Summary
When the firstFinal Fantasygame was released in 1987, few could have predicted just how massive the fledgling franchise would become. Now one ofthe longest running JRPG franchises, the series has grown into a cultural behemoth, spawning 16 main entries as well as countless spin-offs and other multimedia tie-ins. The franchise hasn’t just had a huge impact on the JRPG franchise, it’s helped shape the gaming landscape as we know it today.
It’s no exaggeration to sayFinal Fantasyhas produced some of the most influential games ever made. Some of them have brought in innovations and changes adopted by almost the entire JRPG genre as a whole, while others signified major steps forward in gaming in general. The franchise has produced multiple pop culture icons with the likes of Cloud seared into the brains of millions of gamers. We’ve ranked some of the most influentialFinal Fantasygames ever made, based on both their impact on the series as well as their wider influence.
Final Fantasy 7 Remakewas only released in 2020, but its influence on the gaming landscape has been pronounced. For a start, it proved that if fans begged for long enough, big studios might actually be willing to give them what they were actually asked for. In this case, a true blue remake, not yet another lazy “HD” remaster. No wonder itsreveal remains one ofFinal Fantasy’smost shocking.
Square Enix actually took some pretty big risks withFF7 Remake. They stripped out the beloved ATB system of the original, broke the story into three separate games, and rewrote large chunks of the story. But the risk paid off, and the game was a commercial and critical hit. Likewise for the sequel,Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.FF7 Remakeserved as a reminder in an increasingly cautious industry that taking risks can pay off, and sometimes it’s worth listening to fans. Unfortunately, not every publisher has listened, and lazy remasters remain the norm, landingRemakein the bottom place on this list.
Final Fantasy 12remains one of the more divisive entries in theFinal Fantasyfamily. Some fans love it; others feel it was the beginning of the franchise moving away from what had made it so popular. Either way, it remains one ofthe best PS2 JRPGs.FF12abandoned the turn-based battles of the past and introduced a real-time combat system inspired by MMOs. It was a controversial move that every mainFinal Fantasyentry since has stuck with, much to the annoyance of many fans.
It also added the Gambit system, which wrestled direct control away from the player and instead had them program AI behaviors for party members to use. It was a clever system, and many modern JRPGs and RPGs have since copied it. But not everyone loved it, preferring the more direct approach of old. The game also cut the love them or hate them random encounters of old, another change that has become standard inFinal Fantasytitles and many other JRPGs since. But not every riskFF12took stuck the landing. Many players enjoyed its more mature, politically-driven story, but the game’s vanilla protagonist has gone down like a lead balloon. Later entries have gone back to the typical hero-centric stories JRPGs are known for. These days,FF12’s impact on the franchise and genre in general is largely limited to its adoption of real-time combat, giving it a low ranking here.
Final Fantasy 10was a big deal when it was released way back in 2001. Much likeFinal Fantasy 7before it, it marked a handful of franchise firsts. Some went on to influence the rest of the franchise and JRPG’s for years to come; others were quickly dropped.
The graphical grunt of the legendary PlayStation 2 meantFF10was the first game in the series to feature fully 3D environments, and it was also the first game in the series to feature voice acting (something of a rarity in JRPGs at the time). These upgrades meant the game was arguably the most cinematicFinal Fantasygame up to that point. Not bad for a franchise already known for its impressive cinematic style of storytelling.
The game also dropped the world map for the first time in a mainlineFFentry and scrapped the classic Active Time Battle (ATB) system. Both of these changes have stuck. Likewise, the game moved away from more traditional leveling systems by introducing the Sphere Grid, a mechanic that offers high levels of character customization, influencing countless subsequent modern RPG systems. The game was a massive commercial success, selling 21 million units as of 2022, and became the firstFinal Fantasytitle to receive a direct sequel. However, in other ways, the game’s influence has been limited. The franchise quickly dropped the CTB, taking combat in a different direction entirely, andFinal Fantasy 12is the only other main entry to have a system similar to the sphere grid (licenses). In many ways,Final Fantasy 10was a big step forward and remains one ofthe PS2’s most timelessRPGs, but theFinal Fantasyfranchise ultimately went in another direction.
Final Fantasy Tacticswasn’t the firstFinal Fantasyspin-off, nor was it the first entry to step away from the franchise’s turn-based roots. It was, however, the first spin-off to become a major success. Directed by Yasumi Matsuno,Final Fantasy Tacticsis a tactical RPG that takes the job system of earlyFFentries and combines it with strategic grid-based battles. It was a system that worked, and many fondly remember the game as one of the best andmost complex tactical RPGs ever made.
Outside of gameplay, the game’s story, which moved away from typical fantasy stereotypes to focus on politics, class conflict, and moral ambiguity, was a major departure for the series. It’s a story that went on to influence later entries, particularlyFF12,FF14,andFF16. The game’s setting, Ivalice, returned in bothFinal Fantasy 12and its sequel as well asVagrant Story, a non-Final Fantasygame made by the same team.Final Fantasy Tactics’impact on the rest of the franchise is arguably less pronounced than on the tactical RPG genre. Its brilliant mechanics went on to inspire games like Fire Emblem andDisgaea, while its more mature storytelling impacted gaming in general. Its influence can’t be denied, and the only reason it receives a lower ranking is that our other entries have proven to beeven moreinfluential.
Much likeFinal Fantasy 12,Final Fantasy 15proved to be a divisive entry in the decades-old franchise. Certainly influential, it’s easy to argue for some that the game’s impact hasn’t been entirely positive, either on the franchise, genre, or gaming in general.Final Fantasy 15was a clear attempt to bring in new fans and try to make the aging franchise relevant again in the face of stiff competition from Western RPGs. It did this by being the first mainline entry in the franchise to fully embrace real-time action-based combat. It moved completely away from the more strategic systems of the past to focus on flashy moves and button-mashing. Not everyone was a fan.
The game was also the firstFFtitle to have a large open-world rather than a world map or the more linear zones ofFinal Fantasy 10and12. This world was incredibly pretty but also largely empty and lacked incentive to explore. Sadly, overly large but not always fun open-worlds have become a staple of many modern games and RPGs. Many also felt the game felt incomplete upon release, relying on multiple updates and DLC releases to make its narrative cohesive. Again, this is an approach many other modern AAA games have taken since.Final Fantasy 15led the way in modernizing and adapting classic JRPG franchises for Western audiences, for both good and bad. Its real-time action-based combat and open-world have led the way not just for otherFFentries but for many recent JRPGs. Unfortunately, for some, its influence wasn’t entirely positive.
WhenFinal Fantasy 14was originally released in 2010, it bombed. Hard. Had its story stopped there, the only influence it would have had on gaming is as a reminder that even the biggest franchises can miss the mark completely. But in 2013, a new version,A Realm Reborn, was released, and it went on to become one of the most influential MMORPGs ever made. For a start,Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Rebornshowed that even the biggest gaming failures can have incredible redemption arcs. While some publishers continue to abandon games that fail (people are still sore about EA and Anthem), others, like CD Projekt Red, seem to have learned from the lessonFF14taught the industry.
Outside its redemption,FF14’s influence over the MMORPG genre has been impressive. The game’s focus on narrative, real character development, and world-building has been a breath of fresh air. Likewise, its continued emphasis on beinga solo-player friendly MMORPGhas welcomed in a whole new player base to this genre and encouraged other MMORPGs to follow suit. With its frequent updates and expansion packs, the game has remained relevant and shaped the MMORPG space, redefining what players have come to expect from the genre.
Final Fantasy 6is often touted asthe bestFinal Fantasygameand it’s easy to see why. As one of the most influential entries in the series, it pretty much perfected some aspects of the traditionalFinal Fantasygameplay while also making important innovations. For example, it refined the ATB system to the point whereFF7,8, and9felt no need to make any major changes and many other JRPG franchises cribbed from it heavily. It also implemented the Esper and magicite systems, which inspired similar systems in follow-up games, and how they allowed the player to customize their characters.
Story-wise,FF6shook things up. It moved away from the traditional focus on “Light Warriors” and Crystal nonsense to tell a more mature story. This story heavily focused on two well-written female characters, Terra and Celes, something fairly groundbreaking for the time and still all too rare in the genre. All told, the game was a big step forward for both JRPGs and RPGs in general and is still seen as a story-telling and turn-based combat gold standard over 30 years after release. Today, its influence can still be felt, especially when playing games likeOctopath TravellerandChained Echoes.
Obviously, it would be ridiculous to talk about the most influentialFinal Fantasygames without talking about the game that birthed the franchise. Yet few realize just how influential the originalFinal Fantasywas. In truth, Square was on the verge of bankruptcy when the game launched and if it failed, so too would one of gaming’s biggest companies. But the game didn’t fail. Instead, it was such a commercial success it helped prove that JRPGs were a niche that could sell outside Japan and paved the way for JRPGs to become a major genre in the West.
The game helped popularize turn-based battle systems and its class system was adopted by countless contemporaries. For the time, the game had a remarkable emphasis on storytelling, even if the Warriors of Light story is bare bones by today’s standards. The original is also important for introducing themes (like the obsession with crystals) that went on to shape the franchise as well as being the first to feature some of the franchise’s most famous spells and monsters. Simply put, the gaming landscape today would look very different if Square hadn’t made a last-ditch gamble in 1987 and pushed out a risky new franchise.
The originalFinal Fantasymight be the game that started it all, butFinal Fantasy 7is arguably the game that introduced an entire generation to the JRPG genre. It was nothing short of revolutionary when it was released in 1997 with its impressive 3D graphics, cinematic cutscenes and epic, twisting storyline. The game stars some ofFinal Fantasy’smost iconic characters, with Cloud and Sephiroth becoming cultural touchstones. Aerith’s death scene was not only heart-wrenching, it proved that video games weren’t all just about squishing monsters and collecting coins. They could tell emotionally resonant stories too.
Commercially,Final Fantasy 7’ssuccess made JRPGs a major player in the West. The game spawned its very own franchise with numerous spin-offs, movies, merchandise and, of course, remakes. Even all these years later when people think of either JRPGs orFinal Fantasy,Final Fantasy 7is often the first game that comes to mind.Final Fantasy 7didn’t just have a huge impact on the franchise and its future, it changed game design, game storytelling and gaming in general forever.
