What Modern FF Is Missing
Firstly, I want to make it clear that I'm not claiming to be an expert on Final Fantasy, as there are still many installments that I haven't played. I have been playing the classic FFs recently though, and I noticed something that I feel may be one of the fundamental factors in why the more modern games, at least in my opinion (and many others' I have seen elsewhere on the internet), are lacking.
Modern FF is lacking a lighthearted, whimsical atmosphere. It's lacking a sense of fun, and instead has replaced it with numerous layers of melodrama that make the games feel like playing through a bad anime.
I first had this thought while playing through VII for the first time, especially the first half of the game. Many set pieces and events simply would not fly in a modern Final Fantasy game. The entire sequence with Cloud crossdressing to break into a whore house, snowboarding down a mountain, the Golden Saucer; all of it was silly and not at all serious or melodramatic. Nothing of the sort was featured in XII or XIII, at least that I can remember.
I also just recently finished IX, and it is easily one of the most heartwarming games I have ever played. The sense of adventure and the way the characters interact with each other reminded me a lot of a 90s Disney movie, and overall it felt as though the game was designed to give players a sense of fun, instead of a super serious, ultra edgy dramatic experience. The dialogue and writing was an absolute joy to read, and when the game did have its serious moments, they were always handled in a manner that felt appropriate, and it never felt like it dwelt too long on those sequences. Instead, the hardships the characters face end up strengthening their character, and when they come back with even more resolve and determination than before, it makes the player want to root them on and see them succeed. Especially Vivi, I absolutely loved everything about his character and portrayal.
VI is also full of moments between the characters like this, and, like VII, it also has its share of serious moments and drama. But it also has a fair share of comic relief, also like VII. Ultros, Gau, and others help the game from being swallowed by its very serious plot, until you enter the World of Ruin and the tone is appropriately serious. But even then, by completing the character specific quests in the WoR, you gain a new appreciation for the characters and want to see them succeed even more than before. And the game's conclusion gives the player a huge feeling of accomplishment, because they have already seen what should happen if they are to fail.
If I were to try and pinpoint further what I find to be lacking in the modern FFs, it would be a focus on characters and party banter. The focus instead seems to have shifted to these large, sweeping, convoluted and overly dramatic plots, with characters and character interaction suffering for it. In my opinion, from playing through some of the classic FFs more recently and with a perspective in no way tied to nostalgia, what FF seems to be lacking is an emphasis on CHARACTERS, and how they deal with the events at hand. In other words, focus has shifted from how characters deal with and overcome the events in the story, to the events themselves.
All this being said, XV looks to have a serious tone and story to it, but I'm optimistic that its cast will produce an air of brotherly comradery between the characters that provides for some satisfying conversations between the cast. What made the other FF stories so satisfying was that the bonds between the group strengthened as time went on, and they were always helping each other through the despair that may have engulfed them or their world.
So, what do you all think? Do you think FF is missing a more lighthearted tone and more heartwarming moments and interactions between characters? Do you think the characters have suffered as time has gone on? Do you think XV will be a satisfying experience that will hearken back to the tone of older FFs? Or do you even think modern FF is lacking anything at all?
