Hello Tekin Army! A Fantasy That Became Reality
In 1987, a small Japanese studio called Square was staring down bankruptcy. Hironobu Sakaguchi, one of the company’s key designers, poured what he thought were his last hopes into a single project: a fantasy role‑playing game he assumed would be his swan song. He called it Final Fantasy. Ironically, this was anything but the end. It became the beginning of one of the most influential, beloved, and long‑running sagas in video game history. With every new entry, the series reinvented itself, raised the bar for RPGs, and won the hearts of millions. In this Tekin Plus deep dive, we’re tracing the full legacy of a franchise whose ‘final’ fantasy never really ended.
Chapter One: Rising From the Ashes (1987–1990) – The NES Era
The first Final Fantasy on the NES was a surprise hit. Inspired by Dragon Quest, it let players assemble a four‑person party of “Warriors of Light” from classic RPG jobs like Warrior, Thief, Black Mage, and White Mage, then set out to save the world from encroaching darkness. Turn‑based battles, a sprawling overworld to explore, and a mythic, quest‑driven story pulled players in and, crucially, pulled Square back from the brink of collapse.
The success of that debut led to two rapid‑fire sequels on the same console. Final Fantasy II took a bold risk, scrapping traditional level‑ups in favor of a system where stats and skills improved simply by using them. It was unconventional, but it signaled the series’ appetite for experimentation. Final Fantasy III, meanwhile, introduced the now‑iconic Job system, letting players freely switch character classes as they progressed. That flexibility and depth became one of the franchise’s signature pillars. Together, these three NES games established the core DNA of Final Fantasy: sweeping stories, deep and customizable combat systems, and a willingness to reinvent the rules with every numbered entry.
Chapter Two: The 2D Golden Age of Storytelling (1991–1994) – The SNES Era
With the jump to the more powerful Super Nintendo (SNES), Final Fantasy entered what many fans still call its 2D golden age. The extra horsepower let Square craft richer narratives, more nuanced characters, and worlds that felt dramatically more alive and cinematic.
Final Fantasy IV (released in North America as Final Fantasy II) pushed storytelling in RPGs to a new level. For the first time, the focus shifted to a tightly scripted, character‑driven plot built around a cast with defined personalities and detailed backstories. Cecil, the dark knight struggling for redemption, still stands as one of the series’ most memorable protagonists.
Final Fantasy V doubled down on systems design, taking the earlier Job concept and expanding it into one of the deepest character‑building frameworks in JRPG history. It invited players to experiment, mix abilities, and break the game in creative ways.
But it was Final Fantasy VI (released in North America as Final Fantasy III) that became the definitive 2D masterpiece. With a cast of 14 playable characters, a dark, mature narrative in a steampunk‑inspired world, and Kefka – one of gaming’s most iconic and unhinged villains – VI showcased just how emotionally powerful and thematically ambitious a pixel‑art RPG could be. The SNES years transformed Final Fantasy from a successful RPG brand into a global benchmark for interactive storytelling.
Chapter Three: The 3D Revolution and Global Breakout (1997–2000) – The PlayStation Era
Like many legendary franchises, Final Fantasy hit a true turning point when it stepped into 3D. Square’s controversial decision to abandon Nintendo hardware and release Final Fantasy VII exclusively on Sony’s PlayStation reshaped not only the series, but the console landscape itself.
When Final Fantasy VII launched in 1997, it was a phenomenon. Lavish pre‑rendered cutscenes (FMVs), the neon‑drenched, dystopian megacity of Midgar, and an emotionally charged story centered on Cloud and his allies introduced the franchise to a massive new global audience. In the West, VII became synonymous with the term “JRPG” and played a key role in cementing the original PlayStation as a must‑own console.
Final Fantasy VIII followed with an even more cinematic presentation, a focus on a central love story, and the polarizing but distinctive Junction system that tied character growth to summoned Guardian Forces and magic extraction. It continued to push the series toward more grounded, character‑focused drama.
Final Fantasy IX then arrived as a heartfelt love letter to the series’ roots. With its storybook fantasy setting, classic medieval aesthetic, and a cast of instantly likable characters, it wrapped up the PlayStation era by honoring the past while still benefiting from the cinematic flair of its predecessors. By the end of the PS1 generation, Final Fantasy was no longer just a respected RPG series – it was a mainstream entertainment brand recognized across the world.
Chapter Four: Online Worlds and Bold Experiments (2001–2010)
The PlayStation 2 generation pushed Square (now Square Enix) to experiment even more aggressively with what Final Fantasy could be. Final Fantasy X marked several firsts: fully 3D environments, complete voice acting for the main cast, and the strategic Conditional Turn‑Based Battle system that let players see and manipulate turn order. Its emotional story about Tidus, Yuna, and the doomed world of Spira resonated with a new wave of fans and became one of the best‑loved entries in the franchise.
The biggest gamble of this era was Final Fantasy XI, a full‑scale MMORPG at a time when many fans still associated the series with strictly single‑player adventures. It was a risky move that worried traditionalists, but XI proved to be a long‑running success story, supported and updated for nearly two decades and quietly becoming a cornerstone of Square Enix’s online business.
Final Fantasy XII pushed boundaries again with the vast world of Ivalice, a pseudo real‑time combat system that blurred the line between offline RPGs and MMOs, and the Gambit system, which let players script party AI behavior in detail. It was dense, political, and structurally ambitious – another clear statement that the series refused to stand still.
This era closed with Final Fantasy XIII on PlayStation 3, a visually striking, high‑speed combat showcase that drew criticism for its extreme linearity but earned praise for its flashy battles and production values. Across the 2000s, Final Fantasy went through a phase of trial and error, searching for its identity in a modern gaming landscape that was rapidly evolving around it.
Chapter Five: Back to the Roots, Eyes on the Future (2010–Today)
The current era began with one of the franchise’s lowest moments. The original 2010 launch of Final Fantasy XIV was a disaster: bugs, poor design decisions, and a serious lack of content left both critics and players cold. Instead of walking away, Square Enix made an unprecedented move. A new team led by Naoki Yoshida (better known as Yoshi‑P) was tasked with salvaging the project. The company eventually shut the game down and rebooted it from the ground up as Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn in 2013.
The relaunch was a stunning turnaround. A Realm Reborn not only fixed the original’s flaws but grew into one of the most acclaimed MMORPGs ever made, thanks to its strong storytelling, constant updates, and respectful treatment of the franchise’s legacy. The success of XIV restored faith in the Final Fantasy name at a critical time.
In 2016, after a famously troubled decade‑long development, Final Fantasy XV finally arrived. With its open world, action‑oriented combat, and intimate focus on the brotherhood between Noctis and his three companions, XV offered a road‑trip‑style adventure that felt markedly different from past entries. It didn’t please everyone, but it demonstrated that the series was still willing to evolve and take risks.
More recently, Final Fantasy VII Remake reimagined a portion of the classic PS1 story with modern visuals, real‑time action combat blended with tactical pauses, and bold narrative twists that went beyond simple nostalgia. That was followed by Final Fantasy XVI, a fully action‑driven, dark, and heavily cinematic tale that leaned into political intrigue and kaiju‑scale Eikon battles. Together, these games show a franchise that continues to reinvent itself while honoring its roots – embracing action gameplay, prestige‑TV‑style storytelling, and blockbuster production values.
Conclusion: The Legacy of the Crystals
The story of Final Fantasy is ultimately a story of survival, reinvention, and artistic ambition. What started as a “final” gamble for a struggling studio became a never‑ending saga that has accompanied multiple generations of players for well over three decades. The series has consistently proven that video games can be art: with stories that move us to tears, worlds we lose ourselves in for hundreds of hours, and soundtracks that echo in our memories long after the credits roll.
Like the radiant crystals that appear again and again throughout the franchise, the legacy of Final Fantasy continues to shine. No matter how much the technology, gameplay, or tone of future entries may change, one thing feels certain – this epic is far from over, and its next chapters are almost guaranteed to be nothing short of legendary.