Summary
Final Fantasyused to be a big selling point for the first fewNintendosystems. Then, when Sony announced the PlayStation, everything changed. It took years before the series would return to a Nintendo console and the brand never recovered fully. Of the many Nintendo consoles out there, only eight have had a significant number ofFinal Fantasygames, or at least one significant release.
The Game Boy technically hadFinal Fantasygames, but they were secretlyManaand SaGa games, so in retrospect, they don’t count. The N64 never had a singleFFrelease, and besides the Virtual Console direct ports, neither did the Wii U. Where does that leave the rest of these systems? Let’s take a look at theFinal Fantasyhighlights of the remaining eight Nintendo consoles.
Final Fantasy 3was released on theNESin 1990 in Japan, but the West wouldn’t get it until a 2006 remake for the DS. However, dedicated fans translated it with a ROM hack back in the day. It was a good swan song for the series on the NES and the first to include the now staple Job system wherein party members could swap between Jobs, unlike the set Jobs in the first game.
By today’s standards, it is archaic, and the DS remake really improved a lot of features including the story. Still, of the three NES games,Final Fantasy 3is easily the king.
Final Fantasy 6was actually released asFinal Fantasy 3on theSNESin the West. That’s all changed now, but names aside, this ranks up there with a lot of fans as their favorite. It’s easy to see why, from the music to the large cast of characters thrown into an epic story.
The graphics were also pushing boundaries for the SNES, including Mode 7 flying sequences with multiple airships and that iconic opera scene. Not to mention the fact that the world gets destroyed in the game, leaving party members having to deal with that trauma.Final Fantasy 6was well ahead of its time, and an iconic SNES title.
It would be a long time before a Nintendo system got another release in this series, and 2003 was a big year for both theGame Boy Advanceand the GameCube when it came toFinal Fantasy.Final Fantasy Tactics Advancewas a long-awaited sequel toFinal Fantasy Tacticson the PlayStation which was the franchise’s first strategy game.
WhileFinal Fantasy Tactics Advanceis not as mature as its predecessor, it is still a fun game to dive into mechanically. From the Job system to the isekai-inspired story, the series really went for something different with this release.
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicleswas the aforementioned 2003GameCubeaddition to the franchise, although technically, it wouldn’t hit the West until 2004. It had one of the wildest co-op setups for the GameCube, involving four Game Boy Advances used as controllers.
It was an expensive game to play with friends, but it was worth it. It’s a lot easier to get into this hack and slash dungeon crawler now thanks to the HD remaster, but even back in its original form, this game was still a blast. It would be nice if the other two co-opFinal Fantasy Crystal Chroniclesgames got remastered too, but for now fans have to make due with this one.
Final Fantasy 4did not receive an updated name for itsNintendo DSremake, but it did undergo a huge upheaval. The graphics were the biggest change, giving players a low-polygonal look kind of like early N64 era models. Voice acting was included as well, which was a first for the many ports as this specific game got.
There were a lot of gameplay tweaks to combat and exploration too, which made things easier on players. It’s a shame Square Enix didn’t remake the first six games in this style, but at least fans can be happy with the third and fourth entries in the series.
3Wii
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearersis an offshoot that focuses on a single-player narrative. Instead of a dungeon-crawler, this game was an action RPG that used theWiimotion controls heavily. The main character could use telekinesis to grab things like boulders and hurl them at enemies.
There were also quite a few on-rails segments, like many other Wii games at the time. It should not be surprising to learn that the motion controls were a bit wonky (also a common issue with the Wii), but the story and colorful cast made up for these downfalls.
Theatrhythm Final Fantasyis the first game in this music-based spinoff series. As far as RPGs go,Final Fantasyis known for its music, from “One Winged Angel” inFinal Fantasy 7to the original theme of the series.
It only made sense to make a rhythm-based RPG set within the series proper and load it onto the3DS. DLC and sequels would later add other Square Enix music likefrom theChrono TriggerandManaseries. It’s not the deepest spinoff in the series, as it’s more like an interactive Spotify list, but for some, that’s more than enough.
TheSwitchhas more games from theFinal Fantasyseries than any other Nintendo system. There are original titles for the generation, likeWorld of Final Fantasy,and then there are enhanced ports, likeFinal Fantasy 7.
It may feel cheap to highlight this game as the best on Switch, but it really is the perfect game for a newbie to jump into. It’s not just becauseFinal Fantasy 7is beloved by series fans. This port updated the graphics, added an invincibility mode, and a fast-forward option. It’s one of the best HD remasters of all time thanks to these features, on top of just being an all-time classic no matter which platform it appears on.
