The beta for Final Fantasy XV was kind of the only reason most people bought Final Fantasy Type-0. No judgement. I did the same thing. The game looks gorgeous and not only has the graphics clout to swing but also gives you an open world to roam and take in the sights.
The good news is that open world action RPGs have become de rigueur with hits like Witcher: Wild Hunt and Bloodborne already out and expansive games like Horizon: Zero Dawn on, well, the horizon. This concept is the approach that FFXV’s director Hajime Tabata chose to tackle when it came time to reinvigorate the nearly thirty year old franchise, "If we don't get new fans into the Final Fantasy franchise, it will shrink and shrink as the years go on."
In Official PlayStation Magazine, Tabata assessed the decision to make the latest Final Fantasy open world as being on trend with what the industry is doing, “[I think in some ways] everyone is heading in the same direction at the moment. Guerrilla Games’ Horizon is going a very similar way as well. The idea of having an open-world, seamless travel between areas, having to hunt and fight… I think the technology is now at a place where people can try and achieve these things properly.”
To be honest, it’s pretty great to see a franchise willing to stretch past its comfort level, especially one as established and well loved as the Final Fantasy series is and a willingness to not only pursue new audiences but to do so in a way that doesn’t seem to be compromising what made the previous games so beloved in the first place.
