Final Fantasy Games
Welcome to the first Tier List Tuesday! Today I will be tackling the mainline Final Fantasy games, and throwing in Tactics. I will not be reviewing the MMOs XI and XIV as I have not played them. Keep in mind these are purely personal opinions. I have beat every single one of these, so my opinions of each game incorporate my high level view of that particular game. Feel free to start a discussion in the comments!
F Tier
Let’s start with the F tier. While I applaud Final Fantasy as a whole for being the iconic franchise that takes risks with the JRPG formula, they really botched it with these two.
Final Fantasy II has two mechanics that drove me nuts. The keyword system, which is a mechanic where you learn important words/terms from NPCs and have to speak those terms to the appropriate NPCs at the appropriate times to prompt story beats to progress. The leveling system was also extremely unpolished, but had an interesting premise. The more you train a certain aspect of your character the more that stat grows. It was just poorly executed, however formed the basis for the SaGa series to perfect it and run with it.
Final Fantasy VIII is widely loved, and touted as one of the best. I, however, found everything about it lackluster and boring. The characters are all bland to me, and very relatable. The junction system is also extremely broken, in both good and bad ways. The story is my biggest gripe. I won’t spoil it but it just doesn’t jive with me. Also the last boss is just downright unfair.
D Tier
Final Fantasy XV had so much potential. It blew me away with its open world, fast paced and fun battle system, and it’s cast of main characters. However, once you progress the story, the open world goes away, and it turns into a major hallway simulator. Square has pulled off the linear games before, very well at times, but here it falls apart. The story gets broken, confusing, and jarring. I just couldn’t get into it.
C Tier
We have two of the remaining NES classics here. Final Fantasy was amazingly innovative for its time. The semi-open world allowed for you to do story beats in different orders on each play through. Couple that with the class combinations and you have something you can get enjoyment out of over and over.
Final Fantasy III started the true manifestation of the class system. Being able to change them on the fly, and learn abilities of each was such a mind-blowing mechanic at the time! The story wasn’t so bad either, but this game is tough!
B Tier
Gonna cause some controversy here, but I really enjoyed Final Fantasy XIII. This is what people refer to as Square’s hallway simulator. This game goes in one direction and doesn’t stop that until end-game. However I found the story, battle system, level up system, and characters a blast to experience and learn about.
Final Fantasy IV went back to JRPG roots, and felt more like a Dragon Quest game than a Final Fantasy with how close to the core JRPG mechanics it came. The main innovation here was introduction of the ATB, or Active Time Battle, which allowed for fluid turns in battle based on character speed. The characters were all lovable, especially a certain spoony bard! The story here was also a huge step up from the previous installments with a message of personal struggle and growth.
I’ll admit, when this next game came out, I didn’t like it. Final Fantasy XII found a way to the top of my list when it was re-released as The Zodiac Age. This re-release added some quality of life improvements, as well as the Zodiac Job System. We return to the world of Ivalice to find a very gripping political drama that spans some very impressive environments. The Gambit system allows you near full control over your party AI, which is a very welcome feature in this action battle system where you mainly control one character at at a time in battle. For those that slept on this when it first came out, give it another shot. I think you’ll be surprised.
A Tier
Final Fantasy X is what I would consider the best starting point for the series. With a classic turn order battle system, a fun level up system with the sphere grid, an engaging story, a very unlikeable villain, and very dynamic cast of characters. You can’t go wrong with X.
The class system gets a huge boost in Final Fantasy V. This is III on steroids. Characters now have personality and growth. The story is more coherent and fun. It’s a very great addition to the series that polished previous mechanics.
Final Fantasy IX is considered by most to be the heart of the series. It is a return to the high fantasy roots, after the previous two steampunk installments. Whimsical environments, fun characters, great music, and a gripping epic story are why this one is a fan favorite, as well as one of mine.
S Tier
We have arrived. The best of the most iconic JRPG franchise of all time. Final Fantasy VII was the first full 3D in the series, and while the graphics didn’t age well, the story, music, and characters are timeless. Cloud and Sephiroth are pretty much the mascots for the series. The only thing I don’t like about VII is Cait Sith. I think they needed to either cut him out or make him more useful.
The last two games are tied for my personal favorite of the series. I guess if you’re talking just mainline it’s no contest. Final Fantasy VI just nails it. On every front. The music is epic. The huge cast of characters that each get extensive character growth is fantastic. There’s no wrong way to build a party due to the Esper system for magic and supplemental stat growth, just pick your favorites. The story spans some very mature and emotional topics. If you play any Final Fantasy game is must be this one.
I included the final game here, even though it isn’t a mainline, because it’s the pinnacle of the series for me. Final Fantasy Tactics has the best story of the franchise hands down. This is a story of political turmoil and the dichotomy of right and wrong. The lines get really blurred and sometimes it’s hard to tell who’s really the bad guy. The class system is polished and perfected here. I play this game through every few years. The battle system goes from your classic JRPG fare to a grid based strategy game. This really opens up battles to feel more natural and engaging. Utilizing position and range to turn the tide of battle, or have that used against you to really feel the pressure mounting. The wide cast of characters, on both sides of the aisle, really absorb you into the world. It also has a very small but active modding community over at FFHackticks.
Well that’s all I’ve got. Stay tuned for next Tuesday where I’ll bring you a brand new tier list!
