If you own an Xbox, then you should stop what you’re doing and go buy FInal Fantasy I-VI right now. This morning during its lengthy Tokyo Game Show broadcast, Xbox announced that the iconic RPGs are on the console as of today. That’s as good an excuse as any to revisit some of the greatest stories in gaming history.
To be specific, the versions of FF1-6 that are now on Xbox Series X|S are the recent Pixel Remasters that previously launched on PC, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch. These remastered editions update the sprites of the originals and add some quality of life improvements. While there were some issues with the versions upon release—such as tiny text—those have largely been smoothed out through updates. Which means Xbox users shouldn’t have much of a problem and can dive right in.
That does raise the eternal question: where to start? If you really want to take a trip down memory lane you can start with the very first Final Fantasy, which was originally released in 1987. While the more simplistic RPG is a far cry from the epic stories seen in more recent entries, series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi still thinks it’s the most complete game of the bunch, and it holds up surprisingly well.
My personal suggestion would be to start with FF4. The 1991 RPG is essentially the real birth of the franchise as we know it today. It’s the first FF game known for having an emotional story driven by an incredible cast of well-written characters. The story of the Dark Knight Cecil coming to terms with his own culpability in horrific acts in a journey to save the world feels like a classic fantasy story of knights, wizards, and monsters. It also happens to be an amazing love story, paving the way for the likes of Cloud and Aerith, Rinoa and Squall, and other memorable pairings in later entries. Additionally, the turn-based combat feels well-designed but not overly complicated like it can be in FF3 or FF5, so it’s a great on-ramp for newcomers.
A lot of readers might be shocked I didn’t suggest you start with FF6. While it might be widely considered the pinnacle of the franchise, I think you need to work your way up to its grand adventure. FF4 is a much more welcoming first brush with the series. If you like what you see, then you can graduate to FF6 and see what all the fuss is about. You can buy the individual games or shell out $US59.99 for the whole bundle, but that price is only available until October 2.
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