Final Fantasy is such an odd franchise. I mostly love the art and design, the way that everything is so very extra, and in principle I like their commitment to a whole new lore with every installment. It's just the games, as games, that I don't actually enjoy. Shame the movie flopped, really.
Having played through several of the classic Final Fantasy entries now, it really strikes me that they haven't wanted to be making "RPGs" of any kind for a very, very long time. Since the second trilogy they have had forced party construction, fairly linear narratives and almost no player choice.
The overworld maps and random encounters are the least pleasant parts of Final Fantasy ever since 6 especially, the combat systems constantly change but have been pulling away from the tradition forever, etc etc. These are stories, and design patterns, more than games. And great as such TBC!
