Top 25 Final Fantasy Moments
After a particularly exhausting day, I've decided to start my Final Fantasy blog series to commemorate me finishing all thirteen numbered single-player games in the series. Yay.
So I have about nine blog posts lined up, all about my favorite video game franchise ever, Final Fantasy.
For this first post, I am going to revisit some moments from all the games I've played. Spoiler alert for all mainline single player games. For the record, I had a list of 82 moments I wanted to write about. Cutting them down to 25 was not an easy task. Without further ado, let us revisit some moments from this amazing franchise.
25. Final Fantasy - Chaos is Garland
Let us begin with where it all began. My experience with FF1 was weird. I wasn't a good enough player to deal with the charge based magic system of the PS1 version so I replayed it on PSP with the MP system, which I preferred. Yeah, I'm a pleb.
Anyway, I did reach the final dungeon in my first playthrough on the PS1 and I did reach the final boss' room. I saw this big ugly guy and once I spoke to him, ready to kick his ass, he says "Do you remember me? I am Garland?"
What? That puny guy whose ass I kicked in the beginning of the game? It turns out right before he died, the four fiends sent him back 2000 years in the past so he could grow strong enough to send the four fiends into the future in the first place, creating a bootstrap paradox.
When I play these games, which are around 20-30 years old, I am always able to place myself in a mindset of someone playing it during the time. Yeah the graphics might be remastered, but I don't mind that. I mind the story and the gameplay, and I gotta say, this twist blew my mind in that respect. This was the first plot twist in a Final Fantasy game I would encounter and it hooked me into the series. I wanted to see what the franchise could do after this.
24. Final Fantasy VI - Setzer's Flashback
The second half of Final Fantasy VI is basically an open world game where you try to gather your entire party and save the world, or at least what's left of it after Kefka destroyed everything. I have to admit it was light on story compared to the first half, but there were some moments in the second half that I still love. I considered giving this slot to Locke's flashback with Rachel, but in the end, I decided to give it to Setzer's flashback. I just love the presentation of this scene.
In the scene, Setzer is leading Sabin down to a new airship: the Falcon. The staircase takes up the bottom right corner of the screen. As Setzer brings Sabin down, he remembers his friend Daryl who once owned The Falcon as Nobuo Uematsu's "Epitaph" plays. It's a somber variation of Setzer's theme that really brings out the emotions of the scene. I've always loved Setzer as a character, and this scene just gave him a lot of depth and even a slight hint of tragedy. This is just another great scene in a great game.
23. Final Fantasy VIII - Waltz for the Moon
During the first few hours of my playthrough of Final Fantasy VIII, I absolutely hated it. I was a dumbass who couldn't figure out the junction system. Eventually though I began to experiment with it and I also played a bit more of Triple Triad, which gave me enough Tornadoes to break Disc 1, coz ya know, I junctioned them to Squall's Atk. At that point I started having stupid fun. I didn't like the way you could break the game, but hey, it was less of a pain to play now at least.
And then this scene came up. At that moment I knew this game had me. The cinematic nature of this scene with this kind of graphics was not seen before. The music was amazing. Also, it was the start of the heart of FFVIII, which was the romance between Squall and Rinoa. I do have problems with Rinoa saying "You're the best looking guy here" since if you swap the genders, that'd be creepy af, but I can put that aside because, well, part of me thinks at that moment, this girl walking up to a sad man with a scar across his face was just what Squall needed, and after finishing FFVIII, I think back to this moment and I love it all the more.
Call me cheesy but, Squall + Rinoa 4ever. :D
22. Final Fantasy XV - The Trial of Titan
For the first three chapters of FFXV, I was a bit underwhelmed. It felt like GTA V, but you can't kill random people, drive off the road, or that stuff. I mean that's not what I do to Final Fantasy for anyway so no biggie, but I don't know; something about it just didn't click yet.
Chapter 4 starts with you following this mysterious man named Ardyn to some random quarry for another Royal Arm AKA King's Weapon that Noctis can wield. Okay, cool. I was starting to wonder if this game is just collecting these things because that would have been a bit underwhelming in my book, especially coming from FFXIII. After you grab the sword, however, this massive Astral named Titan awakens and next thing you know, you have to fight the thing.
Yes. That thing about a thousand times bigger than you? That's a boss fight.
In this sequence, FFXV gave me an Uncharted level action scene, and it was the point I decided FFXV had me by the balls... well to be fair when Stand By Me played, it had me, but it lost me somewhere in Chapter 2 or 3 then this was the moment it reclaimed said balls, but whatever.
21. Final Fantasy XIII - Ending
I can't find a clip of this one. Oh well.
At the end of Final Fantasy XIII, after defeating Orphan, Cocoon is doomed to fall and crash right into Gran Pulse. Vanille and Fang finally fulfill their destiny and merge with their Eidolons, becoming Ragnarok. As they form a crystal support to prevent Cocoon from crashing down into Gran Pulse, having fulfilled their l'Cie purpose, they both rest in the core of the crystal, holding each other's hands.
Dajh and Serah, released from their crystal forms, reunite with Lightning and the gang, and Snow couldn't be happier. He tells Light that the wedding will commence, and all is well. For a game filled with almost nothing but sadness and misery, the game doesn't overcompensate by having everyone end unscathed. After all, Vanille and Fang are crystal now. However, I think it's a nice way to tie up the story. It's a bittersweet ending for a story that needed it.
20. Final Fantasy XV - Hey There, Pretty Boy
And I thought the Titan fight was badass...
After taking out an Imperial base some time in Chapter 7, I tried teleporting back to my car, but the game wouldn't let me. I groaned and decided to hike back there. That was when this badass assaulted me and thus, another great boss fight began.
At first, she was mostly annoying, just kicking me around and all that jazz, but then she fulfilled her dragoon job description and started jumping in the air. That was when I decided to try and be badass by locking on to her and warp-striking at her.
And thus I created a scene that honestly felt like the Cloud vs. Sephiroth fight in Advent Children. I slashed at her, then she parried, separating us in midair. We were still fairly high up so I decided to warp strike again and yeah, that scene would totally be at home in Advent Children, but I was controlling Noctis so this makes it automatically awesome.
19. Final Fantasy XV - The Final Battle
I didn't notice I had a couple of FFXV moments right next to each other. I guess that's fine.
Ardyn was a great villain. He was like Kefka and Kuja smashed together. I loved hating him throughout the entirety of Final Fantasy XV. By the end, however, he essentially pulls a Kefka and wins, sending Eos into 10 years of darkness. Noctis returns to reclaim his throne. After disabling Noctis' friends, Ardyn flees, begging Noctis to follow him into the central plaza of Insomnia.
Once there, it is revealed that Ardyn is not going to sprout a single angel wing or become a giant tree or send three tiers of demons or summon a guardian force from your ring. No, he has the exact same powers as you. All those warp strikes you've been using, those weapons you've been switching between, he can do that too and he uses that against you.
Not only is this battle fun, even though it's pretty easy, but it's also pretty investing. By this point, Ardyn has taken almost everything from you and the final phase of the fight, where you use all the Royal Arms against him, is just satisfying. It's a great end to a great villain.
18. Final Fantasy XV - The Hydrean
Man, does FFXV have some fun boss fights. I mean, you pretty much can't lose them, but they are pretty cool nonwithstanding.
This fight begins with you on the ground. You can only teleport of bits and pieces of the city surrounding Leviathan, who is basically this giant sea serpent. You can warp strike to her, but you'll just fall to the water below unless you point-warp to the floating bits of city.
A bit into the fight, Ardyn stabs Luna and Noctis gets knocked unconscious. With her dying breath, Luna begs the kings to grant Noctis their power and Noctis revives as a super saiyan badass with swords swirling around him. Yoko Shimomura's "Apocalypsis Aquarius" swells as you fly around Altissia battling this sea serpent. The satisfaction is kinda hampered by the fact that you pretty much take zero damage throughout this fight, so you can't lose, but as a cinematic action scene, it's a sight to behold.
17. Final Fantasy XIII - Hope Confronts Snow in Palompolum
Throughout the first half of Final Fantasy XIII, Hope hates Snow with a burning passion, since he blames Snow for his mother's death. In Chapter 7, this all comes to a head when all the emotions he's been keeping pent up explode in this one hell of an emotional rollercoaster.
I myself experienced this scene with JP voices since I played the Asian Steam version, but watching the scene on YouTube, both versions are really good.
This scene also cemented Snow as my favorite XIII character because after being made aware that he caused Nora's death and how it has scarred Hope, he resigns to his fate as Hope prepares to kill him. Then the PSICOM jerks blow the place and what does Snow do? He risks his neck in order to save the kid who wanted nothing more than to kill him. That is what you call a hero.
16. Final Fantasy XIII - Sazh Confronts Vanille
This moment is similar, but different. In this case, Sazh and Vanille have spent three chapters together (4,6,and 8). Along the way, Sazh tells the story of Dajh, his son who wanted to see a fal'Cie one day. Sazh took him to the power plant, but on the same day, some rebels were trying to attack the fal'Cie resting there, awakening it. It turns Dajh into a l'Cie before Sazh can do anything about it.
Fast forward to chapter 8 where Dajh comes out of nowhere, finds his dad, and then turns into crystal. It turns out his Focus was to help find the other l'Cie. Jihl Nabaat decides to kick Sazh down even further by showing him security footage of the power plant the day Dajh turned l'Cie. It turns out Vanille was one of the rebels attacking the fal'Cie that day.
She runs off and Sazh chases to her to confront her. Jihl stands by, saying she has never seen two l'Cie kill each other before. Sazh tries to kill Vanille but can't bring himself to do it, leading to him fighting his Eidolon, Brynhildr. After the fight, Sazh decides he can't bring himself to hurt Vanille and decides instead to end his own life.
Well he doesn't do it, but this entire scene was very effective and just chilling. The voice acting was excellent and this is the only moment in XIII that made me start to tear up, so that's something. I really love the cast of XIII so seeing them torn apart like this just hits me hard.
15. Final Fantasy XII - Pharos Peak
Near the end of Final Fantasy XII, you have to climb what is arguably the most difficult story dungeon in the game: The Pharos of Ridorana. It is 99 floors of merciless enemies, puzzles, and several bosses.
Once you get to the top, the first big moment is Gabranth confronting your party. You also find out Reddas was a former judge, which is pretty cool. Ashe resists the phantom Rasler's call for revenge and decides base revenge is not her goal. She accepts that Rasler is gone in a rather emotional scene. This was precisely the moment I decided Ashe was best girl, overthrowing Yuna, Rikku, Rinoa, and Garnet. Vaan also accepts Reks' death... unlike Ashe I barely gave him points for that tho... hahahah just kidding. Vaan is alright, albeit rather irrelevant, or as my friend AJ says, irreleVAANt.
I highly recommend using Basch in your party, seeing as he's Gabby's brother, since Gabranth has extra dialogue in the fight.
After you beat Gabranth, Doctor Cid comes in and disposes of Gabranth for the time being. He harnesses the power of the sun-cryst using Venat. What proceeds is an epic boss fight, for which I highly recommend using Balthier, for extra dialogue. Once you eliminate 50% of his HP, Doctor Cid pulls a quick one on you as he summons his very own esper: Famfrit, the Darkening Cloud, essentially turning the fight into an esper fight as well.
After the fight, Doctor Cid fades away in front of Balthier. The sun-cryst is about to blow, however. Reddas takes the Sword of Kings and seals the sun-cryst, delivering one of the most epic final lines of any Final Fantasy character ever: "I, Judge Magister, condemn you to oblivion!"
This is the last dungeon before the final showdown with Vayne, so losing Reddas probably makes you want to take Vayne down more. I love this sequence because so many character defining moments happen in the span of 30 minutes. I'm not a fan of FFXII's story, but this sequence was great.
14. Final Fantasy X - Lady Yunalesca
When I was playing FFX, there were two boss fights that were built up to me rather highly. The first was Seymour Flux on Mount Gagazet. When I got to him, I did what any blind player of FFX would do and spammed all my overdrives. Not just Aeons, mind you. ALL OF THEM. Beat him easily.
The second such boss was actually Yunalesca, so in fairness to everyone who took multiple tries, I knew her deal. Being a multi-phase fight, however, it meant I couldn't just spam my overdrives. Yunalesca has a buttload of HP, so there would have to be more strategy to beating her.
I just gotta say, the Yunalesca boss fight, after I finished, was easily my favorite boss fight in FF up to that point. It was just challenging, cool, interesting, and badass all at once. Yunalesca's fight is really interesting mainly because of her ability to inflict Zombie status. That is when she proceeds to cast Curaga on your party, dealing massive damage. It's not a braindead fight, and among all the hard bosses of FFX, I think Yunalesca is the most interesting.
Story-wise, it also represents Yuna and the party defying her fate. They are going to end Sin, and this is the first step. FFX is a great game and this is one of the reasons why.
13. Final Fantasy XIII - Return to Cocoon
After defeating Barthandelus, Lightning and her team return to Cocoon to find Orphan. You'd think they'd just land and start fighting their way into the city, but no, this happens.
I can't do justice to this scene with words. It is pure spectacle and it is the single most badass cutscene in the modern FF games. Is it as emotional as the other XIII moments on my list? Probably not, but damn, if it didn't get me excited for the last two chapters.
12. Final Fantasy XII - Balthier Maneuvers Bahamut
After defeating Vayne, Sky Fortress Bahamut is about to crash into the city of Rabanastre. Meanwhile, the gang plus Larsa and Gabranth enter the Strahl. It won't start though, so Balthier and Fran go to the engine to fix it. Eventually they get flying and Larsa, Basch, and Ashe speak to the ships in the battlezone to cease fire.
This is when Judge Zargabaath tells everyone to concentrate fire on the Bahamut as he prepares to ram it. Out of nowhere, Balthier tells them to stop the idiot from killing himself as we find out Balthier and Fran returned to the Bahamut in an attempt to save Rabanastre.
Ashe begs Balthier to return, but Balthier claims that he's the leading man and "the leading man never dies". He tells Vaan to keep his ship safe, as he repairs Bahamut just enough to crash it into the surrounding desert instead.
I really thought he was done for and I started getting emotional, but we find out in the epilogue that he made it out and has stolen the Strahl back, returning the ring he took from Ashe earlier in the game. I initially felt like it was a copout, but the more I think about it, the more I feel it's a fitting end for our favorite sky pirate.
11. Final Fantasy VI - Cyan and the Phantom Train
Early in Final Fantas VI, Terra, Locke, and Sabin are separated. Sabin ends up near Doma, where Kefka has just poisoned the entire castle. Cyan, their kingsguard, rushes to his wife and child too late, as they have passed from the poison. Lusting for revenge, Cyan joins Sabin and Shadow in escaping from Doma, ready to get back at the Empire for what they've done. They eventually find themselves in the Phantom Forest and the Phantom Train, a ghost train that ferries souls to the afterlife.
After a really fun boss fight with the head of the train, especially if you love Sabin's suplex ability, the three end up in a station near the exit of the forest. Before they leave, Cyan sees a group of souls boarding the train. He recognized two in particular: his wife and child. The train starts to leave as he chases after them, telling them to come back. His child promises he'll keep his mother safe, while his wife says "My love, you've made me so happy, don't forget me."
If by this point in the game you haven't been convinced that Final Fantasy VI is on another level, surely this scene was a point in that direction.
Now we're entering the top 10. Let's go!
10. Final Fantasy VI - The Opera Scene
So a while into FFVI, your team is in dire need of an airship. Well, it turns out your friend Celes looks like an opera singer, Maria. Oh? There's a guy in the area who finds Maria hot and wants to kidnap her during her performance at the opera house? I wonder how he's gonna kidnap her and get away... oh right... using his awesome airship. How convenient.
Obviously, your team decides Celes is to impersonate Maria and sing in the opera, where she gets angry and says she's not some opera floozy. She eventually relents and you get to play as her in the opera.
It would have been so easy to just throw this scene together haphazardly, but they actually made a compelling story within the story of FFVI. Maria and Draco is about two lovers in a kingdom torn asunder by an invading kingdom. Draco is injured in the war at one point and does not return home. This leads to the most famous part of the opera where Maria sings about how she longs to be with Draco, pondering if she should lose all hope and forget her love for him.
This scene is nothing without the perfect use of color and, of course, the extremely moving music composed by Nobuo Uematsu. I was deeply moved by this scene, and part of it is because it managed to be pretty goddamn cinematic ON AN SNES GAME. This scene brought out more emotions than some games with HD graphics or some movies of the past decade and it's all in glorious 16-bit. Props to the team behind this... seriously.
9. Final Fantasy IX - Alexander vs. Bahamut
Kuja just killed Queen Brahne. Garnet and her friends have returned to Alexandria and things are seeming rather fine for the time being. Garnet grieves over her mother, but that is cut short when Kuja swoops in with Bahamut and attacks the city. You see, he's here to finish the job and wipe Garnet off the face of the planet, but not before destroying Alexandria. Garnet and Eiko rush to the top of the castle in order to unite their summoning power to summon a guardian for the city, the almighty fortress Alexander. Thus an epic battle ensues between Bahamut and Alexander, showcasing the sheer power of these summons.
I don't know what else to say about this scene. Words can't do it justice. It's Final Fantasy spectacle at its best.
8. Final Fantasy IX - Zidane's Trial in Pandemonium
Thrown into Pandemonium by Kuja and Garland and stuck with the existential crisis of being a clone, Zidane loses all hope. As he walks through the halls of Pandemonium though, surrounded by monsters, his friends appear one by one, showing him that being a clone is not something to be worried about because they're still there for him. This is all while Nobuo Uematsu's "Not Alone" plays, turning this from a somber scene to a triumphant one.
FFIX has a lot of great moments, but this is a standout as it's the scene that gives Zidane the drive to take this epic tale to its conclusion.
7. Final Fantasy VIII - Edea's Parade
The
finale of Final Fantasy VIII's disc 1 is you infiltrating Edea's parade
in an attempt to assassinate her. After everything goes wrong, Squall
decides to do it the old fashioned way and he charges onto Edea's parade
platform gunblade-a-blazing. After a pretty easy fight, Edea summons
ice crystals and impales Squall to death, sending him off the float and
down onto the streets of Deling City.
...sure he survives for no good reason, but still, this moment was a really cinematic moment in the game and a great way to end Disc 1. It's kind of a dick move to start Disc 2 with Laguna, then when we get back to Squall, he's fine, but eh, doesn't make this scene less awesome. It's like Infinity War, you know? The snapped people are probably gonna be fine, but that doesn't make the Snap any less effective.
6. Final Fantasy VIII - Battle of the Gardens
Sometimes, I like deep emotional scenes that make a lot of sense. However, if you know this scene, you know the other side of my mood: loud stupid action scenes, and this is one of them. Final Fantasy VIII is pretty stupid when it comes to story. Your school flies. You all have amnesia. It's pretty fucking stupid, but this scene has to take the cake, since it's FLYING SCHOOL ON FLYING SCHOOL COMBAT.
Students from the other school fly over to your school and start punching people. A middle aged headmaster puts a 17-year old Squall in charge of everything for some dumbass reason. You can issue a command to protect the cafeteria hotdogs (much to Zell's disdain). Rinoa is holding on for her life as you try to save her. This random guy bursts into the hallway on a helipod, taking you on a flight where the controls change and you have to punch him out. Then you save Rinoa and break into Galbadia Garden.
This scene is absolutely insane and when I played Final Fantasy 1-7, I never expected we'd actually have a scene this stupid in the franchise, but I gotta say, it's probably the most fun and downright bonkers moment in the franchise as well.
5. Final Fantasy X - Ending
Tidus and Yuna is hands down one of the most heartfelt romances in any video game. One is a tortured soul with daddy issues torn apart from his own time. One is cursed with a destiny that ends in their death which will eventually be in vain since it only brings a brief respite from the tyranny of Sin. They find each other through happenstance and never let go. You can even interpret them wanting to be with each other as one of the reasons they want to fight their destiny even more and end the reign of Sin.
Well, eventually they do just that. Sin is no more. Yu Yevon has been defeated. All is fine, right? Well, the fayth apparently dreamed up Tidus to aid Yuna in the battle to destroy Sin once and for all with the influence of Yu Yevon as an anchor, and since Yu Yevon is gone, Tidus begins to fade out of existence. He says to Yuna "I'm sorry I couldn't show you Zanarkand," and begins to fade away. Yuna desperately tries to go after him, merely phasing through his body. She finally says "I love you," as Tidus tried to hold Yuna. "To Zanarkand" swells in this absolutely gorgeous shot, as they share a final moment with each other. Tidus finally jumps off the ship, seeing Braska, Auron, and finally Jecht, whom he has reconciled with. He gives his father a high five as we fade to black.
Yuna then addresses a crowd, saying the reign of Sin is over. Then she says a line that, if you haven't been crying yet, after the line you'd probably lose it: "Just... one more thing. The people and the friends we have lost, and the dreams that have faded... never forget them."
If for some reason you're not crying, the credits start to roll with "Suteki Da Ne" playing... This scene is emotional checkmate. It's a perfect ending to an amazing game.
4. Final Fantasy VII - Opening
When I started FFVII, I put myself in 1997. I just came from the 2D Final Fantasies so I honestly didn't know how I'd stand with the polygons of FFVII. I mean, I'm easy to please, so I started it up and we begin on some stars, then a face of a flower girl, illuminated with light. She walks out into the street as we slowly zoom out to see the entire city in glorious 3D when the music swells and the title appears. In the same shot, it zooms in to another section of the city: the train station. You gain control of a spiky haired dude and you proceed to fight some guards. Apparently, you're on you way to blow up a reactor.
So yeah, you go and do that and it's exciting as all hell. I was hooked from the get go. This is hands down one of the best intros to a video game I've ever experienced. It combines sheer spectacle with action and it's just an epic way to start this story.
3. Final Fantasy IX - Kuja Seizes Bahamut
Midway through FFIX, Brahne decides to double-cross Kuja and summon Bahamut to take him out. Kuja decides Brahne has outlived her usefulness and uses Garland's ship to seize control over Bahamut. Without a second thought, Kuja wipes out Brahne's fleet as Garnet watches in horror.
Throughout the game so far, Brahne has been victim to the greed Kuja has inflicted upon her, but as she lay dying on the beach in her daughter's arms, Kuja's grip on her is released, and she is back to her old self. Before she dies, she takes comfort only in one thing: hearing her daughter's voice.
Brahne had become one of my most hated characters in the Final Fantasy franchise at this point in the game. She destroyed Cleyra and helped send Burmecia to ruin. She was essentially approaching Kefka-levels of destruction if she was allowed to continue. But this moment makes it clear that none of this was entirely her fault. This moment made me shed a tear for a tragic villain and it made Kuja that much more menacing a screen presence.
The animation on Garnet in the aftermath of this scene is just amazing. All the pain of grief was communicated through her. This was the moment where FFIX went from being a good game to one of the best.
2. Final Fantasy VII - Aerith's Death
Call FFVII overrated, but I'd say one thing you can't take away from it is how it develops a majority of its cast. Barret gets an arc. Red XIII gets an arc. Yuffie gets an arc. Tifa gets an arc. For most of the first disc however, the focus of the game behind all of these arcs, are Cloud and Aerith. Sephiroth is trying to summon meteor to release the lifeforce of the planet and absorb it. Aerith has to cast Holy to protect the planet.
At the end of Disc 1, Aerith disappears to find the White Materia on her own so she could finally be ready for Meteor. Once Cloud finds her, she smiles at him, when Sephiroth descends from up above and impales Aerith through the stomach. She drops dead and Aerith's theme starts playing. You're forced to hold back your tears as you fight JENOVA. There is no battle theme for this fight. It's still Aerith's theme. After the fight, Sephiroth is gone. You and your friends mourn your lost friend as you finally set her to rest in the lake outside the temple. She floats down to the bottom as you say farewell to your friend forever.
This scene was no surprise to me. It was 2017 when I played this game, so I knew all about this scene. I decided to make things harder for me though by actually investing a lot of time with Aerith in my party. I mean, she's a pretty good party member, to be honest. Knowing about the scene did not make watching it easier though. I couldn't bring myself to continue to disc 2 right away. I had to take a break to take it all in after this scene. It just goes to show you how powerful it was.
Before we get to number 1, here are some moments that just barely missed the cut
FFVI - The Opening Credits
FFVII - Escape from Shinra Building and Entering the World Map
FFVII - Escape From Junon
FFVII - Airdrop into Midgar
FFVII - Omnislash and The End
FFIV - Rydia Returns
FFIV - Battle of the Four Fiends
FFV - Galuf's Sacrifice
FFXIII - Snow's Big Rescue in Palompolum
FFXIII - The Promise to Serah
FFVIII - Eyes On Me (Ragnarok)
Okay, number 1
1. Final Fantasy VI - Kefka Wins
If you're not aware of anything in the story of FFVI before playing, you'd think Emperor Gestahl was the main antagonist and Kefka was just his lackey. In 2019, however, it's quite predictable that the second in command would betray their superior for more power. In 1994 though, I'm assuming it was unprecedented.
Also, if you didn't know any better, you'd think the floating continent is the final dungeon of the game. It feels like the final showdown with Gestahl and it's presented in such an epic way that I wouldn't blame you if you thought this was where it was going to end. Once you get to the end of the dungeon, Kefka betrays Gestahl, killing him, and gains the ultimate power, essentially becoming a God of Magic. He then proceeds to destroy the planet. No, I'm not kidding. He wins. He blows everything up.
You scramble to escape the floating continent before Kefka blows you up, but as you board your airship, Kefka tears it asunder and your party is scattered throughout Kefka's new World of Ruin.
I'd say this is the video game plot twist that started it all. If film has Rosebud, video games has Kefka winning. That is how chilling this moment is. This wouldn't be the first time a villain won in the series, but this was the moment Kefka became the golden standard for a great and epic Final Fantasy Villain.
Anyway, that's my list. I'm pretty sure you're gonna disagree or say I missed one, but that just means you should leave a comment down below. Thanks for reading. Tune in for the other FF blogs to follow.
So I have about nine blog posts lined up, all about my favorite video game franchise ever, Final Fantasy.
For this first post, I am going to revisit some moments from all the games I've played. Spoiler alert for all mainline single player games. For the record, I had a list of 82 moments I wanted to write about. Cutting them down to 25 was not an easy task. Without further ado, let us revisit some moments from this amazing franchise.
25. Final Fantasy - Chaos is Garland
Let us begin with where it all began. My experience with FF1 was weird. I wasn't a good enough player to deal with the charge based magic system of the PS1 version so I replayed it on PSP with the MP system, which I preferred. Yeah, I'm a pleb.
Anyway, I did reach the final dungeon in my first playthrough on the PS1 and I did reach the final boss' room. I saw this big ugly guy and once I spoke to him, ready to kick his ass, he says "Do you remember me? I am Garland?"
What? That puny guy whose ass I kicked in the beginning of the game? It turns out right before he died, the four fiends sent him back 2000 years in the past so he could grow strong enough to send the four fiends into the future in the first place, creating a bootstrap paradox.
When I play these games, which are around 20-30 years old, I am always able to place myself in a mindset of someone playing it during the time. Yeah the graphics might be remastered, but I don't mind that. I mind the story and the gameplay, and I gotta say, this twist blew my mind in that respect. This was the first plot twist in a Final Fantasy game I would encounter and it hooked me into the series. I wanted to see what the franchise could do after this.
24. Final Fantasy VI - Setzer's Flashback
The second half of Final Fantasy VI is basically an open world game where you try to gather your entire party and save the world, or at least what's left of it after Kefka destroyed everything. I have to admit it was light on story compared to the first half, but there were some moments in the second half that I still love. I considered giving this slot to Locke's flashback with Rachel, but in the end, I decided to give it to Setzer's flashback. I just love the presentation of this scene.
In the scene, Setzer is leading Sabin down to a new airship: the Falcon. The staircase takes up the bottom right corner of the screen. As Setzer brings Sabin down, he remembers his friend Daryl who once owned The Falcon as Nobuo Uematsu's "Epitaph" plays. It's a somber variation of Setzer's theme that really brings out the emotions of the scene. I've always loved Setzer as a character, and this scene just gave him a lot of depth and even a slight hint of tragedy. This is just another great scene in a great game.
23. Final Fantasy VIII - Waltz for the Moon
And then this scene came up. At that moment I knew this game had me. The cinematic nature of this scene with this kind of graphics was not seen before. The music was amazing. Also, it was the start of the heart of FFVIII, which was the romance between Squall and Rinoa. I do have problems with Rinoa saying "You're the best looking guy here" since if you swap the genders, that'd be creepy af, but I can put that aside because, well, part of me thinks at that moment, this girl walking up to a sad man with a scar across his face was just what Squall needed, and after finishing FFVIII, I think back to this moment and I love it all the more.
Call me cheesy but, Squall + Rinoa 4ever. :D
22. Final Fantasy XV - The Trial of Titan
For the first three chapters of FFXV, I was a bit underwhelmed. It felt like GTA V, but you can't kill random people, drive off the road, or that stuff. I mean that's not what I do to Final Fantasy for anyway so no biggie, but I don't know; something about it just didn't click yet.
Chapter 4 starts with you following this mysterious man named Ardyn to some random quarry for another Royal Arm AKA King's Weapon that Noctis can wield. Okay, cool. I was starting to wonder if this game is just collecting these things because that would have been a bit underwhelming in my book, especially coming from FFXIII. After you grab the sword, however, this massive Astral named Titan awakens and next thing you know, you have to fight the thing.
Yes. That thing about a thousand times bigger than you? That's a boss fight.
In this sequence, FFXV gave me an Uncharted level action scene, and it was the point I decided FFXV had me by the balls... well to be fair when Stand By Me played, it had me, but it lost me somewhere in Chapter 2 or 3 then this was the moment it reclaimed said balls, but whatever.
21. Final Fantasy XIII - Ending
I can't find a clip of this one. Oh well.
At the end of Final Fantasy XIII, after defeating Orphan, Cocoon is doomed to fall and crash right into Gran Pulse. Vanille and Fang finally fulfill their destiny and merge with their Eidolons, becoming Ragnarok. As they form a crystal support to prevent Cocoon from crashing down into Gran Pulse, having fulfilled their l'Cie purpose, they both rest in the core of the crystal, holding each other's hands.
Dajh and Serah, released from their crystal forms, reunite with Lightning and the gang, and Snow couldn't be happier. He tells Light that the wedding will commence, and all is well. For a game filled with almost nothing but sadness and misery, the game doesn't overcompensate by having everyone end unscathed. After all, Vanille and Fang are crystal now. However, I think it's a nice way to tie up the story. It's a bittersweet ending for a story that needed it.
20. Final Fantasy XV - Hey There, Pretty Boy
After taking out an Imperial base some time in Chapter 7, I tried teleporting back to my car, but the game wouldn't let me. I groaned and decided to hike back there. That was when this badass assaulted me and thus, another great boss fight began.
At first, she was mostly annoying, just kicking me around and all that jazz, but then she fulfilled her dragoon job description and started jumping in the air. That was when I decided to try and be badass by locking on to her and warp-striking at her.
And thus I created a scene that honestly felt like the Cloud vs. Sephiroth fight in Advent Children. I slashed at her, then she parried, separating us in midair. We were still fairly high up so I decided to warp strike again and yeah, that scene would totally be at home in Advent Children, but I was controlling Noctis so this makes it automatically awesome.
19. Final Fantasy XV - The Final Battle
I didn't notice I had a couple of FFXV moments right next to each other. I guess that's fine.
Ardyn was a great villain. He was like Kefka and Kuja smashed together. I loved hating him throughout the entirety of Final Fantasy XV. By the end, however, he essentially pulls a Kefka and wins, sending Eos into 10 years of darkness. Noctis returns to reclaim his throne. After disabling Noctis' friends, Ardyn flees, begging Noctis to follow him into the central plaza of Insomnia.
Once there, it is revealed that Ardyn is not going to sprout a single angel wing or become a giant tree or send three tiers of demons or summon a guardian force from your ring. No, he has the exact same powers as you. All those warp strikes you've been using, those weapons you've been switching between, he can do that too and he uses that against you.
Not only is this battle fun, even though it's pretty easy, but it's also pretty investing. By this point, Ardyn has taken almost everything from you and the final phase of the fight, where you use all the Royal Arms against him, is just satisfying. It's a great end to a great villain.
18. Final Fantasy XV - The Hydrean
Man, does FFXV have some fun boss fights. I mean, you pretty much can't lose them, but they are pretty cool nonwithstanding.
This fight begins with you on the ground. You can only teleport of bits and pieces of the city surrounding Leviathan, who is basically this giant sea serpent. You can warp strike to her, but you'll just fall to the water below unless you point-warp to the floating bits of city.
A bit into the fight, Ardyn stabs Luna and Noctis gets knocked unconscious. With her dying breath, Luna begs the kings to grant Noctis their power and Noctis revives as a super saiyan badass with swords swirling around him. Yoko Shimomura's "Apocalypsis Aquarius" swells as you fly around Altissia battling this sea serpent. The satisfaction is kinda hampered by the fact that you pretty much take zero damage throughout this fight, so you can't lose, but as a cinematic action scene, it's a sight to behold.
17. Final Fantasy XIII - Hope Confronts Snow in Palompolum
I myself experienced this scene with JP voices since I played the Asian Steam version, but watching the scene on YouTube, both versions are really good.
This scene also cemented Snow as my favorite XIII character because after being made aware that he caused Nora's death and how it has scarred Hope, he resigns to his fate as Hope prepares to kill him. Then the PSICOM jerks blow the place and what does Snow do? He risks his neck in order to save the kid who wanted nothing more than to kill him. That is what you call a hero.
16. Final Fantasy XIII - Sazh Confronts Vanille
Fast forward to chapter 8 where Dajh comes out of nowhere, finds his dad, and then turns into crystal. It turns out his Focus was to help find the other l'Cie. Jihl Nabaat decides to kick Sazh down even further by showing him security footage of the power plant the day Dajh turned l'Cie. It turns out Vanille was one of the rebels attacking the fal'Cie that day.
She runs off and Sazh chases to her to confront her. Jihl stands by, saying she has never seen two l'Cie kill each other before. Sazh tries to kill Vanille but can't bring himself to do it, leading to him fighting his Eidolon, Brynhildr. After the fight, Sazh decides he can't bring himself to hurt Vanille and decides instead to end his own life.
Well he doesn't do it, but this entire scene was very effective and just chilling. The voice acting was excellent and this is the only moment in XIII that made me start to tear up, so that's something. I really love the cast of XIII so seeing them torn apart like this just hits me hard.
15. Final Fantasy XII - Pharos Peak
Once you get to the top, the first big moment is Gabranth confronting your party. You also find out Reddas was a former judge, which is pretty cool. Ashe resists the phantom Rasler's call for revenge and decides base revenge is not her goal. She accepts that Rasler is gone in a rather emotional scene. This was precisely the moment I decided Ashe was best girl, overthrowing Yuna, Rikku, Rinoa, and Garnet. Vaan also accepts Reks' death... unlike Ashe I barely gave him points for that tho... hahahah just kidding. Vaan is alright, albeit rather irrelevant, or as my friend AJ says, irreleVAANt.
I highly recommend using Basch in your party, seeing as he's Gabby's brother, since Gabranth has extra dialogue in the fight.
After you beat Gabranth, Doctor Cid comes in and disposes of Gabranth for the time being. He harnesses the power of the sun-cryst using Venat. What proceeds is an epic boss fight, for which I highly recommend using Balthier, for extra dialogue. Once you eliminate 50% of his HP, Doctor Cid pulls a quick one on you as he summons his very own esper: Famfrit, the Darkening Cloud, essentially turning the fight into an esper fight as well.
After the fight, Doctor Cid fades away in front of Balthier. The sun-cryst is about to blow, however. Reddas takes the Sword of Kings and seals the sun-cryst, delivering one of the most epic final lines of any Final Fantasy character ever: "I, Judge Magister, condemn you to oblivion!"
This is the last dungeon before the final showdown with Vayne, so losing Reddas probably makes you want to take Vayne down more. I love this sequence because so many character defining moments happen in the span of 30 minutes. I'm not a fan of FFXII's story, but this sequence was great.
14. Final Fantasy X - Lady Yunalesca
The second such boss was actually Yunalesca, so in fairness to everyone who took multiple tries, I knew her deal. Being a multi-phase fight, however, it meant I couldn't just spam my overdrives. Yunalesca has a buttload of HP, so there would have to be more strategy to beating her.
I just gotta say, the Yunalesca boss fight, after I finished, was easily my favorite boss fight in FF up to that point. It was just challenging, cool, interesting, and badass all at once. Yunalesca's fight is really interesting mainly because of her ability to inflict Zombie status. That is when she proceeds to cast Curaga on your party, dealing massive damage. It's not a braindead fight, and among all the hard bosses of FFX, I think Yunalesca is the most interesting.
Story-wise, it also represents Yuna and the party defying her fate. They are going to end Sin, and this is the first step. FFX is a great game and this is one of the reasons why.
13. Final Fantasy XIII - Return to Cocoon
I can't do justice to this scene with words. It is pure spectacle and it is the single most badass cutscene in the modern FF games. Is it as emotional as the other XIII moments on my list? Probably not, but damn, if it didn't get me excited for the last two chapters.
12. Final Fantasy XII - Balthier Maneuvers Bahamut
This is when Judge Zargabaath tells everyone to concentrate fire on the Bahamut as he prepares to ram it. Out of nowhere, Balthier tells them to stop the idiot from killing himself as we find out Balthier and Fran returned to the Bahamut in an attempt to save Rabanastre.
Ashe begs Balthier to return, but Balthier claims that he's the leading man and "the leading man never dies". He tells Vaan to keep his ship safe, as he repairs Bahamut just enough to crash it into the surrounding desert instead.
I really thought he was done for and I started getting emotional, but we find out in the epilogue that he made it out and has stolen the Strahl back, returning the ring he took from Ashe earlier in the game. I initially felt like it was a copout, but the more I think about it, the more I feel it's a fitting end for our favorite sky pirate.
11. Final Fantasy VI - Cyan and the Phantom Train
After a really fun boss fight with the head of the train, especially if you love Sabin's suplex ability, the three end up in a station near the exit of the forest. Before they leave, Cyan sees a group of souls boarding the train. He recognized two in particular: his wife and child. The train starts to leave as he chases after them, telling them to come back. His child promises he'll keep his mother safe, while his wife says "My love, you've made me so happy, don't forget me."
If by this point in the game you haven't been convinced that Final Fantasy VI is on another level, surely this scene was a point in that direction.
Now we're entering the top 10. Let's go!
10. Final Fantasy VI - The Opera Scene
Obviously, your team decides Celes is to impersonate Maria and sing in the opera, where she gets angry and says she's not some opera floozy. She eventually relents and you get to play as her in the opera.
It would have been so easy to just throw this scene together haphazardly, but they actually made a compelling story within the story of FFVI. Maria and Draco is about two lovers in a kingdom torn asunder by an invading kingdom. Draco is injured in the war at one point and does not return home. This leads to the most famous part of the opera where Maria sings about how she longs to be with Draco, pondering if she should lose all hope and forget her love for him.
This scene is nothing without the perfect use of color and, of course, the extremely moving music composed by Nobuo Uematsu. I was deeply moved by this scene, and part of it is because it managed to be pretty goddamn cinematic ON AN SNES GAME. This scene brought out more emotions than some games with HD graphics or some movies of the past decade and it's all in glorious 16-bit. Props to the team behind this... seriously.
9. Final Fantasy IX - Alexander vs. Bahamut
Kuja just killed Queen Brahne. Garnet and her friends have returned to Alexandria and things are seeming rather fine for the time being. Garnet grieves over her mother, but that is cut short when Kuja swoops in with Bahamut and attacks the city. You see, he's here to finish the job and wipe Garnet off the face of the planet, but not before destroying Alexandria. Garnet and Eiko rush to the top of the castle in order to unite their summoning power to summon a guardian for the city, the almighty fortress Alexander. Thus an epic battle ensues between Bahamut and Alexander, showcasing the sheer power of these summons.
I don't know what else to say about this scene. Words can't do it justice. It's Final Fantasy spectacle at its best.
8. Final Fantasy IX - Zidane's Trial in Pandemonium
FFIX has a lot of great moments, but this is a standout as it's the scene that gives Zidane the drive to take this epic tale to its conclusion.
7. Final Fantasy VIII - Edea's Parade
...sure he survives for no good reason, but still, this moment was a really cinematic moment in the game and a great way to end Disc 1. It's kind of a dick move to start Disc 2 with Laguna, then when we get back to Squall, he's fine, but eh, doesn't make this scene less awesome. It's like Infinity War, you know? The snapped people are probably gonna be fine, but that doesn't make the Snap any less effective.
6. Final Fantasy VIII - Battle of the Gardens
Students from the other school fly over to your school and start punching people. A middle aged headmaster puts a 17-year old Squall in charge of everything for some dumbass reason. You can issue a command to protect the cafeteria hotdogs (much to Zell's disdain). Rinoa is holding on for her life as you try to save her. This random guy bursts into the hallway on a helipod, taking you on a flight where the controls change and you have to punch him out. Then you save Rinoa and break into Galbadia Garden.
This scene is absolutely insane and when I played Final Fantasy 1-7, I never expected we'd actually have a scene this stupid in the franchise, but I gotta say, it's probably the most fun and downright bonkers moment in the franchise as well.
5. Final Fantasy X - Ending
Well, eventually they do just that. Sin is no more. Yu Yevon has been defeated. All is fine, right? Well, the fayth apparently dreamed up Tidus to aid Yuna in the battle to destroy Sin once and for all with the influence of Yu Yevon as an anchor, and since Yu Yevon is gone, Tidus begins to fade out of existence. He says to Yuna "I'm sorry I couldn't show you Zanarkand," and begins to fade away. Yuna desperately tries to go after him, merely phasing through his body. She finally says "I love you," as Tidus tried to hold Yuna. "To Zanarkand" swells in this absolutely gorgeous shot, as they share a final moment with each other. Tidus finally jumps off the ship, seeing Braska, Auron, and finally Jecht, whom he has reconciled with. He gives his father a high five as we fade to black.
Yuna then addresses a crowd, saying the reign of Sin is over. Then she says a line that, if you haven't been crying yet, after the line you'd probably lose it: "Just... one more thing. The people and the friends we have lost, and the dreams that have faded... never forget them."
If for some reason you're not crying, the credits start to roll with "Suteki Da Ne" playing... This scene is emotional checkmate. It's a perfect ending to an amazing game.
4. Final Fantasy VII - Opening
So yeah, you go and do that and it's exciting as all hell. I was hooked from the get go. This is hands down one of the best intros to a video game I've ever experienced. It combines sheer spectacle with action and it's just an epic way to start this story.
3. Final Fantasy IX - Kuja Seizes Bahamut
Throughout the game so far, Brahne has been victim to the greed Kuja has inflicted upon her, but as she lay dying on the beach in her daughter's arms, Kuja's grip on her is released, and she is back to her old self. Before she dies, she takes comfort only in one thing: hearing her daughter's voice.
Brahne had become one of my most hated characters in the Final Fantasy franchise at this point in the game. She destroyed Cleyra and helped send Burmecia to ruin. She was essentially approaching Kefka-levels of destruction if she was allowed to continue. But this moment makes it clear that none of this was entirely her fault. This moment made me shed a tear for a tragic villain and it made Kuja that much more menacing a screen presence.
The animation on Garnet in the aftermath of this scene is just amazing. All the pain of grief was communicated through her. This was the moment where FFIX went from being a good game to one of the best.
2. Final Fantasy VII - Aerith's Death
At the end of Disc 1, Aerith disappears to find the White Materia on her own so she could finally be ready for Meteor. Once Cloud finds her, she smiles at him, when Sephiroth descends from up above and impales Aerith through the stomach. She drops dead and Aerith's theme starts playing. You're forced to hold back your tears as you fight JENOVA. There is no battle theme for this fight. It's still Aerith's theme. After the fight, Sephiroth is gone. You and your friends mourn your lost friend as you finally set her to rest in the lake outside the temple. She floats down to the bottom as you say farewell to your friend forever.
This scene was no surprise to me. It was 2017 when I played this game, so I knew all about this scene. I decided to make things harder for me though by actually investing a lot of time with Aerith in my party. I mean, she's a pretty good party member, to be honest. Knowing about the scene did not make watching it easier though. I couldn't bring myself to continue to disc 2 right away. I had to take a break to take it all in after this scene. It just goes to show you how powerful it was.
Before we get to number 1, here are some moments that just barely missed the cut
FFVI - The Opening Credits
FFVII - Escape from Shinra Building and Entering the World Map
FFVII - Escape From Junon
FFVII - Airdrop into Midgar
FFVII - Omnislash and The End
FFIV - Rydia Returns
FFIV - Battle of the Four Fiends
FFV - Galuf's Sacrifice
FFXIII - Snow's Big Rescue in Palompolum
FFXIII - The Promise to Serah
FFVIII - Eyes On Me (Ragnarok)
Okay, number 1
1. Final Fantasy VI - Kefka Wins
Also, if you didn't know any better, you'd think the floating continent is the final dungeon of the game. It feels like the final showdown with Gestahl and it's presented in such an epic way that I wouldn't blame you if you thought this was where it was going to end. Once you get to the end of the dungeon, Kefka betrays Gestahl, killing him, and gains the ultimate power, essentially becoming a God of Magic. He then proceeds to destroy the planet. No, I'm not kidding. He wins. He blows everything up.
You scramble to escape the floating continent before Kefka blows you up, but as you board your airship, Kefka tears it asunder and your party is scattered throughout Kefka's new World of Ruin.
I'd say this is the video game plot twist that started it all. If film has Rosebud, video games has Kefka winning. That is how chilling this moment is. This wouldn't be the first time a villain won in the series, but this was the moment Kefka became the golden standard for a great and epic Final Fantasy Villain.
Anyway, that's my list. I'm pretty sure you're gonna disagree or say I missed one, but that just means you should leave a comment down below. Thanks for reading. Tune in for the other FF blogs to follow.
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