Games Happy

In December 2022, the Closing Fantasy collection celebrated its thirty fifth anniversary – a significant milestone for any collection, however a very poignant one for a collection with such an enormous array of video games spanning a variety of visible kinds, narrative tones, and even gameplay genres.

Each Closing Fantasy sport is exclusive, and the most effective issues in regards to the collection is that each FF is any person’s favourite FF. Nevertheless, we wished to reivisit a easy thought: what’s, statistically talking, the world’s favourite Closing Fantasy?

We determined to ask the broader RPG Web site viewers – so we arrange and invited you all to vote on an in depth ballot to disclose a few of your predilections and tastes across the historic collection. We requested you all to vote, but additionally noticed the ballot promoted by a variety of associates of the location together with FF and RPG influencers, YouTube channels, and different media shops. Mainly, we tried to solid a broad web. 

Polls like this are frequent in Japan, the place shops like Famitsu run them usually, however such a vote is rarer for followers of those video games within the West. So we determined to step in. The ballot ran for an entire month – and now we’re able to reveal the outcomes.

As soon as once more many 1000’s of you turned out to vote – 5 figures – and the outcomes are attention-grabbing. How did your favorites place? Let’s check out all of them:

The Finest Closing Fantasy Titles – Ranked by You

We polled you, asking 1000’s of you what your single favourite Closing Fantasy sport was. You responded, and we have tallied the outcomes. Drum roll please – right here they’re:

1. Closing Fantasy VII (17.2%)
2. Closing Fantasy IX (17%)
3. Closing Fantasy XIV (15.5%)
4. Closing Fantasy VI (14.7%)
5. Closing Fantasy X (11.4%)
6. Closing Fantasy VIII (6.5%)
7. Closing Fantasy XII (5.1%)
8. Closing Fantasy IV (3.6%)
9. Closing Fantasy XV (3.3%)
10. Closing Fantasy V (1.9%)
11. Closing Fantasy XIII (1.8%)
12. Closing Fantasy XI (1.1%)
13. Closing Fantasy (0.5%)
14. Closing Fantasy III (0.4%)
15. Closing Fantasy II (0.2%)

In-Depth Outcomes

The final time we ran certainly one of these polls for FF’s thirtieth anniversary in 2018, three clear leaders emerged instantly – however within the 5 years since, a type of video games has been swept out of the highest three. In 2018, FF7, FF9 and FF6 dominated with 49% of the vote between them – however in 2022/3, FF14 has surged, rising from seventh please as much as third this time round. That is what robust assist and good award-winning expansions will do for you.

The vote shares for these prime three stay pretty secure, nevertheless. FF7 posted 18.1% of the vote in 2018 – down just below a % to 17.2% this time. FF9 truly makes a slight acquire, rising from 16.8% to 17%. And FF6’s share can also be nearly equivalent – 14.4% in 2018 vs 14.7% this time. What this exhibits is that FF14’s rise hasn’t come on the ‘value’ of final time’s prime three. FF6 does slip to fourth, nevertheless.

So, what FFs have suffered? Nicely, FF15, which was new when the final ballot passed off, seems to have misplaced a few of its recency sheen, leading to a drop from fifth with 11.4% of the vote right down to ninth with simply 3.3% of the vote. FF13’s share of the vote nearly halved between 2018 and 2023, too. On the whole, time and distance has not been form to the newer period of FF video games in these outcomes.

In the meantime, the remastered launch of FF8 that occurred between the 2 polls seems to have modestly helped that sport, which posted a reasonably larger vote share on this latest ballot, albeit nonetheless the bottom vote share of the PS1 period.

In each the 2018 and 2023 polls, followers seem to have the least appreciation for the oldest entries within the collection – FF1, FF2, and FF3 had been the underside three video games on each events. This time, FF1 was prime of that trio, nevertheless – beforehand it was second. Maybe helped by the latest Pixel Remasters.

If the marginally extra obtuse nature of the sooner video games is holding you again from them, our minimalist walkthroughs will aid you to get probably the most out of them, by the way in which – we have got them for FF1, FF2, and FF3 – and proceed the custom in the remainder of our Pixel Remaster guides.

FF Firsts – Your first Closing Fantasy

1. Closing Fantasy VII (29.2%)
2. Closing Fantasy X (11.2%)
3. Closing Fantasy (10.8%)
4. Closing Fantasy VIII (10.7%)
5. Closing Fantasy IV (9.3%)
6. Closing Fantasy VI (8.1%)
7. Closing Fantasy IX (6.1%)
8. Closing Fantasy XV (3.1%)
9. Closing Fantasy XIII (2.9%)
10. Closing Fantasy III (2.8%)
11. Closing Fantasy XII (2.1%)
12. Closing Fantasy XIV (1.7%)
13. Closing Fantasy V (1.3%)
14. Closing Fantasy II (0.6%)
15. Closing Fantasy XI (0.1%)

An attention-grabbing query among the many FF fanbase is ‘what was your first?’ There is no emotion on this query – however it’s enlightening of some issues.

Firstly, it is clear that throughout the ‘golden age’ of Closing Fantasy throughout PS1 and PS2, lots of people got here to the collection for the primary time; FF7, FF8, and FF10 account for over 50% of the polling of first Closing Fantasy. We are able to additionally see that the primary FF of any given console technology seems to draw a bigger viewers. 

It additionally paints an attention-grabbing image of latest years, with the final three numbered FF titles solely contributing 7.7% of the vote collectively. The perfect of those was FF15, which polled at 3.1% – mid-table, however nonetheless maybe decrease than the ‘a Closing Fantasy for followers and first-timers’ messaging the sport carried would recommend. There are various FF hardcore among the many viewers polled, however as a basic style website, there’s additionally loads of followers of Western RPGs or totally different kinds of Japanese RPG who’ve been coaxed to strive FF through the years.

Secondly, with a whole lot of franchises the knowledge means that your first is prone to be your favourite. Folks say this about your first James Bond or Physician Who, and in video games about franchises like Elder Scrolls and Road Fighter. However with these outcomes, we will look at this declare inside Closing Fantasy particularly:

26.8% of respondents named their first Closing Fantasy as their favourite Closing Fantasy. Nevertheless, some video games carried out higher than others. Most notably:

• 56.5% of customers who named FF7 as their favourite FF additionally informed us that FF7 was their first.
• The hardcore old-school had the next-highest ranges of dedication, with 54.5% of those that mentioned FF1 was their favourite FF additionally having revealed it was their first. A part of this is because of how few favourite votes FF1 was capable of garner, nevertheless. There is a comparable story for FF3, the place the correlation sits at 47.6%. 
• Surprisingly, regardless of how beloved it’s, FF6 was clearly principally found late – solely 21.69% of people that mentioned it was their favourite additionally famous it as their first. 
• Those that got here to the newer single-player FFs as newcomers did discover they make an impression – round 25% of those that mentioned FF13 and FF15 had been their favorites additionally mentioned the identical sport as their first.
• Nevertheless, it appears the MMOs principally entice current FF followers – as for FF14 the correlation is just 8.2%.

The Finest FF Protagonists, in keeping with you

This one speaks for itself – the leads, ranked. We did not embrace the MMOs on this, as a result of nebulous nature of their protagonists.

1. Cloud Strife (23.9%)
2. Terra Branford (14.9%)
3. Zidane Tribal (13.1%)
4. Squall Leonheart (10%)
5. Cecil Harvey (9%)
6. Lightning (8.6%)
7. Noctis Lucis Caelum (7.5%)
8. Tidus (7.4%)
9. Bartz Klauser (2%)
10. Warrior of Gentle (1.6%)
11. Vaan (1%)
12. Onion Knight / Luneth (0.6%)
13. Firion (0.5%)

And some notes on the correlations between this and favourite FF:

• 61% of those that mentioned FF7 was their favourite additionally predictably referred to as Cloud their favourite lead within the collection. 
• Probably the most loyal fanbase by far is that of FF13 and Lightning, nevertheless – 69% of people that mentioned FF13 was their favourite additionally stumped up for Lightning. The following closest within the loyalty stakes had been Noctis and Squall. 
• Regardless of inserting second within the total ballot, below half of FF6-lovers voted Terra – 42%
• The worst efficiency is by Vaan – poor Vaan – the place in addition to posting proper in the direction of the underside of the ballot, solely 6% of those that most cherished his sport, FF12, voted him their favourite lead. Although lots of these followers would argue that Vaan is not the lead of that sport – a can of worms, to make certain. This 6% quantity is even decrease than the correlation for the primary three FF protagonists, regardless of two of these three having much less votes total.

Favourite FF Spin-Off Video games & Collection

1. Techniques / Ivalice Alliance (37.8%)
2. Compilation of FFVII (17.6%)
3. Closing Fantasy X-2 (6.6%)
4. Dissidia Closing Fantasy Collection (6.4%)
5. Theatrhythm Collection (6%)
6. Closing Fantasy XII-2 & Lightning Returns / FNC (5.9%)
7. Stranger of Paradise: Closing Fantasy Origin (3.7%)
8. World of Closing Fantasy (3.2%)
9. Closing Fantasy Kind-0 (3.1%)
10. Crystal Chronicles Collection (2.8%)
11. Closing Fantasy Mystic Quest (1.7%)
12. Chocobo Collection (1.5%)
13. Closing Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Gentle (0.9%)
14. Closing Fantasy Courageous Exvius Collection (0.8%)
15. Closing Fantasy Document Keeper (0.6%)
16. Closing Fantasy IV: The After Years & Interlude (0.5%)
17. Closing Fantasy XV Universe (0.4%)
18. Mobius Closing Fantasy (0.4%)
19. Closing Fantasy Explorers (0.1%)

Closing Fantasy XVI Intention

This was fairly a easy query, and we’re not going to investigate it in depth – we merely requested followers how excited they had been for Closing Fantasy XVI, and the way probably they’re to select the sport up when it launches in just some months time, on June twenty second.

That is how our polled consumer base, a combination of hardcore FF followers and basic RPG fanatics – together with some followers of Western RPGs of the precise form that FF16 is eager to courtroom – responded:

1. Sure – I will be there Day One! (56.1%)
2. Possibly – I want extra convincing (36.1%)
3. No – It isn’t my fashion (7.8%)