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Final Fantasy 16 has been wowing fans with its unique playstyle and new direction for the series. With FF16‘s new world full of interesting politics between kingdoms, and fast-paced action, the game is a worthy entry into the Final Fantasy series. However, newcomers want a bit more experience with the franchise before diving head-first into the newest game. Due to the series’ 16 mainline entries, this task can be more complicated than expected. Luckily, each Final Fantasy game brings something interesting and fresh to the table. With each game offering a unique story, characters, and gameplay FF16 is already set to be a great installment in the series.
Overall, the best Final Fantasy games to try before FF16 are Final Fantasy 12, 13, and 7 Remake. Although each game in the Final Fantasy series has its merits, these choices are closer to FF16’s style and gameplay. As always, these three games won’t be perfect predecessors to FF16. However, playing these games may help ease players into the world of FF16 and Valisthea. At the very least, it will familiarize players new to the series to become acclimated to the bizarre yet beautiful stories that Final Fantasy has to offer.
Final Fantasy 12 Is The Best Game For Fans Of FF16’s Political Intrigue
Final Fantasy 12 follows the story of a young orphan named Vaan, who dreams of being a sky pirate. Although this isn’t very close to Clive and his struggles in the game, Final Fantasy 12’s world of Ivalice resembles FF16’s Valisthea a great deal. Both worlds struggle with large-scale political conflicts that threaten everyone involved. For example, a pending war between Rozarria and Archadia threatens Ivalice in FF12. At the same time, the nation of Dalmasca is invaded by Archadia and suffers heavily from its influence.
Throughout the game, we see the main characters navigate this landscape and negotiate for peace and avert the oncoming war. Final Fantasy 16’s Valisthea has a similar sense of political intrigue. Valisthea’s many kingdoms all are driven to conflict with each other due to a force called the Blight. It even features a kingdom called Rosaria, which sounds very similar to FF12’s Rozarria.
Final Fantasy 13 Is Just As Action-Packed As FF16
Unlike FF12, Final Fantasy 13 resembles FF16 from more of a gameplay standpoint than a story standpoint. FF13 revolves around the adventures of Lightning, a former soldier. Though this game is a sci-fi adventure while FF16 focuses on fantasy, the gameplay between the two entries is very similar. Both games take on a more action-packed approach to the game.
Most Final Fantasy games, even those with real-time combat, tend to feature a smaller focus on action and more on the story. In both FF13 and 16, fighting takes on more of a spectacle than in other entries. Massive summons in FF13, although smaller than those in FF16, take on a similar awe-inspiring feeling. Although FF13 never reaches the same scale as FF16’s Eikon battles, the action-packed nature of the game makes it one of the best Final Fantasy games to check out.
FF7 Remake Has the Best In-Game Cinematics For FF16 Newcomers
Finally, Final Fantasy 7 Remake is one of the best examples of the focus of modern Final Fantasy games. Due to the series’ focus on storytelling and world-building, FF7 Remake has taken on a very cinematic approach that fits the franchise perfectly. FF7 Remake is a retelling of the classic Final Fantasy game, FF7, that shares the journey of Cloud facing off against the Shinra Company. However, due to modern advancements in animation, the game features beautiful cinematic cutscenes that help make the narrative come to life. For any player looking for how the cinematic story of FF16 will be conveyed, FF7 Remake is the best choice.
Some runners-up that might be worth checking out are Final Fantasy 4 and 9 as well. Final Fantasy 4 is an excellent example of classic Final Fantasy storytelling and is a fantastic overall experience. Although it isn’t the closest to FF16, it may be interesting to see an earlier entry in the series. FF9, on the other hand, is a great example for any player looking to experience how Eikons will function in FF16. The Eidolons of FF9 greatly resemble FF16’S Eikons. There are even some large-scale monster battle cutscenes that resemble the Eikon battles of FF16. In the end, although any Final Fantasy game could be good to play before FF16, FF12, 13, and 7 Remake are probably the best choices.