Final Fantasyis one of the greatest JRPG franchises of all time that fans still can’t get enough of. ThePixel Remastersallowed a new swath of fans to check out the classic titles in the series, with numerous spin-offs, remakes, and new mainline entries continuing to establishFinal Fantasyas one of the most prolific modern JRPG series that has tried its hardest toappeal to the massesand switch up its gameplay from time to time.
The experimental nature ofFinal Fantasyis what fans love about it, leading to some of the biggest innovations in the JRPG genre. However, there are times whenFinal Fantasy’s gameplay switches have not worked out for some fans, leading to heated debates about the quality and effectiveness of these systems.
The first game in theFinal Fantasyseries was a major success, and it’s clear whySquare wanted to capitalize on its popularitywith a sequel that would take things in a bold new direction. While the story-heavy focus set the tone for futureFinal Fantasygames, the experimental level-up system was almost universally reviled by the masses. On paper, the system looked decent — all players have to do is carry out a particular action to increase their effectiveness with the same. However, many problems with this mechanic wasted no time in rearing its ugly head.
The ridiculously low MP pool meant that leveling up magical talents was a pain. Exploits to increase a character’s HP with self-attacks were way too effective to be ignored, and the lack of any clarity surrounding this system meant that players could end up with a rather boring and similar-feeling party if they weren’t careful about building up their party members from the very moment they control all four characters. While the system is easier to get used to as the game progresses, the early hours ofFinal Fantasy 2are rough, making it clear why so many people drop the game before the story has any time to get going.
Final Fantasy 3introduced numerous series staples, with the Job System and Summons being two of the biggest highlights of this unique title. While the focus on a gameplay-driven JRPG was appreciated by many, there are many glaring issues withFinal Fantasy 3when it comes to the execution of some of its so-called puzzles that can prove to be a frustrating affair.
Early on, players will find a part of the map where they must reduce their sizes to enter a small hole. This is a good idea on paper but leads to frustrating moments where players areforced into a random encounterthat they fail to escape, potentially leading to the entire party being wiped out in the next turn. Along with this, boss fights like Garuda took players by surprise and forced them to turn the entire party into Dragoons to take out the boss. These are interesting ways to interact with the game’s systems but turn the game into a restrictive puzzle when it should be prioritizing experimentation.
A lot of discussions have happened aboutthe Junction System inFinal Fantasy 8. Most players are aware of the tiresome nature of having to Draw 100 copies of each Spell to max out a player’s stats. To make things worse, the way this system works penalizes players for using Junctioned magic, meaning that players are actively discouraged from casting spells in the game.
All of these points are valid, but players don’t necessarily need to participate in this grind.Final Fantasy 8is an easy game to break, and players who avoid the grind won’t mind not having optimized stats when the game is so easy. Still, this does little to take away from the poorly implemented Junction System, with players essentially turning this title into a cakewalk if they decide to pursue the grind and make their lives easier.
There aremany things thatFinal Fantasy 9gets right, but the manner in which players acquire abilities is quite puzzling, to say the least. It’s a relatively simple system where players gain AP and permanently learn certain skills provided by the equipment they wear. However, it’s not until players either struggle to gain AP or acquire too much of it that the issues surrounding this system rear their ugly heads.
There’s nothing more disappointing than finding a powerful piece of equipment, only to see that the current armor or weapon wielded by a character still needs more AP for all the skills to become permanent. On the other hand, a new weapon or armor may seem worthless in the eyes of players if they’ve already learned the skill it teaches, encouraging players to stick with other inferior equipment that still has skills to teach. While some skills can be ignored, it’s not exactly satisfying to halt progress midway and start from scratch with something else.
MostFinal Fantasygames end up being iconic despite one or two questionable mechanics. This usually boils down to either the gameplay or story being excellent, with the very best games in the series nailing both fronts. What makesFinal Fantasy 13so disappointing in the eyes of many is that the game falters on both fronts. The narrative is a lore dump trainwreck at its worst moments, while the gameplay pushed the Command Synergy Battle system that somehow manages to be convoluted and disappointing.
While some fans loved the idea of giving commands and shifting Paradigms to change strategies on the fly, there’s a distinct lack of control inFinal Fantasy 13that is hard to get used to. Spamming Auto-Attack for the majority of fights is enough to secure victory, lulling players into a false sense of security beforeone of the game’s many challenging bossesarrives to whack some sense into the player. All of a sudden, players must be experts at forming and switching Paradigms. Otherwise, they’re toast.
