chloe
Have you ever wondered what’s missing from your life? Well, maybe it’s that you haven’t ridden a Chocobo or maybe you haven’t defeated Sephiroth with the Knights of the Round materia?
If you’re now thinking, damn I haven’t done these things yet, well then, this is the list for you!
It’s BEAUTIFUL
Final Fantasy games are honestly just so beautiful. There are so many locations throughout all of these games that are stunning and if you’ve never seen them, we promise, you’re missing out.
We mean, just look here at Altissia which is one of the places in the latest mainline Final Fantasy game, Final Fantasy XV. It is just absolutely stunning, the water graphics in games are something that we particularly look for and the ones in Final Fantasy XV are just to die for!
The Stories
Okay, okay this may be an obvious one when it comes to playing JRPG’s because they do all have these vast stories for you to fall in love with but Final Fantasy has so many stories to tell throughout all of its games.
And, one of the best things about them is that each game tells a different story! There are a few exceptions in Final Fantasy X-2, Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core and Final Fantasy XIII trilogy but, for example, Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII have completely different stories, characters and places to explore. One of the best things about this is that if you have been thinking about joining the Final Fantasy hype but are intimidated by the sheer amount of games there are, you don’t need to be because you don’t need to start at the beginning. In fact, our personal recommendation is that you start with Final Fantasy X which is now available on the latest generation of consoles because the graphics are amazing, the story is incredible and beautiful and the characters are easy to fall in love with. It’ll also be a nice introduction to the turn-based battle system that rests in most of the Final Fantasy games. But, if you really hate turn-based battles, maybe go for Final Fantasy XII or XV!
But, yes, Final Fantasy games all have these incredible storylines that you can become invested in, cry over and never want to let go off. Trust on this one.
The Characters
Which, nicely brings us to point 3, the characters.
As well as a wide range of locations and stories what we love Final Fantasy for most is well, the characters we fall in love with. There are so many characters across the Final Fantasy games that you will fall in love with. Whether it’s Prince Noctis trying to save his world or ex-soldier Cloud Strife trying to find out who he really is, there is someone here that you will relate to and love.
Not only the main characters but each game also has a very vast cast of side characters too! We have our photography loving Prompto or our blitz ball champion Wakka, there are just so many that it would take us forever to name all of them but trust us when we say, there is a character here for everyone.
Each of the characters has these intense backstories that we get to know too, so, all we want to do is help them along on their journeys. We can’t lie to you though, there is some definitely some heartbreak along the way especially in the likes of Final Fantasy VII which has one of the most famously shocking moments in it or it’s prequel Crisis Core as well as our newest edition, Final Fantasy XV so, just be warned, you’ll get attached and could face heartache but, we also promise, it’s completely worth it.
The Combat
Yes, okay, we know, we know, turn-based battles aren’t for everyone BUT Final Fantasy really revolutionised the turn-based battle system and once you get used to it, you’ll fall in love with it. It’s exciting, you never really know what’s going to happen next but also, you get to plan your attacks accordingly. When you’re in battles in none turn-based games, how often do you get to actually plan what you’re going to do next? Not very often because there’s no time to think whereas when you’re in a turn-based battle, you can carefully plan and think before you strike.
But, if you’re really not into it, over in Final Fantasy XII, they’re using the traditional active time battle system. You can give your party jobs so that you can select what members you want to level up in different roles. You can have full control of your character. Also, you can use gambits where you can instruct your party where to go and what to do in a battle. It’s a good way to get yourself into a battle system that isn’t turn-based but it’s a battle system that could bridge the gap for you so maybe you’ll be comfortable enough to give turn-based afterwards.
Then, there’s Final Fantasy XV which has your usual, go in and slash everything battle system. You can control your character and tell them where to go and what to hit as well as being able to switch between different weapons wherever you please and pause the game for a second when selecting to give yourself a potion. This is the furthest battle system away from the turn based whilst still giving the veteran players a bit of that turn based feeling.
Or, you can dive into the Final Fantasy VII remake coming in March 2020 that has a real-time battle system where you can choose carefully who you’re attacking, what body part you’re attacking and how you’re doing it. In fact, we could make this whole thing about reasons you should play the Final Fantasy VII remake but maybe you should keep your eyes peeled next year for that.
It’s fun
We want to highlight this last point because well, Final Fantasy is fun, it’s great going across different locations by car, airship, boat, Chocobo with people that feel like they’ve become your friends and stories that you never, ever want to let go off. Video Games are a form of entertainment so why can’t they be fun? Some people think that JRPG’s are too intense and they can’t get on with the amount of story but we promise, Final Fantasy is so much fun and they’re games that you can happily get lost in for hours and it’ll feel like no time at all.
You’ll have fun hacking and slashing your way through these worlds, going off course on side quests for days, meeting new characters and unearthing new stories but also, there are huge communities out there where you can find new Final Fantasy players to become friends with. It’s such a vast world out there, you just need to be willing to jump into it and have fun.
