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00:05I think we can forget about hitching our way there. Thought people were friendly outside
00:11the city. Welcome to Mojo Plays and today we're breaking down one of the greatest game series of
00:15all time and finding out what made each game stand out. Whether it's subjective, objective,
00:20obvious or just something that's remembered fondly, these are the best things about each
00:24Final Fantasy game. Let's go. Before we continue, we publish content all week long, so be sure to
00:30subscribe and ring the bell to get notified of our latest videos. Unique for the time, Final Fantasy.
00:42When Final Fantasy launched in 1987 on the NES, it didn't just join the RPG scene, it reshaped it.
00:48At a time when console RPGs were still figuring themselves out, it offered players a surprising
00:53amount of freedom. Like, genuinely a surprising amount of freedom. Go back and check it out.
00:57It's still so fun to make all your friends in the game and go on a little adventure with your
01:02party
01:02of powers, choosing from distinct classes, fighter, black mage, thief and more, locking in your strengths
01:07and weaknesses before the adventure even begins. That kind of upfront customization wasn't common
01:12on consoles back then and even most games today. It also delivered a sweeping, crystal-driven narrative
01:17that felt grand compared to its peers, pulling inspiration from tabletop Dungeons and Dragons
01:22while streamlining the mechanics for a limited system. Turn-based battles, an overworld begging
01:27to be explored, airships, class upgrades. It felt massive. Most importantly, it treated its world
01:32seriously. The score gave it emotional weight, proving 8-bit music could actually move you and
01:38with all those elements combined, it was as unique as a game could get. Not bad for a game literally
01:43named as a last-ditch effort. Series staples Final Fantasy 2
01:56Let's break the fourth wall a little bit. It's difficult with these early entries to zero in on
02:01exactly what's best about them. Their smaller scale means you actually take them in as a whole easier
02:06than later entries, but what I can say Final Fantasy 2 displayed best was introducing elements that would
02:11define the series for its entire existence. After the first game launched with crazy success,
02:17the series ditched the safe sequel playbook and went wildly experimental. Gorn were blank slate heroes.
02:22Instead, you got named characters with defined personalities and an actual tragic storyline.
02:27That emotional, character-driven focus would become a series staple. It also introduced chocobos
02:32because apparently every epic needs a giant yellow bird you can rent like medieval Uber. Sid showed up
02:37two, kicking off a long tradition of mechanically gifted SIDS appearing in almost every entry.
02:42Even the keyword conversation system, clunky as it was, tried to make the world feel more alive.
02:46Mechanically, its stat growth system, where attributes increased based on how you fought,
02:50was divisive but bold, and magic leveled through use. Characters evolved through experience,
02:55and experimentation was encouraged.
03:03Adventure in Progression Final Fantasy 3
03:10If Final Fantasy 2 introduced elements that would make an epic journey work, Final Fantasy 3
03:15perfected it. Final Fantasy 3 doesn't feel like a quest, it feels like a pilgrimage.
03:20From the moment four anonymous orphans step into the light of the wind crystal,
03:24the game is obsessed with forward motion, growth, and discovery. It keeps expanding. Literally.
03:30What starts as a modest adventure across a floating continent slowly pulls the curtain back
03:34to reveal a much larger world below. Aggression isn't just narrative, it's mechanical. The job
03:40system, far more flexible than before, turns each new crystal into a milestone. Warriors become
03:45dragoons, white mages shift into sages, experimentation became survival. Every dungeon demands adaptation.
03:52Every boss pushes you to rethink your setup. By the time you reach the cloud of darkness,
03:56you're no longer these blank slate kids from the opening. You've grown with the world,
03:59and the world has grown around you.
04:07Cecil Final Fantasy 4
04:16Cecil Harvey, or Cecil Harvey, is the emotional spine of Final Fantasy 4, and honestly,
04:21it's hard to imagine the game working without him. He doesn't start as a shining hero. He starts
04:26as a dark knight complicit in questionable orders, wrestling with guilt after attacking innocent
04:31people. That inner conflict gives the story weight from the jump. Instead of a blank slate protagonist,
04:37you get someone already flawed, already burdened, already ready to break your heart again,
04:41and again and again. Then comes the turning point. Cecil literally climbs Mount Ordeals to confront his
04:47darkness, and is reborn as a paladin. It's not just a cool class change, it's character development
04:53made playable. That transformation was groundbreaking for 1991. It's hard to log down exactly what the
04:59best thing about each Final Fantasy game is, but when in doubt, I just think, what's the first thing
05:03that pops into my mind when I think about this game? And for Final Fantasy 4, it was Cecil.
05:12The Job System Final Fantasy 5
05:28If Final Fantasy 5 has a secret weapon, something that makes it stand out between two of the best
05:33narratives in the series, it's the job system, and honestly, it's the reason the game is still
05:38fresh decades later. On paper, the story's lighthearted, the villains are dramatic, the crystal explodes as
05:43usual, but the real magic is how much control you get over your party. You're not locked into rigid
05:49roles. You can turn Barts into a spelled slinging knight, make Lena a time mage summoner hybrid,
05:55or build any nonsense that you want. Every job you master lets you carry abilities into another class,
06:00which means experimentation isn't punished, it's rewarded. I know I've said that freedom was wild for
06:061987, or that freedom was wild for 1990, so I'm going to avoid saying it again. Ah, f*** it!
06:11The freedom was wild for 1992. Instead of grinding just for numbers, you grind for creativity.
06:15The system encourages tinkering and replayability in a way few RPGs dared at the time.
06:26The Story Final Fantasy 6
06:40I made sure I picked something different for every game in the series, but I knew from the start, before
06:45even
06:45researching, that I was going to give story to my personal favourite game of the franchise, the game
06:49that dropped the year I was born, Final Fantasy 6. What makes Final Fantasy 6 unforgettable isn't just the story
06:55as a whole, it's the ambition of its story. This was 1994, and Square decided, casually, to let the villain
07:03win halfway through. Kefka doesn't just threaten the world, he shatters it, literally rearranging the planet and
07:10plunging it into the world of ruin. That twist alone was bold for the era, but the real strength lies
07:15in the
07:15characters. Terra's search for identity, Celeste's despair and attempted suicide, Cyan's grief,
07:21flocks, guilt, shadows fragmented past, each arc feels fully imagined and super memorable.
07:27There isn't one singular protagonist carrying everything, the narrative is about an ensemble,
07:32which doesn't really happen in Final Fantasy anymore. Sure, each game fleshes out their characters,
07:37but in Final Fantasy 6, you could genuinely decide who you wanted to put as the main character
07:40at any given point. I mean, as long as you weren't focusing on one person.
07:44Okay, that was hyperbolic, but you get the point.
07:49The Materia System Final Fantasy 7
07:58This was tough. The story is amazing. If Final Fantasy 7 had relied purely on its story,
08:03it still would have been iconic. The characters are dope, but I wanted to highlight the cast of a
08:07different game that didn't have as many elements going for it as this one. Okay, so what was it
08:12about Final Fantasy 7 that I remember the most fondly? It actually didn't take that long to work
08:16it out. I just thought, what am I excited to see returning the remakes? And the answer was the
08:20Materia System. And this is what made it endlessly playable. Instead of locking characters into rigid
08:25roles, Materia turns everyone into a blank slate. Want Cloud as a white mage? Go for it. Turn Aerith
08:30into a summoning machine? Absolutely. Slotting coloured orbs into weapons and armour feels simple at
08:36first, but the deeper you go, the more ridiculous and creative it gets. Linking all to Cure,
08:41stacking counter with knights of the round, experimenting with added effect, the combinations
08:45became a playground. It rewards tinkering and grinding for seasoned players, and is also
08:51accessible for new players. It rules, and so does Final Fantasy 7. The Soundtrack Final Fantasy 8
09:15Final Fantasy 8 is divisive, that's no secret. I personally love it, and I even love the junction
09:21system. Others feel differently, but if there's one thing Final Fantasy 8 undeniably nails, no matter how
09:28you feel about the actual game, it's the music.
09:39Nobuo Uematsu didn't just compose a soundtrack, he built the emotional backbone of the entire game.
09:45From the haunting choir of Liberi Fatali blasting during the opening Dollet invasion, to the quiet,
09:51reflective piano of Balam Garden, the score does so much of the storytelling heavy lifting. Even when the plot
09:57gets, let's say ambitious, actually let's say weird, no no, let's say ambitious, the music keeps you grounded.
10:02Eyes on Me was a bold swing, a full vocal ballad woven directly into the narrative, and it worked.
10:08It made Squall and Rinoa's romance feel cinematic in a way few games had attempted before 1999.
10:28Final Fantasy 9
10:28Perfectly balanced experience, Final Fantasy 9
10:30Final Fantasy 9 doesn't hinge on one standout mechanic, one revolutionary system, or one flashy
10:41hook, and that's exactly why it works so beautifully. It's balanced in a way the series rarely is.
10:47The story is heartfelt without being melodramatic, the characters are whimsical without feeling cringe,
10:52the ability system is simple without feeling boring, the combat feels classic, towns feel alive,
10:57exploration feels rewarding, and the soundtrack quietly elevates everything without demanding attention.
11:01Nothing overwhelms anything else, it's a perfectly tuned game. And I say this, not as a fanboy. Off the top
11:08of my head,
11:09it's only like my seventh favorite Final Fantasy game. I'm just being objective, it rocks.
11:14The magic of Final Fantasy 9 isn't found in one defining feature, it's in the harmony between all of them.
11:20So when I tried to pick the best part, I realized that's the trick, there isn't one.
11:32The combat Final Fantasy 10
11:40If you want to talk about what truly defines Final Fantasy 10, there's no question, it's the battle system.
11:46And I'm going to mentally include the sphere grid in this because they directly affect each other.
11:49The conditional turn-based battle system was a revelation in 2001.
11:53For the first time, you could see the turn order clearly and manipulate it with precision.
11:58No more guessing when the boss might swing next.
12:00Every spell, delay, or haste adjustment visibly shifted the timeline,
12:05turning fights into tactical chess matches instead of traditional menu-mashing.
12:09On top of that, the party swap mechanic meant every character had purpose.
12:12Flying enemy? Tang and Wakka. Armored brute? Oren steps up.
12:16Vulnerable to magic? Lulu's got it.
12:17Bosses actually demand thought.
12:19Even random encounters feel curated rather than filler.
12:23Final Fantasy 10, in my own humble opinion, perfected turn-based combat.
12:32The Community Final Fantasy 11
12:39Final Fantasy 11 is the only entry on our list that I haven't actually played,
12:43so I had to go and do some research on this bad boy.
12:46And you know what? It wasn't hard to quickly work out what defined this one,
12:49because it was plastered all over Reddit.
12:52The Community.
12:53Ask any veteran what really defined Final Fantasy 11,
12:56and they won't start with the graphics or the grind.
12:58They'll talk about the people.
12:59In 2002, long before party finders and instant matchmaking,
13:03progress depended on actual human connection.
13:06You needed a group to level efficiently, to survive dangerous zones,
13:09or even unlock certain jobs.
13:11That reliance forged friendships.
13:13Waiting in Juno for hours wasn't wasted.
13:15It was social time.
13:17Final Fantasy 11 wasn't convenient.
13:19And that was the magic.
13:20You couldn't solo your way to legend.
13:22You had to cooperate.
13:23In an era before social media dominated everything,
13:26this MMO quietly built a real, lasting community.
13:37The World Final Fantasy 12.
13:46Strip away the gambits, the politics, the sky pirate swagger,
13:50and what lingers in Final Fantasy 12 is Ivalus itself.
13:54This wasn't just a backdrop.
13:56It was a living, breathing place.
13:57Cities bustle with layered dialogue and overlapping accents,
14:01while the planes stretch into a shimmering heat haze that feels genuinely vast.
14:05Zones flow into each other seamlessly.
14:07No hard world map snapping you out of immersion,
14:10just open space inviting you forward.
14:12Hunts sent you deep into forgotten corners,
14:14and even minor NPCs talk like they had lives before your quest.
14:18This was the first time a world had felt this rich,
14:21and that was following some grossly rich worlds.
14:24Final Fantasy 12 didn't just give you a world to save,
14:27but gave you one worth wandering slowly, soaking in.
14:30But also hurry up and save the goddamn world, you idiot.
14:39The art style, Final Fantasy 13.
14:55I'm worried that people who've seen my videos are going to think I'm being passive-aggressive
14:58by rewarding the art style, because I've made it clear I don't enjoy this game,
15:02but I mean it.
15:03I really think the art style is awesome.
15:05Say what you will about the game as a whole,
15:08but Final Fantasy 13 is a visual flex from start to finish.
15:11In 2009 it looked absurdly ahead of its time.
15:14Cocoon gleams with polished white architecture,
15:16crystalline highways and impossible skies that curve like something out of a sci-fi painting.
15:21And that's before you even bring out a summon.
15:22Good lord.
15:24Love or hate the structure of this game that is quoted as getting good around the 25 hour mark,
15:28f**k right off.
15:29The art direction commits completely.
15:41It's comeback Final Fantasy 14.
15:58The most remarkable thing about Final Fantasy 14 isn't a raid, a character or even a storyline.
16:04It's the comeback.
16:05When it launched in 2010 it was a disaster.
16:08Clinky systems, baffling design choices, performance issues, you name it.
16:13Square Enix publicly apologized and we thought that
16:16this was it for a decent modern Final Fantasy MMO.
16:19Most companies would have cut their losses,
16:21but instead Square Enix rebuilt it from the ground up.
16:25Director Naoki Yoshida stepped in listening to players
16:28and doing something rare in this industry.
16:30He admitted it wasn't good enough.
16:33Then came a Realm Reborn,
16:35literally blowing up the old world in lore to justify a fresh start.
16:39That reset wasn't just clever storytelling, it was symbolic.
16:42Patch by patch, expansion by expansion, the game transformed into one of the most respected MMOs ever made.
16:48Next to World of Warcraft, there is no MMORPG active now with a higher player count.
17:02The Party Final Fantasy 15
17:11I think we can forget about hitching our way there.
17:15Thought people were friendly outside the city.
17:17You can only coast so far on the kindness of strangers.
17:20Making the perfect party in Final Fantasy is tough, and there is no formula.
17:24Final Fantasy 10 had 7 people, Final Fantasy 6 had 14.
17:28Strip away the open world errands and uneven pacing,
17:31and what truly carries Final Fantasy 15 is the bond between the 4 person party of Noctus, Gladio, Ignis and
17:38Prompto.
17:39The road trip vibes turn what could have been a standard Save the Kingdom quest into something intimate.
17:44You're not just fighting daemons, you're camping under the stars,
17:47arguing about directions, taking terrible photos, and listening to Ignis calmly suggest another recipe.
17:52The banter feels natural, reactive, and for one of the first times in the series, grounded, human.
17:58Even boring sometimes, but in like a beautiful way.
18:01Prompto geeking out over snapshots, Gladio pushing Noct to grow up, Ignis quietly holding everything together.
18:06It builds a believable brotherhood, and by the end of the journey,
18:10you feel like you've watched these characters grow together and bond.
18:13I can't let her go it alone after everything that went down.
18:17It'll be a squeeze in the car, but just for a while.
18:20The Boss Fights Final Fantasy 16
18:33If there's one thing Final Fantasy 16 absolutely refuses to do quietly, it's Boss Fights.
18:40From the very beginning, they are spectacles.
18:43Truly, my jaw was on the floor, and I don't say that lightly.
18:46That's not true, I exaggerate everything, you guys can see right through me.
18:49Ifrit clashing with Phoenix in a mountain-shattering slugfest, Bahamut turning the sky into a laser-lit apocalypse,
18:55these fights are breathtaking.
18:57Health bars stretch on for days, phases shift mid-fight, music swells in operatic chaos.
19:02It's theatrical in the best way possible, in that perfect Final Fantasy way.
19:07I'll kill you!
19:20Did you enjoy this video?
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19:28What's the last one?
19:38Let's go back to Mojo Plays and Ganda 1977!
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