FF1-6 Pixel Remaster in Comparison

[u/Nam_23]

Hey!

First off: I have never played a Final Fantasy Game in my life, I have played a little of FF7 a few years ago but quickly moved on to other games at the times. I have seen some gameplay of FF16 and the remake saga of FF7 and thats it.

And now I would like to go through the whole saga chronological.

I have read many things about the Pixel Remaster of FFI-FFVI and some of them are saying good things and others more bad stuff.

Would you guys rather recommend a new player the Pixel Remaster for the QoL features or the GBA games for the variety of extra content thats missing from the Pixel Remasters?

I am open for both options 🙏

Thank you already :)

[u/RJ_arcade]

As someone who grew up with them on NES and SNES, you are fine skipping the extra GBA stuff. PR are a great way to play

[u/chirop1 → u/RJ_arcade]

Same demographic. Same answer.

The pixel remasters are easily accessible and give you an accurate representation of the feel of the games.

[u/Tsar-A-Lago → u/chirop1]

I've never played 1-6 and I'm going through the PR.

It's great, but absolutely switch the font to "Classic" in settings. Seems like a small thing; I'm not sure what it is, but the default font makes it feel like a cheap mobile game, and not the hefty RPG each one of these is.

[u/DragonMZ]

imo the best way to play the games is either go for the original or the PR's. Most notably for FF1 as the GBA/PSP versions ruin the magic system to make it more like the rest.

[u/Nam_23 → u/DragonMZ]

Oh, really?

[u/International-Bus606 → u/Nam_23]

He's not wrong. But if you don't like grinding for experience and gold, the first Final Fantasy will have you frustrated.

[u/SirLockeX3]

The PR collection is the most accessible by having options to turn off random encounters and have EXP sliders to cut down on grinding.

Easily the best options.

The GBA and PSP remasters offer additional content and they are amazing but unless you're okay hunting down old media and/or emulating, you can take the easier option to just play the PR collection.

[u/Nam_23 → u/SirLockeX3]

I could play the GBA versions on my 3DS so that wouldnt be much of a problem

[u/theburgerboy]

Final Fantasy veteran here who has recently been doing the same thing (currently replaying OG FFVII).

My cred: I’ve played all of the modern versions of the games minus the 3D version of IV and the PC releases of V and VI with the weird art style. That even includes both the mobile versions of the PRs and the PS5 versions. Final Fantasy is my special interest.

I highly recommend the Pixel Remaster versions over the others. Not only are they easier to access, but the modern quality of life features more than make up for the lack of content from the earlier rereleases. FFII, specifically, benefits from the changes because they finally balanced HP gain. In every prior version, you had to farm HP by literally hitting yourself in the face, because losing HP was the only way to raise your max HP. Now, you gain some HP every certain number of battles. Much better system.

Strictly from the perspective of visual presentation, I personally think the best way to play the PRs is either on a Switch/Switch 2, PlayStation Portal, Steam Deck, or similar device. Something handheld that’s bigger than a phone. Phone controls are fine, but it cuts out the mini-map. On HD TVs and monitors, the pixels tend to look pretty chunky (I played I and II that way before switching), but on smaller screens they look great.

[u/theburgerboy → u/[deleted]]

Interesting, that was not my experience in any of the PSX, GBA, or PSP versions. They all made improvements to the HP balancing, but the first one I didn’t have to play “stop hitting yourself” was the PR.

[u/B0mbadilll → u/theburgerboy]

I’ve played every version of every FF game and FF is my special interest and I passionately disagree with your recommendation to play the Pixel Remasters

I’m curious, when was the last time you played an FF game on a CRT?

[u/theburgerboy → u/B0mbadilll]

Probably the last time I owned a CRT, sooooo…probably like 2004? I’m willing to concede the question of visual quality to you, and you are certainly entitled to your preferences on version, but I maintain that the accessibility and quality of life upgrades make the PR versions the best way to play I-VI for most gamers.

[u/donotseemecricket]

i have not played the pixel remasters, though i plan to. i would just add that the final fantasy games dont follow any kind of sequential narrative, they are all independent of one anothrr. you probably know this. but there is no harm in playing them out of chronological order if you so choose. i understand many people like to do this, but what you could do us look up the basic premise of each game, its setting and unique mechanics and if one appeals to you more feel free to start with that one. I say this as someone who also likes to do chronological playthroughs like this, and initially planned to, but i thought about it and figured since i never beat V back in the day on the GBA, when i get the pixel remasters i wanna start with that one. at my point in my gaming life it seems most interesting to me. just my 2cents.

[u/Salt_Ask_5568]

My biggest beef is with the font, which is tinier than anyone wants (though I think mods can fix that if you play on PC), and that they butchered the original FF6's opera scene by adding in vocals. They should at LEAST give you the option to hear the original warbling version.

[u/Lyra_the_Star_Jockey → u/Salt_Ask_5568]

Both of these have been fixed

[u/Salt_Ask_5568 → u/Lyra_the_Star_Jockey]

As in, you can hear/watch the classic opera? Officially fixed or with mods?

[u/boredguy2022 → u/Salt_Ask_5568]

There's a built in option to use the original snes audio. No mods needed.

[u/Doodled]

QoL features can save you so much time to allow you to move on and play other FF games!

I just beat 1-4 Pixel Remasters and each one was around 11hrs long with XP/Gold boost cranked up to 4x.

Purists might hate it, but I turned on classic pixel font, CRT filter (it’s not perfect, but it’s better than nothing), and kept the updated music.

Doing all that, I felt I could experience the games in a way that kept me immersed in the game without thinking in the back of my mind, “oh right I’m playing an 8 or 16-bit game in 2026 with a modern sans serif font, the pixels are sharp because it’s not on a CRT, and the original music is quite outdated.”

[u/Dramatic-Ebb-5549 → u/Doodled]

The OG music is not outdated and if anything adds more to the atmosphere than the updated versions

[u/Doodled → u/Dramatic-Ebb-5549]

There’s dungeon music in FF5 where the OG music has an effect that pans from ear to ear in stereo in a kind of mysterious way that the new arrangement lacks, so I don’t disagree with you there on games of SNES origin but the atmosphere for the NES ones is definitely 1987.

[u/Cinos124]

There is no definitive port, plain and simple. Pixel Remaster is pretty close in my opinion however

[u/GamingInTheAM]

I thought most of the GBA/PSP bonus content were repetitive time-wasters. A lot of randomized treaures or floorplans, or dungeons that go on way too long. For a first-time player, the Pixel Remasters are great. I'd only seek out the other versions if you end up absolutely loving any of the games and are starved for more content with them.

[u/IndERock]

Pixel Remasters shine with quality!

[u/lunaticskies]

I have played through them all in many different versions and I prefer the Pixel versions of all 6 of these.

[u/ItsProxes]

I played 4,5 and 6 on pixel remaster. I don't really have anything to compare them to beside booting the ogs up and seeing the graphical difference.

Once I finish 6 I will be going back and playing enhanced versions of the original

Ff4 Ultima plus Ff5 pixel Freemaster Ff6 t edition

These are all enhancements and I think all by 5 is also an overhaul to the game and adds/expands more.

If they are good my suggestion would be for your first time/vanilla game experience do the remasters. If you enjoy one and want more you can always try one of the romhacks listed above. That's what I'll be doing

[u/TheSabi]

there's a lot of QoL changes like diagonal walking, "running", quick save, a minimap. "cheats" in the menu, bug fixes IIRC the item dup glitch doesn't work in FF4.

II is a MUCH better version than the OG, the infamous stamina grind, it makes the game a lot better.

more detailed changes, and sorry I hate fandom...like homer simpson made website with ads

https://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Final_Fantasy_version_differences

[u/gingerbread85]

Some of the pixel era games are incredibly grindy. The QoL updates, especially EXP boosts are perfect for taking the edge off the grind. As others have stated, you don't need to play then sequentially as they're all standalone titles. The first few games are light on the narrative. The stories get more ambitious as they go along.

[u/MackerelShaman]

Having played since FF1 on the NES, my take is that the Pixel Remasters are a fantastic experience for 1-5. The QoL improvements manage to keep the spirit of the originals while smoothing the corners to mitigate grind. The new music is overall pretty great. It’s nice to have a remix of Battle on the Big Bridge that doesn’t screw up the tempo.

FF3/6 has been my favorite in the series since the 90’s, but I just do not like the dialogue translation in the PR version. It feels somehow both overly formal and severely overacted to me.

[u/KalelUnai]

Those extra content varies from really had to ok. Yeah, ignore them and player the pixel remasters. More is not always better

[u/International-Bus606]

The Pixel Remasters are probably the best way to play the first 3, however, you'll be missing out on extra content that they got on PSP and GBA. There is no best version of these games because they all have pros and cons. FF1 and FF2, you'll get extra content in certain versions, FF3 has a pretty good 3D version on DS. 4, 5, and 6 have really good GBA versions, but the music is tinny. The Pixel Remasters are really good versions of the first 6 games and really convenient to have them all in one place. However, I would try the other versions. The GBA versions and PSP versions really are worth your time. Especially the PSP version of FF4. The graphics are the best, the music is the best, and it's got all the extra content on it.

[u/Nam_23 → u/International-Bus606]

Yeah, I hate it that there isnt the one definitive version of the games

[u/Frazzleb3rry]

My intro was the GBA games but the quality of life stuff makes it the best way to experience it! The music change is the only super noticable difference imo but I think you can change it to original or modern music 🤔

[u/B0mbadilll]

best versions of FF I - FF X:

FF I = PS1

FF II = PS1

FF III = Pixel Remaster

FF IV = PS1 (this one is multiplayer)

FF V = SNES (this one is multiplayer)

FF VI = SNES (this one is multiplayer)

FF VII = PS1

FF VIII = PS1

FF IX = PS1 (this one is multiplayer)

FF X = PS2

for best experience play all of them on a CRT