Summary
- Final Fantasy games sometimes cover surprisingly dark and mature themes, even with more light-hearted franchise entries.
- Characters face struggles like memory manipulation, existential crises, self-identity, and sacrifices.
- Themes in these more mature games include war, genocide, slavery, family betrayal, rebellion, and post-apocalyptic worlds.
There are two major types of Final Fantasy games out there, with quite a few in the middle. There are dark games for players who want mature stories, and then there are the more refreshing ones that are just fun to play and bask in. Final Fantasy 10-2 is a wild one with three female heroes all trying to better the world through wacky anime antics.
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World of Final Fantasy is a silly spinoff with a cute art style and an even cuter roster of monsters to collect, Pokemon-style. The list could go on, but let’s instead look at some of the darker games, or at least ones with more grim plot points in the series. There will be spoilers.
7 Final Fantasy 8
Child Soldiers
Final Fantasy 8
- Released
- February 11, 1999
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Final Fantasy 8 is a unique game that centers around Squall and the rest of the playable cast being child soldiers. They grow up in giant academies that are also like city-states, all bred for war. Granted, these heroes are of age to serve in the military, but it’s still messed up that they were presumably raised to fight at an even younger age.
There’s also a weird manipulation of memory for these kids as their pursuit of power through equipping GFs, or Guardian Forces, erases their past. Final Fantasy Type-0 is another game that focuses on raising child soldiers at about the same age range.
6 Final Fantasy 16
Family, Slavery, And War
Final Fantasy 16
- Released
- June 22, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Specifically, the hero of Final Fantasy 16, Clive, goes through a lot. In this world, each kingdom has a Summon, or Eikon, that serves as a deterrent for other nations to hold back, kind of like an atomic bomb. That said, wars still rage on, and power-hungry characters constantly vie for the throne.
This includes Clive’s mother, Anabella, who betrayed her son and kingdom to run to another, destroying it in the process. After this, Clive was sold into slavery, which is another hefty topic on top of Clive being responsible for killing his brother, although thankfully that last bit was a ruse that later elates Clive.
5 Final Fantasy Tactics
Religion And War
Final Fantasy Tactics
- Released
- June 20, 1997
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Mild Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Square
- Genre(s)
- Tactical, RPG
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation (Original)
Despite the models looking basic, Final Fantasy Tactics has a lot of grim depictions of war and death. Warring kingdoms and families are all trying to make themselves more powerful through bloodshed, which is a typical trope in RPGs.
The darkest thing is the religious cult that secretly runs everything. They are trying to become god-like and, in the process, trying to summon a god for the betterment of mankind or something. The reasons are still a bit perplexing, but the pixelated blood was admittedly shocking in 1998, even in the super-deformed art style.
4 Final Fantasy 10
Daddy Issues And Religious Sacrifice
Final Fantasy 10
- Released
- December 17, 2001
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Mild Blood, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
- Platform(s)
- PS2
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Final Fantasy 10’s central hero, Tidus, has a lot of daddy issues. That alone wouldn’t rank this game that high, but the overall theme of the game is quite dark. Spira is thrown into chaos every hundred years when a whale-like entity returns: Sin. Summoners must go on a religious pilgrimage with their Guardians to gain Aeons to aid in a final confrontation with Sin.
At first, players are made to believe that this is just preparation for a big fight. However, Yuna, the Summoner Tidus follows and is in love with, has to sacrifice herself to make Sin go away. Tidus must figure out if one life is worth the lives of millions.
3 Final Fantasy 9
Cloning And Genocide
Final Fantasy 9
- Released
- July 7, 2000
WHERE TO PLAY
Final Fantasy 9 is another entry with war at the core of everything. The kingdom of Alexandria’s Queen, Brahne, wants power, and her reign of terror decimates many areas of the game. The biggest atrocity involves the rat-like people of Burmecia, whom she nearly drives to extinction, which is a wild thing to put in an RPG.
Also, one of the party members, Vivi, has an existential crisis as he finds out he was created in a lab and only has a life expectancy of a few years at best. Vivi is basically a child, and that is beyond heavy for this little Black Mage.
2 Final Fantasy 7
Classism, Death, And Self-Identity
Final Fantasy 7
- Released
- January 31, 1997
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Blood, Fantasy Violence, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Final Fantasy 7 is closest to the top because it’s one of the most relatable worlds in the series. It starts in the seemingly thriving metropolis of Midgar, which is quickly painted in a dark light as themes of classism run through it. The rich get richer while the poor have to live in slums.
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This leads to rebellions popping up like AVALANCHE, who are basically eco-terrorists, and this is all in the first few hours. Later, players also have to deal with the main character, Cloud, struggling with literally finding his identity as he has amnesia, and one of the party members, Aerith, dies, which was a shock in 1997.
1 Final Fantasy 6
The Aftermath Of Bad Decisions
Final Fantasy 6
- Released
- October 11, 1994
WHERE TO PLAY
As grim as some of those other topics are, an SNES game from 1994 is still one of the most messed-up RPGs of all time. Final Fantasy 6 starts with a typical plot of rebellious heroes all trying to stop an evil empire. In most games, players can stop the destruction of the world, which is usually what villains want.
That was not the case in Final Fantasy 6, though, because the villain, Kefka, successfully destroyed the world, leading to a post-apocalyptic society in the second half. For 1994, that was a bold move, and it’s still hard to believe decades later.
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