“FF16 is my first Final Fantasy, what should I play next?” A Guide for Fresh Final Fantasy Fans
With Final Fantasy XVI’s release, this will be many a gamer’s “first Final Fantasy,” as evidenced by the explosive and viral attention the game has received following its demo drop after the game’s Pre-Launch Celebration this past June 11th as part of Square-Enix’s marketing push leading up to launch.
Drawing inspiration from a variety of media, including the first four season of Game of Thrones, Attack on Titan, and Godzilla, Final Fantasy 16 wears its inspirations on its sleeve from its internal projects as well, as the works of Yasumi Matsuno (Vagrant Story, Final Fantasy Tactics, Final Fantasy XII) have been a point of inspiration for both Producer Naoki Yoshida (aka Yoshi-P), and Creative Director & Screenplay Writer Kazutoyo Maehiro, the latter of whom worked under Matsuno for a decade, leaving a lasting impression.
Final Fantasy 16 is expected to be the franchise’ return to form in well over a decade, a fact noted by long-time fans regarding the development difficulties that the last three titles had gone through, each in their own way. Fans of Final Fantasy 14 are perhaps the most familiar, as the game has acted as a bastion of solace between the less than favorable titles it numerically sits between, as well as its own early development struggles before Yoshida’s arrival to famously burn 14 to the ground and have it rise from the ashes as A Realm Reborn, FF14’s reboot subtitle back in 2013.
Indeed, Final Fantasy 16 is the newest release from Creative Business Unit III, the development studio responsible for Final Fantasy XIV Online, heralded by many of its players as a love letter to the franchise, and for good reason, as each expansion’s Metacritic score has only kept rising, with last year’s release, Endwalker, receiving a lofty score of 92! Anticipation of 16’s release may have had a huge surge after the demo dropped, but even before then, 14 fans had faith in the quality of content that CBU3 and Yoshi-P would be bringing to the table.
What To Play Next?
With 16 numbered entries into the series, newcomers may look at the franchise with trepidation, but fear not, as none of the games are related to each other (with a few exceptions). Each Final Fantasy is meant to be a standalone title, with the loosest of threads connecting each title to ultimately make them “feel like a Final Fantasy.”
With the recent release of the Pixel Remasters on home console platforms, PC, and mobile, most of the numbered entries are available for purchase and to jump into. The only games inaccessible to PS5 gamers being the Final Fantasy 13 trilogy (yes, a trilogy) due to its release on PS3 and lack of backwards compatibility, while it remains available on Xbox One and Xbox Series S/X.
So, where to start?
1. Final Fantasy VII Remake / Final Fantasy VII
FF7 starts off in a steam-punk futuristic dystopia where you play as Cloud Strife, an Ex-SOLDIER mercenary running with an eco-terrorist group called AVALANCHE to shut down Shinra’s Mako energy reactors which harvest the planet’s life energy to power Midgar’s entire way of life.
If you ask around online, many will suggest Final Fantasy 7 Remake. As a recent release, it has incredible graphical appeal, and its sequel, Rebirth, stands to release sometime early 2024. While its an excellent title to jump straight into, its worth noting for fans interested in “being in on it,” Remake is not actually a pure remake, but a sequel to the original Final Fantasy 7, as well as its sequel movie “Advent Children.”
If Final Fantasy 7 interests you, here’s my recommendation:
Play the original Final Fantasy VII
Watch Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete (available on streaming platforms and on bluray)
Play Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core Reunion (optional)
Play Final Fantasy VII Remake
Yes, its that long. And for those wondering if they should play Crisis Core after playing Remake: just know there is a MAJOR spoiler in Crisis Core if you play it before playing the original FF7, especially if you’ve only played Remake.
You can play Final Fantasy VII Remake right now, but I do not recommend Crisis Core until you’ve jumped into original FF7 and beaten that first. The developers of Rebirth recommend playing Crisis Core before Rebirth comes out, so we are expecting some elements of CC to play into Rebirth in some way (and I won’t spoil why).
As for the original FF7, some players may find the old style graphics difficult to stomach, but if you’re able to get past that (and the jump to turn-based Active Time Battle combat), you’re bound to find out why it’s considered one of the most iconic videogames in videogame history, and top 3 most favorite Final Fantasy amongst veterans of the franchise. Released in 1997, FF7 revolutionized the gaming world with its cinematic presentation, beautiful music, prerendered backgrounds and CGI videos, all with a deeply captivating story.
Final Fantasy VII Remake is available on PS4/PS5 and PC. Final Fantasy VII is available on PS4/5, Xbox, Switch, PC, and mobile. Originally released on PS1.
2. Final Fantasy IV
FF4 is arguably the most archetypical Final Fantasy entry in the series, establishing a lot of the norms and expectations for the rest of the franchise. You play as Cecil Harvey, Dark Knight and captain of the Red Wings, King Baron’s fleet of airships. Returning from a mission to retrieve a crystal that was guarded by peaceful mages who were massacred for their resistance, doubt of his actions weigh heavily on Cecil and his crew, for orders like these were not what they had signed up for.
Final Fantasy 4 was the first entry in the series to introduce the Active Time Battle system, where instead of inputting an action for all party members at the start of the battle and letting them play out based on player and enemy speed stats, there would be an ATB bar that fills up throughout the course of battle before an action prompt window would appear for you to act on. Also as a first in the franchise, characters were pre-assigned jobs/classes to fill a role in the party unlike the previous entries.
Final Fantasy 4 is an excellent way to experience what could be considered the epitome of “classic Final Fantasy.”
Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster is available on PS4/5, Switch, and Mobile. Originally released on SNES, with ports and remasters on Wonderswan, PS1, GBA, and PSP. The 3D remake was released on DS, mobile, and PC. “The After Years” is a direct sequel, released originally on PSP and Wii, with the 3D remake now on mobile and PC.
3. Final Fantasy X
FF10 is a beloved entry by many, and a common “my first Final Fantasy.” We follow Tidus, a star Blitzball player (think water polo but its soccer and its under water) who is living his life until a giant amorphous monster appears in the sky and sucks him into another world where he meets Yuna, a young summoner who is about to start her pilgrimage across the land to put a stop to Sin, a titanic monster that leaves disaster and devastation in its wake.
Released at the height of Final Fantasy’s popularity, the game was at the peak of graphical fidelity, with beautiful music and pre-rendered cinematics, all set in a world inspired by South-East Asian cultures, a notable step away from traditional western fantasy the series had previously been known for.
Final Fantasy 10 is often suggested as an entry point into the franchise due to its accessible turn-based gameplay (which did away with the ATB system that 4 through 9 had used), story, and beautiful music. With a colorful cast of characters, FF10 epitomizes the Final Fantasy brand through its mixture of upbeat energy and somber melancholy through its themes of life and death.
Final Fantasy X/X2 HD Remaster is available on PS3/4/5, Xbox, Switch, PS Vita, and PC. Originally released on PS2. Final Fantasy X-2 is a direct sequel and is available as part of the HD remaster (and is a personal favorite of mine with an excellent combat system that epitomizes the ATB and Job systems of FF).
4. Final Fantasy XIV Online
Have you heard of the critically acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy 14? With an expanded free trial, you can play through the entirety of A Realm Reborn and the award winning Heavensward expansion up to level 60 for free with no restrictions on playtime.
That’s it, that’s the meme. But no, really, Final Fantasy 14 is widely considered one of the best MMORPGs and Final Fantasy games right now in 2023, with 10 years worth of content available to play, and a rich narrative that keeps you invested. Overtaking World of Warcraft in player count, Final Fantasy 14 has exploded in popularity in recent years, including seeing a mass migration or two from competitors. And its understandable: The game simply respects your time, standing in stark contrast to the predatory game design and business practices we see today in those spaces in an attempt to monopolize players’ time. You don’t dread playing Final Fantasy 14 because you never feel like you’re being held hostage.
Final Fantasy 14 is sometimes called an “RPGMMO,” in the sense that the game puts story first, raiding and other MMORPG tropes second. In FF14, you’re the main character who grows to become known as the Warrior of Light, a title attributed to the heroes of the first Final Fantasy. You traverse across the realm of Eorzea as part of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, stopping beastmen tribes from summoning their gods, otherwise known as Primals. Meanwhile, the Garlean empire seems to be cooking up a scheme to invade Eorzea using a secret ancient weapon.
With five expansions under its belt, FF14 can appear intimidating, but the game does everything in its power to make it easy for you to play through its story. Its a game with a low barrier of entry and a high skill ceiling for those who seek challenge, welcoming casuals and hardcore gamers alike, with dozens of side activities you can partake in for fun as well.
FF16 shares the same writer as FF14’s first expansion, Heavensward, lauded by many fans as “the best expansion,” held in tight competition by others love for Shadowbringers and the recent Endwalker, and its easy to see why.
FF14 is something of a love letter to the whole franchise, but it doesn’t get drowned in references. Despite that, it can easily be someone’s “first Final Fantasy,” and indeed the case for many players, including Twitch streamer Asmongold who had a peak of over 200,000 viewers in 2021 for his first foray streaming the game, and promises to return to the game “eventually” after having completed Heavensward.
The only real flaw of Final Fantasy 14 is setting up the account to be able to play. It is truly a mild nightmare, and something that Square-Enix needs to fix. The game has a monthly subscription, but considering how much of a full package you get with the game, the cost seems like nothing compared to predatory gacha games and battle passes. It does have a microtransaction store, but it’s purely for a fraction of the cosmetics in the game.
Final Fantasy XIV is available on PC, Mac, and PS4/5. Note: Its available for purchase via the Square Enix Store and Steam, but the two do not mix. You cannot redeem an expansion purchase code on the S-E store and redeem it on Steam. Once you commit to Steam you cannot escape, lest you double purchase the game. I personally recommend getting it from the S-E store. The full collection goes on sale every so often. The free trial, as mentioned in the meme, is up to level 60 and the end of Heavensward. There are limitations, however, including not being able to send private messages to players and not being able to join guilds (free companies).
5. Final Fantasy VI
FF6 is a rich, deep, dark, and meaty game, released at the tail-end of the SNES’s lifecycle, showcasing Squaresoft’s peak craftsmanship on the system. The story begins following Terra Branford, a young woman with amnesia who has been enslaved by the Gestahlian empire, who in turn are capturing Espers (this world’s summons) for experimentation. You are quickly joined by Locke Cole, a treasure hunter and member of the Returners, a rebel group fighting the empire. We learn that Terra can use magic, a gift unseen for a thousand years.
Final Fantasy 6 is considered by many as the best Final Fantasy, and for good reason. Its deeply engaging and mature story, dark tone, colorful cast of characters, memorable music, iconic opening sequence and final boss fight are hard to forget.
FF6 would set the tone for future Final Fantasies by introducing technology as a big facet of the world’s politics, with elements of steam punk mixed with the medieval.
Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster is available on PS4/5, Switch, mobile, and PC. Originally released on SNES, with ports on PS1 and GBA.
Honorable Mentions
Final Fantasy Tactics – If you liked the medieval political drama, this game may be up your alley. Be warned: it has a steep learning curve, but the gameplay can be rewarding, especially for fans of tactical RPGs. There’s also a rumor that there will be a remaster for this title soon, but it’s currently available on mobile. Alternatively, you may want to play Tactics Ogre Reborn, which is sort of the same thing, or at least the same amount of political intrigue and similar gameplay as it’s from the same team.
Final Fantasy XII – Again, if you liked the medieval political drama, this game may be up your alley. Be warned: the starting characters, Vaan and Penelo, are useless, as they were forced into the game via focus testing by the company, and the game was heavily affected by executive meddling to the point where the director left the company before the game was completed, so the end of the game isn’t as good as it could be, but it’s still a fun game with a unique combat system. The rest of the cast is quite good though! Excellent voice acting and script otherwise. Fun fact: A surprising amount of world building in 14 borrows from this title.
Final Fantasy IX – Considered its own “return to form” of its time, following two games that were heavily technology-oriented in theme with a return to a medieval fantasy setting. Considered a favorite by many, with appealing charm and low barrier of entry.
