You dont need the story.

[Valknut]

It's fine not to care about the story.

But don't expect the game design to change because you don't. Final Fantasy is a story-based game franchise and story is already going to be a core component of the game design.

FF1 is not a story based game
FFT is incredibly story based and lets you skip all the story by button mashing.
FF14 has some of the worst characters, and some really great stuff crammed in between. Its painful to have to put up with the bad parts of this game to get to the good stuff. AKA any character from waking sands please kill them all. Like I legit thought I liked Raubahns character until I had to hold his hand for 60 quests in SB. Then he was just another baby to sit.

Lets all remember the amazing FF13 and FF15 stories that were flaming garbage as well before we tout FF being a story based franchise.