The Final Fantasy series is well-loved all over the world. Spanning multiple titles, with additional anime adaptations, movies, figures, and more, it's no surprise that the franchise keeps going strong. Each game offers fantastic music, memorable characters, and a different journey for fans to play through.
Final Fantasy plays an influential role in the design and conception of many JRPGs, but it's not the only huge series out there, either. If you're looking for something new to try after getting your Final Fantasy fix, or you just want to find something that offers the same sort of fun as this beloved game series, there's a lot of options to try out.
10 Bravely Default
Originally conceived as a sequel to Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light, Bravely Default became its own title with a new setting, new characters, and a unique combat system. This series harkens back to classic Final Fantasy titles, with exciting, turn-based combat and a classic story involving four elemental crystals.
What makes Bravely Default stand out is its modern takes on the formula. With a variety of jobs to unlock and an addictive combat system that turns traditional turn-based combat on its head, this series quickly became beloved to Final Fantasy fans everywhere. The most recent title, Bravely Default 2, is unrelated to the past two games in the series and can be bought on the Nintendo Switch.
9 Persona
The Persona series started as a spin-off of the Shin Megami Tensei series, focused on stories that take place in school settings and using Personas in combat to fight enemies. This series is hugely popular in its own right, especially recently, with the success of the latest game in the series, Persona 5.
Newer titles in the series offer a social sim function in their gameplay. This allows players to choose to engage in activities during the campaign and become closer to certain characters, which in turn affects their abilities in combat. The series is known for having profound stories, great combat, and a fantastic soundtrack.
8 Golden Sun
The Golden Sun series spans three titles. Two were released for the GameBoy Advance, while the third was released for the Nintendo DS, and fans have been clamoring for another entry or a rerelease, with good reason. Golden Sun follows the story of a group of characters who are attuned to elements, tasked with saving the world from a destructive power.
There are lots of loveable characters in Golden Sun, and the classic visuals of the games will feel familiar to fans of Final Fantasy. Players must use the elemental skills at their disposal both in and out of combat, to solve the many puzzles present throughout the game.
7 Tales Of...
Similar to how most Final Fantasy titles are standalone stories with their own plot, world, and characters, the Tales series spans a number of games, all with different casts, themes, and settings. While the Tales series doesn't have as massive of a following as Final Fantasy in the West, it's absolutely huge in Japan, with regular concerts and online events.
The Tales games offer epic stories with loveable characters and a combat system that combines action game style fighting with a 2.5D movement area. Players can move their character around the field during a fight and use positioning to attack the enemy's weak spots. There's also a combat arts and skills system, adding to the game's depth.
6 EarthBound/Mother
A cult classic, Earthbound was released years ago for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. While it didn't do too well in the West at first, over time, people have come to enjoy and appreciate what it does.
Earthbound takes place in a modern-day setting, which can be a breath of fresh air after so many games in fantasy settings. It offers a charming and heartwarming plot, with humorous writing and beautiful visuals that look good, even to this day. Known as the Mother trilogy in Japan, only the first two entries in the franchise were released in the West.
5 Dragon Quest
One of the biggest JRPG series ever, with a history as rich as Final Fantasy's, Dragon Quest games offer sprawling and vibrant worlds for players to explore and lose themselves in. These games are well known for their signature art style and characters, such as the series mascot, the endearing blue Slime.
Dragon Quest games always contain some element of saving the world from a powerful evil. The gameplay style also remains consistent throughout titles, with turn-based combat and lots of menu-based navigation.
4 Xenoblade Chronicles
Xenoblade Chronicles is a series that JRPG and Nintendo fans would have their eyes on. The original game released on Wii and saw critical acclaim for its active combat system that combined 3D movement with skill commands, forcing players to think about their position on the battlefield while also being strategic about their skill usage.
The lore of the Xenoblade series is also something that Final Fantasy fans will enjoy digging into. The games incorporate fantasy and science fiction elements to create a mystical and beautiful world with a rich history and lots of secrets.
3 Ni No Kuni
Ni No Kuni is a series of JRPG games that look like they were pulled straight out of an anime. These RPGs are loved for their gorgeous visuals, but they also offer a lot more to fall in love with. The games' characters are complex, believable, and well written, making the journey spent with them a joy to take on.
Players can roam the games' worlds as they complete quests and engage in combat, collecting enemies to use in future battles. The most recent title in the series, Ni no Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom, is available on both PlayStation 4 and PC.
2 The Last Story
Released on the Wii and directed by the creator of the Final Fantasy series, Hironobu Sakaguchi, The Last Story is an action RPG with great gameplay. The game also features music by Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu, bringing home the feeling of a different sort of Final Fantasy that would still feel familiar to fans.
In The Last Story, action gameplay is combined with tactical and stealth elements. Players control the protagonist and can direct their party members using various commands. Over the course of battles, players can charge up special attack gauges to use game-changing moves to tip the scales in their favor.
1 Kingdom Hearts
It's hard not to recommend Kingdom Hearts to fans of Final Fantasy. The two series are, in some ways, linked, as Final Fantasy characters frequently make appearances in the Kingdom Hearts titles, and the creator of Kingdom Hearts is none other than the well-known Tetsuya Nomura.
Fans of Final Fantasy can look forward to more than just seeing their favorite characters in Kingdom Hearts games. These titles offer a robust and frenetic action combat system, along with colorful characters and surprisingly deep messages about friendship and love. There's a lot to dig into under the surface of the game.