Final Fantasy is a Japanese fantasy and science fiction-based media franchise originally created by Hironobu Sakaguchi. The franchise is owned, developed, and produced by Square Enix and is centered on a series of role-playing video games, but a number of derivative games and other related media have also been released. The first game for the series was released in 1987 on the Nintendo Entertainment System (Famicom in Japan) and, since then, fourteen other mainline titles have come out on an array of different platforms. The next mainline title the Final Fantasy VII Remake is currently scheduled for a release on April 10th, 2020. The franchise has been widely successful and occupies an important part of video game history that continues to thrive to this day. Several fans and critics regard the Final Fantasy series as some of the best video games ever made. Some of the most iconic characters and creatures from Final Fantasy include the Moogles and Chocobos, which are often considered to be mascots of the franchise. The name “Final Fantasy” was selected as the title for the first entry of the series because Hironobu Sakaguchi’s first games released by Square Enix were considered failures. As such, Sakaguchi decided that he would make one “final” effort in the video game industry.
Related Media
Although the series mainline titles are role-playing games, various spin-off titles have been released as well. These spin-off titles can vary wildly and include racing games, tactical and action RPGs, MMORPGs, rhythm games, shooters, and fighting games. Apart from video games, the franchise has incorporated manga, several movies and TV series, Books and an unbelievable amount of merchandise. Such merchandise includes trading card playing games, jewelry, figures, nendoroid, Funko Pop, and much more. The soundtracks of Final Fantasy games, many of which can be attributed to the famous composer and musician Nobuo Uematsu, can be purchased in various soundtrack album releases. These albums can contain the original music of a game or pieces that are rearranged using a specific genre or style of music. Final Fantasy music contains a wide range of musical styles and composers that have evolved over the thirty years of the series’ existence.
Final Fantasy Community
Final Fantasy has generated a strong community that engage in various events like the Final Fantasy XIV Festival, concerts like Final Fantasy Distant Worlds, and much more. More creatively inclined fans of the series have created a massive amount of fan art and cosplay as well.
Gameplay
The flagship Final Fantasy games are essentially role-playing games that are often character and story-driven. Many of the plots center around magical crystals in some way, but almost always have a group led by the protagonist that is pitted against an evil antagonist or force of doom. Like most role-playing games, characters can gain experience by fighting in battles that will eventually result in that character leveling up. As each character levels up, they gain more stats and access to better weapons that make them even stronger. A number of different mechanics and gameplay systems have been introduced and evolved over the years, beginning with the turn-based combat of Final Fantasy 1. More recent entries in the series use real-time battle systems like the Active Cross Battle system from Final Fantasy XV.
History and Development
Final Fantasy 1 was originally produced by Square, which first opened in the year 1983 as a computer game and software division of Den-Yu-Sha, a power line construction company owned by the father of Masafumi Miyamoto. Miyamoto would eventually create his own independent company, Square Co., Ltd., in 1986. Final Fantasy 1 was influenced by other popular games such as Enix's Dragon Quest, Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda, and Origin Systems' Ultima Series. The company quickly grew and, after around a decade, talks of Enix and Square partnering together were considered. In the very beginning of the 2000s, a merger was proposed, but financial issues from both parties caused hesitation, especially on Enix’s side. However, in 2002, Square released Final Fantasy 10 and Kingdom Hearts, resulting in an incredible amount of profit. This success led to a merger between the companies that went into effect on April 1st, 2003.
Key Final Fantasy Staff
Hironobu Sakaguchi: the original creator of the Final Fantasy series. After writing the scenario for Final Fantasy IX, Sakaguchi became much less involved with the series and eventually left Square to create his own development studio in 2004.
Yoshinori Kitase: a major producer of the Final Fantasy series. Kitase began work at Square by timing cutscenes and other events, but eventually went on to direct several Final Fantasy games, the most popular entry being Final Fantasy VII. He was later promoted to a producer by Sakaguchi and remains in that position to this day.
Kazushige Nojima: a major scenario and story writer for some of the later entries of the series. Nojima made his debut as a Final Fantasy writer with Final Fantasy VII by collaborating with Yoshinori Kitase.
Tetsuya Nomura: one of the main character designers of the series. Nomura began as a debugger for Final Fantasy IV, but often contributed ideas that were accompanied by drawings. He quickly became involved with designing art for later games and earned the position of character designer.
Yoshitaka Amano: another major character designer and artist of Final Fantasy. Amano was in charge of character design for the earlier entries of the series, but went on to create promotional artwork, logos, and illustrations as time went on.
Nobuo Uematsu: the sole composer of Final Fantasy games up until Final Fantasy IX. In 2004, Uematsu would leave Square Enix and create his own company, though he would return to Square to work as a freelancer from time to time.
Table of Contents
The Final Fantasy Timeline acts as a historical overview and chronological releases of the Final Fantasy franchise, a Japanese fantasy and science-fiction based video game franchise originally created by Hironobu Sakaguchi. The franchise is owned and developed by Square Enix and ...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
Final Fantasy I (1) is a role playing game produced and developed for the Nintendo Entertainment System by Square (Later to become Square Enix) It was released on the Japanese market in 1987 and is the first title in the Final Fantasy series. Final Fantasy 1 was released in North...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
Final Fantasy II (2) is the second installment of the flagship Final Fantasy series. The fantasy RPG game was originally produced by Square (Later to become Square Enix) and released in 1988 for use on the Nintendo Entertainment Series exclusively in the Japanese market. The game...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
Final Fantasy III (3), released by Square (Later to become Square Enix) in 1990, is the third title of the flagship Final Fantasy series made for the Family Computer (Nintendo Entertainment System). The game was directed by Hironobu Sakaguchi, the music scored by Nobuo Uematsu wi...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
Final Fantasy IV (4) (released as Final Fantasy II in North America) is the fourth installment of the flagship Final Fantasy series. It was released by Square (Later to become Square Enix) in 1991 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and has subsequently been released on t...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
Final Fantasy V (5) is the fifth instalment of the flagship series Final Fantasy, released in 1992 on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (Super Famicom). The game was later released on multiple platforms including iOS, PlayStation, Gameboy Advance, and others. It was produce...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
Final Fantasy VI (6) (distributed as FF3 in North America) was the sixth game of the flagship Final Fantasy series, released in 1994 on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and produced by Square (Later to become Square Enix). It was the first game of the series to be produced...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
Final Fantasy VII (7) is the seventh title in the flagship series Final Fantasy, an RPG style game produced by Square (Later to become Square Enix) and released in 1997, the first title to be released on the Sony PlayStation console. The game was produced by series veterans Hiron...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
Final Fantasy VIII (8) is the eighth installment in the flagship Final Fantasy series produced by Square (Later to become Square Enix) for the Sony PlayStation console. It was released in 1997. The game inspired a remaster that was released in 2019 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
Final Fantasy IX (9) is an RPG style game and the ninth instalment in the flagship Final Fantasy series. The game was released by Square (Later to become Square Enix) in 1999. This edition of Final Fantasy was the last game to be released on the original Sony PlayStation. It was ...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
Final Fantasy X (10) is the tenth installment in the Square (Later to become Square Enix) flagship series Final Fantasy. It is a RPG style game released on the Sony PlayStation 2 in 2003 and remastered and re-released as Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster for PlayStation 3 and PlayS...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
Final Fantasy XI (11), also known as Final Fantasy XI Online is an MMORPG type game and the eleventh installment of the flagship Final Fantasy series released by Square (Later to become Square Enix) in Japan on May 16, 2002, for the Sony PlayStation 2. It was released on Microsof...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
Final Fantasy XII (12) is the twelfth title in the flagship Final Fantasy series, an RPG game developed by Square Enix and released on the PlayStation 2 in 2006. The game was directed and produced by Hiroyuki Ito and later re-released as Final Fantasy XII International Zodiac Job...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
Final Fantasy XIII (13) is an RPG video game, the thirteenth release of the flagship Final Fantasy series. It was produced by Square Enix and came out on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, later released on the Windows operating system. The game was released in Japan in December 200...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
Final Fantasy XIV (14) also called Final Fantasy XIV Online is an MMORPG released by Square Enix in 2010 for Microsoft Windows personal computers. It is the fourteenth title of the flagship Final Fantasy series and is the second MMORPG in the franchise. The game was directed by N...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
Final Fantasy XV (15) is the fifteenth title in the flagship Final Fantasy series, produced by Square Enix and released for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2016, Microsoft Windows in 2018, and as a Stadia title in 2019. The game was directed by Hajime Tabata, produced by Shinji...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
The Final Fantasy VII (7) Remake is an upcoming remake edition of the popular Final Fantasy 7, the seventh title of the flagship series Final Fantasy that was released on the Sony PlayStation in the year 1997. It was one of the most successful and influential games of the series....
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
Final Fantasy Tactics, developed by Square, is the first tactical RPG strategy game and the first title in the Final Fantasy Tactics series, released on PlayStation in 1997. The game inspired a re-release in 2007 as Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions on the PSP, one of t...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance is a tactical RPG game that was released by Square in 2003 on the Gameboy Advance. The game, though not a sequel, Advance shares a lot of things in common with Final Fantasy Tactics, a game that was released in 1997 on the PlayStation 1. The game lat...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
Final Fantasy Brave Exvius is a free to play RPG game and a spinoff title of the Final Fantasy series, produced by Alim and Square Enix for iOS, Android, and Amazon Fire devices. It was released in Japan in 2015 and worldwide in 2016. The game is one of a number of Final Fantasy ...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
Dissidia Final Fantasy is a fighting, action role playing spinoff game of the Final Fantasy series produced by Square Enix on the PlayStation Portable. It is one of a number of Final Fantasy PSP games and was released in Japan in 2008 and in 2009 in the rest of the world. Directe...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
Final Fantasy Type-0 is an action RPG game set part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis: Final Fantasy series developed by Square Enix. It was first released as one of many Final Fantasy PSP games on the PlayStation Portable in October 2011 exclusively for the Japanese market. It was l...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
Final Fantasy XV: Pocket Edition is a Japanese role-playing video game developed by Square Enix. It is an abridged version of Final Fantasy XV and was released on the PlayStation 4, iOS, Android, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch in 2018. The game received generally positive reviews ...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
Final Fantasy Explorers is an action RPG game for the Nintendo 3DS that was released in Japan in 2014 and in 2016 in North America and Europe. The game was developed by Square Enix and includes staple elements of the franchise series such as a job system and well known Final Fant...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
Chocobo Mystery Dungeon is an RPG video game developed by Square Enix. It was released in Japan on the Nintendo Wii in 2007, and the following year to the rest of the world. A port of the game was released on the Nintendo DS in the year 2008 as a remaster of the game. A related s...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
Chocobo Racing is a racing genre video game produced by Square that was released on the Sony PlayStation in 1999. Chocobo racing has often been compared to other kart racing games such as the well known Mario Kart or Crash Team Racing. The main star of the game is Chocobo, the ma...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
Final Fantasy Mystic Quest (Final Fantasy USA in Japan) is a role-playing game released by Square in 1992 on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (Super Famicom in Japan) as a spin-off title of the Final Fantasy game series. The gameplay is comparable to that of other flagship...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
Final Fantasy Chronicles is an action role playing game published by Nintendo on the Gamecube and developed by The Game Designers Studio, a subsidiary of Square Enix. The game was released in Japan in the year of 2003 and outside Japan such as Europe, North America, and Australia...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
There are a number of Final Fantasy flagship and spin off games on the Nintendo Switch. Below is a list of Final Fantasy games that have also been adapted and released on the Nintendo Switch, with a brief review and summary of each.
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
There is an extensively long list of Final Fantasy mobile phone games from remakes, spinoffs, console ports, apps and derivative games that have been designed or are in development for mobile platforms including iOS, android, and Windows. Here is a list of the history of currentl...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
A significant number of the Final Fantasy franchise, remakes, and spin off games have been released on Sony’s popular Playstation Portable system, the PlayStation Portable (PSP). The PSP is a handheld game console developed and released by Sony Computer Entertainment first in Jap...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
The Final Fantasy franchise is one of the few franchise series that have a large range of derivative and spin-off games come from the mainline series. These games are not limited to a single game console as many have also been ported to a variety of different gaming consoles, suc...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
The cast of characters in Final Fantasy VII, a role-playing game released on the Sony Playstation 1 in the year 1997 by Square (later Square Enix), have garnered a huge following among fans in the series. They appear in a number of other spin offs, movies, and other media includi...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
Cloud Strife is the main protagonist and made his first appearance in Square’s Final Fantasy VII, and has subsequently made appearances in a number of other releases and spinoffs, including Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII and Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. Released on March...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
Barret Wallace is a playable character in the role-playing video game Final Fantasy VII, developed by Square Enix. Wallace was created by character designer Tetsuya Nomura, and appeared in the computer graphic film set two years after the events of the game, Final Fantasy VII: Ad...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
Tifa Lockhart is a character in Square’s Final Fantasy VII and was created by Tetsuya Nomura. Since Final Fantasy VII, Tifa Lockhart has made appearances in a number of other Final Fantasy Games and spin-off titles and will soon return in the Final Fantasy VII Remake.
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
Aerith Gainsborough is a character first introduced in Final Fantasy VII, an RPG game developed by Square and released on the Playstation 1 in 1997. Aerith was designed by Tetsu Nomura. Since her introduction in Final Fantasy VII, Aerith Gainsborough has appeared in the feature f...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
Red XIII is a playable character first introduced in Final Fantasy VII, an RPG game developed by Square and released on the Sony Playstation 1 in 1997. Red XIII was designed by Tetsu Nomura and is designed to be a member of an unnamed feline species. Since his introduction in Fin...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
Cait Sith is a playable character first introduced in Final Fantasy VII, an RPG game developed by Square and released on the Sony Playstation 1 in 1997. Cait Sith was designed by Tetsuya Nomura. Since his introduction in Final Fantasy VII, Cait Sith has appeared briefly in the fe...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
Cid Highwind is a playable character in Final Fantasy VII who makes appearance in a number of other game titles, spinoffs, and remakes including the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. Also in In Final Fantasy: Advent Children, a computer animated film that takes place after the ev...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
Yuffie Kisaragi is a playable character that originally appears in Final Fantasy VII, but shows up in a number of other game titles, spinoffs and remakes, including Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. She also appears in Final Fantasy: Advent Chil...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
Vincent Valentine is a playable character in Final Fantasy VII, an RPG style game released on the PlayStation 1 in the year 1997 by Square. Vincent Valentine shows up a number of other game titles, spinoffs, and remakes, including the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. He also app...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
Zack Fair is a non-playable character that originally appeared in Final Fantasy VII, a Japanese RPG game released on the Playstation 1 in the year 1997 by Square. Zack Fair makes appearances in a number of other game titles, spinoffs, and remakes, including Before Crisis: Final F...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
Sephiroth is the main antagonist of Final Fantasy VII, an RPG game developed by Square and released on the Song Playstation 1 in 1997. Sephiroth was designed by Tetsu Nomura. Since his introduction in Final Fantasy VII, Sephiroth has made an appearance in the feature film Final F...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
Terra Branford (known as Tina in the Japanese release) is one of the main protagonists of Final Fantasy VI, a Japanese role-playing game developed by Square and released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (Famicom in Japan) in 1994. She was designed by Yoshitaka Amano and...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
Squall Leonhart is the primary protagonist of the role-playing game Final Fantasy VIII, developed by Square and released on the Sony PlayStation in the year 1999. The game centers on Squall Leonhart and his team of mercenaries who are pitted against antagonist Ultimecia, an evil ...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
Zidane Tribal is the primary protagonist of the role-playing game Final Fantasy IX, developed by Square and released on the PlayStation in the year 2000. In the game, players follow Zidane Tribal, Garnet and a growing cast of characters as they try to defeat Queen Brahne of Alexa...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
Tidus is the primary protagonist of the role-playing game Final Fantasy X, which was developed by Square and released on the PlayStation 2 in the year 2001. He was originally created by Tetsuya Nomura, a veteran character designer of the Final Fantasy series. The game is based on...
Last updated at, 12 Jan 2021
