Ranking Every Final Fantasy Spin-Off Game

Final Fantasy XII was quite divisive upon its initial release, garnering plaudits for its gameplay but criticism for elements of its story (or lack thereof). Time has been kinder to it, aided by 2017’s impeccable Zodiac Age remake, but the characters of Vaan and Penelo, particularly the former, are still largely viewed with derision. Put into the game in the belief that teenage leads would attract the widest possible audience, they offered almost nothing to the wider narrative, which focuses on Basch (originally designed as the game’s lead), Ashe, Balthier and to a lesser extent, Fran.

Making Vaan and Penelo the stars of the game’s sequel was therefore quite a questionable move from Square-Enix, though the fact Revenant Wings was aimed at a much younger audience than the original game does justify the decision somewhat. The DS title was nevertheless unremarkable in every way imaginable, with gimmicky gameplay that warranted near constant use of the handheld’s stylus rather than buttons and dumbed-down difficulty that reduced the brilliantly crafted Gambit system down to a one repeatable action per character affair.

The game received mostly positive reviews, but has been almost completely forgotten over time. X and X-2 were paired together in a remaster and the XIII games are widely referred to as a trilogy, but Revenant Wings hasn’t even been ported to phones since its 2007 release, as if Square Enix want it to fade from memory entirely.