When Square Enix announced it would finally remakeFinal Fantasy 7, fans were ecstatic. Though there’s heavy debate about whether or not it’s the best in the franchise as a whole, most would agree that it’s the most iconic of all. Hardcore fans of the franchise all have their favorite entry or character, but ask anyone that hasn’t played one to name aFinal Fantasycharacter and there’s a good bet they nameCloud or one of his companions. For this reason, it makes sense that Square Enix chose to remake this game first, but there are plenty of other entries in the series that are more than deserving of a remake in a similar style.
Remaking any game pastFinal Fantasy 10wouldn’t make much sense, as those are still relatively new, so for that reason,Final Fantasy 11throughFinal Fantasy 16aren’t considered here. That said, within the first 10Final Fantasygames, there are hidden gems, well known classics, and unique ideas. Bringing these experiences up to date and on next generation hardware would be a great way to let fans experience these games again from a modern perspective. This rings especially true for some of the older games in the series.
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Final Fantasy 9 Remake
Final Fantasy 9is easily up there in most fans’top threeFinal Fantasygames. It may not have the same iconic flair asFinal Fantasy 7or the unerring fan base thatFinal Fantasy 6has, but it does everything extremely well and has earned praise because of that. Following upFinal Fantasy 6through8, all of which took place in more advanced or futuristic settings, this title took the opportunity to return to the franchise’s roots and provide a medieval experience. It was also chock full of nostalgic elements referencing back to the early years ofFinal Fantasy, pleasing long time fans of the series.
The main character, Xidane, is alsounique for aFinal Fantasyprotagonist, being less edgy (though even he has his moments) and more upbeat. There are a few protagonists like this in the franchise, but most people think of somber characters like Cloud, Squall, and Noctis. The other characters are also very unique, and the story has been praised as both heartbreaking and uplifting. What’s more, 2020 actually marked the 20 year anniversary ofFinal Fantasy 9, making now as good a time as any to bring Xidane, Garnet, Vivi, and the others back into the fight against Kuja.
Final Fantasy 6 Remake
Final Fantasy 6is often regaled as the best entry in the series. Even as new games release with gorgeous visual fidelity and fast paced gameplay, there will always be a subset of fans that prefer the originalFinal Fantasy 6over all that. There’s good reason for this, as this was the first timeFinal Fantasyreally took on a deeper, more complex story. It’s characters and setting all work together flawlessly to create a memorable and impactful experience. All of this was accomplished with 16 bit sprites, so fans wouldn’t be faulted for wondering what aFinal Fantasy 6Remakewould look like.
In truth, this both works for and against the potential for a remake. On the one hand, fans would give anything to see a game as beloved as this be remade from the ground up, but on the other hand, Square Enix might not be able to catch lightning in a bottle twice. Even the smallest misstep might catch the ire of fans, asFinal Fantasy 6is somewhat sacred ground in the fandom. Regardless, given howwell Square Enix is handling theFinal Fantasy 7 Remake, it could probably do some pretty amazing stuff withFinal Fantasy 6as its groundwork.
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Final Fantasy 3
This may seem like an odd pick at first, but there’s a good reason for it. In more recentFinal Fantasygames, there are set characters that the player takes control of. While this allows for a more direct narrative, it takes away some of the player’s agency and involvement in the game.Final Fantasy 3marks the real start of customization within the franchise, as it introduced theclassic Job System. Rather than follow along a predetermined character, aFinal Fantasy 3 Remakegame might let the player create their own character and customize their abilities, strengths, and weaknesses.
In truth, there’s amixed reception toFinal Fantasy 3,but Square Enix shouldn’t just remake the games that are already beloved. There’s also something to be said for remaking games that could use a bit of help. There’s a ton of potential in the story and characters ofFinal Fantasy 3that could really be expanded on in a remake, and bringing a true incarnation of the job system to a fast paced, real timeFinal Fantasygame would be an incredible achievement and a whole lot of fun to play around with.
Final Fantasy Remake
Fans have beenbegging lately forFinal Fantasyto return to its roots, something thatFinal Fantasy 16seems to be doing very well. Even so, imagine ifFinal Fantasyliterally returned to the beginning, making a remake of the original game that started it all. Despite its genre-defining importance,Final Fantasyoften gets a bad rap for its shortcomings, a consequence of its pioneering nature. Though the originalFinal Fantasydidn’t have named characters or even very customizable ones likeFinal Fantasy 3,Dissidia Final Fantasymanaged to create a central protagonist called simply Warrior of Light, giving him a surprisingly in depth back story as well.
Whether or not aFinal Fantasy Remakewould use this protagonist or return to the red haired fighter that represented the party in the original game is uncertain, but revisiting this classic story would be a treat. there are many aspects of it that may feel cliché (for example, the first quest is literally to save the princess that got captured), but that’s becauseFinal Fantasymade it cliché. What’s more, thestory ofFinal Fantasypaired withDissidiaactually has the potential to tie together all the other entries in the series, albeit in a somewhat confusing way. The likelihood of this happening is slim, but of all the games in the franchise, the originalFinal Fantasyis most deserving of aFinal Fantasy 7 Remakestyle update.
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