This is the biggest problem for games like these. It’s trying to capture the childhood nostalgia. But to any modern gamer it’s: FANTASY SETTING 319, of course it feels hollow and stale. Even if the designers are passionate about the game, it you set it in the same type of world as all your favorite final fantasy games or fire emblem or whatever you’re making a terrible setting for a new game. It may not be a bad game, but the world you chose is actively working against it by making it stale.

I mean, it’s going to be a problem forever. The way you break out of this is by having a good 'ol visionary developer who has a unique story to tell. Unfortunately for every one of those there’s a hundred passionate developers either trying to make a quick buck or who lacks the imagination/skills to make a transformative game.