Final Fantasy: Every Numbered Game Ranked

1. Final Fantasy IX

Final Fantasy ranked
Square-Enix

In many regards, Final Fantasy IX truly is the Final Fantasy, a jubilant celebration of the entire series, offering a mélange of its very best, both old and new.

IX - originally planned as a throwback gaiden - dispenses with the sci-fi stylings of VII and VIII, returning to the swords and sorcery of the first five installments. There are mail-carrying moogles and turbo-propped wooden zeppelins in abundance, not to mention more castles than a brochure of UNESCO World Heritage sites. It's a steadfastly classic aesthetic, but one exquisitely expressed through a modern lens.

The same applies to the battle system, which hearkens back to the earliest iterations whilst retaining the fluidity of its PS1 cohorts. The dichotomy is no better illustrated than by the pulsating eight-beat riff which accompanies the start of battles; though lifted directly from the first batch of Final Fantasies, it by no means heralds a return to their more stilted combat - even if characters once again assume rigid roles.

That, in itself, is an echo of Final Fantasy IV, each of the cast characterising one of the series' traditional jobs, and characterised by a thoroughly modern localisation. Vivi, for example, might be a black mage identical to the ones found in FFI-III, but his permanently empty expression belies some of the series' most touching and genuine dialogue. This was the last Final Fantasy before voice acting became the norm; without being undermined by overblown or ropey performances, it was the only one to really benefit from such a strong translation.

There's definitely, by design, the sense that you've seen all this before - up to and including one major plot point - and perhaps even seen it done better in places (FFIX's optional card game isn't a patch on Triple Triad, for example). But no Final Fantasy marries all the essential elements of the franchise into one greatest hits package quite as effectively as Square-Enix's PS1 swansong. It's the crystal standard that has never been surpassed.

Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.