Final Fantasy - WikiHQ

is a Japanese science fantasy anthology media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi which is owned, developed, and published by Square Enix (formerly Square). The franchise centers on a series of fantasy role-playing video games. The first game in the series was released in 1987, with 16 numbered main entries having been released to date.

The franchise has since branched into other video game genres such as tactical role-playing, action role-playing, massively multiplayer online role-playing, racing, third-person shooter, fighting, and rhythm, as well as branching into other media, including films, anime, manga, and novels.

Final Fantasy is mostly an anthology series with primary installments being standalone role-playing games, each with different settings, plots and main characters, but the franchise is linked by several recurring elements, including game mechanics and recurring character names. Each plot centers on a particular group of heroes who are battling a great evil, but also explores the characters' internal struggles and relationships. Character names are frequently derived from the history, languages, pop culture, and mythologies of cultures worldwide. The mechanics of each game involve similar battle systems and maps.

Final Fantasy has been both critically and commercially successful. Several entries are regarded as some of the greatest video games of all time, with the series selling more than copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time. The series is well known for its innovation, cutting-edge visuals such as the inclusion of full-motion videos and photorealistic character models, and music by the likes of Nobuo Uematsu. It has popularized many features now common in role-playing games, also popularizing the genre as a whole in markets outside Japan.

Media

Games

The first installment of the series was released in Japan on December 18, 1987. Successive games are numbered as volumes rather than sequels; subsequent games have stories unrelated to previous ones. Many Final Fantasy games have been localized for markets in North America, Europe, and Australia on numerous video game consoles, personal computers (PC), and mobile phones. As of June 2023, the series includes the main installments from Final Fantasy to Final Fantasy XVI, as well as direct sequels and spin-offs, both released and confirmed as being in development. Many of the early games have been remade or re-released on multiple platforms.

Main series

Three Final Fantasy installments were released on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Final Fantasy was released in Japan in 1987 and in North America in 1990. It introduced many concepts to the console RPG genre, and has since been remade on several platforms. The last of the NES installments, Final Fantasy III, was released in Japan in 1990; it remained exclusive to the country until a Nintendo DS remake was published worldwide starting in 2006. It introduced the "Active Time Battle" system. Final Fantasy V, released in 1992 in Japan, was the first game in the series to spawn a sequel: a short anime series, Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals. Final Fantasy VI was released in Japan in 1994, titled Final Fantasy III in North America.

The PlayStation console saw the release of three main Final Fantasy games. In 1997, Final Fantasy VII moved away from the two-dimensional (2D) graphics used in previous games to three-dimensional (3D) computer graphics; it features polygonal characters on pre-rendered backgrounds. Final Fantasy VII also introduced a more modern setting, a style that was carried over to the next game. Final Fantasy IX, released in 2000, returned to the series' roots, by revisiting a more traditional Final Fantasy setting, rather than the more modern worlds of VII and VIII.

Three main installments were published for the PlayStation 2 (PS2). Final Fantasy X (2001) introduced full 3D areas and voice acting to the series, and was the first to spawn a sub-sequel (Final Fantasy X-2, published in 2003). The first massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) in the series, Final Fantasy XI, was released on the PS2 and PC in 2002, and later on the Xbox 360. It introduced real-time battles instead of random encounters. The game is also the first in the main series to utilize a world used in a previous game, namely the land of Ivalice, which was previously featured in Final Fantasy Tactics and Vagrant Story.

In 2009, Final Fantasy XIII was released in Japan, and in North America and Europe the following year, for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is the flagship installment of the Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy series and became the first mainline game to spawn two sub-sequels (XIII-2 and Lightning Returns). It was also the first game released in Chinese and high definition along with being released on two consoles at once. Final Fantasy XIV, a MMORPG, was released worldwide on Microsoft Windows in 2010, but it received heavy criticism when it was launched, prompting Square Enix to rerelease the game as Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, this time to the PlayStation 3 as well, in 2013. Final Fantasy XV is an action role-playing game that was released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2016. Originally a XIII spin-off titled Versus XIII, XV uses the mythos of the Fabula Nova Crystallis series, although in many other respects the game stands on its own and has since been distanced from the series by its developers. The sixteenth mainline entry, Final Fantasy XVI, was released in 2023 for PlayStation 5.

Remakes, sequels and spin-offs

Final Fantasy has spawned numerous spin-offs and metaseries. Several are, in fact, not Final Fantasy games, but were rebranded for North American release. Examples include the SaGa series, rebranded The Final Fantasy Legend, and its two sequels, Final Fantasy Legend II and III. Final Fantasy Mystic Quest was specifically developed for a United States audience, and Final Fantasy Tactics is a tactical RPG that features many references and themes found in the series.

The spin-off Chocobo series, Crystal Chronicles series, and Kingdom Hearts series also include multiple Final Fantasy elements. Dissidia Final Fantasy was released in 2009, a fighting game that features heroes and villains from the first ten games of the main series. It was followed by a prequel in 2011, a sequel in 2015 and a mobile spin-off in 2017.

In 2003, the Final Fantasy series' first sub-sequel, Final Fantasy X-2, was released. Final Fantasy XIII was originally intended to stand on its own, but the team wanted to explore the world, characters and mythos more, resulting in the development and release of two sequels in 2011 and 2013 respectively, creating the series' first official trilogy.

In 2022, Square Enix released an action-role playing title Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin developed in collaboration with Team Ninja, which takes place in an alternate, reimagined reality based on the setting of the original Final Fantasy game, depicting a prequel story that explores the origins of the antagonist Chaos and the emergence of the four Warriors of Light. Enhanced 3D remakes of Final Fantasy III and IV were released in 2006 and 2007 respectively. The first installment of the Final Fantasy VII Remake project was released on the PlayStation 4 in 2020. The second and latest installment of the remake trilogy, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, was released on the PlayStation 5 in 2024.

Film and television

Square Enix has expanded the Final Fantasy series into various media. Multiple anime and computer-generated imagery (CGI) films have been produced that are based either on individual Final Fantasy games or on the series as a whole. The first was an original video animation (OVA), Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals, a sequel to Final Fantasy V set 200 years after the events of the game. The four 30-minute episodes were released in Japan in 1994 and later in the United States by Urban Vision in 1998. In 2001, Square Pictures released its first feature film, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, which is set on a future Earth invaded by alien life forms. The Spirits Within was the first animated feature to attempt to portray photorealistic CGI humans but was considered a box office bomb and garnered mixed reviews.

A 25-episode anime television series, Final Fantasy: Unlimited, was released in 2001 based on the common elements of the franchise. It was broadcast in Japan by TV Tokyo and released in North America by ADV Films. In 2005, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, a feature length direct-to-DVD CGI film, and Last Order: Final Fantasy VII, a non-canon OVA, were released as part of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. Advent Children was animated by Visual Works, which helped the company create CG sequences for the games. The film, unlike The Spirits Within, became a commercial success. Last Order, on the other hand, was released in Japan in a special DVD bundle package with Advent Children. Last Order sold out quickly and was positively received by Western critics, though fan reaction was mixed over changes to established story scenes.

Two animated tie-ins for Final Fantasy XV were released as part of a larger multimedia project dubbed the Final Fantasy XV Universe. Brotherhood is a series of five 10-to-20-minute-long episodes developed by A-1 Pictures and Square Enix detailing the backstories of the main cast. Kingsglaive, a CGI film released prior to the game in Summer 2016, is set during the game's opening and follows new and secondary characters. Square Enix released a short anime in 2019 called Final Fantasy XV: Episode Ardyn – Prologue on YouTube. Produced by Satelight Inc, it provides insight into the antagonist's past and background story for Final Fantasy XVs final DLC.

Square Enix released Final Fantasy XIV: Dad of Light in 2017, an 8-episode Japanese soap opera based, featuring a mix of live-action scenes and Final Fantasy XIV gameplay footage. Sony Pictures Television was working on a live-action adaptation of the series in June 2019 with Hivemind and Square Enix. Jason Brown, Sean Daniel, and Dinesh Shamdasani from Hivemind were producing while Ben Lustig and Jake Thornton were attached as writers and executive producers.

Other media

Several video games in the series have either been adapted into or have had spin-offs in the form of manga and novels. The first was the novelization of Final Fantasy II in 1989, which was followed by a manga adaptation of Final Fantasy III in 1992. Later years have seen an increase in the number of non-video game adaptations and spin-offs. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within has been adapted into a novel, the spin-off game Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles has been adapted into a manga, and Final Fantasy XI had a novel and manga set in its continuity. Seven novellas based on the Final Fantasy VII universe have also been released. The Final Fantasy: Unlimited story was partially continued in novels and a manga after the anime series ended. The Final Fantasy X and XIII series have also had novellas and audio dramas released. Final Fantasy Tactics Advance has been adapted into a radio drama, and Final Fantasy: Unlimited has received a radio drama sequel.

A trading card game named Final Fantasy Trading Card Game is produced by Square Enix and Hobby Japan, first released Japan in 2012 with an English version in 2016. The game has been compared to Magic: the Gathering, and a tournament circuit for the game also takes place. In 2025, Wizards of the Coast released sets based on Final Fantasy—encompassing every mainline entry at the time—for Magic: The Gathering as part of its Universes Beyond collaborations.

Common elements

Although most Final Fantasy installments are independent, many gameplay elements recur throughout the series. Most games contain elements of fantasy and science fiction and feature recycled names often inspired from various cultures' history, languages and mythology, including Asian, European, and Middle-Eastern. Another series staple is the existence of two villains, with the main villain subservient to another character or entity that is introduced later. Games also explore relationships between characters, ranging from love to rivalry. Magical orbs and crystals are recurring in-game items that are frequently connected to the themes of the games' plots. The classical elements are also a recurring theme in the series related to the heroes, villains, and items.

Characters

The series has a number of recurring character archetypes. Most famously, every game since Final Fantasy II, including remakes of the first Final Fantasy, features a character named Cid. While Cid's appearance, personality, goals, and role in the game vary (non-playable ally, party member, villain, etc.), many versions are either a scientist or engineer and are tied in some way to an airship the party eventually acquires. Biggs and Wedge, inspired by two Star Wars characters, appear in numerous games as minor characters, sometimes as comic relief.

Recurring creatures include Chocobos, Moogles, and Cactuars. Chocobos are large, often flightless birds that appear in several installments as a means of long-distance travel for characters. Moogles are white, stout creatures resembling teddy bears with wings and a single antenna. They serve different roles in games including mail delivery, weaponsmiths, party members, and saving the game. Cactuars are anthropomorphic cacti with haniwa-like faces presented in a running or dashing pose. They usually appear as recurring enemy units, and also as summoned allies or friendly non-player characters in certain titles. Chocobo and Moogle appearances are often accompanied by specific musical themes that have been arranged differently for separate games. This new system returned to the previous turn-based system, but added nuances to offer players more challenge. Final Fantasy XI adopted a real-time battle system where characters continuously act depending on the issued command. Final Fantasy XII continued this gameplay with the "Active Dimension Battle" system. Final Fantasy XIIIs combat system, designed by the same man who worked on X, was meant to have an action-oriented feel, emulating the cinematic battles in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. Final Fantasy XV introduces a new "Open Combat" system (OCS). Unlike previous battle systems in the franchise, it provides a more fluid battle scenario that allows free range attacks and movement. This system also incorporates a "Tactical" Option during battle, which pauses active battle to allow use of items.

Like most RPGs, the Final Fantasy installments use an experience level system for character advancement, in which experience points are accumulated by killing enemies. Character classes, specific jobs that enable unique abilities for characters, are another recurring theme. Introduced in the first game, character classes have been used differently in each game. Some restrict a character to a single job to integrate it into the story, while other games feature dynamic job systems that allow the player to choose from multiple classes and switch throughout the game. Though used heavily in many games, such systems have become less prevalent in favor of characters that are more versatile; characters still match an archetype, but are able to learn skills outside their class. Despite his explanation, publications have also attributed the name to the company's hopes that the project would solve its financial troubles. In 2015, Sakaguchi explained the name's origin: the team wanted a title that would abbreviate to "FF", which would sound good in Japanese. The name was originally going to be Fighting Fantasy, but due to concerns over trademark conflicts with the roleplaying gamebook series of the same name, they needed to settle for something else. As the English word "Final" was well known in Japan, Sakaguchi settled on that. According to Sakaguchi, any title that created the "FF" abbreviation would have done.

The game reversed Square's lagging fortunes, and it became the company's flagship franchise. with which Square was previously involved as a publisher. The company regularly released new games in the main series, but the time between the releases of XI (2002), XII (2006), and XIII (2009) were much longer than previous games. Following Final Fantasy XIV (2010), Square Enix aimed to release Final Fantasy games either annually or biennially. This switch was to mimic the development cycles of Western games in the Call of Duty, Assassin's Creed and Battlefield series, as well as maintain fan-interest. Final Fantasy XIV was later relaunched in 2013 with Final Fantasy XV following in 2016 and Final Fantasy XVI in 2023.

Design

For the original Final Fantasy, Sakaguchi required a larger production team than Square's previous games. He began crafting the game's story while experimenting with gameplay ideas. Once the gameplay system and game world size were established, Sakaguchi integrated his story ideas into the available resources. A different approach has been taken for subsequent games; the story is completed first and the game built around it. Designers have never been restricted by consistency, though most feel each game should have a minimum number of common elements. The development teams strive to create completely new worlds for each game, and avoid making new games too similar to previous ones. Game locations are conceptualized early in development and design details like building parts are fleshed out as a base for entire structures. He drew inspiration for game elements from anime films by Hayao Miyazaki; series staples like the airships and chocobos are inspired by elements in Castle in the Sky and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, respectively. Sakaguchi served as a producer for subsequent games until he left Square in 2001. and has been followed by a new director for each new game. Hiroyuki Ito designed several gameplay systems, including Final Fantasy Vs "Job System", Final Fantasy VIIIs "Junction System" and the Active Time Battle concept, which was used from Final Fantasy IV until IX. Ito also co-directed Final Fantasy VI with Kitase. Daisuke Watanabe co-wrote the scenarios for Final Fantasy X and XII, and was the main writer for the XIII games.

Artistic design, including conceptual artworks and monster creations, was handled by Japanese artist Yoshitaka Amano from Final Fantasy through Final Fantasy VI. Amano also handled title logo designs for all of the main series and the image illustrations from Final Fantasy VII onward. Shibuya went on to become the main pixel artist throughout the series while also doing the character designs for IV, V and most of the cast of VI. Tetsuya Nomura was chosen to replace Amano because Nomura's designs were more adaptable to 3D graphics. He worked with the series from Final Fantasy VII through X, then came back for XIII, and for the basic design of XV. For Final Fantasy XV, Roberto Ferrari was responsible for the character design. Nomura is also the character designer of the Kingdom Hearts series, Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, and Fabula Nova Crystallis: Final Fantasy. Other designers include Nobuyoshi Mihara and Akihiko Yoshida. Mihara was the character designer for Final Fantasy XI, and Yoshida served as character designer for Final Fantasy Tactics, the Square-produced Vagrant Story, and Final Fantasy XII. For Final Fantasy XVI, the character designs were handled by Kazuya Takahashi and Hiroshi Minagawa.

Graphics and technology

Because of graphical limitations, the NES games feature small sprite representations of the leading party members on the main world screen. Battle screens use more detailed, full versions of characters in a side-view perspective. This practice was used until Final Fantasy VI, which uses detailed sprites for both screens. The NES sprites are high and use a color palette of The games swap btween of animation to depict character statuses like "healthy" and "fatigued". The SNES installments use updated graphics and effects, as well as higher quality audio than previous games, but are otherwise similar to their predecessors in basic design. The SNES sprites are shorter and have larger palettes and feature more animation frames: and , respectively. The upgrade allowed designers to protray characters with more detailed appearances and more emotions. The first game includes non-player characters (NPCs) the player could interact with, but they are mostly static in-game objects. Beginning with the second game, Square used predetermined pathways for NPCs to create more dynamic scenes that include comedy and drama.

In 1995, Square showed an interactive SGI technical demonstration of Final Fantasy VI for the then next generation of consoles. The demonstration used Silicon Graphics's prototype Nintendo 64 workstations to create 3D graphics. Fans believed the demo was of a new Final Fantasy game for the Nintendo 64 console. 1997 saw the release of Final Fantasy VII for the Sony PlayStation. The switch was due to a dispute with Nintendo over its use of expensive cartridge media with that access data quickly, as opposed to the compact discs, which are slower but less costly and have a higher storage capacity, used on rival systems. VII introduced 3D graphics with fully pre-rendered backgrounds. It was because of this switch to 3D that a CD-ROM format was chosen over a cartridge format. The switch also led to increased production costs and a greater subdivision of the creative staff for VII and subsequent 3D games in the series. Like VII, full motion video (FMV) sequences would play video in the background, with the polygonal characters composited on top. Final Fantasy IX returned to the more stylized design of earlier games in the series, although it maintained most of the graphical techniques used in the previous two games with slight upgrades.

Taking a temporary divergence, Final Fantasy XI used the PlayStation 2's online capabilities as an MMORPG. Initially released for the PlayStation 2 with a PC port arriving six months later, XI was also released on the Xbox 360 nearly four years after its original release in Japan. This was the first Final Fantasy game to use a free rotating camera. Final Fantasy XII was released in 2006 for the PlayStation 2 and uses only half as many polygons as Final Fantasy X, in exchange for more advanced textures and lighting. It also retains the freely rotating camera from XI. Final Fantasy XIII and XIV both make use of Crystal Tools, a middleware engine developed by Square Enix.

Music

Final Fantasy games feature a variety of music and frequently reuse themes. Most games open with a piece called "Prelude", which has evolved from a simple, 2-voice arpeggio in the early games to a complex, melodic arrangement in later installments. and Yoko Shimomura. Uematsu was allowed to create much of the music with little direction from the production staff. Sakaguchi, however, would request pieces to fit specific game scenes including battles and exploring different areas of the game world. Once a game's major scenarios were completed, Uematsu would begin writing the music based on the story, characters, and accompanying artwork. He started with a game's main theme, and developed other pieces to match its style. In creating character themes, Uematsu read the game's scenario to determine the characters' personality. He would also ask the scenario writer for more details to scenes he was unsure about. Technical limitations were prevalent in earlier games; Sakaguchi would sometimes instruct Uematsu to only use specific notes. and reached units in 2011. By March 2025, the series surpassed cumulative global physical and digital sales of 200 million units.

The series has received critical acclaim for the quality of its visuals and soundtracks. Two years later, they listed the Final Fantasy series number 16 on their "Top 50 Games of All Time", commenting that "by pairing state-of-the-art technology with memorable, sometimes shamelessly melodramatic storylines, the series has successfully outlasted its competitors [...] and improved with each new installation". It was awarded a star on the Walk of Game in 2006, making it the first franchise to win a star on the event (other winners were individual games, not franchises). WalkOfGame.com commented that the series has sought perfection as well as having been a risk taker in innovation. In 2006, GameFAQs held a contest for the best video game series ever, with Final Fantasy finishing as the runner-up to The Legend of Zelda. In a 2008 public poll held by The Game Group plc, Final Fantasy was voted the best game series, with five games appearing in their "Greatest Games of All Time" list. As of 2025, the Final Fantasy series has won 10 awards at The Game Awards, more than for any other video game franchise.

The series holds seven Guinness World Records in the Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2008, which include the "Most Games in an RPG Series" (13 main games, seven enhanced games, and 32 spin-off games), the "Longest Development Period" (the production of Final Fantasy XII took five years), and the "Fastest-Selling Console RPG in a Single Day" (Final Fantasy X). The 2009 edition listed two games from the series among the top 50 consoles games: Final Fantasy XII at number 8 and VII at number 20.

However, the series has garnered criticism. IGN has commented that the menu system used by the games is a major detractor for many and is a "significant reason why they haven't touched the series". IGN further stated that the various attempts to bring the series into film and animation have either been unsuccessful, unremarkable, or did not live up to the standards of the games. as well as GameFAQs "Best Game Ever" audience polls in 2004 and 2005. It was inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame in 2018. Despite Final Fantasy VIIs success, some critics have labeled it as overrated. In 2003, GameSpy listed it as the seventh most overrated game of all time, while IGN presented views from both sides. Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII shipped 392,000 units in its first week of release, but received review scores that were much lower than other Final Fantasy games. A delayed, negative review after the Japanese release of Dirge of Cerberus from Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu hinted at a controversy between the magazine and Square Enix. Though Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within was praised for its visuals, the plot was criticized and the film was considered a box office bomb. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles for the GameCube received overall positive review scores, but reviews stated that the use of Game Boy Advances as controllers was a big detractor. The predominantly negative reception of the original version of Final Fantasy XIV caused then-president Yoichi Wada to issue an official apology during a Tokyo press conference, stating that the brand had been "greatly damaged" by the game's reception.

Many of the main series titles have become best-selling games. At the end of 2007, the seventh, eighth, and ninth best-selling RPGs were Final Fantasy VII, VIII, and X, respectively. Final Fantasy VII, the best-selling game in the franchise, has sold over 14.4 million copies worldwide, Within two days of its North American release on September 9, 1999, Final Fantasy VIII became the top-selling video game in the United States and held the position for more than three weeks. Final Fantasy X sold over 1.4 million units in Japanese pre-orders alone, setting a record for the fastest-selling console RPG. The Final Fantasy XI MMORPG reached over 200,000 active daily players in March 2006 and over half a million subscribers by July 2007. By November 6, 2006—one week after its release—XII had shipped approximately 1.5 million copies in North America. Final Fantasy XIII became the fastest-selling game in the franchise, and sold one million units on its first day of sale in Japan. Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, in comparison to its predecessor, was a runaway success, originally suffering from servers being overcrowded, and eventually gaining over one million subscribers within two months of its launch.

Rankings and aggregators

Numerous publications have created rankings of the mainline Final Fantasy games. The main titles have frequently appeared in top lists of games; for example, IGN has included them in multiple "Top Games" lists. Twelve games appeared in Famitsu 2006 "Top 100 Favorite Games of All Time", four of which were in the top ten.

In the table below, the lower numbers in top lists and series rankings mean a higher distinction of quality given by the respective publications. By way of comparison, the ratings provided by Famitsu magazine and the review aggregator Metacritic are also given; in these rows, higher numbers indicate better reviews. Note that Metacritic ratings up until Final Fantasy VII largely represent retrospective reviews from online websites years after their initial release, rather than contemporary reviews from video game magazines at the time of their initial release.

{| class="wikitable col1left" style="text-align:center;"

! Publication!! Year !! I !! II !! III !! IV !! V !! VI !! VII !! VIII !! IX !! X !! XI !! XII !! XIII !! XIV !! XV !! Notes

! colspan=18 | Appearance in Top Lists

|Empire || 2023 || || || || || || || 6 || || 18 || || || || || || || style="text-align: left;" | 100 Best Video Games

|Famitsu || 2006 || 33 || || || 23 || || style="background:#DFB"| 2 || 18 || || || 35 || || || || || || style="text-align: left;" | Top 100 RPGs

|GamePro || 2008 || || || || 82 || || 53 || 8 || || || || || || || || || style="text-align: left;" | 100 Best Games

|Popular Mechanics || 2022 || || || || || || 33 || 4 || || || || || || || || || style="text-align: left;" | 100 Greatest Video Games

|Retro Gamer || 2004 || 93 || || || || || || 4 || || || || || || || || || style="text-align: left;" | Top 100 Reader Poll

|Slant Magazine || 2014 || || || || || || 39 || 16 || || 46 || 23 || || || || || || style="text-align: left;" | 100 Greatest Video Games

|Stuff || 2008 || || || || || || style="background:#DFB"| 2 || style="background:#BF7"| 1 || || || || || || || || || style="text-align: left;" | 100 Greatest Games

| TV Asahi || 2021 || || || 63 || 51 || 34 || 33 || 3 || 90 || 37 || 9 || 84 || || || 47 || || style="text-align: left;" | Top 100 Viewer Poll

! colspan=18 | Series Rankings

|Den of Geek || 2016 || 14 || 17 || 6 || 5 || 9 || style="background:#BF7"| 1 || style="background:#FFC"| 3 || 10 || 4 || style="background:#DFB"| 2 || 8 || 7 || 15 || 11 || ||

| Digital Spy || 2019 || 12 || 13 || 10 || 6 || 7 || 4 || style="background:#FFC"| 3 || 11 || style="background:#DFB"| 2 || style="background:#BF7"| 1 || || 5 || 8 || || 9 ||

| Digital Trends || 2019 || 13 || 15 || 11 || 6 || 9 || style="background:#BF7"| 1 || 7 || style="background:#DFB"| 2 || 5 || style="background:#FFC"| 3 || 10 || 4 || 12 || 8 || 14 ||

|GamesRadar+ || 2022|| || || 17 || 7 || 13 || style="background:#DFB"| 2 || style="background:#BF7"| 1 || 10 || 8 || 14 || 18 || style="background:#FFC"| 3 || 21 || 4 || 15 ||

|IGN || 2018|| 7 || 12 || 8 || 4 || 5 || style="background:#BF7"| 1 || 6 || 11 || style="background:#FFC"| 3 || 9 || || style="background:#DFB"| 2 || 10 || || ||

|Kotaku || 2013|| 10 || 11 || 8 || style="background:#FFC"| 3 || 5 || style="background:#BF7"| 1 || 4 || 6 || style="background:#DFB"| 2 || 7 || || 9 || 12 || || ||

| NHK || 2020 || 24 || 18 || 12 || 8 || 6 || style="background:#FFC"| 3 || style="background:#DFB"| 2 || 7 || 4 || style="background:#BF7"| 1 || 9 || 15 || 14 || 5 || 10 || style="text-align: left;" | Viewer poll of 468,654 votes

|Polygon || 2017|| 14 || 15 || 12 || 4 || style="background:#FFC"| 3 || style="background:#BF7"| 1 || 8 || 5 || 6 || 10 || 11 || style="background:#DFB"| 2 || 13 || 7 || 9 || style="text-align: left;" | Both versions of Final Fantasy XIV appear on the list. The ranking for the re-release is shown.

|Rock Paper Shotgun || 2024|| || || || || 9 || 5 || style="background:#DFB"| 2 || style="background:#BF7"| 1 || 4 || style="background:#FFC"| 3 || || 6 || 10 || 8 || 7 || style="text-align: left;" | 10 best Final Fantasy games on PC

|VentureBeat || 2016 || 12 || 14 || 13 || 10 || style="background:#FFC"| 3 || style="background:#DFB"| 2 || 5 || 9 || style="background:#BF7"| 1 || 7 || 15 || 4 || 11 || 8 || 6 ||

|VG247 || 2019|| || || || 9 || 4 || style="background:#FFC"| 3 || style="background:#DFB"| 2 || 5 || style="background:#BF7"| 1 || 8 || || 6 || 10 || || 7 || style="text-align: left;" | 10 best main games in series

! colspan=18 | Review Scores

| Famitsu rating (out of 40)|| N/A || 34 || 35 || 36 || 36 || 34 || 37 || style="background:#FFC"| 38 || 37 || style="background:#FFC"| 38 || style="background:#DFB"| 39 || style="background:#FFC"| 38 || style="background:#BF7"| 40 || style="background:#DFB"| 39 || style="background:#DFB"| 39 || style="background:#FFC"| 38 || style="text-align: left;" | Four reviewers each provided a score ranging range from 0 to 10 that are combined into a total score.

| Metacritic rating (out of 100) || N/A || 79 || 79 || 77 || 85 || 83 || style="background:#DFB"| 92 || style="background:#DFB"| 92 || style="background:#FFC"| 90 || style="background:#BF7"| 94 || style="background:#DFB"| 92 || 85 || style="background:#DFB"| 92 || 83 || 83 || 85 ||

Legacy

Industry impact

Final Fantasy has been influential in the history of video games and game mechanics. Final Fantasy IV is considered a milestone for the genre, introducing a dramatic storyline with a strong emphasis on character development and personal relationships. In 1992, Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto noted the impact of Final Fantasy on Japanese role-playing games, stating Final Fantasys "interactive cinematic approach" with an emphasis on "presentation and graphics" was gradually becoming "the most common style" of Japanese RPG at the time. Final Fantasy VII, the first of the series officially released in the PAL territories of Europe and Oceania, is credited with having the largest industry impact of the series, and with allowing console role-playing games to gain global mass-market appeal. VII is considered to be one of the most important and influential video games in the series.

The series affected Square's business on several levels. The commercial failure of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within resulted in hesitation and delays from Enix during merger discussions with Square.

The series has inspired numerous game developers. Fable creator Peter Molyneux considers Final Fantasy VII to be the RPG that "defined the genre" for him. BioWare founder Greg Zeschuk described Final Fantasy VII as "the first really emotionally engaging game" he played and said it had "a big impact" on BioWare's work. The Witcher 3 senior environmental artist Jonas Mattsson cited Final Fantasy as "a huge influence" and said it was "the first RPG" he played through. Mass Effect art director Derek Watts cited Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within as a major influence on the visual design and art direction of the series. BioWare senior product manager David Silverman cited Final Fantasy XIIs gambit system as an influence on the gameplay of Dragon Age: Origins. Ubisoft Toronto creative director Maxime Beland cited the original Final Fantasy as a major influence on him. Music from the series has permeated different areas of culture. Final Fantasy IVs "Theme of Love" was integrated into the curriculum of Japanese school children and has been performed live by orchestras and metal bands. In 2003, Uematsu co-founded The Black Mages, an instrumental rock group independent of Square that has released albums of arranged Final Fantasy tunes. Bronze medalists Alison Bartosik and Anna Kozlova performed their synchronized swimming routine at the 2004 Summer Olympics to music from Final Fantasy VIII. Monty Oum released a fan-made web series of CG action films called Dead Fantasy in 2007 that feature Final Fantasy and Dead or Alive characters fighting in battle royale-style brawls.

Notes

References

External links

IGN Presents the History of Final Fantasy