10 Biggest Nails In The Final Fantasy Series' Coffin

4. Linearity Vs. Open World Gameplay

Remember in Final Fantasy VI when about halfway through the game the world opened up and all of the sudden you could literally go anywhere and do anything, complete side-quests, unlock hidden summons, etc? Final Fantasy 13 didn't do it - it looked like they did when Lightning and the gang had to cross those plains, but it was only filled with monsters, no new characters, hidden weapons, Chocobos or Moogles. Final Fantasy X tried to do the same thing with the calm lands, but like 13, you had to keep moving forward - you could never go back. Let's compare those games with Final Fantasy VII and IX. When you hit Kalm Town in Final Fantasy VII and the world itself literally seemed to expand, you thought to yourself, "All right, this is going to be a killer game," and it was. Final Fantasy IX did the same thing - you got an airship and that meant you could go anywhere and do anything. At the core is one major difference that adds another nail in the Final Fantasy coffin: autonomy. The player doesn't have the freewill to go and do as he or she pleases anymore; granted, Final Fantasy 13-2 tried to make up for that title's linearity, but it wasn't the same. The autonomy to pick and choose where you wanted to go when you wanted it, was a hallmark of the franchise. It's something they've lost and need back.