Top Ten Best Final Fantasy Stories

[Jason Tandro]

Well it's been a while since I posted anything, much less a Top Ten list. But I had one that I just did about a week ago and shared on the Facebook so I figure I'll pop it in here too for discussions and such.

10. Final Fantasy V - The story was honestly a pretty weak element to V but it gets a huge amount of credit for everything else it did.

9. Final Fantasy II - Despite all this game's flaws, the story was actually really gripping for its time, even if it was just Star Wars.

8. Final Fantasy XIII - Up until the big dumb Hollywood ending and the two sequels which added fuck all, XIII actually has a really engrossing story, even if the characters aren't always up to par.

7. Final Fantasy VIII - I honestly really like the love story of Final Fantasy VIII and the more off-the-wall aspects, even if the story is poorly told at times (read: often).

6. Final Fantasy X - Some great twists and amazing characters, but compared to the titans of the series, I don't think this rates the top 5.

5. Final Fantasy IV - An incredible tale of redemption and one of the best Final Fantasy adventures ever to boot.

4. Final Fantasy VII - This story needs no introduction, though the Compilation really detracted more than it added to this game. The OG story is still absolutely incredible though.

3. Final Fantasy VI - While the story in VI is great and all the pieces flow into one another really well, I don't rate it as the best overall because it can feel rather disjointed at times. Still a powerhouse though.

2. Final Fantasy IX - Everything about this story is pure gold, but especially the tale of Vivi who remains perhaps the best written character in the entire series.

1. Final Fantasy XIV - This might not be fair since it is an MMO and has a lot more story in general, but the story of XIV, especially during Heavensward and its patches, is some of the best writing a most enthralling drama the series has ever seen (that I've played through at least, I'm told XI is just as good if not better).

Special Mention: Final Fantasy Tactics - I didn't include this because I was focusing on the core series, but if I did I would rate this probably #2 overall. It's a goddamned brilliant story from start to finish.

[psychokind]

I only played 3, 4, 5(?) and 6 - and I can't remember any but the story of 6.

[Jason Tandro]

6 is what I consider the objective best Final Fantasy. It's pure gold from start to finish.

[psychokind]

Jason Tandro wrote:

6 is what I consider the objective best Final Fantasy. It's pure gold from start to finish.

I hear that a lot on review videos too. I tried playing VIII once, but it didn't hook me. I didn't like the art style as far as I can remember. playing VII is on my list one day. Right after I finish Xenogears, which I tried like 5 times now in the last 10 years