Final Fantasy: Building The Perfect Sequel (1 Feature From Each Game)

Final Fantasy X was the first game in the series released on the Playstation 2. Despite throwing tradition out of the window and casting aside series staples such as the Active Time Battle system and World Map, it nevertheless enthralled. A fantastic narrative, immersive world and a wealth of extra content meant that it became the first game in the series to be a 100+ hour commitment for many.

Alongside the addictive fictional underwater sport of Blitzball, the game’s main timewaster was the Monster Arena. This enabled almost every single monster in the game to be captured and fought at the player’s convenience, giving them the ability to farm items through victory in battle, steals or bribes rather than putting them at the mercy of random encounter rates.

The addition of increasingly challenging Area Conquest, Species Conquest and Original creations, meanwhile, provided a series of increasingly complex encounters for players to overcome.

This gave them the ability to hone their skills, build up an inventory full of the spheres and rare items needed to optimise the Sphere Grid, max out stats and craft the best equipment abilities. All of these were needed to conquer Penance and Nemesis, the game’s two optional superbosses.

Challenging, rewarding and frustrating grind reducing, the Monster Arena was an incredible piece of content, vastly expanding the lifespan of the game by simply offering a twist on its the battle system. Its replication in any future title would be greatly welcomed.