Now thatFinal Fantasy 16has made its way to PC, fans' eyes are seemingly focused on the future of the franchise and what the next several years could bring for theFinal Fantasyseries. Beyond having the third and final installment in theFinal Fantasy 7remake trilogy to look forward to, the next mainline entry in the series should also be arriving in the next few years, and expectations for it are arguably high followingFinal Fantasy 16’s many stark deviations from series tradition. While details aboutFinal Fantasy 17remain a mystery, a return to form through the incorporation of classic series elements could be just what the franchise needs.
One of the more surprising omissions fromFinal Fantasy 16was the game’s lack of party management, with players only ever controlling Clive and having their companions controlled by the game’s AI.Final Fantasy 17has the chance to do right by longtime fans by reintroducing elements like multiple party members and party management, which could be further enhanced via bringing back the Job System used in classic entries such asFinal Fantasy 3,5,12, andTactics. And for a fresh take on how to make the Job System feel new,Final Fantasy 17need look no further than one of2024’s best RPGs.
Final Fantasy 17 Can Look Within and Outside the Series to Inform a Potential Job System
Even thoughFinal Fantasy 17could benefit by looking to the series' past, there’s nothing to suggest that it has to strictly stay within the confines oftheFinal Fantasyfranchisefor inspiration. Starting with the framework of the series' successful implementations of Job Systems,Final Fantasy 17could branch out to include elements from other games that utilize a class-switching mechanic like Square Enix’s ownBravely DefaultorDragon QuestIII HD-2D. But the game thatFinal Fantasy 17stands to learn a lot from, one with one of the best Job Systems in recent memory, is Atlus’Metaphor: ReFantazio.
Metaphor’s Archetypestake the classic approach to a Job System and expand on it through meaningful and powerful synergies between class lineages that add significant depth and dimension to the game’s combat. IfFinal Fantasy 17takes things back to basics for the franchise, the return of turn-based combat would be almost a guarantee, and the next mainline entry in the series stands to benefit by looking at how more modern JRPGs have successfully implemented an aging combat model while simultaneously making it feel fresh and engaging. Atlus continues to be a leader in the genre in that regard, making its games a great source of inspiration for howFinal Fantasy 17could balance innovation with nostalgia.
Supporting Party Members Should Play a Larger Role in Final Fantasy 17
Final Fantasy 16’s Clive is an excellent protagonist (perhaps one of the best in theFinal Fantasyseries), but that the game positions itself as a mostly solo affair does a disservice to some great supporting characters. To add insult to injury, players never get to directly control allies like Cid, Jill, or Joshua, making it a question of what could have been hadFinal Fantasy 16incorporated the franchise’s classic approach to companions and party management. If turn-based combat and theJob Systemmake a return inFinal Fantasy 17, it only makes sense for party management to return as well.
Final Fantasygames have always been about more than just the hero, with some of the best games in the series having memorable casts that help to define the experience. It’s almost impossible to imagineFinal Fantasy 6or7without any of their iconic characters, and the next mainlineFinal Fantasygame should honor that tradition by giving players control over not one but a cast of iconic and memorable heroes. As a bonus,Square Enixalready has a great example to look to with howFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthhandles juggling various party members and switching up party compositions on the fly.
