Final Fantasy 17 has the chance to revive a classic core series

Now that Final Fantasy 16 has made its way to PC, fans' eyes are seemingly focused on the future of the franchise and what the next few years could bring for Final Fantasy series. Beyond having the third and final part of Final Fantasy VII The much-anticipated remake trilogy, the next main entry in the series should also arrive within the next few years, and expectations for it are undoubtedly high after Final Fantasy 16many blatant departures from series tradition. While details about Final Fantasy 17 remains a mystery, a return to form incorporating classic elements of the series could be just what the franchise needs.

One of the most surprising omissions from Final Fantasy 16 was the game's lack of party management, with players only controlling Clive and having their companions controlled by the game's AI. Final Fantasy 17 has a chance to do well with longtime fans by reintroducing elements such as multiple party members and party management, which could be further improved by bringing back the job system used in classic entries such as Final Fantasy 3, 5, 12and Tactics. And for a new take on how to make the job system feel new, Final Fantasy 17 look no further than one of the best RPGs of 2024.

A remake of Final Fantasy Tactics could get the lion's share, but it would have to move quickly

Even though the idea of a remake of Final Fantasy Tactics seems exciting to many fans of the original, the context surrounding its release is challenging.

Final Fantasy 17 can look inside and outside the series to inform a potential job system

Even if Final Fantasy 17 might benefit from looking at the show's past, there's nothing to suggest it needs to stay strictly within bounds Final Fantasy franchise for inspiration. Starting with the successful implementations of the Job Systems series, Final Fantasy 17 could branch out to include elements from other games that use a class switching mechanic like Square Enix's With implicit courage or Dragon Quest III HD-2D. But which game Final Fantasy 17 a lot to learn from, one with one of the best job systems in recent memory is Atlus Metaphor: ReFantazio.

MetaphorHis archetypes take the classic approach of a job system and extend it through meaningful and powerful synergies between class lines that add significant depth and dimension to the game's combat. If Final Fantasy 17 brings things back to basics for the franchise, the return of turn-based combat would be almost a guarantee, and the next main entry in the series will benefit from looking at how more modern JRPGs have successfully implemented an aging combat model while still making it feel fresh and captivating. Atlus continues to be a genre leader in this regard, making its games a great source of inspiration for how Final Fantasy 17 could balance innovation with nostalgia.

Supporting party members should play a bigger role in Final Fantasy 17

Final Fantasy 16Clive is an excellent protagonist (perhaps one of the best in Final Fantasy series), but the fact that the game positions itself as a primarily 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, which could have been a question. Final Fantasy 16 incorporated the franchise's classic approach to companions and party management. If turn-based combat and the Job System return Final Fantasy 17it only makes sense for the party leadership to return as well.

Final Fantasy games have always been about more than the hero, with some of the best games in the series featuring memorable casts that help define the experience. It is almost impossible to imagine Final Fantasy 6 or 7 without any of their iconic characters and the next main line Final Fantasy the game should honor that tradition by giving players control over not one, but a cast of iconic and memorable heroes. As a bonus, Square Enix already has a great example for you to look at Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth he manages to juggle various party members and change party compositions on the fly.