Ranking Every Final Fantasy Spin-Off Game

In the world of films, it's very rare for a sequel to surpass the greatness of its predecessor. By contrast In the world of gaming, it's the norm, with sequels building upon the groundwork laid by the original and improving upon every aspect. Within the Final Fantasy series, where direct sequels are admittedly rare, the rule has only ever applied once – in the case of Final Fantasy XIII-2.

The main criticism levied at XIII was its linearity, with everything in the game bar Gran Pulse being a corridor. This was quickly addressed by XIII-2’s Historia Crux, which allowed travel to different locations largely at will. Stripping the story down to focus on just three characters in the form of Serah, Noel and villain Caius also made their arcs hit home heavier, even if Noel and Caius’ interrelated backstories were as needlessly complicated as any of XIII’s ‘fal’Cie and ‘l’Cie’ lore.

Serah was a likable protagonist in stark contrast to her permanently sullen and one-dimensional sister, which made the ending highly impactful, whilst the monster collecting mechanic to fill the third slot in the party, though not as deep as X-2’s Creature Creator, was fun to experiment with. Its DLC was also done correctly, adding optional challenge without impacting upon the story

XIII-2 is undoubtedly the best part of the XIII trilogy, feeling more like a classic Final Fantasy game than its predecessor. Square-Enix probably should’ve wrapped up the narrative within it rather than push things onto Lightning Returns, mind.