Just can't get into classic Final Fantasy

[Tenhou]

I'm lucky. I've seen almost all consoles since NES. You can't enjoy old games most likely because the quality bar is completely different now. In the 90s, almost all pixel RPGs implied that the player used his imagination. Now everyone is pushing for realistic graphics. Plus, the plot is presented in a completely different way. In the 90s, we had a plot like "You are the chosen one. Go and defeat X." And it was enough. Now, for example, Final Fantasy 16 is called "Anime Game of Thrones".
And yes someone mentioned language barrier. Thats also a thing. I spend time learning english and don't reget it. Got access to huge libary of RPGs and JRPGs. But thats not for all and its completely normal to want game in your native language.

 

[Yousef]

I'm lucky. I've seen almost all consoles since NES. You can't enjoy old games most likely because the quality bar is completely different now. In the 90s, almost all pixel RPGs implied that the player used his imagination. Now everyone is pushing for realistic graphics. Plus, the plot is presented in a completely different way. In the 90s, we had a plot like "You are the chosen one. Go and defeat X." And it was enough. Now, for example, Final Fantasy 16 is called "Anime Game of Thrones".
And yes someone mentioned language barrier. Thats also a thing. I spend time learning english and don't reget it. Got access to huge libary of RPGs and JRPGs. But thats not for all and its completely normal to want game in your native language.

Damn I wonder who that someone was

 

[MilkMan]

Reject Final Fantasy, Embrace Dragon Quest

Nah for real though, I also struggle to get into classic Final Fantasy. I’ve only played a couple hours of ff4, ff6, ff7 and ff10 but they’ve never stuck and I’ve always moved on to something else.

The Dragon Quest games all have a very consistent visual style and a wholesome feeling of adventure. I find that the Final Fantasy games have a very inconsistent visual style, with creatures that look like they don’t belong together. The differing size of the sprites in snes FF also throws me off. I also can’t pinpoint a vibe that I can really gel with and become immersed in. It’s not that I need games to be wholesome, my favorite media is usually relentlessly bleak, it’s just that I’m not sure what vibe the FF games are going for at all. Final Fantasy as a series just doesn’t feel like it has a consistent vision.

I’ll probably give the games a try again soon but I’m not sure it will ever be a series that’s for me and that’s okay. I think it’s wonderful that there’s so many different games to choose from and we can all find games that speak to us.

 

[MasterEn]

Reject Final Fantasy, Embrace Dragon Quest

Nah for real though, I also struggle to get into classic Final Fantasy. I’ve only played a couple hours of ff4, ff6, ff7 and ff10 but they’ve never stuck and I’ve always moved on to something else.

The Dragon Quest games all have a very consistent visual style and a wholesome feeling of adventure. I find that the Final Fantasy games have a very inconsistent visual style, with creatures that look like they don’t belong together. The differing size of the sprites in snes FF also throws me off. I also can’t pinpoint a vibe that I can really gel with and become immersed in. It’s not that I need games to be wholesome, my favorite media is usually relentlessly bleak, it’s just that I’m not sure what vibe the FF games are going for at all. Final Fantasy as a series just doesn’t feel like it has a consistent vision.

I’ll probably give the games a try again soon but I’m not sure it will ever be a series that’s for me and that’s okay. I think it’s wonderful that there’s so many different games to choose from and we can all find games that speak to us.

final fantasy started off as a copy, more or less, of dungeons and dragons. you could interpret the various differences between each game as a new dungeon master and their friends starting a new campaign; hence the differences in art and sprites, tone and setting.
that's probably the best way to put it.

 

[starseeker300]

If you dont like it, you dont like it, not every game is for everyone . dont beat yourself up over it

I mean, look at Galuf? In his portrait, he doesn't have a beard at all! ?

He looks like the lorax doing the 1000 yard stare

 

[PaleFolklore]

He looks like the lorax doing the 1000 yard stare

On a more serious note, focusing on the theme of the thread:

As many others have already stated, don't beat yourself up over this. If it ain't right, it ain't right. Period.

That said, you could try focusing on something completely unrelated, and who knows? Boom—you might find yourself hooked on one of the games. Maybe all your brain needed was some time to focus on other activities, reflect on something that was holding you back, and, in this case, allow you to dive deeper.

Who knows? Maybe give it a shot.

 

[starseeker300]

to piggyback off what PaleFolkLore said above me as well. try out other kinds of rpgs, Like the Mario & Luigi games or an SRPG like Fire Emblem or XCOM

 

[Pandaprewmaster325]

Case and point final fantasy sucks find a better game , case closed

 

[prnzo x BOOZE-o ka-BEER-o]

solid advice all around here. kudos/properz spreadshot to RGT users in this thread in general. contrived, 'obligatory' gaming is a tough trap to get out of that I STILL fall into like those unsightly pits like the ones from Atari2600 E.T. xD my autistic need for certain orders n unnecessarily convoluted processes feel like a forced logic-disconnect from any solid wisdom n awareness I actually possess. a masochistic need for an illusory perfection. striving for imaginary notions of 'objectivity' - too obsessively perfunctory to easily bypass with even strong logical reminders I know to be true n flush-consistent with any given thing's relation to all the other turning gears n moving parts that empirically exist. or are assumed to outside of metaphysical negation possibility.

all these tendencies n mental trappings are just erroneous brain dysfunction. nonetheless, even if conquered they are always a potential or subtle obstacle; always a relevant, perpetual factor, sadly. but life is supposed to be a challenge as much of an entertaining experience, more or less. entropy is just draggin your feet n stagnating/poisoning the satisfying or at least profound journey your life is supposed to be (unless there is a static truth outside of individual perception n interpretive perspective n driven ambitions. doubtful IMO but could be wrong).

this thread hits home but not really on the basis of graphical aesthetic factors. but there are workarounds to these things if you're diligent when you feel you can comfortably handle it - when it's not a total frustrating 'buzzkiLL' or vibekiLL - but, as astutely mentioned by at least 2 posters on this thread - it's good to sense when to give yourself a break n return after your mental 'cache' is cleared of the anti-motivational clutter or any other extraneous baggage-web-weaving (for lack of less ramshackle phrases to relegate it to xD )

if all this is too dense/heady and/or flowery-laden of a musing roundabout solution - then I'll try to sum it up - not sure I ever took much to the cliched, once-trendy phrase/adage "life is what's happening while you're making other plans." - you don't have to multi-task like I'd be cursed to be doing to a non-committal , flighty, mixed-up detriment without my adderaLL. but a plan B, C n so on might be good to help lift the burden off your JRPGing self-expectation. options are good unless you get stuck in the horrifying mire of paralyzing prolonged indecision (I suffer that - not sayin you do). it's good to stay movin, stay busy. idle hands are Garland's tooLs xD sorry, hope my multi-directional yammering helps even in some small way \m/

 

[Pandaprewmaster325]

I found not expecting much from old video games works just fine.

Don't expect smooth gameplay its going to be clunky , don't expect well thought out design people were experimenting with all sorts of stuff back then even spells that damage the caster (im looking at you dark) and its ok in the end somethings aren't meant for you.

Gaming is first and foremost about fun if no fun to be had then don't continue.

 

[chufflord]

I've been a JRPG fan boy my whole life, and I grew up with a Super Nintendo, largely regarded as a peak system for the genre. But I have a confession to make. I have never completed any of the first 6 Final Fantasy games.
Growing up, my favorite game was Chrono Trigger, and I basically worshipped anything from Squaresoft, but no matter how many times I would start playing one of the classic Final Fantasy games, I would always lose interest and move on to something else. I've started Final Fantasy V & VI at least a dozen times each, but have only ever gotten a few hours deep.

My whole life I've always heard that Final Fantasy VI is a must-play for JRPG fans, and one of the best the genre has to offer. I genuinely WANT to get into it and enjoy the experience. I want to play the first Final Fantasy to see what the game that started it all has to offer. I want to play FF2 to experience the wonky leveling system and the Star Wars-esque story. I want to play FF3 for the introduction of the swappable Job system, FF4 for the incredible story and dedicated use of jobs and classes, FF5 for the perfection of the job system model and the "end" of the "4 elemental crystals" structure used up until that time.
But I just find them so difficult to enjoy.

This isn't because of antiquated gameplay. I am a fan of older, simpler mechanics and even downright bad controls & systems (I just played Earthbound for the first time a few years ago and loved it).

The only thing I can think of that always takes me out of these games is the disparity in sprite work. Depending on the scenario, sprites are totally different in tone, scale, realism and even movement. Enemy sprites are totally different in battle than the ones for the same enemy in normal gameplay. And finally the play character sprites are completely different from that same character's profile illustrations. Does anyone else have a problem with this or is it just me?

I'm wondering if anyone else has had a difficult time starting these games, but powered through and was glad that they did? Trying to decide if I should keep playing through FF6 or just give it up for something else (like Seiken Densetsu 3, for example).

If it's the mish-mash of art styles used to depict things between battle, menus, and overworld that turns you off from the game, it'll be a rough sell. This is done in all of the 2D titles. Maybe.. try the 3D remake of 4 and see how you feel? YMMV.

I'd say SD3 is definitely more visually consistent with what you're describing. It's a great game anyway, so you might as well check it out regardless and see if it sticks.

 

[Natsuyasumi]

Thanks for all the replies, everyone! I won't touch on all the points made here, but just to cover a few of them:

"You just might not be into old JRPGs"
I am very much into old JRPGs. I've played a host of them throughout my life (including ancient ones like DQ1 and Mother) and I am nearly 40 yrs old, so it's not a matter of "you just had to be there." I was there. I loved every minute of it. I've want to be in to FF because I love the exact genre and time period it represents.

"There is nothing weird about FF's art style / You just need to use your imagination / the limitations of the time, etc."
Art and design is definitely subjective... but you're really gonna tell me this isn't a goofy design choice?

I am more than happy to play as a little chibi pixelated character, I honestly prefer that to a fully rendered 3D photorealistic model, but having my little cartoon guy next to a full on painting of an enemy (that does not move in any way, mind you) just kinda takes me out of it. This is a very specific artsyle to the FF series and a few other Squaresoft titles like Romancing Saga and Rudra no Hihou. Most other JRPGs from this same period or earlier kept a consistent art style, and I guess that matters to me.

"I agree with you on the art style / it's ok not to be into FF"
Thanks for the encouragement!

All that being said:
I have been playing FF 6 R.O.S.E. lately and I have been enjoying myself! Even with the total disparate sprite work, I've been getting into it and I find myself not caring as much as I maybe had in the past.

I do think I'm just going to play through 6 and call it good, though. I've tried enough with 1-5 and can feel good about leaving them behind, that I've experienced the best of the classic series.

Thanks again for all your thoughts!

 

[Jotaro]

my opinion about this type of stuff is, if you like a series/game, you dig it, if you can't get into it, don't, don't force yourself, it's a matter of taste, sometimes it just doesn't click, that goes for every series/game out there, etc

for example, many people think of dbz as possibly the best anime series, i don't

so simple

 

[Strategist's iconStrategist]

"There is nothing weird about FF's art style / You just need to use your imagination / the limitations of the time, etc."
Art and design is definitely subjective... but you're really gonna tell me this isn't a goofy design choice?

I am more than happy to play as a little chibi pixelated character, I honestly prefer that to a fully rendered 3D photorealistic model, but having my little cartoon guy next to a full on painting of an enemy (that does not move in any way, mind you) just kinda takes me out of it. This is a very specific artsyle to the FF series and a few other Squaresoft titles like Romancing Saga and Rudra no Hihou. Most other JRPGs from this same period or earlier kept a consistent art style, and I guess that matters to me.

I mean, it is fine to not like SNES era JRPGs, but what you are saying is factually incorrect. Many JRPGs of that era had a similar disparity between enemies and characters (If they displayed the player characters at all).

For example, Lufia 2.

and 7th Saga

 

[Natsuyasumi]

I mean, it is fine to not like SNES era JRPGs

I literally said that I love old JRPGs, lol. I even mentioned that I'm playing and enjoying FF6.
I'm a major fan of 90s JRPGs, both on the SNES and other systems.

And as for the two examples you give, while there is obviously a big difference in the size of the characters, they have the exact same tone. They have the same level of brightness and color, and it's clear they were made by the same artist, even if the player characters are chibi-fied to an extent. They aren't anywhere near the level of disparity present in the FF games. How big that human boss is in Lufia II is kinda silly, but it doesn't seem out of place.

When I talk about consistent art style and sprite work, I'm thinking of:
Chrono Trigger
Breath of Fire Series
Dragon Quest Series
Mother Series
Phantasy Star Series
Tengai Makyou Zero
Tales of Phantasia
Star Ocean
Slayers
Robotrek
Paladin's Quest
Monstania
G-O-D
Emerald Dragon
Elfaria
Eien no Filena
Lagrange Point
Dual Orb
Dark Half
Albert Odyssey
Pokemon Series
Saga series
Mario RPG
and yes, even Lufia and 7th Saga
Even the first Shin Megami Tensai for SNES has some very interesting choices in terms of its visual design, but it all meshes together.

I'm sure we could nitpick each of these games and find little inconsistencies all day long, but a simple comparison to the FF6 screenshots I've shared shows the difference clearly.

But again, all of that having been said, I am getting into FF6, art & design choices aside.

 

[Strategist's iconStrategist]

I literally said that I love old JRPGs, lol. I even mentioned that I'm playing and enjoying FF6.
I'm a major fan of 90s JRPGs, both on the SNES and other systems.

And as for the two examples you give, while there is obviously a big difference in the size of the characters, they have the exact same tone. They have the same level of brightness and color, and it's clear they were made by the same artist, even if the player characters are chibi-fied to an extent. They aren't anywhere near the level of disparity present in the FF games. How big that human boss is in Lufia II is kinda silly, but it doesn't seem out of place.

Ah well, that is true, and you are correct. They literally had two different artists work on the monsters and chibi models. Yoshitaka Amano would create the concept art, monster designs and portraits, while Kazuko Shibuya would design the pixel art chibi characters.

 

[Nidoking's iconNidoking]

While I can't say it applies specifically to classic Final Fantasy for me, that does fall into this...

I spent a huge portion of my earlier years absolutely despising turn-based games as a whole. When I was really young I just didn't really understand them and they seemed really boring. Like "...nothing is moving... this is all just menus..." I was kind of dumb, but I had NO understanding of why anyone would want to play them. Then, a few years later, I decided to give them another shot. The problem is the one I picked, while coming out during the golden age of JRPG's... was this.

I've come to at least appreciate things about this game, but by NO means was it the right choice or the game that would convert me. I had no idea of its reputation, though... so I just figured "Wow, I REALLY just don't like these kinds of games." So it reinforced my disinterest to the genre.

Cut to years later... and a certain JRPG installment of an already monumentally popular series had been EXPLODING in popularity. Found it on sale like a year after it dropped and I was like "Okay... ONE more try. I'll give these games ONE.MORE.TRY." And that game was...

...and I... was... OBSESSED. I almost immediately fell in love with it. Something just clicked, and the ENTIRE genre's doors swung wide open for me. From there I wanted to go back and try as many Final Fantasy games as possible, and by extension Squaresoft JRPG's. This led to a domino effect finding me countless games I love and even my favorite game of all time.

I did struggle, after this, for a time to adjust to older JRPG's... but I was determined. Eventually I broke that barrier, and to this day FF4 is still one of my favorite JRPG's.

Sometimes you just need to find that 'right' one and it opens the gate, making so many previously unappealing titles suddenly shine in a new light. It just takes one.

 

[MasterEn]

While I can't say it applies specifically to classic Final Fantasy for me, that does fall into this...

I spent a huge portion of my earlier years absolutely despising turn-based games as a whole. When I was really young I just didn't really understand them and they seemed really boring. Like "...nothing is moving... this is all just menus..." I was kind of dumb, but I had NO understanding of why anyone would want to play them. Then, a few years later, I decided to give them another shot. The problem is the one I picked, while coming out during the golden age of JRPG's... was this.

View attachment 27868

I've come to at least appreciate things about this game, but by NO means was it the right choice or the game that would convert me. I had no idea of its reputation, though... so I just figured "Wow, I REALLY just don't like these kinds of games." So it reinforced my disinterest to the genre.

Cut to years later... and a certain JRPG installment of an already monumentally popular series had been EXPLODING in popularity. Found it on sale like a year after it dropped and I was like "Okay... ONE more try. I'll give these games ONE.MORE.TRY." And that game was...

View attachment 27869

...and I... was... OBSESSED. I almost immediately fell in love with it. Something just clicked, and the ENTIRE genre's doors swung wide open for me. From there I wanted to go back and try as many Final Fantasy games as possible, and by extension Squaresoft JRPG's. This led to a domino effect finding me countless games I love and even my favorite game of all time.

I did struggle, after this, for a time to adjust to older JRPG's... but I was determined. Eventually I broke that barrier, and to this day FF4 is still one of my favorite JRPG's.

Sometimes you just need to find that 'right' one and it opens the gate, making so many previously unappealing titles suddenly shine in a new light. It just takes one.

this is kind of weirdly ironic. you tried quest 64, which did a better execution of what ff2 wanted to do; you didn't care too much for it, and then you played ffx; which also did the same idea of ff2 but even better. i think you prefer the rpgs that have a quick pace to them. quick load screens, fast battle pacing; no unnecessary fluff, just good gameplay. you might like ff12. it reuses the game engine from 11, but the battle pacing is on par with 10, but even smoother.

 

[Nidoking's iconNidoking]

this is kind of weirdly ironic. you tried quest 64, which did a better execution of what ff2 wanted to do; you didn't care too much for it, and then you played ffx; which also did the same idea of ff2 but even better. i think you prefer the rpgs that have a quick pace to them. quick load screens, fast battle pacing; no unnecessary fluff, just good gameplay. you might like ff12. it reuses the game engine from 11, but the battle pacing is on par with 10, but even smoother.

I only tried a demo for FF12 waaaay back, but I don't remember liking the way the combat worked. Isn't it sort of a weird pseudo-turnbased kind of thing? I've pretty much neglected every Final Fantasy after FFX/X-2. I know the series eventually completely abandoned turnbased gameplay and that pretty much kills it for me.

 

[MasterEn]

I only tried a demo for FF12 waaaay back, but I don't remember liking the way the combat worked. Isn't it sort of a weird pseudo-turnbased kind of thing? I've pretty much neglected every Final Fantasy after FFX/X-2. I know the series eventually completely abandoned turnbased gameplay and that pretty much kills it for me.

it's an unusual hybrid. they have a thing called the gambit system, which can be used for auto-battling to an extent. characters can reform specific actions when conditions are met, such as "party member status = poisoned, use antidote". or "enemy weak to fire = cast fire".
you do go a bit into the game before it is introduced, and after the tutorial, you are told you can turn it off and on whenever you want to. so, you can make use of some automated combat for minor things and you can always interrupt any character before they carry out a command if need be.

 

[Nidoking's iconNidoking]

it's an unusual hybrid. they have a thing called the gambit system, which can be used for auto-battling to an extent. characters can reform specific actions when conditions are met, such as "party member status = poisoned, use antidote". or "enemy weak to fire = cast fire".
you do go a bit into the game before it is introduced, and after the tutorial, you are told you can turn it off and on whenever you want to. so, you can make use of some automated combat for minor things and you can always interrupt any character before they carry out a command if need be.

I might try it eventually, the story always sounded at least somewhat compelling. Definitely not at the top of my list, though.

 

[MasterEn]

I might try it eventually, the story always sounded at least somewhat compelling. Definitely not at the top of my list, though.

projared review the game and he clarified up the general meme of "it's star wars but final fantasy"
it's game of thrones but with a star wars skin pack. [and by game of thrones, i mean when it was good.]

 

[Bragr]

It's the random encounters that ruin things for me, it's unbearable if you aren't used to it.

 

[Leifang]

It's the random encounters that ruin things for me, it's unbearable if you aren't used to it.

This is fixable in many modern re-releases with built-in encounter skip mode (you just turn it off if you want to see enemies of the area or get XP/loot.

 

[Pandaprewmaster325]

Not the most smooth of solutions but you can run from encounters.