Importantly, the Steam Deck is the go-to for nearly every FF game, even the remakes. FF16 is the only one where it doesn’t work as well as it could, more on that later.

To me, the games all seem to fit into eras. Each with a starter entry, and then a capstone. There’s some experimentation within, but you really feel the difference between eras.

Old School

FF1 through FF6 fit here, all of them pixels with turn-based battles. FF1 (the OG, not the remake) has a tone of quirks but works well. Each game along added some new bits to it, some worked (ATB), some didn’t (usage-based skills). FF6 just is at another level though, and frankly set a bar that could not be met, but had to be avoided.

Early 3D Era

FF7 to FFX. FF7 was a crazy experiment, moving to 3D gameplay, limit breaks, and a wild amount of FMV. One-Winged Angel is tattooed in my memory. FFX took all the fun along that path and condensed it to a near-perfect experience, as much as FF6 did before. It’s still my favorite FF game, with near perfect pacing.

The MMO Era

FF11 to FF14. Bookended by actual MMOs, the main concept here is that you are a leader and lose control of the party. FF12 has a sort of hybrid system here, and was more side-content than main content (frankly needing a wiki/guide to see it all) and FF13 was, well I dunno what is was. Divisive for one, auto-played for most in another. For a 40hr game, only about 5 of it is decent.

The Open World Era

FF15 and FF16. Personally, I think FF15 is the worst of all the mainline games released. The story never worked, the gameplay either. Felt like it needed more time in the cooker. FF16 is a very strange game, and aside from the setting, you can’t really see any FF at all here. It’s an action game with no RPG elements, less than God of War. What it does poorly, it leans into (side quest and exposition). What it does exceptionally well (20 minute kaiju battles), it paces out so that they are meaningful. It may also be the easiest of all the FF games as a result.

Remasters + Remakes + Expansions

You should play the remasters of the pixel games (except FF6) as they are better than the OG. FF7 remakes is a nostalgia cake, so your mileage may vary. FFX-2 is a buggy mess that offers very little. But you get it for free with FFX. FFXIII’s 2 extra games are not good and should be avoided.

Forward Looking

It’s no secret that Square Enix’s main source of income is FF14. The good news is that FF16 is a ‘good’ game, not great, and a nice cleanser after the FF15 launch. FF16 is not a Final Fantasy game though, at least not according to 30 years of games. Expedition 33 is more FF! It’s a curious thing to look forward and see where the games do go. I certainly expect large spectacle with crazy boss fights. Some throughline about some monopoly (religion/kingdom/company) being bad and you playing a knight of some kind. I don’t see the game going back to turn-based, though a hybrid option is a possibility. And quite unlikely that we see team-based RPG elements return, though honestly, that would make me quite giddy.

Perhaps, just perhaps, FF is best looked at as an event in the past we can look upon with nostalgia and not try to replicate but simply inspire. FFX is 24 years old now (!!!) Maybe it should just be respected for what it was.

….

Nah. There’s money to be made!! (Oh, that would be quite meta…)