Best way to fix the FF series:
- Get back to focusing on well crafted (personal) stories - world build around that over the course of the game.... Yes... In the actual game, not across extrinsic media
- There's nothing interesting about Moogle's and Chocobos. Stop fetishising them and put them back in their place, i.e. recurring themes that have functional value as part of the game world but not as part of the narrative
- Sack all your current writers and hire the best anime/manga writers you can find (see Attack on Titan, My Hero Academia, Hunter x Hunter, World Trigger etc)
- Reverse this obsession with photo-realism - If it's all about fantasy then make it fantastic (visually too)
- Go back to JRPG roots - bring back world maps w/ chibi characters (WoFF style) - Sack off all the expensive production value set pieces and focus on gameplay - innovate their
- Large diverse and interesting worlds (in the style detailed above) - Deepen the lore through play (side quests), let me traverse freely and reward me for that (lots of hidden dungeons, chests, bosses, allies, skills to find when venturing ooff the beaten track)
- Balance the game to flow with the narrative (a la FFVII) - peon-tier power level at start, with big jumps in stats aligned with character ascension/evolution through plot progression - end-game characters should be God-tier
- Bring back interesting limit breaks & summons - keep it simple a la the old games
- (Controversial) Go back to turn-based combat - innovate their
- Balance tone against frame of the narrative (a la FFVII) - comic relief is fine in the right place, non-pervasive and where appropriate in the context of unfolding events
- Innovate on MC profile - angsty teenage androgynous = out, maybe try a charismatic, brash, confident & fiery middle-aged lady-killer adonis
- If you're trying for romance, actually do it properly (see Sword Art Online)
- Traditional Fantasy or Sci-fi - it doesn't even matter. Just do what you're doing well and make it consistent and coherent (and interesting!)
- Bring back the very very simple but addictive mini-games
- Hire some fucking delivery managers and actively manage feature/scope-creep - pick a schedule (e.g. 5yr delivery timeline) and stick to it
This would represent a God-tier modern FF game