Final Fantasy: The Franchise’s 10 Hardest Games, Ranked By Difficulty

It is quite shocking when we look back at the launch date of Final Fantasy, one of the world’s biggest game franchises. The series came to existence in 1987, making it close to thirty-three years old. With multiple games split across three decades of its lifetime, the series is a cult-classic. The Final Fantasy is what people think of when they talk about JRPGs, and that is for a good reason.

The games have continually evolved the genre and made it better with every release. However, as good as the story and gameplay evolution has been, there’s something that hasn’t been as constant. The difficulty of the games is all over the place, with some games being relatively easy to the other being incredibly hard to beat. Let’s check how the games rank on the difficulty scale.

10 Final Fantasy VI

The Final Fantasy VI was initially released in 1994 on Famicom and Super Nintendo. The game is easily a fan favorite and has received many positive reviews from most known websites. However, if there’s one thing common in all the reviews was it’s the difficulty slope. Final Fantasy VI is one of the easiest games in the franchise, next to Final Fantasy XV, which is probably even more comfortable than the sixth one. However, the difficulty doesn’t speak of its quality, which is excellent.

9 Final Fantasy X

While some might assume that the difficulty of Final Fantasy games has gone down with time, it is not entirely true. However, in the case of Final Fantasy X, the game is clearly on the easier side. The tenth entry in the franchise is a very good game based on the review scores, but it does lack a punch of difficulty the original games were known for. There are optional quests in-game that carry some difficulty, but the main game itself is pretty much painless.

8 Final Fantasy IX

Released merely a year before the popular Final Fantasy X, the ninth entry was more challenging than its sequel. The game was a PS1 title, so one part of the difficulty goes to the game’s old age. However, it was still relatively easy compared to many other games in the series. The game resembles a world more in line with the older titles, but the difficulty it packs is severely low in comparison. Except for the final boss and a couple of dungeons, the game proves to be relatively easy.

7 Final Fantasy V

Final Fantasy V was launched in 1992 on Super Famicom and was not as well-received as many other titles. The reasons were many, including the fact that the game had a too high encounter rate despite its difficulty.

This made the entire experience overly repetitive for many fans and critics. While the game is still praised for its job system and the feature to combine abilities, it is equally criticized for its storytelling and grinding experience.

6 Final Fantasy XII

When the world of gaming was crowned with many cult classics such as San Andreas, Resident Evil 4, etc., Final Fantasy XII was just the perfect game to release. The game brought a unique experience to the table, as people were pretty much used to playing 3D games at that time. It brought a much-needed spike of difficulty to the franchise and gaming in general. On top, the game was incredibly frustrating because of its repetitiveness.

5 Final Fantasy XIII

Now we’re reaching into the domain of the actually tricky games. Final Fantasy XIII isn’t the best game in the series, but it is undoubtedly a memorable one. The game came out in 2010 for both PS3 and Xbox 360 and was a step into a new direction. The most notable aspect of the game has to be its visual shift and art direction, but other than that, the difficulty was pretty good as well. It is a timing-based game that requires good command on the controls, without which surviving isn’t possible.

4 Final Fantasy

It is quite apparent why the original Final Fantasy is on the list. Despite being a classic, the game belongs to an era when genres were still evolving rapidly. This meant that the game suffers from outdated technicalities, but it also suffers from the limitations of the platform. When combined, it makes an immensely tricky experience that was unlike anything for that time.

3 Final Fantasy II

When the first game gained popularity from the classic gameplay formula and difficulty, it was fair to assume that the sequel will follow in the same steps. Final Fantasy II does everything that makes the first game so difficult and paddles up on everything else.

The leveling system in the game was quite honestly unlike anything for the time. It was an absolute slow-moving mechanism, which will totally not flow nowadays.

2 Final Fantasy IV

The fourth entry in the series isn’t just difficult. It is one of the most popular games of the time. Released in the year 1991, Final Fantasy IV was the first FF game that was made for Super Nintendo. It was critically acclaimed with praises ranging from its focus on quality to its story. The game was a step forward for the RPG genre in almost every way. However, the difficulty was still just as hardcore as before, at least on Nintendo DS.

1 Final Fantasy III

The biggest baddy in the series has to be the third entry, Final Fantasy III. The Nintendo DS version is said to be the epitome of difficulty in Final Fantasy games. This game is made for the RPG enthusiasts and has the same old liming job system. On top, Final Fantasy III can be best described as non-friendly and brutal. While some players may live for this kind of difficulty, most people may find it irritating at best.

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