After enjoying Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, I decided to go back and play more games in the series that I’d previously missed. However, now that I’ve played some of the best games Final Fantasy has to offer, I’m struggling to recapture my love for the game that initially sparked my interest in the series years ago. While I once stubbornly bristled at people calling it a lesser entry in the series, I think I now see where they were coming from.

Another part of my reasoning behind revisiting the series was to have a better grasp on the games ahead of the Final Fantasy and Magic: The Gathering crossover. I like seeing how a card game like Magic translates narrative elements into gameplay mechanics and wanted to get a better feel for the Final Fantasy games I’d never played. Playing some of the games I hadn’t before showed me what I’d been missing out on, and why my previous favorite no longer holds that title.

Final Fantasy 8 Originally Got Me Into The Franchise

Final Fantasy 8 Was The First Final Fantasy Game I Played

I am a bit too young to have been around for the earlier Final Fantasy games. Final Fantasy 6 came out a week or so after I was born, and the only console my family owned when 7 came out was my mom’s old NES. Consequently, my first experience with a Final Fantasy game was playing Final Fantasy 8 at a friend’s house, after I had been thoroughly confused by the Gil Quest video he had shown me. Playing through the game’s early hours didn’t help me understand the Flash video better, but it did sell me on Final Fantasy.

At the time, Final Fantasy 8 was a perfect storm for me. I was a kid, so Final Fantasy 8’s Gunblades seemed like the height of cool. Also, as many kids have done in the past with Peter Parker, I saw another brown-haired white boy (Squall) and thought, “Hey, that could be me!” I also loved both trains and Star Wars as a kid, so ing a group of rebels living on a train who took their lead from someone they called “princess” was right up my alley.

Although I was really into Final Fantasy 8 when I first played it, I didn’t immediately become a fan of the series. I went from Nintendo consoles to an Xbox 360, so I wasn’t able to get FF9-12 on any of the consoles I owned. It didn’t help that I played Final Fantasy 13 when it came out and enjoyed it. Hearing that fans of the series didn’t really like FF8 or FF13 all that much made me think that I just had a weird taste in games and that I probably wouldn’t like the others in the series.

After Playing Final Fantasy 6 And 7, It's Hard To Get Into 8

Final Fantasy 6 And 7 Have Stronger Narratives And Better Mechanics

I’ll be honest, I had a bit of a chip on my shoulder about Final Fantasy 6 and 7 for a while, even after I started playing older games in the series. These were the two games everyone loved, while the ones that sparked my interest in the series were the ones everyone hated. When Final Fantasy 7 Remake came out, I finally decided to stop being stubborn and give the game a chance, and wow did I regret my previous pigheadedness.

After Remake and Rebirth, I went back and played the original Final Fantasy 7 and enjoyed that version too. Knowing I had been needlessly stubborn about it, I decided to play Final Fantasy 6 as the next game in my playthrough of the series, and I know now why it is so beloved. After hopping around a bit, I decided to come back to Final Fantasy 8, but I quickly realized it was going to be a tough going back.

Even with my nostalgia for the game, I’ve been struggling to get back into Final Fantasy 8. The opening section is slow and full of tutorials. On top of that, I don’t like the Junction mechanics as much as 6’s magicite or 7’s materia. Even though it's newer, Final Fantasy 8 feels more in need of a remake than FF6. Although I have forced myself to keep going long enough for it to be a bit more enjoyable, I can see why it was initially disliked.

I Understand Now Why Certain Games In The Series Were Disappointing

Comparing Final Fantasy 8 To Its Predecessors Highlights Its Flaws

I realize now a big part of why I was able to appreciate Final Fantasy 8 when I initially played it was because it was my first Final Fantasy game. Now that I’ve played FF6 and 7, I completely understand why getting FF8 as a follow-up would be disappointing. Final Fantasy 8 doesn’t have nearly as strong of a narrative hook as the previous two games, and its opening areas frankly feel a bit generic compared to inventive settings like the sinking Figaro Castle or Midgar’s plate and slums.

As I’ve gained more experience with the series, I can also see why Final Fantasy 13 was considered disappointing when it was first released. Although a lot of Final Fantasy games start in a somewhat linear fashion (FF10 and even FF7 come to mind), they don’t feel as restricting as Final Fantasy 13. The game’s early maps are essentially a series of straight corridors with little to no opportunity to explore or tackle obstacles from multiple angles. I could also see how Lightning, being an emotionally distant former soldier, might have initially made her feel like a Cloud clone.

Even The "Bad" Final Fantasy Games Are Pretty Good

Final Fantasy’s Worst Titles Aren’t Necessarily Bad Games

Although I can now more clearly see the flaws in games like Final Fantasy 8 and Final Fantasy 13, I still wouldn’t call them bad games. Both still have qualities I enjoy, and both were still good enough to spark my interest in Final Fantasy to begin with. At this point, I’m glad that I started the Final Fantasy series where I did because I was able to appreciate some of the lesser entries for what they were, without having to compare them to the best the series has to offer.

I don’t know if I’m fully comfortable recommending Final Fantasy 8 or 13. While I think some criticism of these games is slightly overblown, and I have enjoyed both, I can still recognize that they’re 40+ hour games. That is about as long as the main story of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and if you only have time to do one, I wouldn’t blame anyone for choosing Rebirth. Still, I think it’s worth acknowledging that a “bad” Final Fantasy game is far from a bad game in general, and they’re worth a try if you’re at all curious about them.