So the topic of this blog entry is Final Fantasy. This is a video game series started by Square back in 1987, when I was around 4 years old. Clearly I was not precocious enough to be playing that early. It was not until well into Nintendo Power magazine that I was introduced to the game. There was a promotion where Dragon Warrior was promoted as a free game for Nintendo Power subscribers around 1990. It was this time frame that I was introduced to the game Final Fantasy, which was a little known Japanese-produced role-playing game around the time. The game introduced me to a series which I still follow to this day and hold a great deal of sentiment towards.

Final Fantasy (original)

My memory is vague around that time as I was only around 7 years old, but I do recall playing the game with my brother even though it was a single-player role-playing game. It was likely I was just watching him play it. I can’t remember if we ended up completing it or not, but I do recall enjoying the experience. Little did I know that years later, during middle school, I would play this very game again ad nauseum on the redesigned original NES reboot.

Final Fantasy II

Within that year or two period between 90 and 91, I developed to become an avid gamer. To think, I was just learning to read and write at age 6 (1st grade), and I was an avid video gamer around age 7-8. I guess I forgot exactly how quickly you learn as a child. So I apparently enjoyed this original Final Fantasy game enough to want to play Final Fantasy II on Super Nintendo. Final Fantasy II was well-anticipated in North America. Little did I know, Square marketed and released this game as Final Fantasy IV in Japan, and had created two entire games in that interim period that were not released in North America. The storyline of Final Fantasy II was leaps and bounds improved over the original NES game, and the series was only taking off.

Final Fantasy III

OK, so by the time Final Fantasy III was released in North America in 1994, the same game was marketed as Final Fantasy VI in Japan. Par for the course but unknown to me at the time of release. I only mention to give context to the evolution of the series as a whole. I recall Final Fantasy III as a big deal at the time. I was a hardcore gamer at this point. I was so into this series that I would take the game manuals with me to school so I could read them during lunch break. Note that each Final Fantasy release has a story that is completely independent from one another (aside from one-off specially branded sequels that occur in future releases). That being said, these writers are spectacular. The whole point of role-playing games is to make you forget who you are for a moment as you become someone else entirely. You become the protagonist and enter the world designed within the game. The more you play, the more you get sucked into the story. It really is incredible.

Final Fantasy VII

So I am jumping from Final Fantasy III to Final Fantasy VII. Square decided to keep the same numbers for the release worldwide as opposed to singling out North American releases. Final Fantasy VII was what is known as a “killer app” meaning that its demand was so great, consumers would buy the hosting console just to play that game alone. I remember getting the game and the original Playstation console on Christmas day of (presumably) 1997. If I recall correctly, I invested 100+ hours into playing the game, and it was simply magnificent. The legacy and impact of this game lead to a remake over 23 years later. The story was simply unprecedented for its time, and the Final Fantasy series was established as a force to be reckoned with.

Final Fantasy VIII, IX, and X

Now, these three games were released within a 3 year time span around the time I was in high school. The reason I lump them all under the same header is because from the perspective of my relationship to the series, I did not play the games until I was in college. My memory is foggy, but I recall playing all three games back-to-back in my dorm beginning my sophomore year. What I suspect happened, is that I migrated to PC gaming in high school where I was introduced to the Blizzard offering of games including the Diablo, Warcraft, and Starcraft series and had moved away from Playstation console gaming.

If memory serves, I played them in reverse chronological order, starting with X and then going back through IX and VIII. Final Fantasy X is the most impactful game of the entire series for me. The emotional connection I had with the characters was out of this world, and I could actually claim it is my favorite of the entire series, but given how many quality releases are in the series that could always change. I played all three of these games within the years 2001-2002. Final Fantasy IX and Final Fantasy VIII were solid games, but really did not compare to Final Fantasy X, which was developed for PS2 (instead of original Playstation like the other two) and simply had a stronger storyline.

Final Fantasy XI and XII

Final Fantasy XI is actually an MMORPG for PC which I played throughout my college years. At some point I migrated from it to instead play World of Warcraft because it was more single-player friendly, but I did spend a few years playing Final Fantasy XI. I have never played through Final Fantasy XII. I bought it once for PS2 after I had graduated, maybe around 2006-2007 and never finished it. I also recently purchased it within the past two or three years (2017-2020) but again, never finished it. At some point I hope to dedicate the time to it, but I will need to schedule some time off from work! Oh, the plights of adulthood…

Final Fantasy XIII

We can add this game to the list of games I have never finished. The design of this game was odd in that there was a linear storyline that progresses hours into the game until it opens up to become more of an open world game. I never finished it once it became an open world game. I recall playing this game after I had moved into my first home around 2010. That being said, it was a solid release for the PS3 console. It also had the same issue of competing with my adult responsibilities, like anything else.

Final Fantasy XIV and XV

I never Final Fantasy XIV. It was another MMORPG which I never even tried playing as World of Warcraft was frankly an incredible MMORPG which I have had an on-again off-again relationship with for the better part of 20 years. I never could leave it to give anything else a chance. As for Final Fantasy XV, this was huge in that it took Square Enix 7 years to release it after Final Fantasy XIII, releasing in 2016. It was released for Xbox One and PS4 to a positive reception and I dedicated myself to complete it. It was fun!

Final Fantasy XVI

Final Fantasy XVI is currently in development, and I am waiting for it. Unfortunately, it is lining up to become another “killer app” because it is being released for the next-gen console (Xbox Series S/X and PS5), releasing as a timed exclusive for PS5. To be frank, I will probably get a PS5 instead of an Xbox One S just to play the game sooner, so I guess Sony wins. Sorry, Microsoft.

The Japanese releases and the niche one-offs

There are a number of one-offs and Japanese-only releases which eventually were released stateside. These include (but are not limited to):

  • Final Fantasy II (Japan)
  • Final Fantasy III (Japan)
  • Final Fantasy V (Japan)
  • Final Fantasy Tactics
  • Final Fantasy Mystic Quest

I have played all of them at differing times. I played Mystic Quest somewhere in the 90s. It was nothing extraordinary. I never even purchased it–I just rented it and completed it in a weekend. I played Final Fantasy Tactics in high school and enjoyed it for quite some time. It was not a traditional RPG–instead it was a turn-based strategy game similar to playing chess. I played the Japanese releases Final Fantasy III and Final Fantasy V recently as they had been released for PC. Unfortunately, they were less than memorable considering I played them after already playing infinitely better releases. I don’t recall ever playing Final Fantasy II due to it not being released for PC.

Conclusion

So as you can see, I currently have a 30 year relationship with this Japanese role-playing game series and I will stick with it until it they are no longer produced. I’m a middle-aged man and still like to rely on role-playing games to escape reality… but that’s OK with me.