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Some of the things that were once considered staples of the series have been done away with completely, while others have been changed considerably as the decades have rolled by. As a result, many of the tropes that so proudly punctuated classic Final Fantasy games are no longer present in those being developed and released in the modern age, although, for the most part, it would be difficult to argue that these changes haven’t been for the better.
10 Standalone Titles
One of the things that used to set Final Fantasy apart from some of the other long-running video game series was its complete lack of direct sequels. Each new title offered up a brand new story that was completely independent of those which had preceded it, meaning that the games were a lot more accessible to new players. That all changed around the turn of the century though, as Square began to expand the scope of its storytelling.
Final Fantasy VII started the trend, with games like Before Crisis and Dirge of Cerberus building upon the original game’s story and lore while also fleshing out some of its characters a bit more. A sequel later followed, in the form of the animated movie, Advent Children. Final Fantasy X also received a direct sequel as well as a novel and an audio drama, while Final Fantasy XIII took things a step further with not one, but two direct sequels.
9 Geographical Differences
Many North Americans still refer to Final Fantasy VI as Final Fantasy III. This is because six was actually the third Final Fantasy game to release in the states, with the series’ third, fourth and fifth entries not arriving until much much later. As for those in PAL regions, they had to wait until 2001 before they got a chance to play the game; almost a full decade on from its Japanese debut. They did get the international versions of Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy X straight away though, which arguably made up for this.
There were a few reasons why some of the earlier Final Fantasy games never made their way west, but the main ones were the poor sales of the first few games outside of Japan and some believing that JRPGs were just too difficult for western audiences. The latter led to the creation of Final Fantasy Mystic Quest; a dumbed-down JRPG designed to appeal to entry-level players that was released in North America a year before it was in Japan. There were also changes made to the content of some of the Final Fantasy games that did make their way stateside, with Final Fantasy VI being heavily censored outside of Japan.
8 Random Encounters
These days, players can usually see monsters and other enemies on the screen in front of them long before a battle begins and can often go out of their way to avoid them if they don’t feel like fighting. This hasn’t always been the case though, with the first ten Final Fantasy games instead having players randomly encounter enemies as they walked around; something that was not only incredibly frustrating, but also quite jarring as well.
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This wasn’t helped by some of the obnoxious RNG that used to feature in the games either. Whether this came in the form of an enemy that had the potential to wipe out the entire party with a single attack or the difficulties of getting a rare drop from an enemy with an incredibly low spawn rate, it was enough to ruin the experience for many and something that even the most ardent classic Final Fantasy fans were glad to see the back of.
7 The ATB System
The Final Fantasy series has played around with a lot of different battle systems over the past 35 years, but few are quite as iconic as the Active Time Battle system. This effectively required players to wait for a character’s ATB meter to fill up before they could issue them with a command and was first introduced in the series’ fifth entry.
Though remnants of this system do still remain in some of the more recent Final Fantasy games, the series now favors a hybrid system that combines the idea of active time battles with real-time combat. This helps to provide a much better flow to battles, with players no longer having to sit idly by as they wait for their party members’ meters to slowly fill up.
6 Medieval Settings
Many of the earlier Final Fantasy games took place in medieval worlds with knights, castles, and empires. The latter still play a fairly prominent role in the series, but since Final Fantasy X, the series’ mainline single-player entries have tended to favor either modern or futuristic settings. Places like Zanarkand, Grand Pulse, and Midgar are certainly interesting, but they are a far cry from some of the series’ earlier locales.
If its announcement trailer is anything to go by, it looks like Final Fantasy XVI may well be shaping up for a return to the middle-ages; something that many have been hoping to see ever since the release of Final Fantasy IX. Dealing with kings and members of the royal family arguably fits in with the fantasy vibe of the series a lot better than futuristic villains; the latter of which have perhaps become a little bit too prominent recent years.
5 Crystals
Many of the earlier Final Fantasy games centered around magical crystals, with players often tasked with retrieving them in order to overcome the main antagonist and save the world. Over time, however, the significance of crystals in the franchise has waned quite a bit. They do still show up from time to time in one form or another, but they haven’t played an integral role in a game’s narrative since Final Fantasy V.
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Another series staple that largely died out with Final Fantasy V was the idea of there being four Warriors of Light who are destined to save the world. Granted, they’re referred to as the Warriors of Dawn in that game, but there are a lot of similarities between them and the four Warriors of Light who appeared in both Final Fantasy III and the very first Final Fantasy game.
4 Dungeons
While series like The Legend of Zelda managed to hang onto the idea of traditional dungeons right up until the release of Breath of the Wild, the Final Fantasy franchise moved on from them a lot sooner. Many of the earlier Final Fantasy titles featured extravagant themed dungeons for players to navigate, but the late-nineties saw the series shift towards a far more linear approach.
This is perhaps most evident in Final Fantasy X, a game that features only three mandatory areas that even come close to matching the general expectations for what a traditional dungeon should be. Many will see this as a good thing, however, as there’s perhaps an argument to be made that visiting dungeons based on different elements was starting to become a little boring.
3 Overworlds
One of the biggest reasons why titles like Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy XIII are a lot more linear than some of their predecessors is their lack of a traditional world map. Having an overworld through which players could traverse great distances in a short amount of time lent itself to exploration really well. As graphical fidelity improved, however, the team at Square Enix began moving away from the idea of an overworld, which had a big impact on player freedom.
There’s a lot of speculation about how the second part of Final Fantasy VII Remake will handle the world map system. Some believe that players may just begin each new chapter in the area that the narrative dictates they be in, while others are hoping for a fully explorable open world akin to the one found in Final Fantasy XV. Few will be hoping for a return to the world map system found in the original game though, nor does it seem likely that Square Enix will even consider going down this route.
2 Nameless Protagonists
None of the playable characters in the first and third Final Fantasy games were given canon names in their original releases, with Square instead choosing to emphasize the significance of their journey from the start of their respective titles rather than their backstories. This changed somewhat in future entries, although, for the most part, players were still able to rename most of the party members and main protagonists if they wanted to.
The last mainline Final Fantasy game that allowed players to do this was Final Fantasy X, which also happens to be the first to feature voice acting. Players were only able to rename the main protagonist, Tidus, and the game’s ten Aeons, as their names are never spoken during the game. Though great for allowing players to project themselves or people that they know onto party members, this did lead to quite a few pronunciation issues with names like Tidus, Quistis, and Aerith.
1 The Job System
Those who’ve played through some of the earlier Final Fantasy games will likely have some fond memories of the job system. It allowed players to adjust the way that each party member behaved and build a balanced team that perfectly matched their playstyle. Over the years, however, this system has been tweaked and changed into something almost unrecognizable from its original state.
Though many of the party members who feature in the more recent Final Fantasy games still fall loosely into some of the classic job descriptions when it comes to their fighting styles and abilities, the system itself seems to have been kicked to the curb. The series’ last single-player entry to feature a propper job system was Final Fantasy XII, and even then, the system was only present in the Zodiac versions of the game.
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