Summary
ThoughFinal Fantasyis the most high-profile Japanese RPG series in the West, there are many obscure games bearing theFinal Fantasyname outside the prolific numbered mainline entries and remakes, but the most niche game is an adaptation of an anime series. Sub-franchises likeCrystal Chroniclesand the fighting action ofDissidiaare certainly not as well-known as theFinal Fantasy 7Remakeseries. A plethora ofFinal Fantasymobile games have come and gone, and at least three are concurrently up and running, includingBrave Exvius, buttheFinal Fantasy: UnlimitedPC game still stands as the most obscure.
Some early obscure games bearing theFinal Fantasyname were not actuallyFinal Fantasygames in Japan. TheFinal Fantasy Legendgames were the originalSaGaseries titles in Japan, andFinal Fantasy Adventurewas the first game in theManaseries.
The history of obscure spin-offs to the series dates back to the Super Nintendo era. There are differing opinions on the best and worstFinal Fantasygames, butniche titles likeMystic Questrarely enter the discussionsince few have heard of them.Final Fantasy: Mystic Questwas released in North America before Japan, and it was a simple RPG aimed at introducing beginners to the genre which was relatively unpopular in the West at the time.The massive popularity of the original PlayStation’sFinalFantasy 7marked the start of frequent, numerous spinoff titlesbearing theFinal Fantasyname.
I Started With The Worst Final Fantasy Game, Now I Have An FF Tattoo
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FF:U On PC Was A Card Battler & Visual Novel Game
Game Adaptation Of An Anime Adaptation Of A Game Series
The PlayStation sawChocobo’s Mysterious Dungeon, a roguelike, andChocobo Racing, essentiallyMario Kart-style gameplay with theFinal Fantasyseries’ iconic big yellow bird (theSwitch-exclusiveChocobo GPoffered a sequel over 20 years later). The spin-offs continued, and by the PlayStation 2 era, side games outnumbered the mainline entries in the series. In 2001, a film and an anime series were both released that bore theFinal Fantasyname that were unrelated to any specific video game in the series. Where the 1990s anime Legend of the Crystals took place inFinal Fantasy5’s world, the theatrical filmThe Spirits Withinandthe animeFinal Fantasy: Unlimitedfeatured original settings and stories.
The Spirits Withinwas a box office bomb with a mixed critical reception, but more fans of the series at least recall that the movie exists, and it is still available for digital purchase through Amazon and other storefronts. The anime seriesFinal Fantasy: Unlimitedis not available on any streaming service or digital video platform in the USA, however.FF:Ureceived two video game adaptations. One was a mobile game with traditional turn-based JRPG battles, released only in Japan, calledFinal Fantasy: Unlimited With U.Final Fantasy: Unlimited On PCwas released in 2003 for Windows, also only in Japan.
Since the release of theFinal Fantasy: Unlimitedanime series, there have been several films and miniseries released based on games likeFinal Fantasy 7orFinal Fantasy 15, butUnlimitedwas the last wholly original series to bear theFinal Fantasyname.
While theFinal Fantasycrossover with Mountain Dewmight have seemed like the strangest cross-promotion the series has had, it related toFinal Fantasy 14, which is at least a traditional MMORPG.FF:U On PCwas a video game adaptation of an anime based on a video game series, and unlike the mobileFinal Fantasy: Unlimitedgame, it also featured unconventional gameplay. The gameplay was a card game system, in between a series of still images supported by voice acting from the anime series, makingFF:U on PCessentially a cross between a card battle game and a visual novel.
No Final Fantasy Game Is More Obscure Than FF:U On PC
Final Fantasy: Unlimitedwas no more successful thanThe Spirits Within, and its intended 52-episode count was cut to 25, which left its story feeling unfinished. WesternFinal Fantasyfans spent years waiting for official translations of some of the early mainline entries, but each of them has now been localized, including theexcellentFinal Fantasy: Pixel Remastercollection. ManyFinal Fantasygames have not been localized, largely due to the advent of mobile gaming. Ironically,FF:U’smobile game was approachable, as it adopted familiar turn-based RPG mechanics, wherethe PC game was strange both conceptually and in its execution.
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Despite its troubled production and incomplete story, theFinal Fantasy: Unlimitedseries remains a cult classicamong some anime and video game fans. It suffered from uneven production values, early 2000s CG elements which have aged poorly, and two child characters who served mainly as annoying distractions. Still, the series has a certain charm, but even hardcoreFF:Ufans are unlikely to have played its PC game, which essentially required winning card-based battles to have the story retold to the player. While someFinal Fantasyspin-offs have titles that sound like complex, meaningless word salad, they are still more accessible.
