30 best Final Fantasy games
Best Final Fantasy Games #1 – Final Fantasy VI
Without a doubt, Final Fantasy VI includes some of the best facets of any title within the franchise, while also including segments of creation that sit in the top 3 of any title bearing its name.
Final Fantasy VI has the best cast of any game, with a delightful crew of characters that have complex characterization and personal growth expounded through the story. The idea of creating a party where most characters can take on the protagonist role is a testament to how universal the story is, while also doubling down on how immersed the player feels with most assortments of party composition. You will laugh, cry, grow fond of and come to begrudgingly like different characters, depending on your disposition, but all of them have a very human side to them.
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The game also boasts the best soundtrack of Nobuo Uematsu, who had become intimately familiar with the limitations of the SNES hardware but still pushed it to its limits anyway. The thematic tones matched perfectly with every scene, encapsulating the spirit of the game’s story in a way made to be as important as the dialogue itself.
Speaking of story, the way Final Fantasy VI mixes decisions made by the player to tell different forks in a story’s road from different groups’ perspectives gave an untold amount of player agency. Plus, who could forget the unimaginable impact of the game’s second half, presenting a position of weakness and the inspirational overcoming of adversity in a brutally honest way.
Kefka is not only one of the greatest villains in the franchise; he’s one of the greatest in all of gaming. His menacing laugh is iconic, his sadistic ways unlike any antagonist in the series and he just brought an untold level of evil that felt refreshing. Plus, the levels of his successes and downfalls are series-defining, giving an excellent foil for the party at large.
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To me, there is no better game in the franchise than Final Fantasy VI. In 30 years of RPG greatness, none in the series can top it as a crown jewel.