The hardest, most realistic expectations that anyone could hope for Final Fantasy XVII just got dropped by someone on Twitter, and really, it’s quite legit. Imagine Square Enix might actually conserve some pointers. This could become the best FF ever.
The tweet, which went viral, was outlining a dream scenario whereby Naoki Hamaguchi (the genius behind combat design for FF7 Remake) would direct, Yoko Shimomura (from Kingdom Hearts fame) would compose music, and Tetsuya Nomura (the man who gave us Cloud’s hair) that would handle character design, oh and Creative Studio 1-the team that did the FF7 Remake-would do the development. Now, that is one heck of a lineup.
But there is more! The fan’s idea of FF 17 would still need an awesome female lead (come on, give us another Lightning but y’know, better), an upgraded version from FF7R’s combat (which was already nearly perfect), and actual party members (unlike the solo acting by Clive in FF16). By the way, they would also want to have a futuristic setting with vibrant-colored environments; none of that gloomy stuff in FF16, please. Performance with voice acting skill worthy of that of FF16 would be great as well. They basically want the best pieces of modern FF into one bucket.
Now, let’s pick this one apart. Naoki Hamaguchi in the director’s chair? This is obviously a given. FF7 Remake’s combat was just so slick, fast, and deep; to expand on that would be a bit of a dream. Oh, and Yoko Shimomura scoring? She has made some of gaming’s most iconic tracks, from Kingdom Hearts to Street Fighter II. If anyone can top FF16’s epic score, it’s her.
And then Nomura comes in. It’s love or hate him, but the man has his way with designing characters that stick to your mind. There is Cloud, Squall, and Sora—impossibly recognizable. A new FF heroine under his brush? I’m signing up.
The rest of the wishlist is sound as well. A futuristic setting could definitely bring an FF8 or FF13 vibe, but modern technology. After that muted palette of FF16, I welcome the return of worlds filled with colors of whimsy and fantasy. And, for sure, bring back party members. FF16 was cool, but it lacked that classic FF party dynamic.
But for now, it’s all just fan dreaming: Square Enix hasn’t even announced FF17 yet, and who knows where that thing will turn? If they listen, this blueprint is right there for them.
So tell me: what would your FF17 look like? More sci-fi-ish? Back pure fantasy? Somewhere in between? Let’s just hope Square has something worthy in the mix. Until then, it’s endless FF7 Rebirth replays and fantasizing.
