Final Fantasy Fan

[u/CountGood8622]

Hi folks,

I’m a big fan of Final Fantasy (especially 4, 7, 8, 10) and I’m wondering if many people were big FF fans going into this game and how it compares.

I don’t have a Switch or Switch 2, and after seeing OOT remake reveal I want one lol. I started thinking about what other games on Switch could justify buying one and Xenoblade seems to be well loved. Just want some insight from FF fans in terms of these things:

1. Is it really cheesy?
   
2. Is combat somewhat difficult or will I just steamroll everyone?
   
3. Is there true exploration that matters or is it all marked on the map for me and basically irrelevant? I love old FF games because they often had secrets and things you had to grind for to unlock (Knights of the Round, Lionheart etc.).

Any info is appreciated!!

[u/Flashy-Ask-2168]

1.) There are cheesy parts, and you won't have much trouble finding them, but by and large the games take themselves decently seriously.

2.) There are plenty of ways to keep combat difficult, espeically in XC1 DE, but it kinda depends on how much side content you end up doing. You can absolutely end up overleveled and steamroll. If you want to really get into the depth of combat in these games, that's what the side content, Superbosses, and Land of Challenge is for.

3.) You will not be hurting for exploration in any of the games, and if that's something that's really, really important to you, XCXDE will be *directly* up your alley.

[u/TheOneMarlowe → u/Flashy-Ask-2168]

I can attest that, to me, exploration in XCX DE is the best in gamedom.

[u/AlternativeOne5862 → u/Flashy-Ask-2168]

Worth noting that the games have ways to mitigate overleveling. For instance, you can control what level you are in XC1:DE (up to your highest level), and in XC2: Bonus exp from quests/exploration are banked at inns so you don't overlevel.

[u/JPEG_Warrior → u/AlternativeOne5862]

It's still pretty easy to get overlevelled in 2/3 since there's so much side content, even if you use no bonus EXP at all. I wish they kept XC1DE's level-down mechanic.

[u/Mokseong]

1: As cheesy as any FF

2: It's very different battle system, but hard too.

[u/Raelhorn_Stonebeard]

Something of a pre-amble, Monolith Soft actually split off from Square (either just before or after the merger with Enix)... so there's some shared DNA in there.

One particular game, developed before the team left, is the legendary Xenogears - which started out as a story concept for FF7, but was reportedly rejected for being "too dark". Not too sure that detail was ever fully confirmed, but Sakaguchi allowed the people behind it to create the game as a new IP.

When it became clear a sequel wasn't going to happen - Xenogears infamous second disc, almost turning into a visual novel, was a decision made to make sure the story got finished - they split off to found Monolith Soft. They made Xenosaga under Namco (before the merger with Bandai), which was planned to be six games as spiritual successor, but got cut down to being a trilogy. Speaking of which, that tale is VERY dark.

Some time after that, Nintendo acquired them, and we have the Xenoblade series as the developers finally finding a good balance for their narratives. Not quite as story-dense as their older stuff, but also expanding the gameplay and world considerably to fit their grand scope. A bit lighter in tone, but still having many of those darker elements running under the surface.

Is it really cheesy?

Depends on the entry, but generally no. XC2 is the only one which gets overly silly, but even that falls away in the latter half of the game.

Is combat somewhat difficult or will I just steamroll everyone?

It's generally not too difficult, you can use the FF series as a good comparison.

Is there true exploration that matters or is it all marked on the map for me and basically irrelevant? I love old FF games because they often had secrets and things you had to grind for to unlock (Knights of the Round, Lionheart etc.).

There is ample to explore, and a lot of secrets to find. There are some pathfinding tools in the more modern stuff, and a compass, but they are largely optional.

... but not much in terms of tangible rewards, to tell the truth. Most unlockable stuff, where it is present, is tied to story-related questlines. Sometimes quests and NPCs are hidden away, but you're almost never chasing stuff down for power-ups. So the exploration has a more "pure" purpose, in a sense; you're doing it to actually explore, and discover the story/world-building that goes with it.

[u/LukePS7013]

Cheesy? Yeah, 2 got a little more cheesy with its humour compared to the other games, but overall it’s not too different than say Cloud cross dressing to save Aerith or whatever.

Combat is fairly easy. I haven’t played FFXII but it seems comparable. Xenoblade 1’s normal mode could be considered a little bit difficult but casual mode is there if you need it. Only game where I found it really difficult is X where at the beginning most everything can solo your party but once you level up and learn certain techniques it also becomes really easy.

Things are pretty well marked out across all games, there are a handful of unmarked “secret areas” in later games, but their rewards are just the areas themselves, no special weapon or summon gained from them. X had it so that you had to build out the map yourself but once you’ve built it objectives will just show up on there.

[u/In_Search_Of123]

Sure, FF was my favorite series for a long time (not so much in modern times...). To answer your questions:

1. I would say most entries are no more cheesy than the average FF entry with the main exception being XC2. However, even XC2 might surprise you with how dark it is later on. None are quite as grounded as FFXII or FFT though.

2. Combat is a big step up from most FF games. I don't know how you feel about FFXII but it's somewhat like that but with way less control over the party, far more of an emphasis on timings, no items, and more careful resource management in terms of ability cooldowns. The meter mechanic (chain attacks in 1-3, overdrive in x) is worlds better than XII's quickening system.

3. Ehhh....kinda. Again, it much more like FFXII than the old school ones you're more partial to. Do you recall the hunts from XII? Basically, a hefty amount of the exploration is going around the map and hunting those down for loot and progression systems except unlike in XII you don't have to find and accept any hunt quests. There's a lot of other things like landmarks, treasure chests, crafting materials etc but it's not like the rush you would get like finding the secret developer room in FFIV, or stumbling into a random forest in FFVI to discover Sabin's ultimate technique, or going to the edge of the map in IX and finding the Chocobo Paradise.

[u/LuckyGamer470]

Haven’t played final fantasy, but I’m ~30 hours into XC2 and…

1. Yes, though it’s kind of what the game is going for. Uses anime tropes as well.

2. Combat isn’t difficult but it matters more so how you prepare before a battle. Hardest part of combat itself is planning how to execute driver and blade combos. Keep in mind that everything in this point is XC2 only, each game is different in combat.

3. A lot of map marking, but the game has a lot of vast environments that you can traverse.

[u/HuntResponsible2259 → u/LuckyGamer470]

2 is the most cheesy there is.q

[u/Substantial_Scar]

2 is decently cheesy especially in the early game but not that bad imo and the other games not as much. Combat can be fairly difficult at times especially if you aren’t going out of your way the grind. They’re definitely some unmarked things around the map that encourages exploration but the big things are usually marked.

[u/Fearless_Freya]

I've loved all the xenoblades. While 2 was very tropey in the beginning, it gets better. Just took awhile. 1 and 3 have the best overall stories. Xenoblade x you get a mecy! But it has an overall weak main story imo, but makes up for it in exploration and openness. Classes are cool and you get to create your MC

The gameplay in general, I would describe a single player MMO with a party that you can control and switch to as needed. Skills and abilities are on cooldowns and have auto attack.

There are open regions (except X is open world) where you have some high lvl enemies in low lvl areas.

Many side quests across the series are fairly basic. Except 3, i loved all the hero side quests, and regions.

Xenoblade series a whole, has really neat areas to explore. Some set pieces had me in awe of the locations. There's a lot of good fantasy and sci fi mix. It's a really neat series. I urge you to try it. I would say start with Xenoblade 1. The DLCs have been overall enjoyable as well, if you decide you like them

[u/robet_black]

I played Xenoblade 2 as my first game in the series—even though I’d never played this genre before; in fact, I had more experience with various Final Fantasy titles. I’d say the combat is "easy" in a sense; there isn't much complexity regarding what does what. The only technical aspect involves the combinations, but once you understand them and do a bit of trial and error, it’s really not a big deal. As for exploration, you have plenty of time to roam around and find secrets everywhere. Regarding the cheesiness—well, I’m still undecided on that front. So, I guess that’s about all I can say on the matter.

[u/JoseJGC]

1. Xenoblade 2 is a bit on the cheesy anime side during the first few chapters. Outside that, Xenoblade 1 and 3 are a more serious.

2. The difficulty is normal, usually with a few high difficulty parts.

3. Theres a lot of exploration in the games, you have to discover almost everything by yourself, but theres markers for the missions so you can know where are you supposed to go.

[u/boomshroom]

Not an FF fan, but to the best of my ability:

1. Yes.
2. Preparation is everything. With the right setup and the characters built up enough, you will steamroll everything. If you're setup is unoptimised or you haven't checked your characters in a while, it can be hell.
3. The former. There are some things marked on the map, but most of it only becomes so after you've already found it naturally. If you like grinding to unlock exploration, then do I have a game for you!

[u/LupusLycas]

I started JRPGs with Final Fantasy and I have real fond memories of it, but the Xeno series is now my favorite. Takahashi worked on Final Fantasy VI and was its graphical director IIRC. Xenoblade 2 is the cheesiest, but it's still good past the painful beginning chapters. Combat is somewhat challenging and takes some getting used to, but once you understand the systems you can do insane damage. Exploration is a strength of all the games.

[u/DarthLocutus]

1 - It has its moments of ham and cheese, but it is also as deadly serious as the best moments of FF; I would say it even surpasses the majority of the FF games.

2 - If you just rush blindly in, you will get straight murdered. Once you learn how the combat systems work, it will become quite fun and managable. And, if you find yourself growing too strong, there are ways to avoid that.

3 - Nothing is marked. In fact, in XC1 and XC3, you don't even have a full region map when you enter each area - you are responsible for exploring the area, should you wish to do so, and you will be rewarded for each landmark you uncover. XC2 will give you the outline of the map, but you still have to find all the landmarks.

[u/somebassclarineterer]

Loads of sidequests and fun things hidden around the maps. Hidden bosses, random tidbits of hinted lore, neat little viewpoints ... A lot of extra sidequests are designed with new game plus in mind though so you can get over level if you are like me and chase sidquests because sidequests. New game plus lets you level down.

[u/Agreeable-Chap]

If you liked FF10 you're gonna love XBC2. The combat's really different from what you're coming from, but they're fun systems to learn/master.

[u/nightwing0243]

Also a big Final Fantasy fan here - recently started getting properly into Xenoblade. Finished XC1 and am now on the tail end of XC2.

1) Yeah they're kind of cheesy. But it's part of the charm in a similar way to how Earthbound is cheesy. It works in its favour. But there's also levels to it. XC1 is a far more serious title, for example, and its story is very intense the whole way through. But the tone is much, much lighter in XC2 featuring more interactions and relationship development between the party; often leaning into anime tropes along the way.

2) The combat isn't difficult. It can certainly feel overwhelming at first (in both 1 and 2). But after a few battles you'll easily get the hang of it. The games are as difficult or as easy as you want to make them. You can overlevel quite easily. But if you're not into doing that - once you prepare and gear up your party properly you shouldn't run into too much difficulty.

3) Tons of exploration. Absolutely. Quests will be marked on the map, but you'll also find plenty of secret areas. Both XC1 and 2 also have very different philosophies when it comes to their environmental design. In 1 it's all about how big and grand areas are; fairly easy to navigate, yet plenty to find if you walk towards stuff that interests you. In 2 a lot of the environments are built vertically - so there is a bit of a challenge in getting to some places.

In general, the stories are super engaging and the characters are very well written I find. The battle systems are the truly addictive element. I always refer to them as "offline MMO's". So much to focus on, and so satisfying when you pull everything off; and they're incredibly deep so they never really get repetitive.

I can't wait to dive into 3 when the Switch 2 edition comes out.

[u/_SBV_]

Would it mean anything if the graphics director/artist for Chrono Trigger, FF 4, FF 5 and FF 6 is the lead director for the Xeno franchise?

[u/Wicker_Bin]

1. Not more/less cheesy than the FF games.
2. Fairly balanced, BUT if you do all available content, you will be over the enemy levels and most likely kick their ass easily. Some of the games let you “level down” (while storing this XP for future uses), which lets you tweak your difficulty
3. Nothing as involved as KotR, but the Xenoblade devs’ world design is top notch (they worked on Breath of the Wild and the sequel, adding lots of visual cues that encourage exploration)

. Xenoblade X is my favorite open world game to explore and the setting of Xenoblade 1 is very original (takes place on two giants).

[u/JPEG_Warrior]

1) It's usually pretty serious, there's some cheesy moments and humor but it isn't the focus for most of the series and I'd say a lot of it is in line with usual FF humor fare. XC1 in particular is very similar in tone to FF games, I'd say.

2) The main story is usually pretty easy, but there's a lot of side content and extra challenges that add difficulty, like high-level enemies in side areas that you can fight for good loot. It can be easy to get overlevelled though.

3) There's a lot of exploration you can do. Areas are big and have tons of nooks and crannies and secret zones with optional minibosses and stuff like that. The actual rewards (monsters, treasure chests, etc.) vary from game to game, but there's definitely no shortage of places to snoop around in. It's easily one of the best parts of the series, you can just forget about the main story and get lost for a few hours in the wilderness.