Final Fantasy 14 Mobile Might Finally Get Me Into The MMO

I’ve always been an MMO fiend. I played hundreds of hours of World of Warcraft with my friends when I was a kid, maining a healer (specifically ‘Dancing Jesus’, who did a jig whenever he cast a spell), and I’ve put thousands more into The Elder Scrolls Online since it was released ten years ago. I’ve even dabbled in New World, Runescape, and DC Universe Online.

The one that just never clicked, however, is Final Fantasy 14. I never used to be a big Final Fantasy fan as the numbers always put me off until I finally realised it’s an anthology series. But when I joined TheGamer, a few people told me about this really cool thing, maybe you’ve heard of it — the free trial of this critically acclaimed MMORPG that includes the entirety of A Realm Reborn up to level 60 with no playtime restrictions!

I kept saying I’d try it, kept putting it off, kept promising again, until eventually, I downloaded it just in time for Endwalker’s release. I’ve never seen a more egregious UI, it’s just an Excel sheet pasted onto the screen. I had a headache within minutes, but I made a twink elf and persevered. A million things popped up, a million quests screamed at me, a million players ran past in the most bizarre gear, and I closed it.

There’s just too much thrown at you at once, and navigating the awfully laid out menus made the entire thing a chore. But everyone kept saying how good it was. So, I tried again… and again… and again. It refused to click and I’d just end up back at the pearly gates of Tamriel.

But it looks great! Everyone raves about it, there are way more FF14 fans at work than ESO fans (it’s a lonely life living in Auridon), and I’ve grown incredibly fond of the Final Fantasy series as a whole. I think I just missed the boat.

Had I gotten in on the ground floor when it was new and everything was simpler, I’d likely be as big a fan as my colleagues. So, when Square Enix announced the new mobile game — which appears to be a hard reset without any of the expansions — I was hooked. Director Naoki Yoshida said that it would “faithfully recreate the story”, so it’s a new experience based on the main FF14, not a port.

This might finally be what hooks me on the game, a chance to start fresh all these years later and acclimatize myself with the mechanics without worrying about everything that has been piled on top over the last decade. I’d much rather play on PC, but my hope is that by experiencing the game from the very beginning, I might be able to leap over to the main version down the line without immediately wanting to quit.

I know I’m in the minority here. FF14 is one of the most popular MMOs ever made, and its overwhelmingly passionate fan base is a testament to that. With the trial the community never shuts up about, so many people dip their toes in and fall in love every year. I can’t fathom why I’m not one of them.

I get stuck into overly complicated simulation and strategy games without much hassle, and I adore the number crunching, class-building of older RPGs. But it’s like showing up to a party that’s already been going for five hours, everyone’s drunk out of their mind and I’m standing in the corner.

Maybe the mobile game is my chance to overcome whatever it is that’s putting me off. I’ll get back to you on that… who knows? Maybe I’ll be waffling about how great the game is this time next year.

Square Enix’s popular MMO, Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn, has players step into the role of the Warrior of Light in the world of Eorzea. There, they find themselves testing their mettle against Primals, the Garlean Empire, the Ascians, and plenty of other threats.

This award-winning MMO now has multiple expansions to its name, with the most recent Endwalker expansion bringing the Hydaelyn/Zodiark arc to a close. Director and producer Yoshi-P has promised lots of plans for future content and the game has regular updates to keep players occupied.