Final Fantasy 16 Skipping an Open World Means It Can Avoid Many of FF15's Problems

gamerant.com:

Final Fantasy 16 is one of the most anticipated releases of 2023, a year that's proving to be crowded with AAA releases. Fans of Square Enix in particular have much to be excited for, but those waiting for another sprawling open world in the Final Fantasy license will be disappointed as the next title will be a more linear affair. It's a shame as the gaming space seems to be heading towards more open-ended level design, but that's not to say that it's the only winning formula, and Square Enix will attempt to prove this with its next release in the crowning JRPG franchise.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake proved that high-budget gaming can be linear, and fans praised its stunning presentation, sublime combat, and fantastic recreation of a beloved story and characters. Final Fantasy 16 will presumably try to recreate this, as time restraints have restricted the project's overall scope. However, it may have dodged a bullet, as Final Fantasy 15's open world had its issues, and it would have been all too easy to fall into the same traps, making the game almost as polarizing as its predecessor. Final Fantasy 15 was flawed, and many of its drawbacks came from the size of its world.

Final Fantasy 16 Should Avoid Going Down the 'Game of Thrones' Route

While it brought fantastic characters and a gorgeous soundtrack, Final Fantasy 15 was met with a lukewarm reception when it released in November 2016. Noctis, Gladiolus, Prompto and Ignis were great, and the relationship between them made for some of the game's best moments, but its story was confusing and the world in which it was set was cumbersome to move around in. The Regalia is a thing of beauty but the driving mechanics were disappointing, and the world was too large to abandon it