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ATD88

All Octopath, all the time.

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Final Fantasy, From Best to Worst

Final Fantasy lists... every one has one. Anyone who is an RPG fan has an opinion on what was the best in the series, and what was the worst. There is no arguing how pivotal the series has been, not only to the RPG landscape, but to the video game industry as a whole. With that in mind, I humbly present thee with my take on the series.

(Note: I'm not listing Final Fantasy XI, XIV, or any of the sequel games. Just the main, numbered entries along with Final Fantasy Tactics).

List items

  • The best in the series and the point in which the series took off in a different direction afterwards. X was where Square-Enix got everything right: characterization, story, battle system, side content. One of the finest examples of the typical JRPG.

  • Hands down, one of the best (if not the best) RPGs on the Super Nintendo, a system only rivaled by the Playstation in quality RPGs. One of the best examples of how masterful a 2D RPG can be created, with a strong base of characters, memorable moments (Ultros anyone?), and characters that had their own unique mechanics. If X is the standard in 3D Final Fantasy's, VI is it's 2D counterpart.

  • The game that brought the typical RPG to the "mainstream". The first step into the 3D realm of games, and a huge increase in production values, also saw the introduction to some of the most influential and memorable characters. An epic story, with tons of content to see and do, it's hard to argue with VII being one of the best in the series.

  • Another solid entry from the 16-Bit generation of RPGs. Headlined by two of the most memorable characters in the series, and one of the most unique moments (the Dark Knight to Paladin transition). IV was just another game that proved that Square was the master of RPGs.

  • VIII is a game that divides fans, with those who love it, and those who absolutely hate it. Nothing is more representative of that feeling than the hero, Squall. Behind that was a truly fascinating, twisting story, unique combat backed by the Draw and GF/Junction systems, and the ability to mold your characters as you saw fit. Let's not forget to mention one of the best minigames in the series with Triple Triad.

  • Tactics was a total change of pace from what people traditionally expected from a Final Fantasy game. Gone were the turn based, ATB battles, in favor of a strategy based system. However, it also saw the return of the Job system, letting you change nearly every character into any job you desired. Battles were intense with many different approaches depending on who you brought with you on what job. This was backed by a fantastic story of backstabbing and political intrigue. Not many of the times Square decided to experiment with the series has worked, but Tactics did and in a big way.

  • IX was regarded as a "return to the crystal", or the roots, of the series. While VII and VIII were more science fiction based stories with characters more based in reality, IX saw the story and characters go back to it's fantasy namesake. Despite having one of the more beloved characters in the series in Vivi, and an interesting main character, the story fell off halfway through, and some of the secondary characters just felt flat at times. Initially, this was one of my least favorite games in the series, but upon a second playthrough, I appreciated it a little more.

  • V continued the trend of Super Nintendo Final Fantasy games not seeing release outside of Japan. Despite IV seeing release in America (although under the II numeral), Square held off on V until it released it on the Playstation. An underrated entry with a greatly enhanced Job system, which made everyone's play through a little different.

  • Another game that marked a return to previous form, eschewing the leveling system introduced in II. III was also the second to not see release stateside at first. However, III brought back the Job system, and a good, but not great story.

  • XII was the first single player entry since X after XI went the MMORPG route. However it brought with it a more action based combat system, and started the trend of controlling one character, leaving the AI to handle the rest. The graphics were stunning at the time (almost as good as X), and the story I really do feel is underrated at times. There were times when I didn't really feel like I was playing a Final Fantasy game, though, and the combat felt more like an offline MMORPG battle system as well. I do feel like this could end up being another situation similar to IX, where a second play through would help me appreciate it and probably move up a few spots.

    Personally, I would love to see an HD remaster for it, not unlike X.

  • I find it hard to place XIII. I loved the presentation, and the paradigm shift system at times. However, I hate the idea of only controlling one character in a party of three in a situation like XIII which is an action system with ATB turn based flair. The story was decent enough at times, and Lightning was a pretty solid protagonist. However, many of the secondary characters suffered by receiving no development. It also has one of my least favorite characters in the series in Hope. Seriously... he's enough to sink the entry down a few notches alone.

  • The one that started the whole series is the one (almost) at the bottom of the list for me. While I appreciate the roots it created, and for what it was at the time of it's release, it was one of the least played entries in the series for me.

  • While II was a step up in story telling for the series from the first entry, it also brought with it one of the worst mechanics in the series: statistics that leveled as you used them. If you used melee often, your strength would go up. Cast spells quite a bit, your MP would increase. If you took a lot of damage, your HP would go up. There were instances I spent more time hitting my own party members to increase their HP than I did progressing. The whole system just did not work.
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