Originally Posted by
Loony BoB
Going really heavy on the 'fantasy' part!
Non-humans. This could be non-humanoids like animals that talk, or perhaps giants or fairies or something similar, so certain characters can go places others can't. Hi, FFVII.
Environments that are surreal and otherworldly, places that scream "this is not Earth". Hi, FFX.
A genuinely interesting and 'new' story with twists and turns that aren't predictable and can surprise people. This is probably the hardest part, because so many stories have been done, but again E33 shocked me with just how amazing they put together their worldbuilding and plot in a way I've never seen before.
Perhaps a little more light-hearted than XVI where I felt I was a dead horse being beaten...
EDIT: Honestly I wouldn't be against the idea of something completely underwater, as a good example of what levels of surreal it could be. Could even bring back blitzball...