With games ranging fromFinal Fantasy 7 Remake Intergradeto theFinal Fantasy Pixel Remastergames,Final Fantasyhad a bit of a slow year in 2021. Fans were expecting to see more ofFinal Fantasy 16, though issues stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic have hampered development and delayed the game, according to producer Naoki Yoshida. Existing games like thePixel Remasterprovided some nostalgic enjoyment, while many eager fans ended the year withFinal Fantasy 14’s swan song in the Endwalker expansion. However, theFinal Fantasyfranchise has a surprisingly busy year ahead in 2022, even ifFinal Fantasy 16likely isn’t coming this year.
Mainly, in terms of strictly what’s releasing this year so far, 2022 has plenty of spin-offs prepared for theFinal Fantasyfranchise this year. The eccentric and unusual Soulslike spin-off,Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, is coming in just a few short months. Serving as a throwback to 1999’sChocobo Racingback on the original PlayStation,Chocobo GPbrings theMario Kart-esque experience to theFFseries once more. Additionally, the seminalFinal Fantasy 6is coming out as part of thePixel Remasterin February. That’s without even any potential reveals coming later this year, meaning it could be a stacked year for Square Enix’s biggest franchise.
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The Last Entry In The Pixel Remaster: Final Fantasy 6
Square Enix is kicking off 2022 in February with theFinal Fantasy Pixel Remaster, rounding off the definitive collection withone of the greatest JRPGs of all time:Final Fantasy 6. Much like the five previous games before it,Final Fantasy 6will receive the excellent re-orchestration of the game’s fantastic soundtrack, higher resolution graphics, as well as greater accessibility for the sixth game. WithFinal Fantasy 6, thePixel Remastercollection will be complete, giving players an excellent new way for players to experience the franchise’s 8-bit/16-bit origins. Ironically, all of the knownFinal Fantasygames coming after this are far from traditionalFinal Fantasygames.
Chocobo Racing Is Reborn With Chocobo GP
The firstFinal Fantasygame coming in March is actually a throwback to an older spin-off game from 1999,Chocobo Racing. Following in those footsteps,Chocobo GPbrings theFinal Fantasyfranchise back to the racetrack. InfusingMario Kart-esque insanity with the iconic classes, monsters, and characters from the franchise,Chocobo GPhas all the trappings of a proper kart racer party game. There’s drifting, jumps, magic items, and more, all culminating in a comparably hectic experience toMario Kart. If anything,Chocobo GPwill be a quirky and fun distraction forFinal Fantasyfans before the real strange spin-off is coming this year.
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin - Final Fantasy’s Most Unusual Spin-Off
As far asFinal Fantasyspin-offs go,Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origincertainly is the only game in the franchise that can get away with the protagonist blasting Limp Bizkit after proudly exclaiming “Bullshit.” Memes and the repetition of “Chaos” aside,Stranger of Paradise: Final FantasyOriginmarks the first timetheFinal Fantasyfranchise is exploring aSouls-adjacent premise. Reimagining the firstFinal Fantasygame into some kind of campy, cross-universal journey is an ostentatious angle that’s certainly unique.Final Fantasyhas had its fair share of quirky sequels and spin-off games, butStranger of Paradiseis definitely in a world all its own.
Offering a grimdark, bloody, andbarbaric portrayal of aFinal Fantasyworld,Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Originmatches its world design and aesthetic with its action-based combat. Fights are brutal in properDark Souls-esque fashion, while the worlds are self-referential of the entireFinal Fantasyfranchise (not just the first entry). Focusing on a villainous origin story for (Jack) Garland makes this title deeply unusual, but also means theFinal Fantasyfranchise is not afraid to experiment far beyond what players usually associate with the franchise.
Piquing fans' curiousity has beenthe main draw forStranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin. Previews of the game have already illustrated the potential depth of the combat, quick-swapping between jobs to mix up playstyles and adapt to certain enemies. The story looks absolutely bonkers, but that pure insanity could also end up endearing to some.Stranger of Paradisewill be a severe departure for the series that could either be deeply polarizing, or surprisingly effective.
A New Look At Final Fantasy 16, And More
Beyond those titles, the rest of what fans can expect from theFinal Fantasyfranchise this year ends up being mostly nebulous. Most importantly, producer Naoki Yoshida did confirm that fans would geta new peak atFinal Fantasy 16at some point “in spring of 2022"this year, hoping to drum up hype leading up to the game’s release. Yoshida also mentions in the same announcement thatFinal Fantasy 16has been delayed by approximately six months due to the COVID-19 pandemic interrupting development. What that means for the game’s release is tough to say, as the game was not outright delayed out of 2022, but a new release window hasn’t been provided.
That being said, fans will likely get a more comprehensive gameplay trailer in a few months, providing more insight into the gameplay and story surrounding the warring kingdoms inFinal Fantasy 16. ForFinal Fantasy 7 Remake, producer Yoshinori Kitase stated that the universe ofFF7 Remakewill expand in some form in 2022. In an interview with 4Gamer, Kitase may have mentioned this in relation to the mobile spin-offFinal Fantasy 7: The First Soldier, but could also be hinting at something more substantial. Some have theorized that this washinting towards Red XIII DLC, while others have stated it’s in relation to theFinal Fantasy 7: Ever Crisismobile game.
Either way, there’s likely to be some additionalFinal Fantasysurprises throughout the year, alongside the unusual amount of spin-offs coming to fans throughout spring 2022. BothStranger of ParadiseandChocobo GPindicate that this year is not a holding pattern forFinal Fantasy, even ifthe wait forFinal Fantasy 16andFinal Fantasy 7 Remake’s second chapter is long. Hardcore fans will have plenty ofFinal Fantasyto look forward to in the coming months.
