Summary
- Final Fantasy games like FF6 and FF5 trust players to figure things out on their own.
- FF2's lack of guidance and FF3's difficulty spikes challenge players to adapt and learn.
- FF4 and Tactics treat players like competent strategists with their consistently difficult levels.
The vast majority of Final Fantasy games do a great job of introducing their deep mechanics and giving players endless avenues to help develop their party. However, most fans would argue that some of the games in the series can be a bit too hand-holdy at times.
Final Fantasy: 8 Characters Who Died Too Quickly In Their Games
Not all Final Fantasy characters live long enough to see the credits roll. Here are some examples who died far too quickly.
This may be frustrating for players who want a game to trust their instincts, which is why the following Final Fantasy games will be perfect options for them. Sure, they feature their fair share of tutorials, but these games will also let players loose at a moment's notice, trusting them to figure things out for themselves.
8 Final Fantasy 6
Players Must Figure Out The Optimal Path In The World Of Ruin
Final Fantasy 6
- Released
- October 11, 1994
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Fantasy Violence, Partial Nudity
- Genre(s)
- RPG
The World of Balance feels like a traditional Final Fantasy game, where players are gently guided from one location to the next. All of this changes the very moment players enter the World of Ruin, where they're mostly left to their own devices.
It's not uncommon for players to find themselves exploring a location where they're completely underleveled during this part of the game, forcing them to backtrack and try to recruit someone else instead. Final Fantasy 6 trusts players to make multiple saves so that they don't find themselves trapped in a place where high-level enemies will be smiting them with ease.
7 Final Fantasy 5
There's A Ton Of Jobs That Must Be Managed As Players Make Progress
Final Fantasy 5
- Released
- December 6, 1992
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Mild Fantasy Violence, Partial Nudity
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
Players who want to check out the best version of a job system in a Final Fantasy game will find the fifth mainline entry to be right up their alley. In this title, the heroes start as lowly Freelancers who eventually gain access to classic Final Fantasy jobs that enhance their abilities.
Eventually, players will uncover so many jobs they're clueless about that they'll eventually have to test them out in combat themselves in order to figure out how they work. Sure, players can check a guide, but this can take away from the sense of experimentation that this game softly pushes on players.
6 Final Fantasy
The Original Version Of This Game Is Criminally Hard
Final Fantasy (1987)
- Released
- December 18, 1987
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- e
- Genre(s)
- JRPG, Adventure
The first Final Fantasy game didn't shy away from forcing players into tough combat scenarios after making them choose the classes for their four designated Warriors of Light. They are eventually encouraged to explore the world, tackle the Four Fiends, acquire more abilities for their warriors, and eventually become stronger than ever before.
8 Final Fantasy Characters Who Betrayed Their Friends
For one reason or another, these Final Fantasy characters made the fateful decision to betray their friends.
The original game was especially unforgiving and forced players to either enter battles with sound strategies or die repeatedly. This difficulty was rolled back for future releases, but this shouldn't lull players into a false sense of security; a single mistake is all it takes to ruin a playthrough.
5 Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy
As The Difficulty Ramps Up, Players Must Adapt On The Fly To Their Opponents
Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy
- Released
- March 22, 2011
- ESRB
- t
- Genre(s)
- Fighting
Dissidia is a game that shouldn't have worked, but this crossover of multiple universes coupled with 1v1 fighting combat ended up being way more riveting than it had any right to be. The result is one of the greatest Final Fantasy spin-offs that more fans need to check out.
Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy is the definitive version of the first game, in which combat is deceptively easy early on before things get very challenging. In the late game, players must be familiar with the fighter they control if they don't want to be obliterated by overly aggressive enemies.
4 Final Fantasy 2
The Obtuse Leveling System And A Lack Of Guidance Can Make Things Challenging
Final Fantasy II
- Released
- December 17, 1988
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- t
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
A huge part of what makes Final Fantasy 2 so inaccessible is the lack of clarity when it comes to the progression system. Most players will have little to no idea why their characters are gaining stats early on, making the start of the title challenging for people who don't know how to break the game.
Along with this, the world map is so open that players can easily walk into a location way more dangerous than their level permits, only to be smashed to pieces. Such instances show that players must learn on the fly and figure out how to make progress in Final Fantasy 2 without being utterly humiliated by their opponents.
3 Final Fantasy 3 (DS Remake)
The Difficulty Spike At The End Can Be Unforgiving
Final Fantasy 3 (3D Remake)
- Released
- November 14, 2006
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Suggestive Themes
- Publisher(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
Final Fantasy 3's DS remake enhances the difficulty of this title, and it doesn't help that the job system can be a bit confusing at first. Players can rightfully complain about the limited spellcasting in this game and how it makes playing as a mage way harder than necessary.
Final Fantasy: 8 Fights The Heroes Should've Lost
These Final Fantasy fights seemed doomed from the start, but somehow, the heroes managed to pull it through against all odds.
To make things worse, some areas in the game feature organic puzzles that are hard to decode, where players must use status effects or certain jobs to make progress. However, nothing comes close to the ridiculous difficulty spike in the final dungeon, where players who thought they finally understood how Final Fantasy 3 works will be in for a rude awakening.
2 Final Fantasy 4 (DS Remake)
Consistently Hard And Treats Players Like Competent Strategists
Final Fantasy 4 (3D Remake)
- Released
- July 22, 2008
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Alcohol Reference, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
While Final Fantasy 3's 3D remake was especially hard during the final stretch, Final Fantasy 4 is consistently hard throughout the riveting story-driven experience. Technically, this makes it easier for players to adjust to the difficulty curve, although they'll still need to be on their toes in every dungeon.
A single mistake can be catastrophic for players, forcing them to ensure that their tactical competence is at an all-time high so that they can deal with the game's toughest boss encounters. This game will force players to optimize their party if they don't want to be ruthlessly obliterated by the many enemies that stand in the way.
1 Final Fantasy Tactics
Players Must Understand How Combat And Jobs Work In Order To Get Past The Game's Difficulty Spikes
Final Fantasy Tactics
- Released
- June 20, 1997
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Mild Language, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Tactical, RPG
Given that Tactics Ogre was a complicated game in its own right, it's easy to see why this title's designer would bring the same level of complexity to Final Fantasy Tactics. Yasumi Matsuno is a master of his craft and, with this title, developed one of the best Final Fantasy spin-offs of all time.
Final Fantasy Tactics boasts a job system that's decently complicated but must be mastered if players don't want to struggle against basic combat encounters. Players are also left in the dark about the game's difficulty spikes, serving as a rude awakening if they don't have an old save to fall back on after experiencing an infamous encounter that countless fans of this game still have nightmares about.
Final Fantasy: 7 Games With The Best Limit Break Systems, Ranked
Here’s how the best Limit Break systems across Final Fantasy history stack up, ranked by style, impact, and sheer coolness factor.