Every Final Fantasy Remake

Remakes are the big thing now and until there are a lot of disasters from major studios, they will probably remain a good idea for companies. Dead Space and Resident Evil 4 were big hits for the horror genre. Crash and Spyro got decent remakes for platform fans everywhere even if you could categorize them as just remasters.

Either way, studios cash in on nostalgia and it's going double, maybe even triple, with Square Enix. While they have made remakes of Final Fantasy especially games, it's really just become sex. Remasters are more their bread and butter, but let's ignore the likes and focus on the actual six remakes they've helped make so far.

5 Final Fantasy Origins

Combine the two games that started it all

Final Fantasy Origins was a compilation that included the first two games in the series remastered with more 16-bit graphics compared to their NES 8-bit counterparts. Technically, the first time these games were remade was for the WonderSwan Color which was a Japan only portable console. This collection is based on those versions with additional improvements. The reason this collection is a big deal for the West, in particular, is because it was the first time North America got to experience it Final Fantasy 2 15 years after it debuted in Japan in 1988. Originally, Final Fantasy 4 was released as Final Fantasy 2 in North America and it threw the entire series out of commission until Final Fantasy 7 appeared.

History and names aside, these two games are classics but couldn't be more different. Final Fantasy allowed players to create a party of four from a few jobs including monks and black mages with a traditional turn-based combat and leveling system. Final Fantasy 2 gave players named characters and leveled up depending on what actions were taken in battle which led to a whole new series within Squaresoft early on: Fairy tale series. While this PS1 collection isn't the best way to enjoy these games, Final Fantasy 1 & 2: Dawn of Souls on GBA is better, Final Fantasy Origins is still important in the franchise's history, again, especially in the West.

4 Final Fantasy 4 (DS)

Upping The Storytelling Game

Final Fantasy 4 was ported a few times before this but this was the first time these beloved characters were rendered in polygonal forms. The game was remade for the DS and featured voice acting on top of new graphics along with some new content and gameplay tweaks. While not as bombastic as some of the console games, the in-game cutscenes were well directed. It was also an easier time than other iterations of the game which was a good jump for new players.

The DS was like Square Enix's excuse to go back to the well to remake and port classic games from their library to a lower budget. Redo Final Fantasy 4 wouldn't have made much sense on the PS3 but it was perfect for the DS. That said, fans of this entry in the series would surely love a bigger and bolder remake one day. It's an important post that pushed the storytelling forward with a well-rounded and rotating cast of party members from Cecil to Tellah, so it deserves respect.

3 Final Fantasy 3 (DS)

The job system is born

While Final Fantasy 4 is a better game overall, FFinal Fantasy 3 is a better remake on DS. As Final Fantasy Origins concerning Final Fantasy 2this was the first time Final Fantasy 3 has been made available since its launch in 1990 in Japan. This was the only other version it got, so it remained lost until it came back from the dead to hit the DS. This is the post that introduced the replaceable job system to Final Fantasy series.

Players can learn spells as a black wizard and then bring some of these concepts to their job as a thief. It's a basic job system compared to other, more refined entries that came after, but it's still a fun system to experiment with. For Final Fantasy fans, playing this for the first time was a joy. That, more than Final Fantasy 4needed and deserved a complete remake because the NES version is a bit too clunky to sit down and play.

2 Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

Part two and going strong

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is part two of what will likely be a three-part series of remakes. It continues its journey from Final Fantasy 7 Remake where Cloud and the others finally leave Midgar and it ends in the City of the Ancients. Without spoiling anything, it should tell longtime fans of the original what's going on in the game about the story. Gameplay remains action-heavy albeit more refined with party combos and the addition of Red 13 and Cait Sith as playable characters in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.

It is also a fully open game, whereas the first part was limited to Midgar even with the Yuffie DLC. Square Enix beautifully added so much attention to detail to make this an even bolder step forward in the remake process with tons of mini-games and laugh-out-loud moments. It's easily one of the best RPGs from 2024, let alone games in general, but it's not quite as good as its predecessor.

1 Final Fantasy 7 Remake

A promise fulfilled in the blink of an eye

Final Fantasy 7 Remake should be the lesser of the two remake games. It's limited to one area, has less playable characters, and it's shorter. However, this game makes great use of those limitations to improve what was otherwise just a four, maybe seven hour long section of the original game. There is certainly some filler content with fetch missions, but it also shines a brighter light on side characters like the AVALANCHE companions of Jessie, Biggs and Wedge in Final Fantasy 7 Remake. It was a game that Square Enix had to present to the fans and make them think they knew what they were doing.

To the surprise of fans, it exceeded expectations because it had a secret lying inside. It wasn't a remake in the traditional sense. It was the start of a sequel within a time loop that felt fitting for the wildness that happened in the original game. Now the big question is, can they finish the landing with the third entry? Hard to say but there will never be a better feeling than what fans experienced when they first booted up this game. It was a promise that was finally fulfilled over a decade later after Square Enix teased their PS3 tech demo of Final Fantasy VII running on the hardware.