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00:01Listen to my story. This may be our last chance.
00:09Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we're ranking all the mainline Final Fantasy games.
00:32For this list, we'll be ranking only the main numbered entries in the Final Fantasy franchise,
00:38so don't expect to see any of the spin-offs on this list. Sorry, Final Fantasy Tactics.
00:42And while all of these titles are beloved, some of them do rank higher both critically and in gamers' hearts
00:49the world over.
00:50What Final Fantasy games are your favorites? Let us know down in the comments.
00:54Before we begin, we publish new content all week long, so be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to
01:00be notified about our latest videos.
01:03Final Fantasy II
01:08Released almost a year to the day after the first game, Final Fantasy II was a sequel that was never
01:14expected to be made,
01:15and therefore had no connection to the original title that preceded it except in name alone.
01:20While much of what made the original game so great still remained, the new and highly exploitative leveling system that
01:27didn't actually level up your character,
01:30instead focusing on leveling up their attributes, held the sequel back from the same standard as the first.
01:35The story of a group of young runaways who became heroes rising up to save their kingdom was a tried
01:42and true tale that still managed to keep players engaged throughout the game with dialogue options that made their first
01:48introduction in this title.
01:50Final Fantasy II also marked the very first appearances of series staples Sid and the ever adorable Chocobos.
02:00Final Fantasy XIII
02:02Final Fantasy XIII is still by far one of the most polarizing titles in the beloved franchise.
02:14Hey, that wasn't like a challenge now, alright?
02:17The game tells the story of Lightning, a soldier acting against her own government to save her sister and their
02:23journey with their companions to escape the world of Cocoon.
02:26Featuring jaw-dropping graphics for the time, it became the second entry in the series to be given direct sequels.
02:32While the game managed to sell over 6 million units and was well received by critics and fans, a large
02:38vocal community called out the game's extremely linear nature compared to the other entries in the franchise,
02:44and that many of the elements that fans have come to expect from a Final Fantasy game, such as side
02:49quests and minigames, were almost completely absent until well into the final stretch of the game.
03:00Final Fantasy, the one that started it all.
03:04So named because it was Publisher Square's last chance to develop a successful game before shutting their doors for good.
03:11And thankfully, their fantasy wasn't as final as they feared,
03:15because who could imagine the gaming landscape without the influences to the genre this series has provided.
03:21For those wondering why anyone would want to kill Chaos, that started here.
03:26We're here to kill Chaos.
03:28So many of the series' staples for the next two decades were already laid out in this first entry as
03:34well.
03:34From the expansive exploration areas, to the combat system, and even the series' battle music started here.
03:41While the series would continue to improve on many of these original ideas,
03:45the fact that so much of the groundwork started from a title that could have been the final work of
03:50a world-renowned game publisher is anything but a fantasy.
03:54Final Fantasy XI
03:56For Final Fantasy's 11th entry, Square made their biggest departure from their previous entries yet, by taking the world of
04:02Final Fantasy online.
04:04Allowing gamers to bring friends along on the adventure in what had traditionally been a single-player experience.
04:10Square also made gaming history by being one of the first developers to allow gamers around the world, no matter
04:17the region, to play online together on the same server.
04:21XI returned to the job system of the past, with all new factions and races to play as through Final
04:26Fantasy's most expansive world up to that point.
04:29Numerous expansions, millions of players, and three full console generations, and even with the servers for PS2 and Xbox 360
04:38finally being shut down in 2016,
04:41Final Fantasy XI is still going strong to this day, and is even receiving new story content and character progression
04:48options.
04:49Final Fantasy V
04:54Even though Final Fantasy IV was a marked success in the West, Final Fantasy V would remain only in Japan
05:01until the end of 1999.
05:03Final Fantasy V was also the first game in the franchise to receive a fan translation before the game was
05:09available overseas.
05:10The story followed an amnesiac character and his newfound party members as they traversed not only multiple continents, but the
05:18areas above as well as below,
05:20before eventually ending up in an entirely new realm altogether.
05:24Final Fantasy V was the first entry to allow players to combine jobs to suit their preferred playstyle,
05:30and with over a hundred combination possibilities, there was something for everyone.
05:35V also marked not only the first time one of your main party members could be killed and gone forever,
05:41but also multiple endings depending on who you had in your party at the end of the game.
05:53Final Fantasy V
06:01With the leap to PlayStation hardware with VII, the creative team behind the series was finally able to capitalize on
06:08their artistic vision in a way they never could before.
06:11Final Fantasy V's graphical leap from the blocky sprites of VII to the more realistic Squall, Rinoa, and their companions
06:19in such a short amount of time
06:21are a testament to the talent behind the franchise.
06:24The realistic nature of the graphics also lended themselves well to the more mature story centered around the relationship between
06:30Squall and Rinoa at its heart.
06:33V also deviated from past games by introducing junctioning that allowed for greater customization,
06:39leveling up your characters and assigning spells, but many players felt it overcomplicated the process.
06:45One of the most beloved additions was the card battle game Triple Triad,
06:49which was actually required play in order to obtain Squall's legendary weapon.
07:00Final Fantasy XV
07:08Originally unveiled as Final Fantasy Vs XIII,
07:12the game would go almost completely dark before making its reappearance at E3 2013 under the mainline title of Final
07:20Fantasy XV.
07:26One of the longest developments for a Final Fantasy title, almost a full ten years.
07:32The game saw numerous changes including hardware, a brand new battle system, and the story itself being almost completely rewritten.
07:39The story followed Noctis, the boy king, and his companions Gladios, Ignis, and Prompto,
07:46whose individual stories would be fleshed out with additional DLC.
07:49The group accompanied Noctis in an impromptu bachelor party fashion to Noctis' wedding,
07:54before hearing the news of a coup in Noctis' kingdom.
07:58The game was well received by fans and critics and eventually re-released as the Royal Edition,
08:03complete with all the DLC and small but meaningful changes to the much despised Chapter XIII.
08:13Be waiting in Hammerhead.
08:19Final Fantasy IV
08:27Released as Final Fantasy II in the United States, and the first entry on the Super Nintendo console,
08:33the fourth entry in the franchise was once again helmed by the creative team that brought the franchise to life
08:38only four years earlier.
08:39Final Fantasy IV told the story of Cecil, a dark knight stripped of his rank for defying the king's orders
08:46to attack innocent civilians and his subsequent journey for redemption.
08:50And long before Destiny did it, Final Fantasy IV sent a wizard from the moon,
08:54who had plans to wreak havoc on the world unless the heroes could stop him.
08:59IV also introduced the active time battle system, which would remain the gold standard for the series for many entries
09:05to come.
09:06The move from the NES to the SNES also gave the characters and environments far more detail than ever would
09:12have been previously possible on Nintendo's first console.
09:23Final Fantasy XVI
09:32Final Fantasy XVI might represent the starkest departure from almost everything fans would consider traditional Final Fantasy,
09:39but its core Game of Thrones-style narrative, strong characters, and bombastic set pieces make it easier to overlook the
09:46entry's shortcomings.
09:47Spearheaded by Final Fantasy XIV maestro Yoshi P, Final Fantasy XVI leaned harder into the series' pivot towards action-heavy
09:55combat than ever before,
09:57which, while it admittedly divided fans, fit more with the spectacle the game was aiming for and still had more
10:03than enough depth for those who went looking for it.
10:05However, the true star of the show, so to speak, was the career-making performance from Final Fantasy fanatic Ben
10:11Starr,
10:12who truly gave his all to his performance as Clive, and along with the rest of the cast, elevated the
10:17narrative into the emotional powerhouse it's remembered as.
10:20While unlikely to be listed among the greats, Final Fantasy XVI still weaves a compelling adventure worthy of the name.
10:27And I will do my duty.
10:30What are you-
10:31What are you-
10:43Final Fantasy III
10:51Although Final Fantasy VI would be labeled as the third entry in the West,
10:55Final Fantasy III would not even be available for US audiences until it was finally re-released on the Nintendo
11:01DS in 2006,
11:04a full 16 years after its initial release.
11:07The story revolved around a group of orphans who stumbled upon a crystal that granted each of them jobs,
11:12such as mage, knight, and so on.
11:15What separated this title from previous entries was the ability to sign jobs and level them up with much more
11:21freedom than previous entries,
11:22thanks to a return to Final Fantasy I's experience point system.
11:26This was also the first entry to introduce series mainstays such as the Walking Save Point Moogles,
11:31and Summons, ultra-powerful allies such as Shiva, Ifrit, and Odin,
11:36that could be called in during battles to assist the player against the tougher enemies and bosses throughout the game.
11:48Final Fantasy XII
11:57Final Fantasy XII shared not only a world, but returning characters and settings from spin-off titles such as Final
12:03Fantasy Tactics,
12:05Tactics Advance, and even Vagrant Story, with many of the same creative teams taking the lead on XII.
12:11XII represented the biggest shake-up for the series to date, with its MMO-inspired battle system,
12:17and the fact that the player character of Vaughn is not the main character of the story,
12:21instead focusing on the plight of the Princess Ash and her quest to reclaim her kingdom.
12:29Who would be next?
12:31Gone were random encounters, with all the enemies now visible on the battlefield for you to choose freely whether or
12:37not to engage in battle,
12:39and for the first time, players were finally given full control of the game's camera.
12:45Everything that's happened is because of you!
12:48Everyone that's died! Every single one!
12:51Final Fantasy VII Remake and Rebirth
12:54Get down here, Merc!
13:05Fans waited 15 years for a Final Fantasy VII Remake after the PS3 tech demo in 2005,
13:12and finally, in 2020, their dreams were fully realized.
13:16Sorta.
13:17While dedicated players expected a full remake,
13:19they instead received a padded-out Midgar section,
13:22which admittedly fleshed out the characters and the world,
13:25but it wasn't until Rebirth four years later when the remake began to fully take shape.
13:30Gone were the surprisingly linear exploration,
13:33replaced with massive biomes to explore full of side quests
13:36and an evolution of the action real-time battle system,
13:39which added much-needed depth to the remake's combat.
13:42The narrative also further evolved in meaningful ways,
13:45further expanding on the branching timelines hinted at in Remake.
13:49Although we would have preferred a single full remake instead of a trilogy
13:53with Kingdom Hearts-level narrative twists,
13:55the gameplay and characters still managed to be compelling nearly three decades later.
14:00Did you miss us?
14:03Cloud? Something wrong?
14:05Uh, no. Nothing.
14:08Final Fantasy XIV A Realm Reborn
14:15No one ever said you can't start over again.
14:18After the original release of Final Fantasy XIV in 2010 was a critical and commercial disaster,
14:25the decision was made to start from scratch and have a new team attempt to salvage what they could
14:30and try to save Final Fantasy XIV from the state that it was in.
14:34Released as Final Fantasy XIV A Realm Reborn,
14:37the new release featured a brand new engine, improved gameplay and story elements,
14:42as well as a complete overhaul to the game's servers.
14:45The new version of XIV was met with critical praise from both journalists and fans
14:50and has received countless updates in addition to four massive expansions to date.
15:00Final Fantasy X
15:10With the release of the PlayStation 2, Square had the opportunity to introduce elements of the series
15:16that would have either been too difficult or simply not possible on previous hardware.
15:21One of the biggest additions was undoubtedly the series' first steps into fully voiced characters,
15:27for better or worse.
15:34A romance once again took center stage as star-crossed lovers Titus, a blitzball player from Xanarkand,
15:41and Yuna, a summoner from Spira, fell in love on their journey to ultimately defeat the devastating
15:47and world-ending force known as Sin.
15:50Gone was the large and expansive world map, but in its place were fully rendered 3D environments
15:56with sweeping cinematic camera angles to show them off.
16:00Final Fantasy X was also the first game in the series to receive a direct sequel
16:04that still managed to leave an important question unanswered.
16:08Is Blitzball fun?
16:15Final Fantasy VII
16:25Arguably the most well-known entry in the series,
16:28Final Fantasy VII marked the end of the series' run on Nintendo consoles
16:32and the start of her partnership with Sony that would continue well into the future.
16:37Final Fantasy VII also left behind much of the series' trademark fantasy settings
16:42and fully embraced a more modern-slash-futuristic take on the franchise.
16:46The entry's diverse cast of characters, including Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, Barret, and Sephiroth,
16:53are almost household names, and the most heartbreaking story moments are known even by those who have never played the
17:00game before.
17:08A benchmark title for the new PlayStation console, and the most cinematic entry up to that point,
17:15Final Fantasy VII was the face of a brand new generation of JRPGs in the 3D era.
17:21The entry is so beloved, it spawned numerous spin-offs and even a sequel film.
17:37Final Fantasy IX
17:45The swan song for the PS1 era of Final Fantasy games.
17:50After two entries in a more futuristic setting, IX returned to the series' fantasy roots.
17:56The story followed Zidane and his theater troupe as they attempted to kidnap a princess at the start,
18:02before uncovering a massive plot that involved war with all the kingdoms.
18:06The job system returned, with Vivi the Mage and Steiner the Knight being prime examples.
18:11A more streamlined leveling system was implemented, and an improved version of VIII's card game,
18:17now called Tetra Master, became instantly addictive.
18:21IX also showed just what the aging PS1 hardware was capable of, with gorgeous CGI cutscenes,
18:27and highly detailed backdrops and characters showcasing how far the series had come,
18:33while maintaining what made the original game so iconic.
18:36Final Fantasy IX returned the series to its roots, and remains the highest rated entry in the entire series to
18:42date.
18:52Final Fantasy VI
18:54Final Fantasy VI
18:55Final Fantasy VI was the culmination of all Square's work on the series up until then,
19:04and it did not disappoint.
19:06VI gave you more freedom than previous entries to customize your party,
19:10by offering 14 different characters that could accompany you,
19:14and could not only learn every magic spell through espers,
19:17but were all critical parts of a branching narrative that would routinely split up your party.
19:23Final Fantasy VI's villain Kefka is rightfully among the series' best,
19:28and was also the series' first character with spoken dialogue, even if it was just his malicious cackle.
19:39Kefka also managed to be the first villain in the series to succeed in ending the world,
19:44and that was just only the halfway point of the adventure.
19:48Gorgeous artwork, smart and heartfelt storytelling, and one of the series' best villains,
19:54Final Fantasy VI is still the benchmark for the entire series, even today.
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