Summary
“Fun” is a hard term to define, as one person’s fun can be another player’s torture. For example, to stick with the focus for today,Final Fantasy 10has a lot of puzzles in it compared to other mainline games. For some, these puzzle dungeons can be frustrating, especially since some still have random encounters. Others, however, love a good puzzle and find the search for a solution engaging.
For today, let’s look at a broader term of fun. WhatFinal Fantasygames have such a lighthearted atmosphere that it’s hard not to smile, or mechanics that are easy to get hooked on? Let’s rank these jolly vibes and see what shakes out.
It’s hard to be mad when playing through decades of beloved music in the franchise viaTheatrhythm Final Bar Line. It’s the latest entry in the series, featuring a hybrid style of turn-based and rhythm-based gameplay, sporting a visual style like fans have never seen before.
Form a party and choose what game soundtrack to dive into, fromSephiroth’s final theme inFinal Fantasy 7“One-Winged Angel” to the painful of the era metal song fromFinal Fantasy 10“Otherworld.” It’s a feast for the ears, but maybe not so much for the eyes.
Chocobo Racingwas a PS1 spinoff featuring Chocobo and other monsters racing, akin to aMario Karttitle. It took years, but a sequel was finally made:Chocobo GP,which had an admittedly rocky launch thanks to tons of in-game purchases. Thankfully, Square Enix loosened the monetary ties to the game and unlocked content.
The current package now on Switch is full of great tracks, music, and characters with a vibrant art style. Some of the more surprising ones include Steiner and his knight-like car fromFinal Fantasy 9,as well asTerra in her rage mode riding Magitek Armor fromFinal Fantasy 6.
Dissidia 012 Final Fantasywas a sequel on the surface, but it was more of an expanded re-release of the original game,Dissidia Final Fantasyon the PSP. The premise was simple: players got to pit the hero characters from the mainline games against their opposing villains in aPower Stone-like arena brawler complete with RPG elements.
Squall and Ultimecia appeared inFinal Fantasy 8, for example. Visually, the modern entry ofDissidia Final Fantasy NTis better, butDissidia 012 Final Fantasyhas more to love mechanically and there is a deep story for fans to appreciate.
The enjoyment players got out ofFinal Fantasy Crystal Chronicleswhen it launched on the GameCube largely depended on whether fans had three other friends to play with. They also each neededlink cables and GBAs, which made this game an expensive but unforgettable action-adventure experience like no other at the time.
Thanks toFinal Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition, it’s now easier and cheaper to get a multiplayer session going. While not the deepestFinal Fantasygame, the simplistic gameplay of this spinoff was designed around having a good time with friends on the couch or now online.
Final Fantasy 9feels like a game from a forgotten era and a celebration of everything that made the franchise unique up to the year 2000. The visual style was colorful, and the world was brimming with life thanks to the colorful cast of heroes and NPCs. It was a living, breathing world that dared fans to come on an adventure.
There were plenty of grim moments, including themes of genocide, but they were presented in a manner that made it feel less devastating. That juxtaposition was kind of the point. A new generation of fans will be able to appreciate this adventurous entry if only the remake gets announced. For now, the remaster on modern consoles will more than suffice.
Final Fantasy 10-2was the first direct sequel to a numbered game, and was just as dark thematically asFinal Fantasy 9.Final Fantasy 10was about Yunagoing on a sacrificial pilgrimage to stop a giant whale-like monster from killing thousands, if not millions, of people. That’s not a fun concept to think about, let alone engage with.
Final Fantasy 10-2was a hard pivot, featuring Yuna in a bubblier mood and sporty outfit. It was a girl power-infused RPG with her cousin, Rikku, and newbie Paine along for the ride. It was dramatically sillier by comparison, which rubbed some the wrong way, but decades later, fans have come around to seeing how refreshing the world and mechanics are to engage with.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirthwas not just a celebration ofFinal Fantasy 7that continuedthe remake process. LikeFinal Fantasy 9, it was a celebration of the series that went all out for fans to create one memorable moment after the other. In some moments, Cloud wrestled with tragic memories; then, Red 13 disguised himself as a human soldier and danced like Michael Jackson.
There are so many surprising moments in the game that a ten-hour podcast or deep dive video wouldn’t be long enough to discuss how upbeat and weird this game could be at times. Will these wacky antics continue into the third and final entry?
If fans are looking for an underappreciated entry that does not have a dramatic story behind it, thenWorld of Final Fantasyis the game. Players will jump into a crossover storybook universe with two twins who rub shoulders with classic characters likeCloud fromFinal Fantasy 7and or Lightning fromFinal Fantasy 13. Even though they still sport moody personalities, their designs make them more adorable than ever.
The gameplay is equally weird as players collect monstersPokemon-style and then stack them on their heads in turn-based combat. It’s a lot to explain, but overall, it’s a mechanically deep game presented as a chill love letter to fans everywhere. It deserves more love, and a sequel to boot.
