I am bothered that Square Enix has released a new Final Fantasy in the style of the first 6 games, particularly the first game.

I know it would be hard to sell "2D turn-based JRPG" as a full-fledged, numbered FF, but I have some thoughts on how it could work.

((I'll expand on these thoughts once I am done feeding these children of mine.))

Alright, kids are down for the night.

So, FF games have gotten increasingly bigger over the decades. Instead of a big budget title, Square Enix should make a smaller-scale FF title similar to the NES/SNES titles.

First: this wouldn't really be a numbered game. It would be a spin-off without being as ridiculous as the standard FF spin-offs.

Small scale, very much in line with the first game: 4 crystals, custom characters, minimal story.

Minimal story might throw people off or make them not want to play. I get that. My preference is a minimal story since I love picking my party in FF1. So, big brain play:

Two modes available at the start of the spin-off
-Story Mode
-Adventure Mode

Story Mode would be more in line with FF4 - FF6. Adventure Mode is more like FF1.

This would mean the story might not be as grandiose as other games in the series, but it won't be necessary.

Sticking with the FF1 inspiration for custom parties: We get to pick 4 characters of any class. FF1 has 6 unique classes. This hypothetical game would have many more

Blue Mage is guaranteed since I love Blue Mages.

Now, if you have played FF1, it will feel dated. Most characters play the same. This hypothetical would change that by taking inspiration from FF3, FF5, a little from FF6, and FFT series.

To be clear: No job system. No job swapping. I like these ideas, but I much prefer the simplicity of picking a class and sticking with it.

Also, duplicate characters are allowed. Forgot to mention that earlier.

Each class gets access to new skills to further differentiate them outside of "can use magic" and "can't use magic" categories.

Aesthetically, this will be on par with FF6 or FF Dawn of Souls. But, with more animations. Party members and enemies have idle breathing animations, enemies will react more to attacks.

The game will basically be a dungeon crawl. Go around the world to save the 4 crystals, stop the big evil from taking over the world, maybe go through some hidden dungeons.

To summarize this thread: I really wish FF1 had more classes to pick from.