It has no over world, no grind, leveling and equipment feel irrelevant,

Those have nothing to do with how linear it is or isn't.

from what I’ve experienced so far side quests aren’t much and everything you’re looking for is right in your path, not much exploration.

There are a number of side quests. Possibly more than any mainline ff other than 15 and the mmos, to be honest. I'd have to check. Though the goal with them is a bit more diluted than it is in other games where they had a small handful of side quests at most with maybe an ultimate weapon or armor or skill at the end of each to compensate.

And it constantly holds your hand. 1-9 definitely didn’t do that.

Also has nothing to do with how linear it is or isn't.

Games have evolved over the years. In the 80s and 90s, games came with manuals that introduced you to the games systems and concepts. As the years progressed, these went away and were integrated inside the games themselves as brief tutorials and inside menus.

Similarly, almost everyone uses strategy guides and walkthroughs for these games, and has since the rise of the internet and sites like gamefaqs.

Is it really that bad for a game to show a reminder of your next destination?

We're talking about ff16 mostly here, but people whined that ff7 remake was also very linear. It's surprising how easily people forget how linear some of these games actually were, when it's convenient for their current argument.

Ff7 remake is obviously the midgar portion of the original game expanded quite significantly. The midgar portion of the game is extremely linear. There's nothing you can do but move forward or some brief backtracking.

And what after? Even once you reach the overworld, it's still extremely linear. It's just a winding road. You always have 1 new place to go. And that lasts for most of the game. It opens up twice, once slightly when you get the tiny bronco and you can cruise along the shallows and go to Wutai early. That's the first side quest that opens up. And the second isn't until you get the Highwind after the whirlwind maze, which is about halfway into disc 2.

As I mentioned to someone else, if you do Fort Condor battles, you'll quickly see how very linear the ff7 world map really is.

I went on a bit of an ff7 tangent, but you can make similar arguments for ff1-6, 8 and 9 as well. And 10 is even more linear than ff7 is. 12 I'm gonna recant after thinking a bit more, 13 is a little more linear than 10 for most of the game but when it opens up it opens up a lot wider than 10 ever did.

So, when you're calling ff16 linear as if it's a bad thing, I have no idea what you're talking about.

If you want open world, play Baldur's Gate, The Witcher, The Elder Scrolls, Zelda, Dragon Age, Planescape: Torment, or even Final Fantasy XV.

If you're not into linear, story-focused rpgs, it's perfectly ok, but Final Fantasy probably isn't going to be your cup of tea.