For over 35 years,Final Fantasyhas remained the preeminent RPG franchise, with 16 numbered entries and dozens of spin-offs featuring much-beloved characters and worlds in which fans have invested hundreds of hours.Final Fantasy 16has plenty of fans excited as the series ventures into new mechanical territory while also returning to its high-fantasy roots. Over the last year Square Enix has brought the first sixFinal Fantasytitles to modern platforms as part of thePixel Remasterseries, and it’s telling that many of the key members ofFinal Fantasy 16’s development team hold some of these early games as their favorites in the series.
Beginning with the originalFinal Fantasyfrom 1987 and concluding with thefan-favoriteFinal Fantasy 6from 1994, these first six games in the legendary RPG franchise laid the foundation for the mechanics and elements that would become synonymous with Japanese-developed RPGs while also elevating storytelling in video games to greater heights than thought possible. Still, not all of these titles are certified classics, with some of the earlyFinal Fantasysequels acting as a proof-of-concept for features that would be perfected in later games.
RELATED:Why Numerical Entries Are Necessary for Final Fantasy Games
S Tier
Final Fantasy 6-Few titles have had the lasting impact over their respective genres thatFinal Fantasy 6has held for nearly 30 years. As the series' swansong to the 16-bit era,Final Fantasy 6pulls out all the stops in terms of both its gameplay and narrative. It presents players with what is arguably thebest story of anyFinal Fantasytitle along with one of the more robust casts of characters and unprecedented levels of party customization.
TheEspers introduced inFinal Fantasy 6allowed for any character to learn magic and arguably paved the way forFinal Fantasy 7’s Materia. Besides its refinements and improvements to theFinal Fantasyformula,Final Fantasy 6gives players perhaps the best villain in the entire series in Kefka and provides a dark reality-check in providing an answer to the question of “What if the bad guys won?”.
Final Fantasy 4-Despite not being cited as often asFinal Fantasy 6in terms of the best titles in the series,Final Fantasy 4is a hugely important gameto the franchise as the first entry on 16-bit hardware. Prior to the release ofFinal Fantasy 4, each of the previous games in the series had stories that were mostly told in broad strokes, with character interactions and relationships mattering less than the overarching plot.Final Fantasy 4’s narrative, by comparison, was leaps and bounds ahead of both its predecessors and its contemporaries in terms of providing players with a compelling cast of heroes and villains.
The late-game twists and shocking reveals of the fourth game in the series are still some of the best in the entire franchise. Meanwhile, the love triangle between Cecil, Rosa, and Kain set the precedent for the “will they/won’t they” tension betweenCloud, Aerith, and Tifa inFinal Fantasy 7. With the implementation of the Active-Time Battle system and one of the best final boss battles in the series,Final Fantasy 4is a worthy competitor for the best of the series withFinal Fantasy 6.
RELATED:Final Fantasy 16 Enemy is a Nod to FF4, FF14
A Tier
Final Fantasy 5-Final Fantasy 5sat near the top of the list offavoriteFinal FantasygamesfromFinal Fantasy 16’s developers, which speaks volumes about its importance. Nestled in-between the more widely-celebratedFinal Fantasy 4andFinal Fantasy 6,Final Fantasy 5was the only series entry on 16-bit hardware to not receive a Western release and localization. Interestingly, it’s also theFinal Fantasywith the lowest-stakes plot and plenty of levity and humor, making it stand out from its predecessor and follow-up in terms of tone.
The re-introduction and improvements made toFinal Fantasy 3’s job system gives players almost limitless options in how they craft their party, and it’s easy to draw a through line fromFinal Fantasy 5’s Jobs and Abilities to the mechanics ofFinal Fantasy Tactics.It may not quite reach the heights of its SNES brethren, butFinal Fantasy 5is an excellent titlethat shouldn’t be missed.
B Tier
Final Fantasy-The first title in the series still holds up as a phenomenal RPG despite featuring some wrinkles that would be ironed out in future iterations of the franchise. WhenFinal Fantasyreleased, it earned its name as Hironobu Sakaguchi’s last attempt at making a hit game before leaving game development for good. Thankfully, plenty of fans saw the greatness inherent in the game, and it birthed one of the most important franchises in the medium, despite that “Final” moniker. Its mechanics may feel antiquated in comparison to othergames in thePixel Remasters, but the originalFinal Fantasystands alongsideDragon Questas the blueprint for JRPG design.
Final Fantasy 3-Final Fantasy 3is yet another title in the first six games of the series that would have its mechanics improved upon in a sequel (Final Fantasy 5), but what its systems lack in polish, they make up for in innovation and importance to theFinal Fantasyseries as a whole.Final Fantasy 3was a more charming and lighthearted affair than its predecessor. The freedom it afforded players in crafting their party set a new precedent that would be repeated in other RPGs,Final Fantasyor otherwise.
C Tier
Final Fantasy 2-As a direct sequel to the landmark original game,Final Fantasy 2should at least be commended for how it took risks with the newly-established formula of its predecessor. Still, those risks didn’t quite pay off, and the title features the most confusing and convoluted leveling system of perhaps any RPG. Considering that it has perhaps the most difficult early hours of the entire franchise, it’s no wonder whyFinal Fantasy 2’s left-field experimentshaven’t been repeated or attempted since.
Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collectionis available for Mobile, Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, and PS5.
MORE:7 Things Final Fantasy 4 Does Better Than The Other Main Games
