Traditionally, Final Fantasy games tend to be content-rich experiences. In terms of the main entries in the series, the main campaign alone can take anywhere from 30-50 hours to complete. Add secondary content, optional areas, bosses, and collectibles, and the hours will add up quickly, with some Final Fantasy games with over 100 hours of content for those who want to see it all. However, creating a game with so much content is not always worth it. Many developers have been accused of bloating their titles by filling them with unnecessary content just to increase average play time.
though somehow Final Fantasy it generally manages to keep the quality of all of its content to a high standard, to the point where some of its most memorable mini-games have developed fan bases to rival the games themselves. These mini-games are extremely diverse and over the years have encompassed many activities such as chocobo racing, playing cards, fishing, participating in tower defense simulators, and even participating in water sports. At best, these mini-games can take up hours of players’ time and become something of an obsession that helps expand the game’s lore.
Triple Triad – Final Fantasy 8
The world of final fantasy 8 is packed with things to see and do, but if the player gets tired of traditional turn-based combat or exploring the world map, Triple Triad proves to be an incredibly fun change of pace. Conceived by veteran Final Fantasy by battle designer Hiroyuki Ito, is a simple card game played on a 3×3 board similar in design and layout to the noughts and crosses. The object of the game is to use the player’s five cards to capture their opponent’s five. When the grid is full, the one with the most cards is declared the winner. Each card is assigned four numbers, one for each corresponding side, and if, when the player places the card on the tableau, the number is greater than the number of the card next to it, that card becomes the player’s card. .
Special cards can be collected by defeating bosses in the main game or by finding them hidden in locations around the world. Different regions of the game have different rules, leading to some interesting variations on the format that include things like elemental effects. The entire game is completely optional, but it is very popular with fans even today. Over the years, fan-created versions of the game have been developed and released, such is the game’s enduring popularity. A slightly modified version of the game was also brought back to life as an optional minigame in FF14located in the Manderville Gold Saucer area.
Fort Condor – FF7 and FF7 Remake
Fort Condor is a real-time strategy game that sits inside the original FF7 in which Cloud and his team take strategic command of Cosmo Canyon’s defensive army and are tasked with defending the hidden matter it contains from advancing Shinra forces. Players are tasked with placing units that must prevent the units of the enemy force from reaching the top of the fort by eliminating them. Simple in its design, however, it proves to be a fun and challenging experience, and a great way to take a breather from the emotionally draining narrative of the main game. Players can return to Fort Condor throughout their adventure and play additional missions that increase difficulty and offer rewards to help the player through the main game. A portion of this minigame must be played during the main game, so unlike other minigames, it is not possible to skip it entirely.
The 2020 remake saw the Fort Condor minigame completely revamped and revived in an equally addictive way as part of the Rest DLC. Now a tower defense board game played by the slum residents of Sector 7, Yuffie is featured as a way to kill time. In pursuit of her, she can challenge various residents of the slums, as she tries to achieve the necessary number of victories to face the mysterious grandmaster.
While still loosely based on the same gameplay as the original, including using a variation of the same theme song, the game this time around is developed so that the player has more options at their disposal, including the use of Materia. This game is completely optional and has nothing to do with the plot of the game. Rest DLC, but its inclusion was welcomed by fans of the original.
Blitzball – Final Fantasy 10
One of Final FantasyBlitzball’s most memorable minigame is the fictional sport. A hybrid of water polo and soccer, Blitzball is a 5v5 sport played entirely underwater. Introduced during the main story campaign, the player can choose to participate in just a handful of mandatory matches or play in entire leagues if they wish. NPC players are recruitable and each have different stats that determine how proficient they are at things like shooting and passing. The player must try to get as close as possible to the opponent’s goal without being interrupted by the opponent. Once interrupted, the opponent will attempt to take the ball, and how high the player’s stats are will determine whether or not they are successful.
The same goes for shooting and passing. If the attacking player’s stats are higher than the defending players’, this should result in a successful goal or pass. The player can also use special techniques that can be learned, as well as adapt the team’s strategy as needed. It’s a surprisingly deep addition to the game and one that players can spend many hours with, if they so choose. Doing so rewards the player with some key items to help them on their quest, as well as some overdrive abilities for the Wakka group member, who excels at the sport.
with upcoming titles final fantasy 16 Y final fantasy revival both on the horizon, it will be interesting to see if minigames continue to play such a big role in the franchise.
Final Fantasy 7, 8, 10 and ff7 new version are all available to play now on PS4 and PS5.
