168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Final Fantasy is one of the 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:most influential JRPG series; the genre was shaped in large part by the series' character-driven narratꦰives. Final Fantasy has codified many JRPG tropes, including the one we always know is coming: plot twists. Final Fantasy isn't just about experimental gameplay or beautiful 🍒music, but also edge-of-your-seat storytelling.

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168澳洲幸运5开奖网: Final Fantasy: 12 Best Rivalries, Ran✨ked

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Because the plots of Final Fantasꦦꦫy titles are so well-known now, some of these events might seem cliché. If you're a dedicated fan, you'll be overly familiar with several of them. But it shows how shocking they were at the time that audiences felt compelled to talk about them.

Major Plot Spoilers F🧔or Final Fantasy Series Ahead

10 Golbez Is Cecil's Older Brother

Final Fantasy 4

Golbez in Final Fantasy 4.
mixcollage-14-dec-2024-02-30-pm-6511.jpg

Your Rating

Final Fantasy 4 (3D Remake)
Released
July 22, 2008
ESRB
E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Alcohol Reference, Fantasy Violence, Mild 🌺Languag⭕e, Suggestive Themes
Publisher(s)
Squa﷽re Enix 𒁏
Engine
Luminous
Multiplayer
꧑ Local Multiplayer

WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL

Developer
꧒ Matrix Software
How Long To Beat
32 Hours

Final Fantasy 4 was where the s💞eri🍌es came into its own with character-driven, emotional storylines, rather than giving you four blank slates and crystals to collect. Golbez was initially built up as a stock villain, with no visible face to humanize him. It's only late into the game that you learn of his tragic past: he was the protagonist Cecil's brother.

When their father was killed unjustly, and their mother died giving birth to Cecil, Golbez's anger at the world made him an easy target for the 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:true villain's mind control. The two mend theirไ relationship eventually, with Golbez atoning for his sins.

9 Garland 𒁃Created Aꦆ Time Loop

Final Fantasy

A party fighting Chaos in the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster, showing Chaos on the left and a party on the right.
mixcollage-26-dec-2024-01-14-am-4644.jpg

Your Rating

Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster
Top Critic Avg: 83/100 Critics Rec: 87%
Released
July 28, 2021
ESRB
T For Teen Due To Fantasy Violence, Language, Milꦇd Blood, Partial Nudity, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alco♋hol
Developer(s)
Tose
Engine
Unity

WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL

How Long To Beat
100+ Hours ꦆ ꦕ
OpenCritic Rating
Strong

The first Final Fantasy may have a basic plot by today's standards; compared to future Final Fantasy entries, its story is downright simplistic. However, beneath a simple quest lay a surprisingly deep and avant-garde 🎐RPG storyﷺ. Final Fantasy begins the way most NES games do: a princess is kidnapped, and it's up to you to defeat the villain and rescue her.

5:16
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These early games were either creative but sorely misconstrued, flew under gamers' radars at t𒀰heir release, or ar༺e simply known for something that doesn't do them justice.

That happens in the first act of Final Fantasy, and then your party moves on to beating other fiends. Much later, you find out that Gaꦬrland, who was supposed to be a small-time villain, had actually created a time loop through which he controlled the other antagonists you faced. Garland is Chaos, the cause of all suffering: your party beats him in a battle that pushes the original NES hardware to its limit.

8 The Name's Garland, Jack Garland

Stranger Of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin

Jack Garland in Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin.
mixcollage-04-dec-2024-07-27-pm-516.jpg

Your Rating

Strange🐠r of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin
Action RPG
Systems
4.0/5
Top Critic Avg: 72/100 Critics Rec: 52%
Released
March 18, 2022
ESRB
🌟 M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
Engine
unreal engine 4

WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
PHYSICAL

Multiplayer
🦋 🎃 Online Co-Op
Number of Players
1-3
How Long To Beat
18 Hours
Metascore
72
PS Plus Availability
Extra & Prܫemiu🧸m
OpenCritic Rating
Fair

Tetsuya Nomura is known for his convoluted plots that sometimes draw 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:undue mockery. One thing's for sure: you can't get through a Tetsuya Nomur🐠a game without a bizarre plot twist. Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is proof: while its trailer spa✤wned memes for its angry and impatient protagonist obsessed with Chaos, the game was hiding an even deeper plot twist.

Jack, who spends the entire game ranting about Chaos, is Chaos. He has to sa🐟crifice himself and allow the Warriors of Light to kill him to make the cycle complete. The whole thing is a reimagining of the first Final Fantasy from the villain's perspective. Well done, Nomura.

7 🤪 🃏 Cloud Was Never SOLDIER

Final Fantasy 7

Cloud recalls the war with the Wutai in Final Fantasy 7 for the PS1.
mixcollage-08-dec-2024-02-07-pm-9968.jpg

Your Rating

168澳洲幸运5开奖网: Final Fantasy 7
Top Critic Avg: 81/100 Critics Rec: 84%
Released
January 31, 1997
ESRB
T for Teen: Blood, Fantasy🍨 Violence, Language, Mild Suggestive ✤Themes
Engine
Unreal Engine 4

WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
PHYSICAL

Cross-Platform Play
ps, pc
Cross Save
꧅ Players who have already started their adventure on iOS or Andr💟oid can take advantage of cross-save capabilities
Steam Deck Compatibility
yes
How Long To Beat
37 Hours
X|S Optimized
yes
Supported VR Headsets
﷽ Oculus Quest 2
OpenCritic Rating
Strong

Final Fantasy 7 is one of the most important video games ever made; the series' 3D debut furthered its propensity for long, engaging narratives spanning multiple discs. From here on out, the series left behind black-and-white morality for deep and thoughtful narratives, t꧂ugging at our heartstrings and challenging our perceptions.

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Late in the game, Cloud is revealed to have never been part of the elite SOLDIER 1st Class, but a regular Shinra grunt whose trauma caused him to crea🌟te a false identity based on his mentor, Zack Fair. It's an uncom🐠fortable section: when the hero we identified with is this flawed, it forces us to confront our own insecurities. Cloud's self-acceptance is one that we, as the audience, can also draw lessons from.

6 ꦑ The World Ends 𝄹

Final Fantasy 6

Kefka throws Emperor Gestahl off the Floating Continent in Final Fantasy 6.
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Your Rating

Final Fantasy 6
10.0/10
Top Critic Avg: 86/100 Critics Rec: 91%
Released
October 11, 1994
ESRB
🌳 🎐 T For Teen Due To Fantasy Violence, Partial Nudity
Developer(s)
ꦅ Square Enix, Square
Publisher(s)
🅺 Square Enix, Square
Engine
Unity

WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL

How Long To Beat
35 Hours
Metascore
92
OpenCritic Rating
Mighty

Final Fantasy 6 is one of the most beloved SNES titles for many reasons, not just becaus✨e you can suplex trains in it. It has one of the most memorable villains, not just in Final Fantasy, but in RPGs at large: Kefka. Unlike the emperor of Gestahl, Kefka doesn't care about money or power. He just wants to destroy.

Up until this point, RPGs were fairly safe in their storytelling: you always counted on the good guys to save the day. Only here, they are soundly beaten. Halfway through the game, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Kefka wins: the ꦫworld is destroyed. A full year of waste, destruction, suffering and pain passes before the remnantꦦs are able to scrape together the strength to beat him.

5 The Party Was Rais🎉ed By Edea

Final Fantasy 8

Edea Kramer in a CGI cutscene in Final Fantasy 8.
mixcollage-05-dec-2024-05-44-am-9560.jpg

Your Rating

168澳洲幸运5开奖网: Final Fantasy 8
Top Critic Avg: 81/100 Critics Rec: 77%
Released
February 11, 1999
ESRB
T for Teen: M🔯ild Language, Suggestive Themes, Viℱolence
Engine
luminous engine

WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
PHYSICAL

OpenCritic Rating
Strong

The entire plot of Final Fantasy 8 is arguably a series of plot twists, and one that divides fans to this day. Some find the game's constant retcons so disillusioning that it's given rise to a theory that all events after the first disc are 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:the fever dream of a🌟 dying protagonജist.

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The plot twist that draws the most ire is the sudden revelation that all of Squall's party members were orphans raised by the villainess Edea. Convenient🎃ly, everyone developed amnesia later on due to their use of Guardian Forces. It comes completely out of left field, and somewhat overshadows the later twist that Ultimecia is the true final boss.

4 Zid🥂ane And Kuja Are Manufactured Beings

Final Fantasy 9

Zidane stands over Kuja in Final Fantasy 9.
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Your Rating

168澳洲幸运5开奖网: Final Fantasy 9
Top Critic Avg: 81/100 Critics Rec: 81%
Released
July 7, 2000
ESRB
🅘 T for Teenꦰ: Violence, Mild Language
Engine
Unity

WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
PHYSICAL

Multiplayer
Local Mult𝕴iplayer
Platform(s)
PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PS1, Android, iOS, PC
OpenCritic Rating
Strong

Final Fantasy 9 aimed to be the definitive FF experience on the PS1 and succeeded. Its plot is one of the best in the series, and Kuja is one of the most underrated villaiไns. A late-game plot twist gives rise to one of the series' trademark beautiful, borderline life-affirming moments.

After finding out th🗹at they are soulless shells made for destruction, Zidane and Kuja react appropriately. The former becomes catatonic with🎃 shock, while the latter is driven to madness and seeks to destroy the world that is denied to him. Zidane manages to snap out of it thanks to his friends, set to one of Nobuo Uematsu's most beautiful compositions. His brother Kuja, unfortunately, isn't so lucky - at least the two make up before he dies.

3 Tidus Isn't Real

Final Fantasy 10

Tidus stands knee-deep in the water in Final Fantasy 10.
final-fantasy-10-cover-art.jpg

Your Rating

168澳洲幸运5开奖网: Final Fantasy 10
Systems
Top Critic Avg: 83/100 Critics Rec: 87%
Released
December 17, 2001
ESRB
T ౠfor Teen: Mild Blood, Mild Suggestiveꦆ Themes, Violence
Engine
PhyreEngine

WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
PHYSICAL

Platform(s)
PS2
How Long To Beat
45 Hours
Metascore
92
OpenCritic Rating
Strong

Final Fantasy 10 plays host to some of the most beautiful scenery, calming music and hear𝓡trending storytelling in the series. The love story between Tidus and Yuna is enough to make your heart ache, not least because🌳 Tidus can't stay.

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The moment Sin is destroyed, Tidus fades into the afterlife. He was a ♋dream of the Fayth, spirits seeking an end to the suffering Sin causes. When we learn of this, it's a massive shock, and casts the protagonist's narration in a different light. The way he confronts his mortality with grace is enough to dr🌄ive even the most jaded RPG veteran to tears.

2 ꧙ Ardyn Is💖 An Angry Great-Uncle

Final Fantasy 15

Ardyn blocks a sword strike from Noctis in the climactic battle from Final Fantasy 15.
mixcollage-25-dec-2024-12-04-am-1755.jpg

Your Rating

Final Fantasy 15
Action RPG
Systems
Top Critic Avg: 81/100 Critics Rec: 74%
Released
November 9, 2016
ESRB
꧃ T for Teen: Language, Mild Blood, Partial Nudity, Violence 🅰
Engine
luminous engine
Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer, Online Co-ౠOꦍp

WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
PHYSICAL

Platform(s)
PS4, Xbox One, PC, Stadia
How Long To Beat
28 Hours
PS Plus Availability
Extra & Premium 🍸
OpenCritic Rating
Strong

Final Fantasy 6 isn't the only one to star a style-savvy wisecracking jester who inwardly burns with vehement anger. 🐽For the 15th mainline entry, Square Enix decided that if it worked the first time, they could do it again. If Ardyn evokes any sympathy, it's much later on. The first time he reveals his true self, it's too much of a shock to in🔜ternalize.

The Crystal that Noctis and his pals had been looking for was nothing but a trap. Ardyn led them to it because he is, in fact, Noctis' great-uncle many generations removed. Centuries ago, he was judged unworthy of the th🃏rone because he absorbed darkness from other people, even if he did it with the best intentions. Thousands of years of confinement had filled Ardyn with hate towards his royal nephew.

1 🐬 Aerith Dies

Final Fantasy 7

Cloud holds a dying Aerith while Sephiroth stands in the background in Final Fantasy 7 for the PS1.
mixcollage-08-dec-2024-02-07-pm-9968.jpg

Your Rating

168澳洲幸运5开奖网: Final Fantasy 7
Top Critic Avg: 81/100 Critics Rec: 84%
Released
January 31, 1997
ESRB
♌ T for Teen: Blood, Fantasy Violence, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes 🍌
Engine
Unreal Engine 4

WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
PHYSICAL

Cross-Platform Play
ps, pc
Cross Save
💧 Players who have already started their adventure on iOS or An🌃droid can take advantage of cross-save capabilities
Steam Deck Compatibility
yes
How Long To Beat
37 Hours
X|S Optimized
yes
Supported VR Headsets
🌳 𓃲 Oculus Quest 2
OpenCritic Rating
Strong

You knew thisꦅ was coming. This is to video games what Darth Vader's identity is to film. Even people who've never played Final Fantasy 7 know that Aerith dies. It is the definitive video game spoiler. Just imagine how shocking it was in 1997 that people are still talking about it to this day.

Unfortunately, the knowledge that Aerith dies never quite manages to soften the blow. The death of this character remains one of the saddest in RPG history, and for many years there were 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:urban legends that you c𓃲ould save Aerith b♔y picking the nice dialogue options. Her death is inevitable, and it still hurts.

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