Final Fantasy is a series with a long and illustrious history, full of several spinoffs and remakes along with its mainline entries to extend the amount of content players can enjoy. Given how offbeat some of its games can be, it’s easy to see why players find some Final Fantasy games to be downright weird at times.
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This is especially true in the case of certain titles that were perhaps a bit too odd for their good. While long-time Final Fantasy fans can still get a kick out of these games, they should be aware that things could get weird in these titles.
8
Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest
The Attempt To Make Final Fantasy Appealing For Western Audiences Didn’t Hit The Right Notes
- Released
-
October 5, 1992
- Developer(s)
-
Square
Before the Final Fantasy series made a huge splash in the West, Square was brainstorming the best way they could market this series to international audiences. This culminated in a weird attempt to make a Final Fantasy game that lacked a lot of the complexities that made the series so much fun to play in the first place.
Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest is as generic as they come, reducing the number of playable party members to two and letting players enjoy a by-the-numbers story that doesn’t bring anything new to the table. The very idea that this is a part of the Final Fantasy series is weird to fathom for many players.
7
Final Fantasy 2
Beating Up Friendly Party Members To Increase Their HP Is Pretty Weird
- Released
-
December 17, 1988
- Developer(s)
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Square
After the hit success of Final Fantasy, Square decided to experiment quite a bit for its sequel. This led to one of the weirdest and most maligned progression systems in the series that is needlessly complicated and rewards puzzling behavior.
Since stats leveled up based on a party member’s actions and performance in battle, it was possible to game the system and hit friendly players to increase their HP. This was just one of the many weird ways to exploit this leveling system, turning Final Fantasy 2 into the black sheep of the series that hasn’t been able to shake off this reputation ever since.
6
World Of Final Fantasy
Stacking Monsters On Top Of A Character’s Head Is Rather Bizarre
- Released
-
October 25, 2016
- Developer(s)
-
Tose
- OpenCritic Rating
-
Strong
A bizarre Final Fantasy spinoff that features a unique monster-catching mechanic, players who have a deep connection to the series’ history will have a great time playing World of Final Fantasy. The game features some weird gameplay moments where players stack mirages on top of themselves to boost their abilities.
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This can lead to goofy moments where players start a battle with their main characters looking like they’re trying to play a version of Jenga with living creatures. With the blocky characters and the appearance of familiar faces in the series, it’s easy to see why World of Final Fantasy is one of the weirdest games in the series by quite some margin.
5
Final Fantasy 7 Remake
Leans Into The Bizarre Elements Of The Original Plot
- Released
-
April 10, 2020
- Developer(s)
-
Square Enix Business Division 1
- OpenCritic Rating
-
Mighty
Most people wondered how Final Fantasy 7 Remake would stretch out a ten-hour introduction into a fully-fledged video game. This was achieved with a massive helping of sidequests coupled with the game’s tendency to lean towards the weird side of things more often than not.
Somehow, acquiring a dress for Cloud becomes more bizarre than ever before, with the game featuring its fair share of oddities that will leave many people puzzled. However, this is all just a part of Final Fantasy 7‘s charm, making it clear why fans were happy with the direction the Remake took despite featuring way too much filler for their liking.
4
Final Fantasy 8
The Plot Feels Like A Fever Dream At Times
- Released
-
February 11, 1999
- OpenCritic Rating
-
Strong
There’s a reason why the Squall is Dead fan theory has gained so much steam. After his fight against Edea in Deling City, Squall is impaled by an ice spike that looks fatal, only for the character to be alive in a prison not long after.
After this point, the story is so over-the-top that it feels like a dream at times. From the nonsensical plot twist that the party members forgot about their shared history in an orphanage to the time compression shenanigans and the introduction of Ultimecia, it’s easy to see why many people consider Final Fantasy 8 to feature one of the weirdest narratives in the series.
3
Final Fantasy 13
The Sheer Amount Of Angst In This Divisive Mainline Entry Is Overwhelming
- Released
-
March 9, 2010
- Developer(s)
-
Square Enix
- OpenCritic Rating
-
Weak
It’s hard not to look at the structure of Final Fantasy 13 and find things to be a bit too weird for most players’ liking. The game features a bunch of uninteresting linear corridors followed by high-budget cutscenes full of so much angst it’ll make an emo kid cringe.
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Along with this, the sheer amount of nonsensical jargon thrown around casually in the game’s cutscenes makes it clear why many fans dropped Final Fantasy 13 midway through. The weirdness is simply too much to bear and makes it clear why this mainline entry is the most divisive one of the lot in the series.
2
Final Fantasy 10-2
The Sequel To A Melancholic Final Fantasy Game Couldn’t Be More Different Than Its Predecessor
Final Fantasy 10-2
- Released
-
November 18, 2003
- Developer(s)
-
Square Product Development Division 1
Final Fantasy 10 is a magical adventure full of moments that hammer in the sadness of Spira’s world. However, Tidus and Yuna combine their efforts and take the help of their friends to reject the destiny imposed on them and take out Sin once and for all.
In contrast, Final Fantasy 10-2 starts with a bombastic J-pop intro as the main cast sings for the liberated people of Spira before embarking on a journey that feels like a glorified vacation at times. It’s a huge tonal shift that can be downright weird for players who preferred the grounded tone of the previous game.
1
Stranger Of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin
The Hunt For Chaos Is Unintentionally Hilarious
- Released
-
March 18, 2022
- OpenCritic Rating
-
Fair
From the very moment Jack revealed his obsession of Chaos in the preview trailer, players knew they were in for a weird time if they gave Stranger of Paradise a shot. For what it’s worth, the game is more serious than it’s made out to be and features a fun combat loop.
Unfortunately, it’s hard to take things seriously when the main cast is dressed like they’re heading out for a night on the town instead of trying to contain a great evil. This clash of ideals makes Stranger of Paradise one of the weirdest Final Fantasy games ever made, even if the gameplay is solid enough to keep fans entertained despite the bizarre nature of its story.
