The Final Fantasy series is wildly popular, famous for it's high production values, cutting edge graphics, attractive character designs, etc. Players also enjoy a level of familiarity when playing a Final Fantasy title (Chocobos, Crystals, Saving the World, etc).
However, I believe that the Final Fantasy series managed to achieve this level of success due to one overriding factor - Adventure.
The later iterations of the Final Fantasy series has always given the player a very compelling adventure for the player to immerse themselves into. As technology improved, the game designers were able to heighten the sense of adventure through better graphics, sound, interactivity, etc.
While occidental RPGs focused on allowing players to forge their own destinies, through the use of sandbox design and dialogue trees. Squaresoft focused on improving player immersion. Square became the equivalent of the modern day storyteller, allowing players to enter into an epic tale of their choosing.
Post Final Fantasy 6, with improved graphics, the Final Fantasy series has acquired many similarities to graphic adventure games. Allowing scenario writers to tell convincing stories visually without worrying about polygon counts and other hardware limitations.
I would be so bold as to define the allure of Final Fantasy as a fusion of the Adventure and RPG genre.
Labels: game design
