The Final Fantasy series has a long history of spin-off games, from the serious strategy of Final Fantasy Tactics to the cuteness of Chocobo’s Mystery Dungeon. Similarly, Koei Tecmo has a history of adapting their Dynasty Warriors formula onto different series, like Dragon Quest Heroes or Hyrule Warriors.
Square Enix and Koei Tecmo have worked closely before, and yet, there somehow hasn’t been a Final Fantasy Warriors game after all these years.
Final Fantasy is perhaps the video series that might best fit that Warriors formula. With news of Dissidia Final Fantasy NT support ending, Koei Tecmo needs to consider a Final Fantasy Dynasty Warriors.
Why Final Fantasy Is a Perfect Fit For Warriors
Dynasty Warriors is an experience all about empowerment and dropping players into massive battlefields. As the series progressed it introduced more and more playable characters, over 80 in total, who each have their own unique moveset. Now one of the major highlights is finding favorite characters or team of characters, and wreaking absolute havoc. Koei Tecmo has expanded their formula into many, many other series including One Piece, Attack on Titan, Fire Emblem, Persona, Dragon Quest, and more.
These adaptions have turned out to be quite successful, and there’s certainly an appeal for players to take control of their favorite characters and see ones from across series collide. That leads to why Final Fantasy is the perfect series for a Warriors game; it’s absolutely massive roster of beloved characters. In terms of a series that has a diverse selection of characters, you can’t get better than Final Fantasy, something that’s already been made clear by the Dissidia games. Each and every game in the franchise has any number of party members, villains, and side characters that fans would love to play as. Koei Tecmo could even let loose and use obscure characters that haven’t been used much like Sir Fratley from Final Fantasy IX, or Thunder God Cid from Final Fantasy Tactics.
Dragon Quest, in many ways the counterpart of Final Fantasy, has already shown how you can effectively combine different games like this, with Dragon Quest Heroes. Final Fantasy even has a leg up on that, though, as the basis for a story and world already exists. Dissidia has created a universe where Final Fantasy heroes and villains collide, and that same setting or idea could easily be used for Final Fantasy Warriors. All the pieces are in place for a Warriors game to be made, and the brand recognition of Final Fantasy means that Koei Tecmo isn’t even taking a huge risk.
Koei Tecmo Is Already Intimately Familiar With Final Fantasy
Koei Tecmo has now been partnered with Square Enix for years, working on two different Final Fantasy titles, Dissidia Final Fantasy NT and Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia. Both of these games pull from decades of the series history in terms of characters, references, music, and more. This means that Koei has lengthy experience with the series, and even already has access to assets. That’s not to say that they should just re-use Dissidia NT’s assets, but they do at least know how to use them.
Past Warriors games have adapted their respective series in unique ways, like the tactical systems in Fire Emblem Warriors, or the maneuver gear combat in Attack on Titan. No doubt, Koei Tecmo could find interesting ways to adapt Final Fantasy as well, maybe with a unique magic and leveling system, or by integrating summons directly into the battlefield. With the storied history and popularity of Final Fantasy, it’s amazing a Final Fantasy Warriors hasn’t happened already.
Next: Final Fantasy: 20 Unused Concept Art Designs Way Better Than What We Got
