Final Fantasy 17 Still Has a 24-Year-Old High Bar to Clear

The Final Fantasy series has managed to span through many generations of gamers, with each game having its own set of fans. The 16 different mainline entries all have unique stories, features, and other things that separate them, attracting different players depending on what each offers. Final Fantasy 17 will have a high bar to clear, especially considering all the amazing titles that came before it. Aside from the quality of things like battle mechanics and interactive dialogue, there is something the next mainline entry can focus on that Final Fantasy 9 has provided and has yet to be seen again in over 24 years.

What Made Vivi So Popular That a Final Fantasy 17 Character Needs to Top

As one of the best non-human characters in Final Fantasy, Vivi has a lot of good qualities that make him popular with fans of the franchise. If Square Enix wants Final Fantasy 17 to have something like him or surpass what he offers, then the developer must take note of the following things that made the character so special:

A simple yet effective design that indicates what the character specializes in, while also showing how he can be both cool and adorable
A personality that people can easily empathize with and good dialogue, making the character instantly likable to those who have him in a party
A meaningful and compelling backstory that delves deeper into the character, allowing for moments that make Vivi stand out among the other members

Among the fates of every playable character in Final Fantasy 9, Vivi was destined to achieve popularity because of how well he was made. So, whatever character in Final Fantasy 17 tries to surpass the quality of the Black Mage will need to incorporate what makes him special, and it's up to the development team to see how further they can go from there.

What a New Final Fantasy Character Could Have That Will Help It Surpass Vivi

Traits that weren't clear about Vivi are one of the biggest reasons the character is held in high regard. Slowly dissolving the air of mystery around him and seeing why he becomes essential to the story allowed people to connect deeply with the character. If Final Fantasy 17 is ever going to produce a character that goes beyond that, it has to make sure that whoever it is has an even more meaningful role in the overall plot.

Vivi may have had a deep and compelling tragic backstory, but he's relegated more as a supporting cast member throughout the journey. Final Fantasy 17 can make its own Vivi-like entity into one that bears more importance to how the main plotline progresses, helping it become an even more memorable figure. So long as it also captures the charm of Final Fantasy 9's Black Mage, there are high hopes for the new character to surpass its competition in quality.

One of the things that Final Fantasy 9 did better than the other games is that it created a character that's as adorable and interesting as Vivi. Final Fantasy 17 could benefit from having something similar to the character, but the game's developer must ensure that what it ends up making isn't a one-for-one copy. So long as it captures everything that made Vivi special, there shouldn't be too much of a problem figuring out how to make it better than the Black Mage.

Action RPG

Systems

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