Final Fantasy: the best games of the series
Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy is one of those videogame series that certainly need no introduction for several generations of gamers, who are those who discovered and accompanied the historical saga of Hironobu Sakaguchi since its origins, which are lost in the history of the JRPG of the 80s. , or the new fans who have become passionate about the series after the 2000s, thanks to the most recent chapters, the three-dimensional ones, which followed the release of Final Fantasy X (the last one supervised directly by Sakaguchi himself). Over the years and decades, that of Final Fantasy has almost always been a series capable of maintaining a constant level of quality between one chapter and another, so much so that the best Final Fantasy are rightfully among the milestones in the history of video games. . We, in this guide, have therefore decided to recommend the most successful chapters, the ones that you absolutely must not miss to be able to say that you know the series sufficiently.Over time, Final Fantasy has maintained several elements of continuity, with elements, in the story (almost always centered around the power of crystals and wars between nations, with often surprising exceptions) and in the gameplay, which have changed little between one chapter and another, if we exclude the passage from turn-based battles to real-time battles in the last few chapters. The "origins" of the latter, however, must also be sought in the latest two-dimensional iterations of the series, which we recommend first, in chronological order of release on the market, and then move on to the chapters in three dimensions. Before starting with the list (the platforms indicated, of course, are not the "original" ones but those of current availability, on the most modern consoles) we remind you that on our pages you will also find a guide to the best Western RPGs and one to the best JRPGs, but also one to the best anime video games.
The best Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy VI Final Fantasy VII Final Fantasy VIII Final Fantasy IX Final Fantasy X / X2 HD Remaster Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age Final Fantasy XIV Final Fantasy VII RemakeFinal Fantasy VI
Availability on: PC, PS3, PS Vita Final Fantasy VI is the chapter that was able to make the then Squaresoft series a world-class phenomenon, capable of selling millions of copies without too many problems even outside of Japan. According to many, Final Fantasy VI is the best chapter of the series ever, as well as one of those that have stood up best to the passage of time. While it is true that in several cases the nostalgia factor also weighs in the evaluation, at the same time it must be said that we are not so far from reality: the story and the characters of the sixth final fantasy, in fact, have remained etched in the memories of those who 'played at the time and by those who rediscovered it later, even 30 years later. Unlike its successors, the sixth chapter has not yet received specific ports for the most recent consoles, which obliges us to be able to recommend it "only" for PC.» Click here to buy Final Fantasy VI on Gamivo
Final Fantasy VII
Availability on: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC With Final Fantasy VII, the series has reached the pinnacle of its evolution commercially in the 90s, becoming a very popular blockbuster all over the world. The seventh chapter, which had Yoshinori Kitase for the first time at the reins of the project, staged one of the most emotionally touching story of the entire series, introducing characters who would remain in the history of Final Fantasy: Cloud Strife, who became a symbol of the hero par excellence in video games, his nemesis Sephiroth, without forgetting the co-stars Tifa Lockart, Aerith Gainsborough and Barret Wallace. In retrospect, Final Fantasy VII was also appreciated for the social and environmental themes, which blended well into the story, and was also remembered for the "betrayal" against Nintendo in favor of the PlayStation platforms: numerous PS1 owners, in fact, played just the seventh chapter as their first Final Fantasy.» Click here to buy Final Fantasy VII on HumbleBundle
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Final Fantasy VIII
Available on: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC Final Fantasy VIII , like its predecessor, it is one of the most loved chapters of the series d to those who grew up with PlayStation consoles, and with full credit. The game was the first Final Fantasy ever to seek a "realistic" approach in character design, which lost the comic style in favor of more realistic proportions in the build: this, of course, was also reflected in the settings, which followed hand in hand. the change of style, taking inspiration from different European cities. In those years, thanks to the success of video games such as Parasite Eve, Squaresoft was in fact looking for a more "mature" approach to the development of its video games, a choice that would then also have an impact on Dino Crisis, published in the same year as Final Fantasy VIII. The latter, when compared to FF VI and VII, had a slightly less impactful story, but characters (including protagonists Squall Leonhart and Rinoa Heartilly) equally memorable.» Click here to buy Final Fantasy VIII on HumbleBundle
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Final Fantasy IX
Availability on: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC With the PlayStation 2 at the door, Squaresoft intelligently decided not to completely abandon the glorious PS1, developing a chapter that could act as a "bridge" between one generation and another: thus was born Final Fantasy IX, which, after the eighth chapter, marked a (pa rziale) return to the style of FF VI and VII and to the so-called “super deformed” characters, a choice probably due to the fact that the search for more extreme realism would then move to the new console and the tenth iteration of the franchise. The ninth aimed to be more conservative from that point of view, while introducing several innovations in the game system, mainly related to the exploration of the cities, thanks to the ETR (real-time events), which allowed to attend various scripted scenes of care. far greater than its predecessors. In actual combat, however, the “traditional” ATB bar returned, introduced for the first time in Final Fantasy IV, which would also be maintained in several subsequent chapters.» Click here to buy Final Fantasy IX on HumbleBundle
Final Fantasy X / X2 HD Remaster
Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC The passage to the PS2 era allowed Square (which in 2003 would have merged with Enix, giving life, in fact, to Square-Enix) to create one of the most innovative Final Fantasy ever, thanks above all to the transition to three dimensions. Final Fantasy X, thanks to the renewed technical skills available to the team, opened a new era for the franchise, ensuring an extraordinary success and forever saying goodbye to its creator, Hironobu Sakaguchi, who from then on preferred to devote himself to other projects. The adventure, set in the fictional world of Speyer, had one of the most complex and intricate backstories of the entire saga, which allowed the writing of a story full of emotions and twists. Precisely because of its innate style, despite practically dating back to the dawn of 3D on consoles, Final Fantasy X has aged quite well and is still very enjoyable today, especially on a portable console like Nintendo Switch: despite the fact that on new consoles it is sold together with the decided less successful sequel X2 (sort of a weird appendage), FF X alone is worth the full price of the package.» Click here to buy Final Fantasy X / X2 HD Remaster on CDKeys
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Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age
Availability on: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC Final Fantasy XII had the difficult task of collecting the legacy of the tenth chapter , and the only way to do that was probably to try to copy it as little as possible, going in a very different direction. Perhaps this is also why the project was entrusted to Yasumi Matsuno, a game designer who almost always remained "behind the scenes" at Square-Enix, who signed what would remain the only main Final Fantasy he directed. Final Fantasy XII, in fact, was in some ways unique of its kind within the series: while contrasting two warring nations, Archadia and Dalmasca (recurring theme in the Final Fantasy universe), the game was heavily inspired by Star Wars and to other cornerstones of cinema in the themes, and boasted a remarkable care in the artistic direction, based on Middle Eastern architecture. Even in the gameplay, the innovations were almost total: the game, in fact, almost completely abandoned the ATB, in favor of a manageable combat practically in real time.» Click here to buy Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age on CDKeys
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Final Fantasy XIV: Complete Edition
Availability on: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 3, PC Despite being an MMORPG, therefore by its very nature it is "foreign" to philosophy mainly single-player of the series that unsuitable for several players unfamiliar with the genre, Final Fantasy XIV is probably one of the best video games developed in recent years (also, indeed, especially in post-launch support), and deserves a right to be on the list of the best Final Fantasy ever. Despite a lukewarm predecessor (the now almost defunct Final Fantasy XI) and a catastrophic launch, over the years Final Fantasy XIV has been able to recover magnificently, also thanks to its expansions (Heavensward, Stormblood, Shadowbringers), becoming one of the Most played and appreciated MMORPG ever on PC. In a short time, among other things, the title - supervised by Naoki Yoshida, producer of the upcoming Final Fantasy XVI - will also be converted for PlayStation 5, and is already available in beta for Sony's new flagship, on which, alternatively, you can still play the PS4 version in backward compatibility.» Click here to buy Final Fantasy XIV: Complete Edition on CDKeys
» Click here to buy Final Fantasy XIV: Complete Edition on Instant Gaming
