The Final Fantasy franchise is, by design, known for changing how it approaches each mainline numbered entry, despite the loose connections and references that bind them together. In most Final Fantasy games, the Job system is either utilized as part of the core gameplay loop or ignored in favor of unique systems that encourage player creativity.
Older franchise titles like Final Fantasy 3 are known for giving players a pool of specific Jobs, from the iconic Dragoon to the powerful Sage, to manage and level alongside the main party. By comparison, newer games like Final Fantasy 15 turned away from traditional combat roles, as some players can choose to make their favorite characters a jack-of-all-trades. While characters in the Final Fantasy 7 saga may fit into specific Job molds, the Materia system affords players some degree of agency and customization. But, even though Square Enix has not announced Final Fantasy 17, the developers of the next entry should decide whether to have clear character archetypes or to offer players something different.
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Final Fantasy 17 Should Not Be Constrained By Cookie-Cutter Roles
Despite most Final Fantasy games utilize traditional leveling systems, outliers like Final Fantasy 10 and 13 opted to use new systems like the Sphere Grid and Paradigms to give players choices in how to level up. By the same token, Final Fantasy 17 could eschew the traditional Jobs and roles and continue the trend of mixing player agency and new systems that blend various styles. While Final Fantasy 16 focused on Clive and his various Eikonic abilities, some battles can quickly be trivialized once moves like Odin's Zantetsuken are learned and mastered. Ergo, the next Final Fantasy should think about how battles and systems can be fulfilling and challenging at the same time.
Additionally, giving players methods to mix up their playstyles without fitting into a specific Job archetype is part of Final Fantasy's franchise identity. Though characters like Final Fantasy 7's Tifa and Cid may be respective callbacks to the Monk and Dragoon Jobs, the use of Materia and accessories can change the roles they perform in battle outside their hard-hitting melee attacks. By extension, Final Fantasy 17 could also render the traditional Job system as a thing of the past, as characters like Final Fantasy 15's Noctis have an arsenal of weapons that provide unparalleled freedom and versatility.
Final Fantasy 17 Should Balance The Timeless Job System With Modern Conveniences
Player expression is one of the core tenets of the RPG genre overall. But on the other hand, an argument can be made to give longtime Final Fantasy fans a new iteration of the traditional Job system. With the critically acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy 14 adding new Jobs like the quirky Pictomancer, and making adjustments to pre-existing ones with each major release, one of Final Fantasy's oldest franchise pillars still has an audience. Although Final Fantasy 15 and 16 have steered away from the Job system in favor of decentralized roles with action-based move sets, a return to the basics could be one move that Final Fantasy 17 makes to bring both older fans back to the franchise and introduce newcomers to the concept.
Although more modern combat systems have allowed players to assemble unstoppable parties consisting of Final Fantasy characters that can cover any base, the Job system also comes with a degree of challenge that some players still enjoy. Some Final Fantasy titles offer different Jobs for players to pick from, but the party member limits mean that only a handful get used regularly in any given battle. Between traditional archetypes like the Black Mage and newer Jobs like Dawntrail's Viper, the sky is the limit with what the Final Fantasy franchise can still do as time goes on. Only time will tell what Square Enix will do to keep things fresh for old and new Final Fantasy fans alike.
Final Fantasy 16
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 87 /100 Critics Rec: 91%
- Released
- June 22, 2023
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Publisher(s)
- Square Enix
- Engine
- Proprietary Engine
- Franchise
- Final Fantasy
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
