Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin May Have Walked So Final Fantasy 16 Could Run

gamerant.com:

The Final Fantasy brand has been in a strange rut recently. Ever since Final Fantasy 10, fan response for the mainline games has been generally favorable but tinged with disappointment. Final Fantasy 11 is an experimental MMO that still has fans, but it did not draw the same attention as its competitors. 12 felt like an effort to combine an MMO’s structure with a JRPG, and some decisions regarding Vaan and Penelo’s prominence did not impress players. Final Fantasy 13 and its sequels are controversial for many reasons, and Final Fantasy 14, despite its current runaway success, launched as a disastrous failure. Final Fantasy 15’s development woes are portrayed by its odd content omissions, and even the Final Fantasy 7 Remake made some bold story choices that did not sit well with some original FF7 players.

Despite that, the series is still going strong, with numbered titles performing well and Final Fantasy 14 serving as a pillar of modern Square Enix. Plenty of spin-offs are also coming out, including games like World of Final Fantasy and Chocobo GP. These also contribute to Final Fantasy’s odd state, however, with reasons ranging from Chocobo GP’s pricing scheme to the rough state of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition at launch. Just before Chocobo GP, there was another spin-off released from Koei Tecmo's Team Ninja. This was Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, and while it turned out better than fans feared, it still feels like it's setting the stage for the potential slam dunk Final Fantasy 16 could score.

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin — The 6 Biggest Fixes The Game Needs

To understand why Final Fantasy Origin could be paving the way for Final Fantasy 16, one must first understand FFO