The difference betweenFinal FantasyandFinal Fantasy 2is alarming. That happened a lot in the days of the NES wherein a direct sequel seemingly changed everything.The Legend of Zeldaand its first sequel,Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link, couldn’t be more different either.
Different doesn’t always mean bad though. It became a staple for the development teams to constantly introduce new mechanics into theturn-based or action combat systems ofFinal Fantasy. Change is good but that also doesn’t mean change is easy to accept. These battle systems, more than others, confused players when they were first introduced to them.
World of Final Fantasycan best be described as a combination betweenKingdom HeartsandPokemon. Two siblings, Lann and Reynn, jump into a magical book filled with classicFinal Fantasycharacters from Cloudto Lightning. Battles were turn-based with both siblings participating but they were also aided with monsters.
Instead of having them fight side by side with the heroes, monsters were stacked on top of their heads. Also, if stricken too much, these stacked monsters would throw off the balance and cause the sibling to become dizzy. The stacking system was indeed odd but it did at least make it stand out from other monster-catching games and given time, it was easy to get accustomed to.
Dissidia Final Fantasywas not the first fighting game to featureFinal Fantasycharactersbut it was the first fully dedicated to the franchise. Players got to play as most protagonists and antagonists in the series from Bartz to Ultimecia. It wasn’t a traditional fighting game likeStreet Fightereither. Players could choose a character and drop into a variety of large open arenas.
Each character could equip gear, abilities, and level up in the process. These abilities corresponded to Brave and HP attacks. The goal was to destroy an enemy’s HP but protecting it was a barrier of Brave points. Certain abilities did more Brave damage than others and players could steal Bravery to increase their numeral output and thus do more damage. It was more confusing than it needed to be for a fighting game but overall it was still an engaging experiment leading to a couple of sequels.
This is a divisive entry in the series for many reasons and the battle system ties everything together with a weird little bow. Players can find the equivalent of Summons calledGuardian Forces inFinal Fantasy 8and bind them to characters. Certain GFs, as they are abbreviated in the game, unlock slots based on stats. Players can then place spells on these stats to raise them like for attack strength and defensive power.
To get spells, players have to use a command called Draw in the game to siphon them out of enemies. Instead of using MP, players can then cast spells based on how many they accrued like an item. For example, a character may have 29 Cure spells to cast. It’s one of the most complex systems in any mainline entry and that’s only the surface-level explanation of this odd turn-based system.
3Final Fantasy: The Four Heroes Of Light
A Crowning Prototype
Final Fantasy: The Four Heroes of Lightwas a smaller reboot for the DS and sort of a predecessor toBravely Default. As the name suggests, players controlled four characters like in the original game. There was a Job system based on an item called Crowns. For example, players could equip a hero with what looked like a bishop’s hat tobecome a healer.
By placing gems into Crowns, they could unlock new abilities for that Job. Abilities and spells cost AP instead of the standard of MP and the battle system was turn-based. The weirdest thing was that characters attacked randomly even though players could give direct instructions. Overall, it’s one of the hardest and most grind-heavy entries in the series.
Final Fantasy Tactics Advancewas a downgrade in the maturity level from the first game which was heavily involved with blood and religious cults. This sequel was more kid-friendly and wasa heart-warming Isekaiacross a magical and colorful kingdom. The quality of the gameplay remained solid albeit a bit frustrating at times thanks to the rules.
Like the original game, players could recruit dozens of characters and give them Jobs across a wide array of tactical missions. Before a match began, a Judge would issue a command. If players disobeyed the order, the offending character could get fined or go to jail. For example, a Judge may forbid items in a match. These rules were a bit unfair at times and got in the way of player choice in an otherwise memorable tactical RPG on the GBA.
Final Fantasy 2easily has the most confusing battle system in the series. Instead of leveling up with EXP like in mostFinal Fantasygames or RPGs in general, characters upgraded their stats through repetitive actions. For example, someone being targeted a lot may get boosts to their HP or defensive stats.
Someone who uses magic a lot can become a more powerful mage. It was a hard concept to grasp at the time for a turn-based battle system but that did not stop the team developing it from trying this idea again.Final Fantasy 2helped createtheSaGafranchisewhich uses the same battle system although it has grown more over time. That’s quite the accomplishment for one of the most forgotten entries in the series. Between every iteration from the NES to the Switch, the battle system has remained just as confusing albeit a bit more streamlined.
