Let's make a Final Fantasy XV!

[Laddy]

• Ditch, or at least de-emphasize, the archetypes. Although FF isn't nearly as bad as most RPG's, lose the plucky teenagers and all the other overused tropes. The best characters in the series do not fit a specific archetype.
• Oh yeah, less nonhumans too. VII and IX kicked ass in this department. An unhuman-like character like Zidane would be cool.
• Create a unique or underutilized setting. While Final Fantasy has always been strong in this area, they should continue with this.
• Focus on a more subtle narrative. Final Fantasy VI, IX, and XII all had great characters with emotional weight to them, yet none of these games hammered in the themes and feelings of the game. The dialogue and characterization evolved much more naturally than say...FFX.
• Evolve the character art style. FFXIII did manage to steer away from the overused "bishounen" style and I think it worked. One of FFXIII's few strong points was the character designs; they weren't oversexualized and were relatively more realistic. Even with pink and white hair. Hey, it's the future.
• Make the game a bit more open-ended. While I don't think Skyrim is a good direction to go, give more sidequests and incentive for exploration while giving the narrative enough focus to not diminish the quality of it. The Elder Scrolls has always given you a lot of things to do, yet I didn't find much of it to be particularly interesting.
• Make character advancement more open-ended. Give us multiple weapon types and skill points. Give characters strengths and weaknesses, but don't pigeon-hole them. Final Fantasy VII was great in this department; every character had differences in weapons, abilities, and limits, but they were flexible enough to be made into anything.
• I like female leads. More female leads would be nice, but it's not necessary.
• Create a strategic battle system. Give us tactical options. XII was a huge step in the right direction, but give us less emphasis on auto-battling and gambits and more on traditional human tactics.
• Give us great music and voice acting. XII and XIII did not disappoint in these areas (sans Vanille), but continue to evolve and experiment.
• And finally, write a plot with balls. Surprise us. Write a narrative that doesn't involve an evil empire/organization/religion. These are fine, but not focusing on them is a great place to start.

So, in short, rediscover your roots but also look to the future.