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.

Final Fantasy XII

Released in 2006, Final Fantasy XII was a bizarre game. It was not bad by any stretch of the imagination, but it was definitely an odd game with bizarre tones and story choices due to its troubled development.

For example, the final version of FFXII’s story is framed around the characters of Vaan and Penelo as the leads, but these two were last-minute additions to the game; during development, the original main hero was another character called Basch.

Even worse, the main story is not even about Vaan and Penelo; the story is focused on Ashe, a princess whose husband and father were killed due to political scheming, and Basch, a captain falsely accused of killing Ashe’s father, a king.

Ultimately, Vaan and Penelo were executive decisions made to attract a younger audience of gamers due to every other main character being an adult and the story being very adult.

Hilariously, Penelo has zero interactions with Ashe, despite them spending 90% of the game together.

A shining point of FFXII is the battle system called “gambits”. While providing the option of players directly controlling the actions of characters in battle, gambits also allowed players to assign specific actions that characters could perform in the order they were assigned.

Meaning players could assign gambits, engage the characters in battle, put the controller down, and watch the game play itself until the battle ends.

Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XIII-2, and Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

The most controversial entry among modern Final Fantasy games, and its two sequels, barely anyone asked for. According to Video Game Sales Wiki’s collected data, each game allegedly sold less than the one before it.

I can’t be bothered to explain what Final Fantasy XIII’s story is because it’s extremely convoluted and a dumpster fire, and the sequels get worse, especially due to director Motomu Toriyama deciding the inclusion of time travel would be a good idea.

However, the gameplay is generally fun and engaging, with each entry revamping the battle system towards being more action-oriented.

Final Fantasy XV

The last mainline Final Fantasy game to be released before FFXVI launched, Final Fantasy XV kept following the downward trend that began with FFXII.

In 2006, the game was introduced as Final Fantasy Versus XIII, and it was under the direction of Tetsuya Nomura. The game was intended to be a spin-off that went against what FFXIII established.

After six years of troubled development and almost no progress, in 2012, FFVersusXIII became FFXV, the next mainline Final Fantasy game, with Nomura being replaced by Hajime Tabata as the new director.

Set in a hybrid modern fantasy world, FFXV follows Noctis Lucis Caelum, the crown prince of the Kingdom of Lucis, and his group of friends who double as his bodyguards: Gladiolus, Ignis, and Prompto.

After his father, King Regis, is assassinated and Lucis falls to the Niflheim empire, Noctis embarks on a journey to obtain the Royal Arms – magical weapons bound to those of royal blood – and retake the throne.

The game is honestly fine. The problem is that what was delivered at launch was missing chunks of the story, and several areas in the game seemed to have been rushed through development, like the entire second half that becomes the equivalent of a linear hallway.

From 2016 to 2020, these missing chunks were released through downloadable content expansions, a CGI film, an anime series, a mobile game, and a novel.

On the gameplay front, FFXV’s combat and progression were shallow, despite being fast-paced. Most encounters with regular enemies and even bosses could be beaten by just holding down the attack button.

There wasn’t much finesse or skill needed, especially with the dodging being automated and seemingly infinite, to the point that even a baby could play the game.