Summary
TheFinal Fantasyseries 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 17is 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 17should consider bringing back world maps and airships.
World maps and airships are a major part ofFinal Fantasy’s history, andFinal Fantasy 9is 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 forFinal Fantasy 17to revisit the concept, especially in light of what games offer today.
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 anopen-world gamethat 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 ofFinal Fantasy’s history, andFinal Fantasy 9is the last game in the series to feature a world map and airship in the traditional sense.
IfFinal Fantasy 17were 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. OlderFinal Fantasygames, likeFinal Fantasy 6,7, and9, 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 17could 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 evenFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthproved 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 likeElden RingandZelda: Breath of the Wildare 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 thatFinal Fantasy 17could bring back world mapsand 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 forFinal Fantasy 17to 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 modernFinal Fantasyera.
