Final Fantasy XV Will Succeed Because the Final Fantasy XIII Trilogy Failed

Wide open areas, deep engaging story, and a glamorous array of weapons and creatures. These are only a few things Final Fantasy fans look forward too in each installment. Final Fantasy XV briefly invigorated this feeling, giving fans a taste of what could become one of the greatest games in the franchise. What made the demo all the more sweeter was that it succeeded in everything Final Fantasy XIII Trilogy failed to deliver.

Like Final Fantasy XII many RPG fans were waiting for the next generation of Final Fantasy games. Final Fantasy XIII released to average acclaim, the lack of exploration and linear gameplay was a direct contrast to every other Final Fantasy game released. Coupled with one of the most annoying characters to ever exist and many dismissed Final Fantasy XIII for its underwhelming appeal.

Two more sequels followed with similar issues. Final Fantasy XIII-2 improved on many of the issues the first game faced, giving players more exploration options, an excellent villain, and improved combat mechanics. This however newfound momentum was quickly diminished when Lightning Returns released, exposing Final Fantasy gamers to one of the worst story’s in the franchise. When the series finally concluded Final Fantasy XIII, with the exception of Lightning, didn’t leave much of an impact; instead it left a hollow opening for Final Fantasy XV to fill.

It’s impossible to judge Final Fantasy XV’s story at the moment but the gameplay mechanics are fair game. Active combat, a demanded feature since Kingdom Hearts, finally was finally implemented successfully in XV. The Paradigm system was flashy and showed great improvement later in the trilogy but players were robbed from direct control. A feeling similar to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Dragonborn where players were given the ability to ride dragons only to have no control over the creature. Coupled with breaks between combat and exploration made the Paradigm system, despite all the improvements, more glamour than efficient. 

The small environment shown in the Final Fantasy XV demo was impressive. The lush environments were populated with captivating creatures waiting for judgement. This sense of wonder and excitement to simply go exploring was distressingly unbalanced in the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy. Final Fantasy XV reinvigorated this feeling of exploring the unknown, similar to the classic games in the franchise. That empty hole left by Lightning and her friends quickly filled the second I entered XV’s world.

Final Fantasy XV is looking to return the franchise back to its legendary roots. Giving players that feeling of excitement of running across a mysterious world and finding hidden treasures or facing powerful enemies. It’s a thirst that many of us hoped Final Fantasy XIII would’ve slated but instead made it worst. Now Final Fantasy XV will release and give fans everything they wanted from XIII, and because we’ve yearned for this game the experience of finally playing the full game will only be amplified.

Adam Siddiqui, NoobFeed
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