Summary
- Final Fantasy 17 could bring back world maps and airships for an enhanced sense of scale and exploration.
- Larger game worlds encourage exploration and discovery beyond completing tasks or collectibles.
- Reintroducing world maps and airships in Final Fantasy 17 could redefine the modern era while recapturing the series' essence.
The Final Fantasy series has undergone a myriad of significant changes over its lengthy lifespan, with the most recent mainline installment, Final Fantasy 16, even showing the franchise's willingness to break its own traditions in an attempt to broaden its demographic. As such, Final Fantasy 17 is expected to take a similar approach, with fresh gameplay and exploration mechanics, alongside an original story and brand-new characters. While it's at it, Final Fantasy 17 should consider bringing back world maps and airships.
World maps and airships are a major part of Final Fantasy's history, and Final Fantasy 9 is the last game in the series to feature a world map and airship in the traditional sense. While later entries featured airships and open worlds, they were all limited in their design and scope. In light of how long it's been, perhaps it's finally time for Final Fantasy 17 to revisit the concept, especially in light of what games offer today.
Why Final Fantasy 17 Should Experiment With Non-Linear Storytelling
For decades, the Final Fantasy series has featured some of the best stories in gaming, but the next entry should experiment with a non-linear story.
The Argument for Final Fantasy 17 to Bring Back World Maps and Airships
World Maps and Airships Would Mean a Return to a Sense of Scale
If open-world games have proven anything over the last decade or so, it's that bigger doesn't always mean better. Games that feature massive worlds often feel empty or bloated, with too much space and too little to do or far too much content that ends up having that "copy-and-paste" feeling and lacking substance as a result. Even so, it's never really the size of an open-world game that makes it inherently bad but the way that size is utilized. As long as that remains true, there will continue to be a strong case for larger worlds to exist in the gaming space, so long as they use their space wisely.
World maps and airships are a major part of Final Fantasy's history, and Final Fantasy 9 is the last game in the series to feature a world map and airship in the traditional sense.
If Final Fantasy 17 were to reintroduce world maps and airships, it would mean a return to a sense of scale that the series hasn't seen in quite some time, but it wouldn't have to be scale for the sake of scale. Older Final Fantasy games, like Final Fantasy 6, 7, and 9, used overworld maps to give players the feeling that they were in a larger-than-life world — the ultimate fantasy. Rather than simply being a hero in a dungeon or on a linear path, players could feel like they were a part of something much larger. Final Fantasy 17 could pull off this sense of place while still maintaining its storytelling value, as it has proven it is capable of doing in the past.
World Maps Invite Exploration, Not Just Completion
The stigma with larger maps is that they are all about providing more space for extra content, and even Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth proved that to be somewhat true. However, a truth about large game worlds is that they encourage exploration by inviting players to explore, regardless of what activities or collectibles can be found within those worlds. Games like Elden Ring and Zelda: Breath of the Wild are great examples of this, as they pique the curiosity of players through visual and audio cues, rather than merely putting a bunch of markers on a map and creating a list of chores for players to complete.
Games like these prove that Final Fantasy 17 could bring back world maps and airships and actually succeed in executing them well, without it feeling large just to be large and instead inviting players to discover its diverse environmental characteristics, secrets, and intriguing characters and stories found off the beaten path. If nothing else, it would be a great way for Final Fantasy 17 to recapture the youthful spirit of those who have remained with the franchise from its earliest days, but it wouldn't have to just be fan service — it could completely redefine the modern Final Fantasy era.
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
