Ranking Every Final Fantasy Spin-Off Game

Final Fantasy Tactics isn’t simply the greatest Final Fantasy spin-off of all-time, rather it is one of the greatest games of all-time full stop. A masterful piece of storytelling that was riveting from start to finish, it is an essential part of any game collection and is certainly due another remaster, though the War Of The Lions still holds up on PSP, Steam and mobile devices for those that want to experience its brilliance.

Much darker than anything else in the series in terms of tone, Tactics bears a considerable resemblance to Game of Thrones given its focus on seven kingdoms and the factions that jostle with and betray one another in their pursuit of them. Nothing is off-limits and this created a tense affair that shocked and awed in equal measure.

Many characters were masterfully written, from the tragedies of Wiegraf, Rapha and Zalbaag and the awesomeness of Agrias and Orlandeau through to the outright evil of Dycedarg and Folmarv, the repulsiveness of Argath and the scheming of Delita. Add in a well-built rendition of the series’ renowned job system, a host of taxing optional challenges and multiplayer options (in the remake) and you have a near-perfect game, with limited criticisms including a fairly bland soundtrack, occasional slowdown and difficulty scaling that can make parts of the game near-impossible without proper character builds.

Criminally underrated, Tactics should always be towards the top of any series ‘best of’ list. It's simply a beautiful game from start to finish.