Really, really hoping XVI isn't medieval. Even XIV seems pretty generic to me. Love SE's sci-fi/futuristic and modern settings.
Then again, I can't think of any offline main Final Fantasy title that didn't have amazing art direction.
The reason WHY people want a medieval game is because there hasn't been a traditional one that wasn't offline in a WHILE. Share the wealth. There should be an offline medieval FF, and I still think FFXIV whould've been a sci-fi/futuristic FF(to be a heavy contrast to FFXI being medieval).
In all truthfulness, this series jumps back and forth all the time. Nobody should be mad if we get a new game that's medieval considering how the last few offline games have been set in the future and modern-echoed eras. It's time to jump back. Had Square wanted to turn the series into pure sci-fi, futuristic set series, they would've done it after FFVII. FFVIII was the closest we got to that kind of "future", but then Square bounced back towards medieval-inspired setting with
FFIX(which, style-wise, took concepts from Medieval up to Victorian era inspiration), did
FFX(which was a mixture of some medieval and some futuristic sci-fi),
FFXI(more medieval; probably the most PURE medieval since FFV),
FFXII(another hodgepodge of eras, inspired by Late Antique-Early Medieval with other scattered styles, like Art Deco and, as Yoshida said, inspiration from the protective gear worn by athletes of Extreme Sports),
FFXIII(which was highly futuristic),
FFXIV(back to medieval), and now
FFXV(modern setting, but with some scattered style choices). It's a series that, the only true constant seems to be that it bounces around regarding setting. I guess that works with the whole, "Final Fantasy is about change" mantra, because it doesn't focus on just ONE setting or time period(and on many occasions, puts many settings into a blender to make new settings).
And I still wanna see a FF set in an era similar to the early 20th century, something post-Victorian up to 1940s style, old NYC/LA/Chicago styled buildings, hints of noir, Edwardian London, Bolshevik Revolution Russia, newsboys with caps, flapper women, but with magic, magitek, Bahamut and crystals.
Whoa! Arnold's a C'ieth!!!