Ranking Every Final Fantasy Spin-Off Game

One of the best things that Square Enix have done over the course of the last decade is create the Bravely Default series, which is due to get a new entry on the Switch later on this year. Following in Final Fantasy’s footsteps, this will be a completely new story, set in a new world with a new set of characters, as a response to the underwhelming reception that Bravely Second, a direct sequel to the original game, received.

Time will tell if it will be successful or not, but the series does now seem to have replaced Crystal Chronicles as Square Enix’s ‘Nintendo exclusive’ franchise and owes its existence to a little-known Final Fantasy spin-off title.

Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes Of Light was designed as a homage to the early entries in the main series. Its soundtrack was chiptune (despite releasing on the DS), its battle system was turn-based and made use of a simplified form of the job system, and its characters are ‘warriors of light’ destined to save the world from Chaos.

Games have evolved for a reason, however, and the 4 Heroes Of Light was always going to have limited appeal. It was ultimately a vastly inferior experience to other entries in the series that released around the same time, such as the DS remakes of III and IV. Its planned sequel evolved into Bravely Default, leaving it alongside Explorers as another relatively forgotten standalone entry in the wider Final Fantasy pantheon.