator of theFinal Fantasyfranchise, Hironobu Sakaguchi, believes there is a future lying in wait for the future of the series, and I’m convinced that his opinion is accurate. For those who are unaware,Sakaguchi was responsible for the creation of the very first game in the franchise, following the tremendous success of the originalDragon Quest. With it, he brought forth elemental weaknesses that have now become a staple in most RPGs. The title’s success led to his establishment as a prominent developer and the creation ofall theFinal Fantasygameswe know today.
Sakaguchi left Square in 2003, but has long been regarded as an indispensable asset to the franchise’s success, having directed all the series’ games untilFinal Fantasy 5.Apart from that, he also worked on the ever-popularFinal Fantasy 7as a producer, as well as an executive producer forFinal Fantasy XandKingdom Hearts, for example. Apart from those series, Sakaguchi’s contributions also extend toChrono Trigger, which is connected toFinal Fantasyin many ways, but is not exactly part of the same universe. Most recently, in 2021, his studio Mistwalker released the turn-based RPGFantasian.
Sakaguchi Thinks Final Fantasy & Dragon Quest Are Stuck
The Creator Of Final Fantasy Believes The Series Needs To Take Risks & Invest In New Ideas
Even though Sakaguchi hasn’t been with Square Enix for over two decades, he still keeps an eye on his creations and has opinions on both his own franchise and the series that enabled him to createFinal Fantasy,Dragon Quest. During theJ-Wave Tokyo M.A.A.D Spinradio show in 2024,Hironobu Sakaguchi said that theFinal FantasyandDragon Questfranchises are somewhat stuck at a crossroads. The conversation was translated by video game columnistGenki_JPNon X. Sakaguchi mentions that, given the popularity of these two franchises, players’ expectations that sequels won’t change too much are high.
As a result, Sakaguchi believes that Square Enix’s management gets pulled in by what players want and is not keen on taking risks to bring changes to the games in these series. According to the translated interview, Sakaguchi also mentions that there’s no issue with retaining elements that work for players as long as they are good, but thatit’s not a positive decision if it impairs the company from exploring other avenues and investing resources in new ideas. Sakaguchi says that this could make players tired of what’s in store for thefuture ofFinal FantasyandDragon Quest.
Final Fantasy Was Always Built On Innovation
Every Game In The Series Has Seen New Mechanics & Changes
Sakaguchi has a major point, especially when referring toFinal Fantasy. The franchise has always been pushed forward by innovation. As was previously mentioned, the first title in the series added an elemental weakness system that paved the way for most other RPGs, going far beyond the reaches of turn-based combat.Similar improvements were also added with nearly every subsequent release in the franchise, likeFFIV’s Active Time Battle, making each of these games unique, not only in terms of their independent stories, but even gameplay systems. Arguably, thefirst sixFinal Fantasygamesare the most similar among themselves.
Even so, innovation never really stopped. This is a lot clearer withFinal Fantasy 7, which essentially flipped the franchise around and led to a breakthrough in the Western market. With a new 3D approach to its design, a reinvigorated combat system that remained turn-based, the Materia system, and much more,FF7represents a spike in innovation for the series, even if Sakaguchi was not the one directing it, leaving the helm for Yoshinori Kitase. New ideas continued to bleed into the series with the development of future titles and the advance of technology.
FF8andFF9are widely regarded as fan-favorite entries in the series, not only because of their stories, both of which are endearing and captivating, but because of their unique gameplay systems.FF9, specifically, was designed to honor the classic fantasy-themed titles, but held onto brand-new ideas for the game, such as the Active Time Events.FFXwas also greatly innovative thanks to its release on PlayStation 2, and while I don’t care for the Sphere Grid progression system, it was undeniably innovative.
While there are several rumors about a potentialFF9 Remake,I believeFinal Fantasy Xdeserves a remake, too.
WithFFXI, Square Enix tried exploring the MMORPG environment. However, that investment only really worked withFFXIV, which became a critically acclaimed MMORPG. Later on,the company started leaning further away from its traditional turn-based combat and more into real-time action, with each of its installments carrying new ideas and gameplay possibilities to the table.
Final Fantasy’s Recent Changes Haven’t Been Bold Enough
The big issue with the shift toward real-time combat, however, is not the decision itself, but the fact that it is borrowing what works in other games rather than making new and innovative takes of its own. Overall, it feels like the most recent installments,FFXVandFFXVI, try to cater to a public that isn’t necessarily composed of fans ofFinal Fantasy, but of other action-based RPGs. They are in no way bad games, just poorFinal Fantasytitles.Generally speaking, the changes to the most recentFFgames have been grand, but they haven’t been bold.
Real-time action could work for the franchise if it didn’t make the games feel like so many others that currently saturate the market. This is, perhaps, one of the reasons the series stepped away from turn-based combat in the first place. However, the recent release ofClair Obscur: Expedition 33and its positive reception may have proven a point: bold new approaches, even if applied to classic systems, can work. In fact, the French game has caught the eye of Square Enix, and it mayinspireFinal Fantasyto return to turn-based combatin the future.
It’s uncertain if turn-based combat is the path that the series will tread once more, but it doesn’t matter if Square Enix isn’t willing to make bold choices and use new creative ideas. Sakaguchi should know, after all, he was involved withChrono Trigger, which is regarded as the best RPG of all time by many. A lot of that credit is due to the new ideas that not only worked at launch but also withstood the test of time. Hopefully, the nextFinal Fantasygame can take more innovative risks rather than sticking to big yet bland changes.
