Final Science Fiction: Too much realism?

[Shorty]

According to the wiki, Nomura is "trying to propose new vision of how a Final Fantasy game can be" and that "the game's going to be more human than the science-fiction caricature... and will focus around current world events - in that sense it's darker."

However, with all the use of technology in what seems to be a fictional alternate world, it seems a little more than a little science fiction-y to me! The realistic cityscapes to the smurfing police cars and highways based on Tokyo's roads to Nomura stating that Noctis will have use of a smurfing cell phone, which can be used to take in-game pictures.



Of course, it's common knowledge that XV was "Verus XIII" before being renamed, "versus" given the original latin meaning of "change in direction". Direct translation: "turned, changed, having been turned." How do you feel about this new direction for the series? Do you feel that the whimsy associated with Final Fantasy can exist in a dark, modernistic, technology-filled world, or will it be compromised as it has no place?

[Fynn]

We've had sci-fi in FF anyway so I don't think that is the huge change Nomura was talking about. Hell, there were cell phones in VII.

He's trying to make the story more serious, the characters more human, in that making the game more mature (like, in the real sense, not in the gore-and-tits sense), which I think is pretty smurfing amazing. Now, if only he can just pull it off.

[Mirage]

What fynn said. The phs is essentially a cell phone. Personally, I love near future fantasy settings, so I am pretty excited to see a final fantasy take on that.

[Jinx]

It's not what I want to hear, really, but I think it makes sense for what we've seen of FFXV's world. I'd have to play it to really form an opinion.

I can see a lot of fans being upset, though, because all I ever see is people saying they'd like a high fantasy like older titles.

[Psychotic]

I don't think VII and VIII were that far removed from reality and those games certainly didn't suffer for it. In some ways I do prefer modern settings - for example I preferred exploring Los Santos in GTA V far more than I did XIII's Cocoon and Pulse. As a final note, there are certainly fantasy elements in there - airships, magic and that gigantic Behemoth of death.

[Shorty]

It's true that there are elements of technology and modernism in past games. From what I've briefly seen, though, it seems like they are focusing on that quite a bit more than games in the past.

[Ayen]

If it's executed well then I don't care what the setting is. The various changes throughout the Final Fantasy games have always been what made the series stand out to me. We've been cycling between Sci-Fi and Medieval for a while now.

[Del Murder]

As long as there are some fantasy elements, like airships or floating cities, then I'm fine with a more realistic world. Unless it's super realistic as in it takes place in Japan or something. That's not Final Fantasy. If it's a modern looking world, fine, but it better be a new world imagined for this game and not based on 'our' reality. It would bore me.

A more mature story is also fine as long as it is well-written and not a bunch of crap like FFXIII's story. Though I wish they would stop trying to get more and more serious with the tone of these games and remember the whimsical days of yore. I just want a few silly parts, that's all! Don't take yourself so seriously. You're a fantasy video game series, for crying out loud.

[Kalevala]

Sounds great to me. I wouldn't be distressed if they sacrificed whimsy in favour of a darker setting. Final Fantasy is composed of many things, and wide-eyed whimsy is just one of those.

[Psychotic]

I think Doctor Who is a perfect example of how you can mix whimsy with science fiction and adult themes. Although a lot of the whimsy in that makes me heave (HA HA FARTING MONSTERS) so I'm happy to do without it.