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00:06Welcome to MojoPlays and today we're getting a little pessimistic.
00:10After going through the best thing about each Final Fantasy game, it's time to look at the worst thing about
00:14each Final Fantasy game.
00:16Let's go!
00:17Before we continue, we publish content all week long, so be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to get
00:22notified of our latest videos.
00:25No auto-targeting Final Fantasy.
00:33The original Final Fantasy is still surprisingly easy to enjoy.
00:37Trust me, I'm playing it right now.
00:39Provided, nobody expects layers of modern RPG systems piled on top of each other.
00:43Its loop is wonderfully basic.
00:45Wander into dangerous places, beat up monsters, grab better gear and repeat until the next boss regrets showing up.
00:50It's classic JRPG. It's classic Final Fantasy.
00:53The NES release does have one especially irritating flaw.
00:57Every party member locks onto their chosen target before the turn begins.
01:01If the first attacker kills that enemy, everyone else still swings at the now empty spot instead of choosing a
01:07new target.
01:08It's goddamn aggravating.
01:10Three heroes can quite easily spend an entire round aggressively attacking the air where the enemy once stood.
01:15Thankfully, later versions fixed this problem and made the party look slightly more intelligent.
01:20But blow the dust off your NES and it's gonna drive you crazy.
01:30Leveling System Final Fantasy 2
01:32Final Fantasy 2 deserves credit for trying something completely different, even if the result feels like an experiment that is
01:44not stuck with fans as much as its OG installment.
01:47Instead of using the familiar leveling system from the first game, characters improve by repeatedly performing specific actions.
01:54Want stronger magic? Cast the same spell over and over and over.
01:57Need more health? Prepare to get smacked around like Mike Tyson's sparring partner.
02:00On paper, this sounds interesting because party members grow based on how they're used.
02:04In practice, it turns progression into an exhausting routine of repeating moves until the numbers finally increase.
02:09And don't compare it to Skyrim, it's not as smoothed out.
02:19Final Dungeon Final Fantasy 3
02:28By the time players reach the Crystal Tower in Final Fantasy 3, the game has already made it clear that
02:33careless party setups will be punished.
02:35Tough bosses often demand certain jobs, specific abilities, and a willingness to rebuild the team just to survive.
02:41That was fairly normal for an NES RPG, but the final dungeon takes the idea and runs off a cliff
02:46with it.
02:47The Crystal Tower is long, packed with dangerous enemies and offers no save points anywhere inside.
02:53Emulator users can soften the pain with save states, but you know what we call those people?
02:57Giant p***ies!
02:58Add a brutal final boss and the ending becomes less of a finale and more of a no-save endurance
03:03test.
03:03Gross.
03:08Difficulty Spikes Final Fantasy 4
03:16For a game packed with betrayals, moon people, and heroes constantly pretending to die, Final Fantasy 4 can be oddly
03:22strict about how players approach combat.
03:24Party members come with fixed roles, so there's no swapping jobs around when a boss starts causing trouble.
03:29Instead, success often depends on learning attack patterns, using abilities at the correct moment, and hoping the active time battle
03:35system does not decide to ruin your afternoon.
03:37Some versions are noticeably harder than others, which has made discussions about its difficulty slightly messy.
03:42In the OG version, it's the inconsistency of the difficulty that made it stand out, but for the wrong reason.
03:48Even so, its stronger character focus, dramatic story, and memorable soundtrack helped shape the identity of the series far more
03:53than the earlier games managed.
04:01Superbosses Final Fantasy 5
04:32FF5
04:33Superbosses know to prepare or steer clear, but newcomers can stumble into either fight by accident and get erased before
04:39understanding what happened.
04:40It's less a boss encounter and more an ambush.
04:52The Cultists Tower Final Fantasy 6
04:59The Cultists Tower in Final Fantasy 6 takes one of the game's biggest strengths, its flexible combat, and throws most
05:05of that out the window.
05:06Physical attacks are banned, leaving the party almost entirely dependent on magic, while climbing through floors packed with dangerous enemies.
05:12That sounds like a clever change of pace at first, but the novelty quickly wears thin when MP starts disappearing
05:17and random battles drag on forever.
05:20Reaching the top also leads to one of the nastiest fights in the game, followed by an escape that can
05:25still punish careless players.
05:26There's some worthwhile rewards hidden inside, but earning them feels less like treasure hunting and more like completing a magical
05:32slap fight.
05:37Summon sequences last forever
05:38Final Fantasy 7
05:50It's pretty hard to find something to hate about this game. I love it, and I bet you guys love
05:54it too, but here we go.
05:56Back in 1997, Final Fantasy 7 used summons as a chance to show off everything the PlayStation could do.
06:01Massive creatures appeared, the camera swooped around dramatically, and players happily watched because it all looked unbelievably advanced.
06:08The trouble is that these attacks never learned the value of being brief.
06:12Ramu takes his scenic mountain trip every single time, while Knights of the Round performs what feels like an entire
06:17stage production before finally dealing damage.
06:19Sephiroth's supernova is even more ridiculous, practically requiring an intermission.
06:24These sequences were impressive once, but repeated use turns them into a patience test.
06:29It's actually been years of playthrough since I used a summon, just because it takes so goddamn long.
06:42Junction System Final Fantasy 8
06:51Before Final Fantasy 8 reaches its famous memory loss reveal, it has already confused plenty of players with the Junction
06:57System.
06:57Sidebar, comment if you saw this entry coming.
07:00Magic is not simply learned and cast.
07:03Instead, spells must be drawn from enemies stored like items and attached to individual stats to improve them.
07:09Understanding which spell belongs on strength, health or defense can feel like doing homework before the adventure is allowed to
07:14begin.
07:15Modern guides make the process much easier, but players in 1999 often had to figure it out through trial error
07:20and mild panic.
07:22Strangely, once the system finally clicks, it becomes incredibly easy to abuse.
07:25With the right setup, Squall can become ridiculously powerful before the game is properly warmed up.
07:38Last minute villain switch, Final Fantasy 9
07:46Final Fantasy 9 spends most of its story building Kuja into the obvious final threat.
07:50He manipulates kingdoms, starts wars, steals powerful magic and generally behaves like someone desperate to earn the last boss position.
07:56Then, just as his story reaches its climax, the game suddenly introduces Necron.
08:00This mysterious being appears with almost no warning, delivers a speech about death and existence and immediately demands a fight.
08:07Necron's not a terrible boss mechanically, but the last minute switch makes the ending feel strangely disconnected from everything that
08:12came before it.
08:14After dozens of hours of chasing Kuja, players are instead asked to defeat a cosmic stranger who wandered in during
08:18the final five minutes.
08:27Blitzball Final Fantasy 10
08:29They're already going at it, folks.
08:33The goers are taunting the Aurors.
08:36I'm here to stand on business, because lots of people disagree with me and I refuse to be quiet about
08:41this anymore.
08:42Blitzball f***ing sucks.
08:44It might have worked better if its tutorial didn't throw a mountain of menus at players before they'd even touch
08:49the ball.
08:49Every rule is explained separately, making it difficult to understand how movement, passing, shooting and positioning are supposed to fit
08:56together during an actual match.
08:58Thankfully, winning is not always required to continue the story, but the mandatory games still feel miserable when the controls
09:04barely make sense.
09:05Most players end up learning through repeated failure instead.
09:08Blitzball fans may disagree, but please keep the argument verbal because I'm extremely fragile.
09:18D Level Final Fantasy 11
09:37Grinding is already part of the deal in an MMO, but Final Fantasy 11 once found a way to make
09:42that grind actively move backwards.
09:44Dying in battle could cost experience points, and losing enough meant dropping an entire level.
09:49That was not just a bruised ego, either. Players could suddenly fall below the requirement for certain equipment, abilities or
09:54level-gated content they'd already unlocked.
09:56Imagine spending hours climbing a hill, tripping near the top and being politely informed that the hill has repossessed your
10:02shoes.
10:03Death should sting, but removing completed progress made every defeat feel unnecessarily cruel.
10:15The Gambit System Final Fantasy 12
10:17This little gem was praised for its rich story, wonderful voice acting, and revolutionary Gambit System.
10:23Final Fantasy 12 sometimes feels less like controlling a party and more like supervising three very efficient NPCs.
10:29The Gambit System lets players program automatic responses for healing, attacking, and using abilities,
10:34which is clever, but can also make battles feel strangely hands-off.
10:37Once everything's set up properly, the party may handle entire fights while the player watches from the sidelines like a
10:43confused manager.
10:44The story has a similar problem. Its political conflicts, rival kingdoms, and shifting alliances are ambitious,
10:49but they can become difficult to follow, especially compared with the more personal stories of other entries.
10:54There's plenty happening, yet it doesn't always create the same emotional connection, or just connection.
10:59Number one, play history.
11:01The Gambit System goes way, way, way back.
11:05The simple if-then structure is actually based on enemy AI patterns from the original games.
11:10Feeding the lore, Final Fantasy 13
11:13The 13 days after we awoke were the beginning of the end.
11:22Final Fantasy 13 drops players into its world and immediately starts throwing terms around like everyone attended the same briefing
11:28beforehand.
11:29Le C, Falsi, Focus, Pulse, Cocoon. The characters understand it all, while the player is left trying to assemble the
11:35plot with a confused expression and an inability to pronounce any of those goddamn words.
11:39Most of the useful explanation is hidden inside the data log, meaning the story often makes more sense after pausing
11:45to read several pages of homework.
11:47The setting itself is fascinating and its central conflict has plenty of potential, but the game rarely explains any of
11:52it naturally.
11:53A newcomer character asking obvious questions would have helped enormously.
11:57Instead, everyone keeps shouting important nouns and hoping the audience eventually catches up.
12:07The time investment Final Fantasy 14
12:19The biggest obstacle in Final Fantasy 14 is not its combat, subscription fee, or even finding a name that's not
12:25already been taken.
12:25It's the enormous time commitment. How long to beat estimates the game, completion can take anywhere from roughly 106 hours
12:33to more than two and a half thousand hours and experienced players may laugh at the lower end.
12:37The free trial removes some financial risk, but it can't make the game any smaller.
12:42There are years of story quests, expansions, raids, jobs, and side activities waiting inside. Fans who fall in love can
12:48happily lose months to it, but anyone already unsure about starting may see those numbers and decide they enjoy having
12:53spare time.
12:54I'm one of those people who needs an end goal, otherwise I'll never stop playing and Mojo will fire me.
13:05Chapter 13 Final Fantasy 15
13:07Are we buying the story that the crystal can purge demons?
13:11The proof is in the purging, but it does stand to reason.
13:15By the time players reached Chapter 13 of Final Fantasy 15, the game's troubled development was suddenly noticeable.
13:20Noctis is cut off from the rest of the party, loses access to his normal weapons, and spends far too
13:24long creeping through a gloomy Imperial facility.
13:26Combat becomes slower, stealth takes center stage, and every corridor seems designed to test how much patience remains.
13:32The idea was clearly to make Noctis feel vulnerable and alone, and that part does come through.
13:37The problem is that emotional isolation quickly turns into, Jesus, this is boring.
13:41I was just driving my car around a beautiful open world and now I'm stuck in Midgar from Final Fantasy
13:457, but it's just one building.
13:47Even Square Enix later adjusted and expanded the chapter after widespread criticism.
13:52When a section needs major repairs after release, it's usually a sign that you messed up.
14:03No challenge, Final Fantasy 16.
14:12Final Fantasy 16 borrows plenty from Devil May Cry, giving Clive faster movement, flashy combos, and enough magical attacks to
14:19turn every battlefield into a fireworks display.
14:22The problem is that the game rarely asks players to use all that power properly.
14:25Clive becomes ridiculously capable, yet most enemies offer little resistance, making the first playthrough feel more like a victory lap
14:32than an action challenge.
14:33There's a tougher mode called Ultimaniac, but Square Enix hides it behind New Game Plus, meaning the entire story must
14:39be completed before the real test begins.
14:41For experienced action fans, that's far too late.
14:44The game hands you a sports car that makes you drive through a school zone.
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