Other Fantastic Mythical Games Await You!
Final Fantasy is a franchise that’s delivered a plethora of well-beloved characters, suspenseful moments, and dramatic storylines and dialogue. It’s a franchise that’s grown past its turn-based RPG roots to gravitate toward a larger audience that craves more action-centric gameplay. While it’s expanded upon its roots as a classic RPG, each game delivers a worthwhile experience that will last in fans’ heads for a lifetime. If you’ve finished playing Final Fantasy and are looking for alternatives – fret not! We’ve combed through the archives and saved you the hassle with our top 8 picks. Of course, for all the games we’ve reviewed, we’ve also added a handy link so you can check out our full thoughts on that and see if it’s something you want to invest your time in. So without further ado, we present 8 games to check out if you’re looking for a game like Final Fantasy.
Lost Odyssey
Lost Odyssey is a fantastical JRPG that delivers an intriguing narrative and gameplay loop akin to the Final Fantasy titles. This game was spearheaded by Final Fantasy’s original creator Hironobu Sakaguchi as an attempt to bring Xbox fans a similar experience. This game offers a large world full of random enemy encounters and weapons for your player to utilize on the battlefield. As you progress through the game, you’ll unlock access to the game’s varied locations, items, and story beats. There’s also a system in place that allows players to equip handy items to enhance their battle strength and attire in combat. The story’s pacing is wonderful and slowly builds up to a satisfying conclusion. It has a unique blend of action and turn-based gameplay that grants players more control over the battle. It even offers a unique “ring system” to add another strategic layer to fights in-game.
Xenoblade Chronicles Franchise
Xenoblade Chronicles is one of Nintendo’s semi-new JRPG franchises that took some time to reach the massive audience it has today. These titles offer incredible storytelling, unique and colorful characters, and worlds full of life. This franchise improves upon some JRPG titles’ outdated elements while introducing a complex yet visually engaging battle system to keep fans hooked. Like Final Fantasy’s newer titles, Xenoblade Chronicles favors more action-centric gameplay over the usual turn-based formula. You can perform many distinct attacks, each varying in effect. Some of these attacks can also be chained to produce formidable combo and super attacks. Outside of gameplay, these games also feature hours’ worth of content. These involve completing quests for the game’s different townspeople, boosting your affinity with your team, and other related activities. Like Final Fantasy, each game can be enjoyed in any order. Although there are small incidents that tie the story together, players will attain enjoyment for each title, regardless of play order. If you’re looking for another JRPG title with a complex and addictive gameplay loop alongside a cast of well-rounded characters, play Xenoblade Chronicles.
Dragon Quest Franchise
Dragon Quest is known as the father of RPGs for good reason. It inspired many other great RPG titles to follow in its wake from Earthbound to Final Fantasy. While it hasn’t broken from its traditional turn-based gameplay like the newer Final Fantasy titles, it remains one of the best of its genre. If you’ve never played a Dragon Quest game before, this franchise includes a varied cast of characters embarking on journeys unique from other entries. Like Final Fantasy, these games feature self-contained narratives full of sadness, joy, and suspense. You can play the Dragon Quest franchise from any order and walk away from it satisfied with it. Dragon Quest’s gameplay involves you ranking up your protagonist’s levels to the one-hundred mark. Along the way, you’ll gain access to new characters, each spanning a new array of techniques and abilities for you to utilize in your battles against enemies. Its art style is more cartoon-like compared to Final Fantasy’s more realistic visuals, but its combat promises to deliver the same satisfaction and wonder. If you’re looking for a more traditional JRPG, then we highly recommend playing any of the Dragon Quest games.
Bravely Default
Bravely Default is one of Square Enix’s latest fantasy RPG franchises that’s full of deep and thought-provoking gameplay. While it doesn’t have as large of a following as the Final Fantasy franchise, it does contain an incredible ensemble cast and rich storytelling. The hand-drawn 3D environments mixed with its unbelievable music are a sight to behold. The turn-based combat is akin to the combat in older Final Fantasy titles, as you’ll need to carefully plan your moves before striking an enemy. You’ll also be able to wield different powers from the allies you recruit along the way. Bravely Default’s storyline tackles a multitude of mature topics like tragedy and guilt. The characters in this game reign from lovable to evil-hearted and are inserted in tear-jerker scenarios. The first game utilizes the Nintendo 3DS’s Street Pass functionality extraordinarily well since it grants you access to powerful in-game equipment and items. The music in Bravely Default is one of its best qualities. These scores will help fans stay immersed in its fantasy setting and gain feelings they’d never expect from the title.
Chrono Trigger
Chrono Trigger is a classic JRPG with an incredible story. Like Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger offers memorable characters, impressive gameplay mechanics, and an engrossing world worth investing your time in. With the combined effort of Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii, and Dragon Ball author Akira Toriyama, Chrono Trigger had everything going in its favor. For a 16-bit video game, this offered gorgeous visuals and remarkable character animations for its time. These two features brought the game to life and made the world feel wonderfully immersive and grand. Dragon Ball fans will relish at Toriyama’s character designs, as some characters in this game share strikingly similar personalities to famed Dragon Ball characters. Chrono Trigger’s gameplay is fun and absorbs you into the world. It adopts the same “Active Time Battle” system shown in earlier Final Fantasy games. Essentially, when a character’s speed statistic counts down to zero, they can take action in battle. The abilities these characters have at their disposal vary per character but the general theme surrounds physical and magic-based actions.
Shin Megami Tensei V
Despite its niche audience, the Shin Megami Tensei franchise offers incredibly challenging gameplay, engrossing and complex narratives, and a visually enticing world. Shin Megami Tensei V is the latest instalment in the franchise that delivers in these fields. Shin Megami Tensei V follows a high school student in Tokyo who is amid a post-apocalyptic event and war between demons and gods. You’re tasked with helping the student tame demonic allies. With his new allies and later fusion ability, you must help this student save the good-natured demons and his world from mass destruction. Like Final Fantasy, Shin Megami Tensei V is a mature-rated title that tackles dark and philosophical themes. The characters you’ll encounter in this game are complex and well-written. Each has a memorable personality that will stick with you as you progress throughout the game. The gameplay leans toward monster taming, though. However, there are still core JRPG mechanics inserted in this title that will appeal to Final Fantasy fans. If you’re looking for a difficult game with an engaging storyline, play Shin Megami Tensei V.
Secret of Mana
Secret of Mana is another classic RPG title from Square’s heyday. It doesn’t have as large of a following as Final Fantasy, but fans who’ve played it enjoyed their time with its franchise. The Mana series of games are known for having engaging worlds, beautiful music, and a great variety of lovable characters. Like Final Fantasy, Secret of Mana allows you to take control of numerous protagonists. Each protagonist comes equipped with a set of weaknesses and strengths for you to learn and master. The battles in this game take place in real-time as opposed to a turn-based structure. You’ll gain experience points after each battle, allowing you to increase the levels of the game’s heroes and improve their stats. On that note, Secret of Mana delivers something unique in its gameplay regarding its Ring Command menu system. This menu system allows players to pause the action and make decisions in the middle of battle. There’s also a neat cooperative multiplayer system in Secret of Mana. This system allows a second or third player to drop in and out of the game at select intervals. Besides those aspects, Final Fantasy fans should find familiarity with Secret of Mana’s gameplay and environments. If you’re looking for another intriguing RPG franchise to dive into, I’d recommend playing the classic Secret of Mana title.
Resonance of Fate
Resonance of Fate is a hidden RPG gem. Like some Final Fantasy entries, this game features a minuscule cast of enjoyable protagonists. The gameplay is as stylish and over-the-top as some of the latest Final Fantasy games but focuses more on acrobatic gun-based combat. Resonance of Fate features a unique blend of turn-based and real-time control setups. All your characters are armed with different machine guns and handguns that deal different types of damage. You’ll be tasked to carefully and strategically move and position your characters across the battlefield to deal with deadly attacks on foes. You can initiate a team attack if you position everyone precisely. It’s also one of the battle system’s most visually appealing aspects and will get your heart pumping. The battle system may take a while to grow on you. It might take you several hours to clear a battle. The difficulty may not be consistent, so you may need to grind the game’s several side quests to raise your level. Nonetheless, if you persevere through those minor issues, you should have a wonderful time with Resonance of Fate. So there we have it, our 8 video game picks to keep you busy after playing Final Fantasy. What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!
Click Here To Check Out More Videogame Content!
