Some gamers would consider Square Enix a falling giant since the merger between Square and Enix back in 2003. Square was once known as the king of the RPG genre with franchises such as Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger and even Parasite Eve under the company’s belt. However, since the release of Final Fantasy X the fan response has been largely negative, and it appears the developer might be listening.
When Gamasutra spoke with Yoichi Wada last week, Wada conveyed an understanding of the negative reaction Final Fantasy fans had with FFXIII. When asked about how he felt regarding the audience’s response to the latest Final Fantasy title, Wada stated:
“But when it comes to the customers’ reaction to the quality of the game, some value it highly and some are not very happy with it.”
He then added:
“I think this is a product that was able to meet the expectations for those who know Final Fantasy.”
I have been playing Final Fantasy since 1997 and would say I “know Final Fantasy”, and I must say it definitely didn’t meet my expectations. As usual, the presentational values were of the best kind, but the gameplay was an absolute step backward for the series. It is good to know that the big guys over at Square Enix are acknowledging the voices of us fans, but we won’t know if they’re taking it seriously until we see the next big Final Fantasy title. Hopefully FFVXIII will be a step in the right direction, and judging by the latest screens I’d be willing to say it definitely will be.
