Idea: Final Fantasy Warriors

[Lord_Brand]

Koei's Musou series has crossed over with many franchises over the years: Gundam, One Piece, Persona, Dragon Quest, Zelda, and Fire Emblem. But one obvious candidate has yet to be given the Musou treatment: Final Fantasy, one of the most famous JRPG series in history. With dozens of games and a buttload of characters to offer, it's a wonder a Musou title for Final Fantasy hasn't happened yet.

For those unfamiliar with the Dynasty Warriors/Musou series, the basic premise is that you play as warriors who are capable of taking on armies of enemy units (hence Musou, meaning "unmatched") using a variety of combo attacks and flashy special moves. Many Musou games revolve around capturing enemy keeps or completing other objectives such as defeating a certain number of enemies or defeating key enemy units. Gameplay is fairly simple; you move your warrior around the battlefield and attack using two buttons, one for standard combos and one for strong attacks. In addition, you have a meter that fills as you defeat foes or pickup certain items. When that meter is full, you can unleash a special attack that wipes out large numbers of enemies, known informally as a Musou attack. In addition to combo attacks and the special attack meter, Warriors will sometimes have unique gimmicks that help them stand apart from the crowd, such as additional meters that fill when using certain kinds of attack which in turn power unique moves, or some kind of consumable yet replenishable resource that can be spent to power up strong attacks.

This gameplay has been successfully applied to a variety of franchises, and it only seems fitting that Final Fantasy gets its turn. In this topic, we discuss what we'd like to see in such a game for Final Fantasy, which going forward I shall refer to as Final Fantasy Warriors, abbreviated as FFW.

For starters, I'd introduce a new quartet of protagonists who come from a world unique to FFW. This way they're neutral to the other FF installments. I shall thus refer to them collectively as the Musou Warriors.

• Ignis - A red-haired warrior who boldly leads the charge into battle. His design is inspired by the classic Warrior. He wields swords, greatswords, and spears, the weapons of knights. His classes are Warrior, Dragoon, Dark Knight, and Paladin.
• Aria - A green-haired girl with a cheerful disposition. She's quite agile and dextrous, dancing and dashing around her foes while attacking swiftly with daggers, whips, bows, and boomerangs. Her classes are Thief, Ranger, Ninja, and Dancer.
• Mera - A blue-haired woman with a calm, serene disposition. She favors rods, staves, and magic spells. Her classes are Black Mage, White Mage, Summoner, and Sage.
• Geo - A tall, stoic man blessed with great strength and stamina. He uses fists, axes, and hammers as weapons. His classes are Monk, Berserker, Beastmaster.

Their mission is to track down the fragments of crystals from their dimension that have been scattered to other dimensions. They recruit heroes and battle monsters and villains from each dimension they visit in search of these fragments, unlocking new powers and weapons as they progress and level up. Their primary means of traveling between dimensions is an Airship designed by the Cid of their world.

Aside from the Musou Warriors, FFW features a varied selection of Warriors from across the Final Fantasy series. Each Warrior has a fixed or mutable class which determines their choice of weapons and skills. Many Warriors, like Terra and Cloud, have fixed classes which are often unique to themselves. Some warriors, such as the Musou Warriors, are capable of using different classes and weapon types. Each Warrior has a Limit Break attack that they can use when their Limit Gauge fills (basically FFW's version of Musou attacks).

Following is a WIP list of Warrior ideas for FFW, subject to update over time:

Spoiler

• Princess Sarah - The Princess of Cornelia, who was abducted by Garland in FFI and rescued by the Warriors of Light. She's taken some lessons in magic for self defense, and now wields Black and White Magic as a powerful Sage Princess. Her weapons are staves. Her Limit Break is Holy Flare.
• Prince of Elfheim - The Prince of Elfheim, who was put under a sleeping spell by the Dark Elf King Astos and awakened by Matoya's Jolt Tonic, given to him by the Warriors of Light. The Prince wields swords and daggers, and uses 3rd and 4th-level magic spells for his strong attacks. His Limit Break is Sleepra.
• Smyth - A dwarven Blacksmith from Mount Duergar who once forged a legendary blade for the Warriors of Light. He wields hammers and casts fire spells. His Limit Break is Quake.
• Garland - A fallen knight who abducted Princess Sarah and engineered a time loop that would see him transform into Chaos. His class is Chaos Knight. Like in the Dissidia series, he wields Greatswords that can transform into an axe, pair of swords, spear, or whip. His strong attacks - Earthquake, Blaze, Tsunami, and Cyclone - serve as references to the Four Fiends. His Limit Break attack is Chaos Flare.
• Firion - A Wild Rose rebel from Salamand who fights against the evil Emperor of Palamecia. Firion's class is Rebel, and his weapons are Arsenals, a collection of weapons that together form the basis of his combo attacks and strong attacks.
• Cecil Harvey - The hero of FFIV. A Dark Knight from the kingdom of Baron who sought redemption and became a Paladin. As a Dark Knight, he can use Darkness to increase the power of his attacks at the cost of HP. As a Paladin, Cecil can instead expend MP to heal himself and nearby allies.
• Terra Branford - A half-human, half-Esper who was enslaved by the Gestahlian Empire until an Esper freed her from their control. Her class is Magitek Elite. Her weapons are swords and daggers. Her strong attacks consist of magic spells, primarily fire. Her strong attack ability is Esper Trance, which transforms her into Esper Terra to deal extra damage for a short while. Her Limit Break is Riot Blade.
• Edgar Figaro - The King of Figaro. A gifted Machinist with a penchant for flirting with women. He uses swords and spears as his main weapons, but his strong attacks consist of Tools such as Auto Crossbow and Drill. His Limit Break is Royal Shock.
• Sabin Figaro - Edgar's brother. A boisterous Monk who can perform incredible feats of strength. His strong attacks are Blitz techniques such as Raging Fist, Aura Cannon, and Rising Phoenix. His Limit Break is Tiger Break.
• Celes Chere - A turncoat general of the Gestahlian Empire who was captured for treason and freed by Locke Cole. Her class is Rune Knight and her weapons are swords. Her strong attacks consist of magic spells, most of which are ice-based. Her strong attack ability is Runic, which absorbs incoming magical projectiles and refills Celes' MP meter.
• Shadow - A wandering Assassin Ninja who is accompanied by a dog named Interceptor. Shadow's weapons are ninja daggers, and his strong attacks consist of shuriken and scrolls. Shadow can call Interceptor with the strong attack button to attack enemies. His Limit Break is Shadow Fang.
• Cloud Strife - An ex-SOLDIER Mercenary who wields massive broadswords such as the Buster Sword. Can't have a FFW without him! His strong attacks consist of Limit Breaks from FFVII: Braver, Cross-Slash, Blade Beam, Climhazzard, Meteorain, and Finishing Touch. His Limit Break is Omnislash.
• Vivi Ornitier - A young Mist Black Mage who's curious about the world. He wields staves and uses Black Magic spells for strong attacks. His strong attack skill is Focus, which powers up his spells for a time. In addition to MP and Limit gauges, he has a Trance gauge that fills as he takes damage. When it fills all the way, Vivi transforms into a more powerful form for a short time that can cast Double Black Magic spells, which use either double the number of projectiles or have double the hit range. His Limit Break is Doomsday.

In addition to equipping your warrior with different weapons, you can also bring a Summon into battle with you. The Summon can be called using MP. When called, the Summon will perform their signature spell, then depart. Any Warrior can bring any Summon into battle, but they can only bring one at a time, so choose wisely!

Spoiler

• Chocobo - Attacks enemies in a medium radius using Chocobo Kick.
• Chocobo & Moogle - Attacks enemies in a wide area using Stampede.
• Sylph - Uses Whisperwind to attack enemies and heal the user.
• Ifrit - Burns foes in a large area with Hellfire.
• Shiva - Freezes foes in a large area with Diamond Dust.
• Ramuh - Smites enemies in a large area with Judgment Bolt.
• Odin - Slashes foes with Zantetsuken; may kill enemies in a single stroke.
• Titan - Crushes ground-based foes with Earthen Fury.
• Leviathan - Washes foes away with Tidal Wave.
• Bahamut - Annihilates enemies in a wide area with Mega Flare.
• Mist Dragon - Deals damage based on the user's HP.
• Golem - Shields the user from physical attacks using Earthen Wall.
• Catoblepas - Petries a group of enemies with Demon Eye.
• Carbuncle - Bestows Reflect on the user and their allies with Ruby Light, causing magic projectiles and targeted spells to bounce back at the caster. However, Reflect does not work against area-of-effect spells.
• Phoenix - Burns all foes with Flames of Rebirth and bestows Reraise on the user, automatically reviving them once should they fall.
• Siren - Inflicts Silence on all foes with Lunatic Voice.
• Maduin - Deals non-elemental damage to enemies in a large area with Chaos Wave.
• Valigarmanda - Uses Tri-Disaster to hit foes in a large area with fire, ice, and lightning.
• Seraph - Restores HP to the user and their allies with Angel Feathers.
• Alexander - Smites foes in a large area with Holy Judgment.

Enemy units include the following:

• Goblin
• Skeleton
• Pirate
• Sahagin
• Sentry
• Baron Soldier
• Palamecian Soldier
• Imperial Soldier
• Shinra Soldier
• G-Soldier
• Alexandrian Soldier

Enemy captains include the following:

• Ogre/Ogre Chief
• Piscodemon/Mindflayer
• Black Knight/Death Knight
• Bomb/Grenade
• Baron Guardsman
• Tonberry/Master Tonberry
• Magitek Armor/Heavy Magitek Armor
• SOLDIER:2nd/SOLDIER:1st
• Black Mage Type A/Black Mage Type B

Boss Monsters include the following:

Spoiler

• Dragon
• Lich
• Marilith
• Kraken
• Tiamat
• Warmech
• Chaos
• Malboro
• Behemoth
• Iron Giant
• Scarmiglione
• Cagnazzo
• Barbariccia
• Rubicante
• Omega
• Shinryu
• Ultros
• Ultima Weapon
• Hell House

I got lots more ideas, but I need to get to bed, so I'll post this for now and update over time.

Edited December 28, 2022 by Lord_Brand

[Lightcosmo]

I would be down for FF warriors... as long as they had Lightning in game. XD 

Other than that, I dont have any specific reauests. 

[Shrow]

I don't think my niche picks will make it in lol

As for the warriors game, It's only a matter of time that this happens. Unless there's some kind of business reason that this hasn't happened yet.

I know the summoning thing will be a unique mechanic but can be another unique mechanic that this game could have? To set it apart from the other games more.

[Fabulously Olivier]

I've been adding Warriors spinoff suggestions to the DW reddit. Final Fantasy was one I've been meaning to get to.

 

I've done one for Tales. And working on one for YS. Also intend to do them for Kiseki/Trails, Fullmetal Alchemist, Xenoblade, and FE Warriors 2.

Edited September 28, 2020 by Fabulously Olivier

[Etrurian emperor]

A Final Fantasy Warriors is not something I expect to see. There is still a bit of a stigma about the Warriors franchise about it being ''low brow''. For Nintendo that's not much of a problem because they have always branded themselves as the fun company and are on record as saying their products are closer to toys than art. One Piece too is almost defined by its love for being incredibly wacky and fun loving so that was an incredibly easy fit too.

But with Squire I always get the impression that they consider themselves quite high brow and that they would scoff at the notion of their franchise having to go play with the plebs. You don't get so convoluted or use words like ''Fabula Nova Crystalis'' without thinking a little bit too highly of yourself. 

Still I think it could be very fun. Final Fantasy has a vast cast of highly distinct characters that would look great when slaughtering entire armies by themselves. Its also a very decent combination since unlike most jrpg's Final Fantasy always had a very militaristic side to its stories. Almost every Final Fantasy has a big war at some point in the story and many times the Heroes take part in some of the battles themselves. 

Final Fantasy 9 would be required to make it into the roster however. Anything less would be unacceptable. 

Edited September 28, 2020 by Etrurian emperor

[Fabulously Olivier]

2 minutes ago, Etrurian emperor said:

A Final Fantasy Warriors is not something I expect to see. There is still a bit of a stigma about the Warriors franchise about it being ''low brow''. For Nintendo that's not much of a problem because they have always branded themselves as the fun company and are on record as saying their products are closer to toys than art. One Piece too is almost defined by its love for being incredibly wacky and fun loving so that was an incredibly easy fit too.

But with Squire I always get the impression that they consider themselves quite high brow and that they would scoff at the notion of their franchise having to go play with the plebs. You don't get so convoluted or use words like ''Fabula Nova Crystalis'' without thinking a little bit too highly of yourself. 

Still I think it could be very fun. Final Fantasy has a vast cast of highly distinct characters that would look great when slaughtering entire armies by themselves. Its also a very decent combination since unlike most jrpg's Final Fantasy always had a very militaristic side to its stories. Almost every Final Fantasy has a big war at some point in the story and many times the Heroes take part in some of the battles themselves. 

I see your point. But counterargument - Dragon Quest Heroes. Even if it is more of a tower defense game, it was still a Koei Warriors collaboration with some inspiration from the Musuo formula.

 

And thanks to the Nintendo collaborations in particular, the Musuo reputation is somewhat improving (just not for the main DW/SW franchise).

Edited September 28, 2020 by Fabulously Olivier

[Interdimensional Observer]

1 hour ago, Etrurian emperor said:

But with Squire I always get the impression that they consider themselves quite high brow and that they would scoff at the notion of their franchise having to go play with the plebs. You don't get so convoluted or use words like ''Fabula Nova Crystalis'' without thinking a little bit too highly of yourself. 

Which is why Square would never call it "Final Fantasy Warriors", they wouldn't entrust their crystal vase to a piece of filth called Koei Tecmo, and would instead develop it in-house, with a fancy/weird name assigned to it. Right Dissidia Duodecim and Theatrhythm?

 

1 hour ago, Fabulously Olivier said:

I see your point. But counterargument - Dragon Quest Heroes. Even if it is more of a tower defense game, it was still a Koei Warriors collaboration with some inspiration from the Musuo formula.

Dragon Quest is SE-owned true. But DQ is from the Enix half of the company, and whilst FF isn't above comical moments (ye olde crossdress and the entirety of X-2 comes to mind), one canst deny that DQ is much more relaxed. One prides itself on modern elegance, the other fun.

[Fabulously Olivier]

3 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Which is why Square would never call it "Final Fantasy Warriors", they wouldn't entrust their crystal vase to a piece of filth called Koei Tecmo, and would instead develop it in-house, with a fancy/weird name assigned to it. Right Dissidia Duodecim and Theatrhythm?

 

Dragon Quest is SE-owned true. But DQ is from the Enix half of the company, and whilst FF isn't above comical moments (ye olde crossdress and the entirety of X-2 comes to mind), one canst deny that DQ is much more relaxed. One prides itself on modern elegance, the other fun.

Whose to say that FF can't have a darker, more elegant take on Warriors?

 

It already has no problem with a Dissidia franchise and KH. Not a whole lot of dignity in that.

[Etrurian emperor]

28 minutes ago, Fabulously Olivier said:

It already has no problem with a Dissidia franchise and KH. Not a whole lot of dignity in that.

I think Dissidia is more in line with Squire's usual style. Its rather telling that even something as simple as an arena brawler involved endless cycles, immortal crystal dragons and other convoluted stuff. 

[Zapp Branniglenn]

I haven't gotten around to playing 15 but may I be the first to suggest the car? You know, all four party members are there, you just play as the car. Maybe Noctis will warp out for a cool move here and there.

Anyway I appreciate giving the smaller characters a spot in a game like that. Seems like Final Fantasy crossovers are " Just gimme the Cloud and Sephiroth of each game"

2 hours ago, Shrow said:

I don't think my niche picks will make it in lol

Gods I would personally smite this one down.

Edited September 28, 2020 by Glennstavos

[Fabulously Olivier]

Ironically, Koei might actually respect the IP more than Square itself. I don't see games like FFXV and the 3 FF13 games and think this company knows what to do with this license.

[Punished Dayni]

On the plot concern, if Age of Calamity does make a positive impact for musou taking its plot seriously, who knows? That could change minds and BotW devs are involved with AoC so that could help its case.

There could be neat themed maps too, like you could have the Midgar stage possibly involve keeping the plates from being broken to fall on the crystal shards below, or a stage where you get chocobos to assist in charging foes down and you can ride on them, with special variants and all, hell, a stage where the only enemies are Gil Turtles and it's balancing the risk/reward of tearing through and risking harder fightsfor a minidungeon.

On the roster, oh boy there would be so much salt. I will not pretend I wouldn't be 10% of it getting mad that someone like Steiner and Beatrix, Rydia or especially Vivi didn't get in while Vann or someone who does deserve it anyways does. Chances are no playable Cid would get in (RIP FFIV Cid stans), I wouldn't bet that Smyth would get in (Though depending on who is deciding it some weird NPC picks are still liable to occur) and we won't be graced with Quina cooking up their foes either. And having the main cast be flexible in their own classes seems to be the best bet, I still felt disappointed the siblings in FEW were both stuck to sword swinging.

What's the standard size for rosters actually? I'm wondering because that would be a good baseline to consider.

[Fabulously Olivier]

21 minutes ago, Dayni said:

On the plot concern, if Age of Calamity does make a positive impact for musou taking its plot seriously, who knows? That could change minds and BotW devs are involved with AoC so that could help its case.

There could be neat themed maps too, like you could have the Midgar stage possibly involve keeping the plates from being broken to fall on the crystal shards below, or a stage where you get chocobos to assist in charging foes down and you can ride on them, with special variants and all, hell, a stage where the only enemies are Gil Turtles and it's balancing the risk/reward of tearing through and risking harder fightsfor a minidungeon.

On the roster, oh boy there would be so much salt. I will not pretend I wouldn't be 10% of it getting mad that someone like Steiner and Beatrix, Rydia or especially Vivi didn't get in while Vann or someone who does deserve it anyways does. Chances are no playable Cid would get in (RIP FFIV Cid stans), I wouldn't bet that Smyth would get in (Though depending on who is deciding it some weird NPC picks are still liable to occur) and we won't be graced with Quina cooking up their foes either. And having the main cast be flexible in their own classes seems to be the best bet, I still felt disappointed the siblings in FEW were both stuck to sword swinging.

What's the standard size for rosters actually? I'm wondering because that would be a good baseline to consider.

A new licensed spinoff can expect to have roughly 30 playable characters if the franchise allows for it. FE Warriors has 32, including 2 OCs. HW has more.

 

Then if they get sequels, like One Piece has, that roster balloons further. One Piece Pirate Warriors 2 has 27 playables. One Piece Pirate Warriors 3 has 37 playables. 4 has 43 playables, with 9 planned dlc.

 

Off topic, but these are my rosters for the Tales Warriors and YS Warriors I put on the DW Reddit.

 

Tales:

Spoiler

Classic Tales (pre-Abyss) (1-2 of 30)

Cress Albane

Leon Magnus

Tales of the Abyss (3-5 of 30)

Luke fon Fabre

Tear Grants

Jade Curtiss

Tales of Symphonia (6-13 of 30)

Lloyd Irving

Colette Brunel

Genis Sage

Raine Sage

Kratos Aurion

Sheena Fujibayashi

Regal Bryant

Presea Combatir

Tales of Vesperia (14-18 of 30)

Yuri Lowell & Repede

Estelle

Flynn Scifo

Rita Mordio

Raven

Tales of Xillia (19-23 of 30)

Jude Mathis

Millia Maxwell

Ludger Will Kresnik

Alvin

Gaius

Tales of Graces (24 of 30)

Richard

Tales of Zestiria (25 of 30)

Sorey (with all of his Seraphs for Armatization moveset)

Tales of Berseria (26-28 of 30)

Velvet Crowe

Eizen

Eleanor Hume

Tales of Arise (29-30 of 30)

Alphen

Shionne

 

YS:

Spoiler

Core (1-2 of 30)

Adol (Slash)

Dogi (Strike)

YS VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana (3-9 of 30)

Dana (Slash)

Laxia (Pierce)

Sahad (Strike)

Hummel (Pierce)

Ricotta (Strike)

Captain Barbaros and Little Paro (Strike)

Silvia (Slash)

YS IX: Monstrum Nox (10-14 of 30)

White Cat (Strike)

Hawk (Pierce)

Raging Bull (Strike)

Doll (Slash)

Renegade (Pierce)

YS VII (15-21 of 30)

Geis (Slash)

Aisha (Pierce)

Elk (Slash)

Mishera (Pierce)

Mustafa (Strike)

Sigroon (Slash)

Cruxie (Strike)

YS: Memories of Celceta (22-27 of 30)

Duren (Strike)

Karna (Pierce)

Ozma (Pierce)

Calilica (Strike)

Frieda (Slash)

Griselda (Slash)

YS Origin (28-30 of 30)

Yunika (Pierce)

Hugo (Strike)

Toal (Slash)

 

Edited September 28, 2020 by Fabulously Olivier

[Etrurian emperor]

6 hours ago, Fabulously Olivier said:

Ironically, Koei might actually respect the IP more than Square itself. I don't see games like FFXV and the 3 FF13 games and think this company knows what to do with this license.

I think that the FF13 saga might actually come from Square having too much respect for FF13 even if they were the only ones. I guess that's admirable in a sense. I've always suspected that FF13 suffered from a sense of inferiority that the Japanese industry had developed in that particular generation. All sorts of Japanese studio's stressed that they needed to appeal to the west and they often started tinkering with their games in ways that were far from beneficial. There was even a highly questionable quote about FF13  had influences from COD of all things.  With 15 I get the impression everyone had their hearts in the right place. The development was unfortunately just a trainwreck. 

Edited September 29, 2020 by Etrurian emperor

[Interdimensional Observer]

2 hours ago, Fabulously Olivier said:

A new licensed spinoff can expect to have roughly 30 playable characters if the franchise allows for it. FE Warriors has 32, including 2 OCs. HW has more

Fire Emblem Warriors  has a lot of clones though. 3D Models = money spent, but move-sets are a cost too, and important for having fun. Whats FEW in terms of unique move-sets? 16?

And for Hyrule Warriors, the 3DS Legends version makes how to count it odd. Would HW have gotten the Legends roster additions as a second round of DLC for the Wii U version, if there wasn't a 3DS port of the game? I'll say no. It was predicated on people buying the game again for an additional $40 plus more for yet more DLC.

• For the Hyrule Warrior Wii U original version, without DLC, it was 16 characters factoring in the free OC villain trio.
• And then you have the 7 included alternative weapons for Link (Hylian and Master Sword are being counted as one), Zelda, Impa, and Lana, which are distinct movesets assigned to the same models, the opposite of FEW.
• The Wii U HW DLC was another 3 characters and 3 alternate weapons.
• Therefore, I'd be inclined to say HW was 19 characters + a little extra.

However, I will add the primordial ancestor called Dynasty Warriors 2 had 28 characters.

• ...Although the first Samurai Warriors was 18 with Xtreme Legends.
• And the first Dynasty Warriors: Gundam looks like it was about 15 characters. 
• Lastly, Warriors All-Stars was 19 excluding the Samurai/Dynasty characters who could use their already established move-sets.

Thus, I would say a Final Fantasy Warriors, or any other new Musou spinoff, would have 19 characters.

 

...I know these numbers because I tried to get an idea of how many could plausibly fit into the first Xenoblade Warriors game should that come to pass.

[Slumber]

57 minutes ago, Etrurian emperor said:

I think that the FF13 saga might actually come from Squire having too much respect for FF13 even if they were the only ones. I guess that's admirable in a sense. I've always suspected that FF13 suffered from a sense of inferiority that the Japanese industry had developed in that particular generation. All sorts of Japanese studio's stressed that they needed to appeal to the west and they often started tinkering with their games in ways that were far from beneficial. There was even a highly questionable quote about FF13  had influenced from COD of all things.  With 15 I get the impression everyone had their hearts in the right place. The development was unfortunately just a trainwreck. 

Same mindset that tanked Resident Evil for half a decade. Chasing COD money was such a bizarre period for Japanese developers.

[Lightcosmo]

The one person here who doesnt want Cloud anywhere near the game. XD 

[Lord_Brand]

30 warriors is an interesting guide to work around. But at 16 entries in the core series alone, that only amounts to 1-2 fighters per game, which would probably boil down to a hero and a villain Dissidia-style, and my intention would be to give other characters a chance to shine. I mean, sure, there would probably be an expectation to see most of the Dissidia fighters, and sure, why not. But this would also be a good chance to bring in more fan favorites like Shadow and Vivi, and yes, even some previously minor NPCs as surprise additions. While it can be cool to see all the popular characters come together, there's something to be said for dark horse candidates as well; many popular FF characters started out as dark horses, after all. Just as Super Smash Bros. catapulted Captain Falcon to fame, so too could FFW give a normally bit player like Smyth a chance to shine.

There is of course another reason I suggest NPCs from FFI in lieu of the obvious Light Warriors: The Light Warriors are generic blank slates with no character or personality of their own. Yeah, Dissidia turned Warrior of Light into a distinct character, but he's practically a Dissidia original. Thus, I thought it'd be neat to bring in some distinct NPCs from FF1 instead and have FFW-original characters be the core four Warriors of the story.

Worth noting that, even in HW and Dissidia, not every game was represented equally. HW had no MM or Toon reps at first, and Dissidia only had one rep for FFXI and XII at first. And of course a game like FFW would be prime for DLC, which could add entire games' worth of playable warriors to FFW.

Edited March 15, 2021 by Lord_Brand

[Lightcosmo]

I think your almost always going to see the same cast because the dev bias. The idea to see new blood sounds great, but they pick who they like.

[Lord_Brand]

Well, I recall that Dissidia NT had a rather surprising addition in the form of Ramza Beoulve from FFT, the first fighter from another spinoff for the Dissidia series. DNT also added Kam'lanaut from FFXI, who was the secondary antagonist of Rise of Zilart, not the main villain which would be Eald'narche. So, they are willing to throw some curveballs.

[Fabulously Olivier]

11 hours ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Fire Emblem Warriors  has a lot of clones though. 3D Models = money spent, but move-sets are a cost too, and important for having fun. Whats FEW in terms of unique move-sets? 16?

And for Hyrule Warriors, the 3DS Legends version makes how to count it odd. Would HW have gotten the Legends roster additions as a second round of DLC for the Wii U version, if there wasn't a 3DS port of the game? I'll say no. It was predicated on people buying the game again for an additional $40 plus more for yet more DLC.

• For the Hyrule Warrior Wii U original version, without DLC, it was 16 characters factoring in the free OC villain trio.
• And then you have the 7 included alternative weapons for Link (Hylian and Master Sword are being counted as one), Zelda, Impa, and Lana, which are distinct movesets assigned to the same models, the opposite of FEW.
• The Wii U HW DLC was another 3 characters and 3 alternate weapons.
• Therefore, I'd be inclined to say HW was 19 characters + a little extra.

However, I will add the primordial ancestor called Dynasty Warriors 2 had 28 characters.

• ...Although the first Samurai Warriors was 18 with Xtreme Legends.
• And the first Dynasty Warriors: Gundam looks like it was about 15 characters. 
• Lastly, Warriors All-Stars was 19 excluding the Samurai/Dynasty characters who could use their already established move-sets.

Thus, I would say a Final Fantasy Warriors, or any other new Musou spinoff, would have 19 characters.

 

...I know these numbers because I tried to get an idea of how many could plausibly fit into the first Xenoblade Warriors game should that come to pass.

Let's call it an even 20 then. Though I do think an IP as important as FF would get preferential treatment.

[Lightcosmo]

4 hours ago, Lord_Brand said:

Well, I recall that Dissidia NT had a rather surprising addition in the form of Ramza Beoulve from FFT, the first fighter from another spinoff for the Dissidia series. DNT also added Kam'lanaut from FFXI, who was the secondary antagonist of Rise of Zilart, not the main villain which would be Eald'narche. So, they are willing to throw some curveballs.

True, but they also re added Tifa, Yuna, Gabranth, all expected to come back. While having the option to add new characters was there, they chose to have them again. I mean come on, we all know which characters are going to bring in some money.

[null]

20 hours ago, Fabulously Olivier said:

I've done one for Tales. And working on one for YS. Also intend to do them for Kiseki/Trails, Fullmetal Alchemist, Xenoblade, and FE Warriors 2.

Honestly, if they did a Falcom-themed Warriors game I could see them bringing the casts of both Ys and Trails into one game for it (which I wouldn't mind personally; any Falcom Warriors game is something I would be very happy to see be made). That kind of crossover already exists, actually. Just not in the Warriors genre.

Ys vs. Sora no Kiseki: Alternative Saga

[Lightcosmo]

In Yunas particular case, the devs stated that they personally wanted to see Yuna in dissidia after the 1st one and what do you know? They add Yuna!

Edited September 29, 2020 by lightcosmo

[Fabulously Olivier]

4 minutes ago, twilitfalchion said:

Honestly, if they did a Falcom-themed Warriors game I could see them bringing the casts of both Ys and Trails into one game for it (which I wouldn't mind personally; any Falcom Warriors game is something I would be very happy to see be made). That kind of crossover already exists, actually. Just not in the Warriors genre.

Ys vs. Sora no Kiseki: Alternative Saga

I'd like that well enough (though with more Kiseki than Ys). 

 

But I think each offers such unique potential mechanics to a Warriors game. Kiseki's quartz and magic would offer a gear system in which every drop is good for everyone, but each character would also have tailored slots. YS has some pretty unique combat mechanics.

 

Here's my revised "Adventurers of Ys" with combat mechanics and a trimmed roster of 20.

Spoiler

General Gameplay Mechanics:

Damage types - characters are divided into 3 damage types. Slashing is more effective against soft-bodied enemies. Strike does extra damage to hard armors and shells. Piercing characters deals with flying or floating enemies.

Break - When you break an enemy captain's gauge, the enemy will be stunned and take critical damage from all damage types.

3-Character Parties - Unlike other games with character switching, the other 2 characters always follow you around and can help fight. You can swap to your allies in order to take advantage of their damage types and skills. Al controlled allies will be your playable characters with all the levels and gear you've obtained. It's a good idea to bring one character of each damage type, but bringing 2 or 3 characters of one damage type compensates you for the lack of versatility with a 15%/30% damage increase.

Teleport - All bases you own contain teleporting stones that let you freely warp from base to base.

Skills - Hitting with regular combos builds up a gauge which is used for Skills. Each character has 4 skill slots, and you can choose any combination of their available skills. KOing foes with skills gradually improves them, unlocks new ones, and gives an XP bonus. These can be considered faster, weaker Musuo attacks.

EXTRA Skills - Serves as Rage mode with a flashy Musuo attack at the end or at your command. Your EXTRA gauge is shared party wide. Charges slowly through regular attacks, quickly through Skills, and even more quickly through KOing foes with skills.

Flash Guard and Flash Move - Enemies are more aggressive in this game, but you have improved defensive options. Perfectly timed blocks trigger Flash Guard, making you briefly invulnerable and rapidly charging your Skill gauge. Perfect dodges trigger Flash Moves that briefly give you Matrix time.

Weapon and armor attribitutes - Use crafting materials dropped by enemies to add attributes to your weapon and armor. Weapon attributes include life leech, status effects, etc. Armor attributes include healing over time, status resistance, etc.

Healing Items - Healing items dropped by enemies are reduced in potency. Potent healing items can be found lying around, knocked from trees, etc. These can be saved for the duration of the battle and given to base NPCs to bring them to full health.

Adventure Mode - In addition to a story mode, this game would have an adventure mode that plays out similar to HW Legend Mode or FEW History Mode, with maps for each region of Ys. As you complete missions, Adol charts more of the map. Completing an entire Adventure Mode map gives you a special reward.

Roster:

A new licensed spinoff (one that isn't building off an existing roster) can be expected to have roughly 30 playable characters if the franchise allows for it.

This franchise actually has less than 30 playable characters, so I've added a few NPCs. For a trimmed roster of 20, my choices are bolded.

Core (1-2 of 30)

Adol (Slash)

Dogi (Strike)

YS VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana (3-9 of 30)

Dana (Slash)

Laxia (Pierce)

Sahad (Strike)

Hummel (Pierce)

Ricotta (Strike)

Captain Barbaros and Little Paro (Strike)

Silvia (Slash)

YS IX: Monstrum Nox (10-14 of 30)

White Cat (Strike)

Hawk (Pierce)

Raging Bull (Strike)

Doll (Slash)

Renegade (Pierce)

YS VII (15-21 of 30)

Geis (Slash)

Aisha (Pierce)

Elk (Slash)

Mishera (Pierce)

Mustafa (Strike)

Sigroon (Slash)

Cruxie (Strike)

YS: Memories of Celceta (22-27 of 30)

Duren (Strike)

Karna (Pierce)

Ozma (Pierce)

Calilica (Strike)

Frieda (Slash)

Griselda (Slash)

YS Origin (28-30 of 30)

Yunika (Pierce)

Hugo (Strike)

Toal (Slash)