Most Bittersweet Endings In Final Fantasy Games

With as long-standing a franchise of story-focused titles as Final Fantasy, it should come as no surprise that not all of its climactic final moments are as gung-ho and celebratory as others. While many Final Fantasy games end with the title’s heroes enjoying the newfound strength and freedom of their successful pilgrimage, some experiences can leave players wondering if there was more that could have been done.

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From multiple acts of noble self-sacrifice to much-loved party members setting off to find their place in the world after the credits roll, Square Enix seemingly has no issue with turning the classical hero’s journey on its head. Here are the most bittersweet endings featured in Final Fantasy games.

8

Final Fantasy 13

A World-Ending Calamity Is Deferred As Two Lives Are Bartered With

Released

March 9, 2010

ESRB

t

Developer(s)

Square Enix

Despite its 2009 release garnering much criticism due to its seeming linearity, Final Fantasy 13‘s seventh-generation JRPG narrative has arguably been looked at more kindly in recent years. As a result, many players have since concluded that Lightning’s story is one that is well worth experiencing, and its sacrifice-tinged conclusion is tantamount to that critical pivot.

With Final Fantasy 13‘s god-like antagonist Orphan finally defeated and the majority of the party safely crystallized, Fang and Vanille remain to halt the oncoming collision between the world of Gran Pulse and the moon-like superstructure Cocoon. What is entailed is a traditional tale of sacrifice that is impactful, not only due to the player’s lack of ability to alter the outcome, but the collaborative effort that is required by the two mages to transform into the legendary being Raganarok to save not only their friends but all those who exist on the planet below.

7

Final Fantasy Type-0

The Frailty Of Life Is Acknowledged In An Act Of Self-Sacrifice

Released

October 27, 2011

ESRB

m

Considering that Final Fantasy Type-0‘s portable narrative is the first experience of Square Enix tackling a Mature title, the 2011 action role-playing game’s heart-wrenching climax comes as no surprise. Concluding a harrowing tale portraying the horrors of warfare and pitting friends against one another before allowing Class Zero a brief moment of mortality-embracing respite in the game’s final moments, Final Fantasy Type-0 remains one of the long-running JRPG franchise’s most grief-stricken narratives.

Although the apocalyptic occasion of Tempus Finis has been temporarily halted, and the world of Final Fantasy Type-0 has been effectively saved, the very human imaginings of Class Zero’s possible future and remembrance of all those who had died to get them to that point make for poignant moments in the title’s last story beats.

6

Final Fantasy 9

Heroes & Reformed Villains Perish As Life Returns To Normal

Released

July 7, 2000

ESRB

T for Teen: Violence, Mild Language

With Final Fantasy 9‘s acclaim as containing one of Final Fantasy‘s best fantasy worlds, the balanced approach of Square Enix in tackling lighthearted struggles and mortal despair has become a series-defining benchmark. As has since become tried and tested for the decades-long anthological JRPG franchise, the universe-threatening antagonist has been painstakingly vanquished, yet the very human desire to save all those possible remains. As such, Zidaine leaves the party to attempt to aid once-villain Kuja in retreat.

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While Kuja’s fate is ultimately to die as the Iifa Tree collapses around him, the post-conclusion lives of the party characters are detailed to the player, and Zidaine is revealed to have survived. Although most of the party go on to live long and whole lives, Final Fantasy 9‘s death-tinged climax is continued through the reveal that the Black Mage Vivi has seemingly passed away due to the class’ limited lifespan, although even this is turned bittersweet as he is survived by the reveal that he has fathered multiple identical offspring.

5

Final Fantasy Tactics

An Overarching Evil Still Plagues The Land After The Credits Roll

Systems

Released

June 20, 1997

ESRB

t

Developer(s)

Square

Publisher(s)

Square, Sony Computer Entertainment

Although the Ogre Battle-inspired tactical role-playing game mechanics of Final Fantasy Tactics certainly prioritize gameplay functionality and mechanical cohesion over Square’s usual grand narratives, the 1997 TRPG still retains much of the bittersweet storytelling the franchise is known for.

Although it is successful in providing a cohesive synergy between appealing aesthetics and strategic depth, Final Fantasy Tactics‘ climax brings together its themes of betrayal and distrust to the forefront as players enact one of the series’ most grand-scale battles. Bolstered by a lengthy epilogue that tackles the tumultuous regicide and suppression of the truth that has spread rampantly in the game’s later years, Final Fantasy Tactics‘ conclusion leans heavily on the idea that just because the story is over doesn’t mean that all has been set right in the world.

4

Final Fantasy 15

A Carefully Crafted Tale Of Brothership That Is Bookended By Sacrifice

Released

November 9, 2016

ESRB

T for Teen: Language, Mild Blood, Partial Nudity, Violence

In marketing Final Fantasy 15 with a strong focus on the game’s clear themes of forged brotherhood and a whole host of uniquely elongated boss battles, Square Enix seemingly sought to put the action role-playing game’s personal scale and grand narrative scope at the forefront of players’ minds. As a result, Final Fantasy 15‘s closing hours are spent not only separated from the party of fraternal comrades that the player has spent the entire game relying on for an in-game period of ten years, but it also introduces the idea of a sacrifice.

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Although self-sacrifice has been a proven plot beat of Final Fantasy stories since its earliest entries, Final Fantasy 15‘s explicit focus on the friendship and bond between Noctis and his three road-trip-assisting allies reinforces the impact of such a fatal decision, as the game’s near-30-hour runtime has been spent bolstering their bond. Though it’s hard to watch Noctis go, his sacrifice made it possible for the rest of the world to live on.

3

Final Fantasy 2

A New Ally Cannot Face Themselves After The Antagonist’s Defeat

Released

December 17, 1988

ESRB

t

Developer(s)

Square

Publisher(s)

Square

Despite its place in the early annals of the anthological role-playing game franchise, Final Fantasy 2‘s story-heavy focus and the idea of taking down a tyrannical emperor have not only remained pivotal to its continued appreciation but influenced the central themes and scope of the Final Fantasy series in its decades-long history. Although the demonic game-spanning antagonist is ultimately defeated and the world saved from cataclysmic tyranny, the game’s final moments are spent bidding farewell to not only the title’s 20-hour narrative but also a core member of the party.

With the Emperor defeated in his final resting place of the Jade Passage and the formerly antagonistic Dark Knight Leon aiding in his imprisonment, the party is once again disbanded. During these final moments, the brother of Maria leaves to seek solace for the betrayal and pain he has inflicted not only on his home but his family.

2

Final Fantasy 6

An Ultimately Victorious Bout That Comes Just Too Late For Some

Released

October 11, 1994

ESRB

T For Teen Due To Fantasy Violence, Partial Nudity

Developer(s)

Square Enix, Square

Publisher(s)

Square Enix, Square

Considering Final Fantasy 6‘s unique approach to the Japanese role-playing genre in choosing to not feature a protagonist per se, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System classic’s ability to invoke a sense of relatability and humanity in its 16-bit party is core to its seemingly continued acclaim.

As a result, the initially unsuccessful pilgrimage to defeat the franchise-defining villain Kefka in his madness-induced state is bolstered by the weight of the 1994 title’s consistent effort at humanizing its characters. Although the player is ultimately successful in besting Kefka and preventing any more unnecessary destruction from sweeping across the land, their initial failure resulted not only in the humiliating defeat of the player but the continued suffering and death of seemingly millions of innocent civilians.

1

Final Fantasy 10

A Successful Yet Heartbreaking Conclusion To The Game’s Cyclical Conflict

Systems

Released

December 17, 2001

ESRB

T for Teen: Mild Blood, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence

Although the Final Fantasy franchise has produced arguably one of the most consistently revered stories in the video game industry, “many people agree that the tenth mainline entry boasts the most well-written narrative.” As such, it should come as no surprise that its penultimate moments are similarly poignant and fulfilling.

As Final Fantasy 10‘s 45-hour-long exploration of the 2001 entry’s cyclical conflict between summoners and Sin comes to an ultimate conclusion, with Yuna banishing both the Aeons and Sin to the amalgous Farplane, Tidus is left to vanish before her very eyes. With the cycle concluded, all related mystical apparitions are similarly dissipated, which results in the game’s central hero speaking his final words to his friends and found family before disappearing in front of them.

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