The World Map: The Last Piece to the FF Puzzle

by Bobby Skelton

Now I've thought about this for a while, to be more exact since the time I first played Final Fantasy X. Now, don't get me wrong, FFX was and is a great game, and an excellent addition to the Final Fantasy franchise. But, it did feel distinctly different from my first foray in the Final Fantasy series (which would be FF7). Now, this article is by no means a bash on 10, but the aforementioned game is the perfect example to prove my point. Read on and I'm sure you'll agree with me, if you haven't already came up with this same conclusion.

What was missing from the tenth addition in the FF series? If you haven't already figured it out by looking at the bold letters at the top of the article, I'll restate it for you, The World Map. I know the world map isn't a sole trademark of Final Fantasy, but to be quite frank, no other RPG can make the World Map as fun an experience as Final Fantasy. After playing 7-9, and then going back to play through 4-6 on their re-release for PlayStation, I felt the same similarity between all 6 of those games. But, FFX just lacked the same experience simply because it lacked the biggest thing of all, the World Map. For about 90% of the game you travel through area maps that connect place to place. Then towards the end you finally gain full control of the Airship (another must for an FF game). It was here my last bit of hope was drained when I found out you didn't control the flight from place to place, but instead just chose where you wanted to go to. I mean, just think about how much different the game would have been if the world map would have been included.

What if the chocobo, cactaur, moogle, and Cid were all ripped out of a previous Final Fantasy? Then, I think you could find a proportion equal to what they took from ten. And why exactly did Square want to leave out the World Map out of Final Fantasy X? That's a question that will befuddle me for ages. Would it not fit with the graphical style? Was it simply getting old? In my opinion a 128 bit world map would look damn good. And I'm sure Square could have found a way to refresh the World Map experience for those who tired of it instead of just ripping it away. Maybe they're just saving it for FF12. I know it's in FF11 but that game is a totally different story for a different article.

I know most everything here is based on opinion, but I think they are very good opinions. Even though I have said a lot of negatives against FFX, I just want to restate I do love that game. But the inclusion of a world map (done right that is) could have put the game on a level only achievable by itself. I hope that Square pulls all the stops with Final Fantasy 12, but that's only possible if they use all the pieces to the Final Fantasy puzzle.