It honestly depends (imo) what you expect a Final Fantasy game to be, maybe you could elaborate?
If you want an Old school rpg? Go for the pixel remasters on pc, or emulate. 1 and 2 are fairly open and unguided for example, but do establish some tropes and recurring themes.
Once you hit 3D era games the gameplay also changes with it. Some are more action based, others are more traditional.
The story however will always be a big part, with interesting takes on how to save a world. Some people find it convoluted however.
I think some people that are into RPGs won't admit to themselves that they aren't there for the story. Are there some deeper elements that you might not catch? Of course. But the main plot is at the level of a young adult novel (or less) and isn't convoluted or hard to follow unless you're skipping dialogue.
RPGs have good stories more often than not, but the story telling can be pretty bad, especially in older titles where the translations are really dodgy.
You end up remembering the story much how you remember the graphics. It may not have been presented well, but if the premise/concept is good, your own imagination will make up for the shortfalls.
Anywhere you think you see something interesting. There is no need to play them in order at all as the stories are all self contained. The names I tend to see most often are FF6, FF7, and FF10 (14 is an MMO - what I actually started with).
Additionally, the beauty of final fantasy’s idea of having recurring names/enemies/etc is that even if you play a newer game before an older one and see a name or thing you recognize, you will always come to appreciate the callback even if you found out about them out of order.
Just keep in mind that since these games have spanned decades, the style and complexity of game will obviously have changed greatly, I know I personally have a hard time playing through really old games so it would be harder for me to start and get hooked by playing the older games
You’ll sorta have to pick based on your tastes, but here’s a quick rundown from what I know. I don’t know all of them equally well (I know the older ones better), but here goes anyway. IMPORTANT: Games are not connected story-wise unless otherwise noted.
FF1 - The beginning of the series. Barebones and open-ended by modern standards. You can think of this like a rudimentary videogame implementation of a D&D campaign, where you choose a party based on character classes and then go do quests to save the world.
FF2 - The series’s first attempt at telling a significant story. Gameplay got weird though. Not recommended.
FF3 - Character classes are back, but now there are more, and you can switch between them. Also there’s still something of a story too. The most polished NES release.
FF4 - First SNES FF game. They tried telling a story, but it’s more complex and has more twists and turns (maybe too many? lol), and the gameplay is much better than before. Characters have fixed character classes and well-defined, plot-integrated roles. Your party can change frequently as the story progresses! Also introduces some other innovations like Active Time Battle. Has a ton of different versions, even more so than the other retro games.
FF5 - A more straightforward (but definitely still solid) plot, but with an even more expanded character class system that you can switch around. And now you can combine abilities from different classes! Definitely recommended if you want to mess with creative combinations of abilities.
FF6 - Much more complex and involved plot. Characters have somewhat fixed classes but the magic system is now more flexibly accessible. The first time the series went more steampunk/sci-fi instead of only doing traditional fantasy. (Contrast the Dragon Quest series which has kept on doing the usual Medieval European High Fantasy thing since forever.) Definitely recommended.
FF7 - First 3D installment, with full-motion video cutscenes and all. Lots of steampunk/sci-fi and other influences. Character ability systems are still a hybrid of class-like features and complex customizability. This was many people’s first FF game, though fans of older games like to make fun of it for being overrated. The remake apparently changes the story somewhat (and might even secretly be a sequel or something?).
FF8 - Went more heavily into the storytelling department. I don’t know much about this but for some reason fans of older games tend to dislike it. (Maybe the gameplay isn’t as great?)
FF9 - Seems like a “neoclassical” FF in that it went back to its more fantasy-based roots. But it’s still 3D and you still get those prettyboys and such.
FF10 - I don’t know this one that well but it seems to be solidly regarded. Also the first game to get a direct sequel, “FFX-2”. First PS2 FF game. Minigames and complex skill systems galore, from what I’ve heard.
FF11 - An MMORPG, surprisingly. Something of a weird turn for the franchise, but it has its fans and apparently it’s still active.
FF12 - I think this is the first mainline (and non-MMO) FF game to have real-time action for battles.
FF13 - A massive three-part thing that’s very story-intensive. Apparently some people love the lead character while others hate her.
FF14 - Another MMORPG. Initially it was a flop. Then they scrapped the game and brought it back significantly better and it’s now quite popular.
FF15 - Apparently some dudes go on a roadtrip or something. I remember when the reveal was notable because holy crap you’re driving a car in an FF game. Besides this, I dunno much.
FF16 - I even more dunno lol. If I recall correctly it may have something to do with being something of a prequel to FF1 but I’m not sure if I’m remembering the right thing. EDIT: I’m wrong; see the reply for more details.
Other FF games:
FF Legend (1, 2, and 3) - Actually from the SaGa series but rebranded to sell better. Choose your species, and then there’s turn-based battles. For Game Boy. May be a bit arcane by modern standards.
FF Adventure - Actually the first Seiken Densetsu game (Secret of Mana is the second). Action RPG for Game Boy.
FF Tactics - Strategy RPG on PS1 with a quite complex story (lots of political intrigue and more). Very well-regarded. Original version has a somewhat iffy translation (leading to some unintentionally hilarious lines); PSP remake “War of the Lions” cleans it up. Character class system is here too.
FF Tactics Advance - Strategy RPG on GBA. Somewhat similar gameplay but the story is totally different and more lighthearted.
FF Tactics A2 - Strategy RPG on DS. Again, a different story.
FF: the Four Heroes of Light - I don’t know much but I’ve heard this is a spiritual predecessor to the Bravely Default series.
Chocobo’s Mysterious Dungeon - A game in the Mystery Dungeon franchise.
Dissidia - Apparently it’s an FF fighting game.
World of FF - Apparently it’s like a Pokémon game?
Kingdom Hearts - this franchise is FF-style characters (and sometimes actual FF characters?) crossed with Disney IPs. Somehow this is popular.
Chrono Trigger - I’m including this since it once shared a disc release with an FF game. Very well-regarded first game in the unrelated Chrono franchise.
If I didn’t mention anything, I probably don’t know anything about it.
Also, sadly, none of them are available DRM-free (legally, anyway), but what can ya do.
Most of what you said is spot on except for FF16. FF16 is an action RPG that is somewhat of a fusion between Devil May Cry 5 and Final Fantasy with Game of Thrones style storytelling. It's currently PS5 exclusive but will probably get a PC port down the line.
The game that's possibly a prequel to 1 is the spinoff game Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin. I haven't finished SoP yet but it definitely seems that way.
I just got started with Final Fantasy 15 after never having played any of the previous games, and I'm having a great time! The tagline that displays every time you open the game is "A Final Fantasy for both new and veteran players" so it seemed like as good a place to start as any.
If you don’t mind graphics I’d just do the golden age, the psx gen games. So like ff7-9 and Tactics.
These are imo the highest quality games in the franchise and Tactics is the most well written and themed game in the whole franchise too.
The remasters of 7-9 on current gen consoles (probably on pc too?) have a speed up button so you can get through the slow parts much faster. It’s really helpful and I wish all of them had it
FF7 Remake is good for a modern experience and you can change the combat playstyle.
FF14 is a really solid game with very high highs, but is incredibly long and has the MMO aspect, though they have since made the game's story and all main dungeons entirely playable single-player, if you want to play alone. Shadowbringers is one of the greatest stories I've experienced in gaming.
FF7 is the favorite for a reason, but it doesn't hold up as well today. FF6 is also a hugely popular fan favorite, and is the last of the SNES era graphics.
My advice - start with one of those. FF4 and FF9 are a solid choices too.
Thanks for your reply. Probably the newer ones, post 2010 anyway.
Actually, I’d be interested in both real time and turn based. I don’t have huge amounts of spare time, probably one hour at a time a few times a week, so if there is any that doesn’t involve too much grinding that would be great.
I don’t have huge amounts of spare time, probably one hour at a time a few times a week
Damn I don’t think I’d even bother with that kind of schedule, honestly. I’ve played most of them and I can’t think of any that I think I could’ve ‘properly enjoyed’ on that kind of schedule. Even the older games will take tens of hours and you’ll occasionally need to keep things in mind for later in the game (places to go check out, storyline bits, where tf to go next). I’ve restarted before because I couldn’t remember where to go next >.>
And these games are solid overall but they can have extended lulls and you’ll end up spending entire gaming sessions in boring parts lol
Try FF13. It basically plays itself and by the time it gets involved you'll know if you're there for it. And it still looks pretty good now.
Or, weirdly, you can try World of Final Fnatasy. It's basically Final Fantasy Pokemon, but it's also the newest turn-based FF and it's one of the more casual, lightweight games in the series. It's cheating a bit, but it's there and it's underrated.
Cut scenes take like 10-20 minutes. Some can clock in at almost an hour and FF16 broke a record at 71 minutes. I think you're going to hate it if you're so limited in time. JRPGs usually demand a lot.
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