Weekly /r/FinalFantasy Question Thread – Week of June 28, 2021

Nope. It could be worse - I believe the drop rate is slightly better for the non-SNES versions.

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I’d hold out for the pixel collection to come out. Or download an emulator and play the GBA, SNES, or even PS1 version but for the love of everything do not play the Steam/Mobile port.

Not sure what you're referring to with "script", but here is the download page for the mod. Just unzip anywhere and run the exe, during installation you'll be able to customize settings like sprites, portraits, music, battle backgrounds and world textures, image examples are shown throughout the prosses so you'll know exactly what it is you're changing. The installer will then download all the needed files and apply them to your steam installation of FF6.

In reference to what HeyMyNameIsBlake were saying. I've heard rumors that the pixel remaster will not include content from the GBA version (which the current steam version does), and while playing on emulator is probably the safest option I would still say that the Atma Weapon mod does seem to make enough improvements on the current steam version to be considered almost as good as the console versions, though that's just my opinion.

Each version has its pros and cons so you'll have to decide which option you prefer, good luck!

I have heard it’s going to keep to the originals as close as possible so I think things like PSP dungeons or the FFIV GBA dungeons won’t be on there.

no official word yet

Here's a retrospective you might like. It was written when the HD remaster was released on Steam:

Yeah Auron is appropriately leveled, the other ones are behind, especially Lulu. You don't really need stuff like Doublecast to beat Sin. The strat for him is rather simple. At the beginning when he's far away I get Haste on the main damage dealers and attack with Wakk

If your damage is low you can use Chee

Well, if your Lulu still doesn’t know the Lvl. 3 spells then she’s heavily underleveled, yes. I usually obtain these around Bevelle or in the Calm Lands the latest. Also Tidus only learning Hastega just now seems a little underleveled too.

Why don’t you go do some optional quests? Those become available right after you get access to all locations. You could do some monster hunting, get some of the ultimate weapons, or explore some of the optional areas and grind at the same time.

Well, it's on the NES Classic as well. 🙂 But otherwise, yeah, you need to get an NES, or explore some emulation options. Even the oldest ports - Wonderswan, GBA and PS1 - add quality of life functions, and change the graphics.

According to Price Charting, the NES cart is $25, and that's not a particularly expensive cart as far as retrogaming goes. So, if are after showing off completely "original" versions of games, it's going to be an expensive proposition in the future, especially for things like Dragon Warrior, and the SNES and Genesis RPGs.

Without question the most difficult final dungeon in the entire FF series. And yea on the NES version 2 Ninjas + 2 Sages is the recommended setup. Without them, there's a very small chance that you'll be able to make it to the final boss but essentially zero chance of winning. Ninjas throw shurikens which are purchased at the end of Eureka for a steep price, and Sages to keep everyone alive.

Another way is to level up your Onion Knights to 99 and use 4 of them instead. Full set of Onion equipment is necessary as well. There are a few types of dragons which are rarely encountered in the crystal tower near the end of the game, and each of them have a small chance of dropping various pieces of Onion gear. Alternatively you can use this item upgrade trick to give yourself 4x full sets of Onion gear in a fraction of the time - video tutorial here. Getting the equipment before you level up the Onion Knights will also make the grind much more bearable.

Fully equipped Lv 99 Onion Knights are basically god mode. You'd be in for a truly massive amount of grinding but the payoff is soooooo satisfying. Also: respect for playing the original NES version.

What do you love about VII? Setting, story, characters, gameplay, etc.? That'll help when recommending something.

8 is more similar to 7 than 10/10-2, but 10/10-2 are closer to the current gen of FF titles in terms of its overall cinematic/gaming feel. both are good choices tbh

if you liked FF7's 3d style, then FF8 and FF9 are the natural next steps.

The current V and VI version on mobile and steam are (visually) terrible from a purist perspective and don't do any justice to the original games. wait for pixel remaster for those

If you really liked VII and want something similar, VIII and IX are the way to go. Outside of those 3 PS1 games, the franchise is known for shaking things up, sometimes quite drastically. If you really liked VII and want of that world and those characters, then check out Crisis Core, which serves as a prequel to VII, or VII Remake.

If you thought VII was good, but maybe had issues with the graphics, lack of voice acting, or the ATB combat system, then X is probably the next game to play. It has a pure turn-based combat system and the X/X-2 HD remaster looks great for a 20 year-old game (and comes with the divisive, but imo quite fun, sequel). This was also the first entry with voice acting, though it's certainly a bit rough at times.

The later games (XI-XV) are where the franchise really started to shake things up, and the gameplay will be quite different in each of those games. I don't know much about XI and XIV other than them being MMOs and generally being quite well-regarded, and I haven't played XV, though the general consensus is that the Royal Edition fixed many of the issues it had at launch and that it's a solid action FF experience now. As for XII, it's got a somewhat open world (enemy levels will prevent you from outright exploring the entire world immediately, though) and the combat system is focused around "programming" your characters (i.e. if hp<50 cast cure, else if ally is silenced cast esuna, else cast thundara) and letting them fight on their own, though you can manually select abilities if you'd like, at least for whichever party member you're controlling. XIII revolves around switching your party members roles (or jobs) continuously throughout battle while trying to stagger your enemies. The combat can get quite deep and is a lot of fun, imo, though it is worth mentioning that you will only control the party leader in battle. The game gets a lot of hate, but very little of it is deserved. It is very linear for the vast majority of the game, though it has two sequels that allow for much more exploration, if the world and characters appealed to you.

Now for the older games. Personally, I really like all 6 of these games, but they are definitely from a different time and won't appeal to everybody. V and VI will offer the best gameplay and IV and VI have some of the best stories, but I, II, and III are probably only for those that really love the franchise and want to see it's roots. Typically I would recommend the PSP versions of I, II, III (same as the Steam version for this one), and IV, plus the GBA versions of V and VI, as they all have added content and some QoL features. That being said, if you want to keep closer to the original games in terms of looks and mechanics, while retaining some modern QoL features, then the upcoming pixel remasters may be a better choice. That being said, it looks like they will not have the added content from the other remakes I mentioned (not technically confirmed yet), and we also don't know for certain whether certain bugs or other issues from the originals have been fixed for the pixel remasters. Definitely don't get the current steam versions of V and VI though, unless you really like the way they look.

With all of that being said, I actually recommend just checking each entry out and playing whichever one piques your interest the most. None of the games are bad, and somebody else's least favorite game may end up being your favorite.

she appears each day when there is 6–2 hours left.

from easier to harder for turn base newcommers I say:

FF6 > FF9 > FF7 > FF8.

FF6 and FF9 are almost on equal terms but FF7 and FF8 require more experimentation specially FF8.

III is probably the most advanced gameplay-wise, so choose that if you want more interesting gameplay. III is where the job system was first introduced. I is an option if you want to see where the series came from, but it's not an amazing game otherwise. II is quite grindy from what I hear, and is not that liked either.

This is not to say you couldn't enjoy any of these, just that III is probably the safest bet.

Yea the bonus contents is worth it as there are very long dungeons to test your endgame team. The bosses there are no jokes.

Edit: The FF5 GBA added more jobs too.

Personally, I strongly disliked the "extra" content of the GBA / DS versions of FF6 and Chrono Trigger. Both add long, difficult dungeons, and don't really expand plot or develop characters. They're strictly challenge dungeons. When I'm replaying 6, I just stick with the SNES.

In my opinion, I think FF3 is the most promising looking so far as that remaster is based on the NES, not the DS version. Best to wait and see for more info.

Actually, for the first six, they don't take place in the same world. If you expand past the remasters, the first direct sequel doesn't come until 10, depending on how you classify the remake of 7. Even the "connections" between games are more things like most of them having summon magic and a character named Cid, and less strong lore connections. (Like even the games that allegedly take place on the same world, you're not going to the same towns and locations that the heroes of game's past did.)

With that in mind, I'd recommend you just go from 1 to 6 in the remasters, and then 7 to 10, 10-2, 12, 13 and its two sequels, and 15 and its DLC. Might as well go full chronological! If you want, you could even throw in Mystic Quest and Tactics. (FF Adventure and Legend, I think they're less necessary to include, since they're just renamed versions of other game series.)

I personally liked the sequels better than XIII itself, but opinions on this vary a lot, so I wouldn't buy the sequels unless you end up liking XIII

I think the GBA versions of I, II, V, and VI are the best. I would play those if you have access to it. If not the SNES version is the way to go for IV and VI (called II and III).

Play 15 it’s a good entry for new people into the series imo, although you should remember it’s not your typical FF and the story doesn’t exactly reach the high bar set by fans.