FF beginners for KH fans

[keybladeblue6 72]

I have never played a Final Fantasy game before, but if I ever decide to do so I'd like to know:

 

Is it necessary to play all the games to understand the whole story?

 

If the answer to the above question is no, please list all the FF games worth playing.

 

Are there spinoffs of certain numbered games that are required to be played to understand the story of the games?

 

Using the KH story as a standard, how convoluted are the stories in these games and will I have trouble following any of them?

 

Again using KH as a standard, how difficult or complex is the gameplay, and how similar is to the KH gameplay?

 

Finally, on average how long would it take to complete one of these games?

[Dustin Lübbers 933]

1) Not all you will get some hidden reference but thats really all

 

2) Did not play all of them myself but 7 is pretty good 10 is beautiful but dosent make much sense and tidus is an idiot

 

3) I am only aware of all the spinoffs for FF7 the others are a complete storys and the spin of titles are unnecessary

 

4) There will be a couple of WTF moments but its not that hard if you pay attention

 

5)Gameplay isnt hard its round based so you have plenty of time to think (unless there is a timer that goes down until the enemy can attack again)

 

6) if you are a completionist 60-70 hours if you are a normal rpg guy the average 25-35 hours

 

I hope I could help

Edited February 18, 2017 by Dustin Lübbers

[The 13th Kenpachi 4,279]

I have never played a Final Fantasy game before, but if I ever decide to do so I'd like to know:

 

Is it necessary to play all the games to understand the whole story?

 

If the answer to the above question is no, please list all the FF games worth playing.

 

Are there spinoffs of certain numbered games that are required to be played to understand the story of the games?

 

Using the KH story as a standard, how convoluted are the stories in these games and will I have trouble following any of them?

 

Again using KH as a standard, how difficult or complex is the gameplay, and how similar is to the KH gameplay?

 

Finally, on average how long would it take to complete one of these games?

 

1. No, every mainline FF is different from the last. The stories are not connected in anyway (besides a few random theories).

 

2. No, you can just play the numbered title and understand the story. However some of the sequels and prequels may fix things you didn't like in that mainline installment.

 

3. No, the KH story is a mess. FF8 and 13 are the only two games where you may have trouble. FF7 is confusing at first but if you pay attention you'll be fine. Otherwise most of the stories make good sense. 

 

4. Final Fantasy's 1 through 3 use Turn Based combat where you wait your turn to attack, 4-9 use the ATB system (all in different ways), 10 goes back to turn based, 11 and 14 are MMOs, 12 and 13 use ATB and then 15 is an ARPG.

 

The only FF game that is close to KH's combat is FF15 and possibly FF13-3 (Lightning Returns). Everything else uses an ATB or turn based battle system.

 

5. FF5-FF13 should take 30-50 hours to beat. That varies depending on your play style and how much you do. FF15 takes like 20-30 hours story only.

 

The ones worth playing? 

5-13 with the exception of 11. 

 

Final Fantasy's 1 through 3 have no real story, and 12 and 14 are MMOS however I've heard some great things.

Edited February 18, 2017 by The 13th Kenpachi

[Dio Brando 5,810]

I have never played a Final Fantasy game before, but if I ever decide to do so I'd like to know:

 

Is it necessary to play all the games to understand the whole story?

 

If the answer to the above question is no, please list all the FF games worth playing.

 

Are there spinoffs of certain numbered games that are required to be played to understand the story of the games?

 

Using the KH story as a standard, how convoluted are the stories in these games and will I have trouble following any of them?

 

Again using KH as a standard, how difficult or complex is the gameplay, and how similar is to the KH gameplay?

 

Finally, on average how long would it take to complete one of these games?

No,you don't need to play all games as each game has a different story

 

As for which games I recommend,well that depends on you being open minded towards turn based battle systems and not expect the series to be similar to KH

 

Because if yes I recommend the following:FF4,FF6,FF7,FF9 and FF10

 

If no,then the only game that's remotely "similar" to KH is FF15 which is an average game at best

 

 

On average an FF game takes about 30 to 35 hours to beat but games like 15 takes 20 hours to beat the main story 

 

The stories are not as convoluted and messy as KH(except the XIII trilogy which was really bad) and for the most part they have engaging stories with endearing characters and an interesting world and lore

[smellslikejavier 20]

I think the most popular/beloved FF games are FF 7 (undoubtedly the most popular one, is even getting a current gen remake based on its popularity, even though is gameplay and of course graphics are pretty outdated for nowadays standards) and FF 10 (besides others) so I would recommend you to play those.

I had more fun with 10's gameplay, although 7's story and characters are far more superior in my opinion.

They aren't connected story-wise at all (maaaybe some of them shares some monsters, name references, etc but overall pretty irrelevant stuff) unless otherwise noted in their title's numbers (FF X-2 is a direct sequel to FF X, Dirge of Cerberus FF VII is I think a prequel to FF VII), etc 

 

Gameplay-wise I believe the FF games are harder (specially the older ones) compared to KH's gameplay (which is kind of obvious considering their target audiences) but still pretty enjoyable. And I believe their stories aren't convoluted but personally I find some of the terms, mythological stuff, background stuff, etc somewhat confusing but that's just me.

Edited February 18, 2017 by smellslikejavier

[KH4Real 749]

I should start with FF8 it is chill in the beginning.

FF7 is now on sale on PS4. I'm getting that one aswell .

[Dio Brando 5,810]

I think the most popular/beloved FF games are FF 7 (undoubtedly the most popular one, is even getting a current gen remake based on its popularity, even though is gameplay and of course graphics are pretty outdated for nowadays standards) and FF 10 (besides others) so I would recommend you to play those.

I had more fun with 10's gameplay, although 7's story and characters are far more superior in my opinion.

They aren't connected story-wise at all (maaaybe some of them shares some monsters, name references, etc but overall pretty irrelevant stuff) unless otherwise noted in their title's numbers (FF X-2 is a direct sequel to FF X, Dirge of Cerberus FF VII is I think a prequel to FF VII), etc 

 

Gameplay-wise I believe the FF games are harder (specially the older ones) compared to KH's gameplay (which is kind of obvious considering their target audiences) but still pretty enjoyable. And I believe their stories aren't convoluted but personally I find some of the terms, mythological stuff, background stuff, etc somewhat confusing but that's just me.

I don't find FF games to be hard with the exception of FF5........sure it requires some planning and strategizing but it's not a big deal once you get the hang of it....if you want a legit hard JRPG that's Shin Megami Tensei

[Hero of Light XIV 2,381]

I have never played a Final Fantasy game before, but if I ever decide to do so I'd like to know:

 

Is it necessary to play all the games to understand the whole story?

 

If the answer to the above question is no, please list all the FF games worth playing.

 

Are there spinoffs of certain numbered games that are required to be played to understand the story of the games?

 

Using the KH story as a standard, how convoluted are the stories in these games and will I have trouble following any of them?

 

Again using KH as a standard, how difficult or complex is the gameplay, and how similar is to the KH gameplay?

 

Finally, on average how long would it take to complete one of these games?

1. Not really, each game is a self-contained story for the most part, they each take place in their own little world or universe or something.

 

2. Again, since there's no overall story, you can basically start and play anywhere. I haven't delved that much into the series yet myself, but I'd definitely say that the main numbered titles are for sure the most worth playing, so FF I - XV.

 

3. Some of the numbered titles do have their own spinoffs/sequels. FF III has it's original form and a DS remake that kind of reinterprets the story, FF IV has both a sequel AND a DS remake, FF VII...oh boy, where do I begin? There's the first prequel/midquel Before Crisis (but that was for mobile phones and they never released to a western market, so you're better off just watching a let's play or something), the true prequel Crisis Core, the short anime movie Last Order, the full CG movie Advent Children that is essentially the direct sequel to VII, and then finally there's Dirge of Cerberus, a sequel to both VII and Advent Children. And of course, the original VII is getting it's own remake for the PS4. Anyway, back to other titles. FF X has X-2, which is a direct sequel that's meant to bring closure to X's ending (there have also been rumors of a X-3 being in the works, but no official word on that yet). I think FF XI was supposed to be getting a remake/port to smart deveices of some sort, but I haven't heard anything on that yet. FF XII has it's own sequel for the DS, and of course FF XIII has it's two sequels, XIII-2 and Lightning Returns. FF XIV is constantly getting new updates and story quests and what not, and the only spin-off material that FF XV has currently is the Brotherhood anime, the Kingsglaive movie, the Justice Monsters 5 smart phone game (basically a pinball simulator), a game-within-a-game called King's Knight also for smart phones (still haven't heard anything on that, I don't think it's out yet), the digital exclusive title/prequel A King's Tale (really short sprite based hack-n-slash that's essentially a bedtime story), and the FF XV Platinum Demo which has a bit of a small narrative on it's own that works as a demo of FF XV's main gameplay. Really the only thing that you absolutely need to do is complete the main titles' stories, but if you wanted closure or an expanded experience on some plot points then the spinoffs/sequels/prequels certainly help with that, so again, up to you.

 

4. It really depends on how well you follow stories. The advantage to each FF game is that they are all self-contained, so you don't need to fret over the lore of one game in order to understand the others, unless you were playing one of their sequels. The only real time where the FF games all come together is in Dissidia Final Fantasy, and that's probably where it gets most convoluted as it's trying to tie it's own plot into FF I as well as the other main games to some extent. Otherwise, as long as you're fully engrossed in each title's story, you should be able to catch on fairly easily. The stories can still get pretty complex in their own rights, but again, you'd still have a bit of a simpler time piecing things together within a single game's story rather than several at once. So I guess comparatively it's a little easier to get than KH, but then again they can sometimes dive into ideas that not even KH has tried tampering with yet.

 

5. Most of the games follow a traditional RPG style of gameplay. I'm tempted to say Turn-Based but RPG buffs on here will probably correct me. I do know that most of the later games tend to follow a mostly ATB, or Active Time Battle, system. In a way it's a bit simpler than KH's style, but it has much much MUCH more menus involved, you're basically going through a bunch of lists for attacks, spells, items, etc. Fundamentally it's not too different from KH, as KH was mostly based off this model, you just don't have the ability to freely move during a battle, as all input is devoted towards commands that you get to do in each turn. FF I - VI is mostly "traditional" for the most part, with VII - XII having a more ATB style that made things a little more active. XIII tried to shake things up a bit in it's titles by introducing some more Action game elements, though it's still mostly Turn-Based/ATB, and FF XV is definitely much more Action-RPG styled like KH is. XV feels the closest to KH in terms of gameplay, as you have full control of your character's movements, you have basic attacks and combos as well as a magic/weapon selecting system and an easy free-hand method of executing dual attacks with your allies (basically think of FF XV and KH3 as sibling titles). Overall, the Final Fantasy series is a little bit of a departure from what you might be familiar with in KH, as it has a bit of a heavier emphasis on strategy, but in the end you'll find that you can adjust to it rather easily as a lot of the terminology and logic it has is still shared with KH (HP, Magic, Potions, EXP, etc.). Like I said, KH's gameplay is mostly based off of FF's, so it'll feel like you're playing half of KH. It's not as actiony as you'd probably prefer, but it's still pretty fun.

 

6. Again, it kind of depends on which one you play. I'd say their average pacing is about similar to a numbered KH title, if not a bit longer due to gameplay style and slight storytelling differences. Some titles like FF VII are so packed full of content that in the PS1 days they had to take up multiple disks, it's like you were playing 3 games as one! So yeah, to say the least, playing these games can be a bit of a test in endurance, but again, if you don't mind the pacing of KH, I think you'll adapt to these titles just fine. Just make sure you have a decent amount of spare time set aside for each day you play.

[Ultima Spark 753]

1. No, every mainline FF is different from the last. The stories are not connected in anyway (besides a few random theories).

 

2. No, you can just play the numbered title and understand the story. However some of the sequels and prequels may fix things you didn't like in that mainline installment.

 

3. No, the KH story is a mess. FF8 and 13 are the only two games where you may have trouble. FF7 is confusing at first but if you pay attention you'll be fine. Otherwise most of the stories make good sense. 

 

4. Final Fantasy's 1 through 3 use Turn Based combat where you wait your turn to attack, 4-9 use the ATB system (all in different ways), 10 goes back to turn based, 11 and 14 are MMOs, 12 and 13 use ATB and then 15 is an ARPG.

 

The only FF game that is close to KH's combat is FF15 and possibly FF13-3 (Lightning Returns). Everything else uses an ATB or turn based battle system.

 

5. FF5-FF13 should take 30-50 hours to beat. That varies depending on your play style and how much you do. FF15 takes like 20-30 hours story only.

 

The ones worth playing? 

5-13 with the exception of 11. 

 

Final Fantasy's 1 through 3 have no real story, and 12 and 14 are MMOS however I've heard some great things.

 

>not including FF4

 

 

More serious note: I know a lot of people dismiss IV due to its age, but it's really where the series hits its stride, the first FF to include (or at least popularise) a lot of the stuff the series is famous for (lore, character development, etc.); many, many JRPGs post-'91 owe something to it (with the notable exception of the Dragon Quest series, which is basically its own pop-culture phenomenon in Japan). If there's anything I'd call "classic" FF, it's probably IV.

 

I say play the DS version (or one of its ports), since it has easily the best translation, and some story points not included on the SNES.

Edited February 18, 2017 by Ultima Spark

[Isaix 924]

The Final Fantasy games that are really worth playing are FF4,FF6,FF7,FF9 and FF10 then if you want more FF goodness you should definitly play FF5 and FF8 and you can play the rest if you really like the series(I haven't play FF15 yet,so I can't recommend it and I'd skip the FF13 games they are pretty bad,but some people like them,so maybe you could enjoy them,that's up to you).

 

If you want to get into Final Fantasy spinoffs I'd recommend Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII,its a prequel to FF7,but you should beat FF7 before playing Crisis Core and Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy is a great fighting game.

 

Final Fantasy is nothing like Kingdom Hearts so you can't compare the two in terms of difficulty.The FF games are not very difficult overall,but I wouldn't say they are easy either,some dungeons and bosses can be a bit challenging especially the optional ones.

Edited February 19, 2017 by Isaix

[Serife Isik 43]

i have play ff 10 part 2 and ff 12 on ps2 when i was young

[smellslikejavier 20]

I don't find FF games to be hard with the exception of FF5........sure it requires some planning and strategizing but it's not a big deal once you get the hang of it....if you want a legit hard JRPG that's Shin Megami Tensei

I was actually comparing their difficulty to KH's difficulty, I didn't explicitly said that FF games were hard although personally I find it hard to accomplish 100% on them based on all the extra stuff or at least very time consuming, but it might just be 'cause I'm a little impatient with that kind of stuff.

[KH4Real 749]

The Final Fantasy games that are really worth playing are FF4,FF6,FF7,FF9 and FF10 then if you want more FF goodness you should definitly play FF5 and FF8 and you can play the rest if you really like the series(I haven't play FF15 yet,so I can't recommend it and I'd skip the FF13 games they are pretty bad,but some people like them,so maybe you could enjoy them,that's up to you).

 

If you want to get into Final Fantasy spinoffs I'd recommend Crisis Core Final Famtasy VII,its a prequel to FF7,but you should beat FF7 before playing Crisis Core and Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy is a great fighting game.

 

Final Fantasy is nothing like Kingdom Hearts so you can't compare the two in terms of difficulty.The FF games are not very difficult overall,but I wouldn't say they are easy either,some dungeons and bosses can be a bit challenging especially the optional ones.

Crisis Core can be pretty hard. I would stay off from that game when you are advanced.

FF13 got a great story but can be pretty hard aswell. You should wait for this one too yeah.

Edited February 19, 2017 by KH4Real

[Isaix 924]

Crisis Core can be pretty hard. I would stay off from that game when you are advanced.

FF13 got a great story but can be pretty hard aswell. You should wait for this one too yeah.

Crisis Core was the first FF I've played after Dissidia and I was able to beat it,like most FF games some parts can be a bit challenging especially toward the end,but its nothing too difficult

[Headphone Jack 1,147]

well my first FF game was FFX and i enjoyed that one a lot. music was good and the story kept me interested. then i moved on to FFIX which remains one of my favorite JRPGs. the soundtrack is amazing and the story and characters and locations are all great.

 

really, any game is a good game to start with since none of them are connected in terms of story.

[The Transcendent Key 12,109]

I have never played a Final Fantasy game before, but if I ever decide to do so I'd like to know:

 

Is it necessary to play all the games to understand the whole story?

 

If the answer to the above question is no, please list all the FF games worth playing.

 

Are there spinoffs of certain numbered games that are required to be played to understand the story of the games?

 

Using the KH story as a standard, how convoluted are the stories in these games and will I have trouble following any of them?

 

Again using KH as a standard, how difficult or complex is the gameplay, and how similar is to the KH gameplay?

 

Finally, on average how long would it take to complete one of these games?

 

Well then, allow me to help you as best as possible with this question, or rather, these questions of yours!  Ahem, so then:

1. No, it is not necessary to play all of the games, since each one has a self contained story.  In essence, though they share the same name, each numbered entry is its own entity with its own story and characters and setting! There are some exceptions, such as FFXIII, which has two sequels, so there you have three FF's that have the same characters and an overarching narrative! I think that's the best example I can give you! But for the most part, most of the Final Fantasy entries are standalone!
2. To answer this one, well, it all depends on your tastes! I've played a good many Final Fantasy games, and the ones that are the most amazing to play are IV, IX and X!  I've also played I, III, VIII, X-2, XIII, XIII-2 and XV, and while each is an amazing game, the three that I mentioned, which are IV, IX and X are, in my personal opinion, the absolute best entries in the franchise! IV in particular ranks in as my top favorite Final Fantasy!
3. For this one, as far as I know, IV has a game set after its events called the After Years, and then X has X-2, and XIII has two sequels! If you want to understand the full story of those specific sets of Final Fantasies, then it's recommended you play, or at least watch playthroughs, of all the entries related to that Final Fantasy! I really want to play After Years! >3<
4. And well, the stories in these games are generally self contained, so everything you'd need to understand about the games you'd play would be in the games themselves! It's convoluted only if you don't follow what's happening, or if you don't pay attention to certain things, but overall, the stories in Final Fantasy are generally easy to follow!
5. Gameplay wise, the only game similar to Kingdom Hearts in terms of gameplay is Final Fantasy XV, since the combat is real time! The combat for the rest of the numbered Final Fantasies is turn based, so that's basically what you need to know!
6. Aaand to finish things off, it generally depends on your playstyle, and it varies with each Final Fantasy! Taking into account the main story, side quests, leveling up, exploring the world and dungeons, you can really take a lot of time, or if you're speed running, then not that much time. Again, it's generally up to how you want to play the game!

PLAY FINAL FANTASY IV FIRST! THAT IS MY FINAL WORD!

Edited February 23, 2017 by The Transcendent Key