8 Ridiculous Video Game Plotholes We Love Anyway
4. The Inconsistency of Phoenix Downs - Final Fantasy
While it's often parroted that Phoenix Downs in the Final Fantasy franchise can be used to bring dead party members back to life, that's of course not quite true - they're actually used to revive KO'd party members.
Yet there's a fundamental inconsistency to the effectiveness of Phoenix Downs, given that one apparently couldn't be used to save Aerith after being mortally impaled by Sephiroth in Final Fantasy VII, even though we've seen them used to heal characters from far more insane injuries in the heat of battle.
Now to be totally fair, we're definitely tiptoeing into ludonarrative dissonance territory here, where there's a sheer disconnect between a game's story and gameplay.
Phoenix Downs are basically only ever as effective as Square Enix wants them to be at any given moment. It's silly, but there's also a charm to it - a Very Gamey Thing that many players not only accept, but find somewhat amusing.