Square Enix and Sony Pictures Television have announced that they’re working on a live-action TV series for Final Fantasy XIV, the epic MMO that’s getting its Shadowbringers expansion soon. This isn’t anything like Dad of Light, the drama series that simply used the Final Fantasy XIV game as a plot piece, but a full-blown fantasy adaption.
Obviously, this is a huge step for the Final Fantasy series, and could potentially open the door to much more. With Square Enix taking this next step, there are a few other Final Fantasy games we’d like to see turned into a television series, live-action or not.
Final Fantasy Tactics
Final Fantasy Tactics is easily the best spinoff the franchise has ever seen, and its story is rife with political schemes, otherworldly threats, and fantastically diverse characters. All of these elements are what would make the Final Fantasy Tactics the perfect option for a dark, gritty TV show.
A Tactics show could focus on all aspects of the War of the Lions, retelling the story of Ramza in a more detailed manner. Of course, the show could also split off and have two main characters with Delita and Ramza, alternating between the two. Another option would be to tell an entirely original story set during the war.
The world of Ivalice in Tactics is wide and interesting, and the game already set a precedent for events happening outside of the main story. Maybe you follow a soldier in one of the Beoulve’s army, or put a side character at center stage.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that there are also the two Tactics Advance games, and a show could easily take place in that version of Ivalice, instead of the original.
The really important thing here is that it’s a real tragedy that Square Enix has ignored the Final Fantasy Tactics series for so long. Even if it’s a TV show, Square Enix seriously needs to return to this spinoff.
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King
The entire Crystal Chronicles would be perfect to adapt as light-hearted TV series, getting to the heart of the Final Fantasy series with a story about warriors of light defending the world. What might be even more interesting, however, is adapting a specific game, and our choice would be My Life as a King.
This adorable little game was released on WiiWare, and was a light city-building sim that had you playing as a young king who has to manage his own kingdom and recruit adventurers. My Life as a King was a good game on its own merits, but the Crystal Chronicles aesthetic definitely made it all the more charming.
Imagine a full-blown Final Fantasy show that tells the story of a little kingdom that has to grow, and the inexperienced king leading it. It’s perfect for the TV show format, with each episode focusing on a different problem that faces the kingdom, while tying into that overall theme.
Final Fantasy XII
Much like Final Fantasy Tactics, Final Fantasy XII’s story is rife with political themes, even to a more extreme degree. The game’s story is actually more about the world of Ivalice and the changing countries, rather than the main party itself. This idea is what makes Final Fantasy XII probably the best candidate for a direct live-action adaption, something in the vein of Game of Thrones.
Adapting Final Fantasy XII into a live-action show would allow you to flesh out the story even more than the game does, shining a light on the rest of the world while Vaan and the party travel around Ivalice. There are so many plotlines that run concurrently in the game; Marquis Ondore’s role in everything, Solidor Vayne’s plot, Gabranth’s trickery and doubt in the empire, and the main party’s quest.
All of these can be fleshed out and alternated in a TV show, and Ivalice is just brimming with personality and opportunity, much like Eorzea will be in the Final Fantasy XIV show.
It’d be great to see new stories told in a Final Fantasy show, but if there’s ever a direct adaption considered, we hope its Final Fantasy XII.
Chocobo’s Mystery Dungeon
Final Fantasy is such a diverse series, and while some of its games are perfect for dark fantasy, others would be a surefire hit for family-friendly entertainment. Enter Chocobo’s Mystery Dungeon, the most adorable Final Fantasy spinoff around.
Chocobo’s Mystery Dungeon, if you haven’t played, is a series that draws heavily on Final Fantasy nostalgia, telling lighthearted stories where you play as the titular Chocobo. You have to explore dungeons and, usually, solve a mystery or people’s problems. There’s always a quirky cast of characters to meet, each of which add nice flavor to the world and story.
This makes Chocobo’s Mystery Dungeon absolutely perfect for a children’s series, maybe even some kind of educational show, or mock educational. There’s already a cute little mascot that can serve as the host, and each episode can be about solving a different citizen’s problem, or tackling some kind of moral theme.
A streaming service like Netflix would be the perfect place to premiere a Chocobo’s Dungeon series, and Netflix already added Final Fantasy XIV: Dad of Light to their service a couple of years back.
Hopefully, this new Final Fantasy XIV series opens up a wealth of opportunities for the franchise.
Final Fantasy VII: Before Crisis
Western fans might not be familiar with Before Crisis, as it’s a Final Fantasy VII prequel on mobile phones that, sadly, never made its way to countries outside of Japan. It’s really a pity too, as the game focuses on the Turks organization during the height of Shinra’s power.
You get to see a ton of backstory on prominent characters like Tseng, Elena, Reno, and Rude; but there are also new Turks introduced to the franchise. It’s very much like Final Fantasy Type-0 in how there are all these different main characters that fulfill a different role.
With the Final Fantasy VII Remake release looming, and the game gaining some serious attention after its showing at E3 2019, now would be the best possible time for Square Enix to push even more content from that universe.
The Turks serve as the perfect organization for a TV show, almost an Agents of Shield kind of thing but, well, Agents of Shinra. The kind of sappy JRPG characters that they are also make it perfect for some kind of melodramatic action series, like so many TV shows we’ve seen over the years.
Passed that, of course, it’d be fantastic to see the world of VII brought to life, not just CG life like in Advent Children.
Published: Jun 28, 2019 11:42 am