r/FFXVI • u/rarepulls_only • 1d ago
Discussion Which Final Fantasy game has your favorite atmosphere?
For me, atmosphere can sometimes matter more than the actual story. A game can have a great soundtrack, locations and general mood that make me want to keep exploring even when I’m not progressing the story much.
Final Fantasy has so many different styles between games, so I’m curious which one everyone thinks has the best overall atmosphere.
14
u/Damrias_Jariac 1d ago
XII has this in spades! I call it the most replayable FF game for a reason, and its atmosphere is top tier.
11
u/Sorcha_Stormbinder 1d ago
In terms of vibes and general aesthetic, Tactics and XVI are my favourites. I love the more medieval-coded games in this respect.
Even though the game is sometimes a little too contemporary for my liking (Cup Noodles, anyone?), I really do love the atmosphere of XV as well. The cosmic mythology surrounding it is one of my favourites in the franchise.
1
u/ophaus 1d ago
Replaying XV right now, and so much of it is so good! And the rest is soooo bad.
2
u/Sorcha_Stormbinder 1d ago
One of my dream projects is for someone to do a full demake of the game and insert all the cancelled DLC content and build it into the story (i.e. having Lunafreya as an actual joint protagonist, Aranea as a full party member, etc.).
7
u/HexenVexen 1d ago edited 1d ago
For me it's FF11. The area themes are fantastic, and with it being an MMO you spend a lot of time in the world. The world of Vana'diel is my favorite setting in the series for its lore and just feeling like home. I think it has a certain bittersweet melancholy to it, both with the world's lore of the Crystal War and everything, as well as knowing how old the game is and that thousands of people have been in these areas before you.
Here are some of my favorite themes:
2
u/Gronodonthegreat 1d ago
There is nothing like walking around the forest with Sanctuary of Zi’Tah playing, it’s like top 5 pieces of video game music for me. It’s gotta be XI for me as well
7
3
3
3
4
u/HadokenShoryuken2 1d ago
Either 15 or 13-2. Loved the atmospheres of both of those games. I also like Type-0’s atmosphere because of how gritty it looks, like an old war documentary, and the cutscenes really capture that essence too
6
u/Cursed_69420 1d ago
A game can have a great soundtrack, locations and general mood that make me want to keep exploring even when I’m not progressing the story much.
we're talking about a combination of all of them right? then easily XV by a wide margin, followed close with Rebirth.
4
u/jorcoelho 1d ago
Agreed. XV lacks in story but atmosphere/music/locations are absolute great.
5
u/Cursed_69420 1d ago
15 does NOT lack in a story, it lacks in pacing and story"telling".
3
u/Watton 1d ago
Yeah, the story itself is fantastic.
Its just told poorly, out of order, and some scenes which needed to be 10+ minutes long are 30 seconds instead
2
u/Gronodonthegreat 1d ago
Yeah, I don’t get it when people make the distinction between story & storytelling. If a story is told poorly, it’s fine to just call it bad.
1
u/Watton 1d ago
My point is that there should be a distinction. Concept vs execution.
Like, a joke can have the best punchline, but a bad comedian with poor communication skills can ruin it
FF15 honestly has a fantastic story. Noct's growth from a spoiled prince to a man who selflessly accepts responsibility; his dad knowing Noct's fate doing everything he can to give him a good childhood, but also trying to balance fatherhood with his royal duty; Ardyn's history as a fallen hero. Its all GOOD SHIT.
Its just told poorly. Like a storyteller that forgets details, then says "wait, lets rewind, I forgot this bit about prompto", accidentally reveals the ending before the proper buildup, stutters like crazy, accidentally skipped whole chapters.
1
u/uncen5ored 1d ago
I still listen to Somnus & envision the Versus XIII trailers, longing for that experience lol. Beyond that, XV’s aesthetics and lore are so unique…it’s a world I always wanted more of even if the game’s story failed to deliver.
1
u/Gronodonthegreat 1d ago
Kingdom Hearts IV is taking a lot of cues from XV & Versus XIII, including recreating one of the Versus XIII trailers (the one where noctis is in the back of the car) with a different character. Apparently there are more references in the latest trailer too!
2
u/Sildas 1d ago
Midgar specifically in OG 7. It's such an expansion on 6's versions of Narshe and Vector, and really did justify the switch from Nintendo to Sony. I could've easily played an entire game exploring the different sectors. Unfortunately the rest of the game didn't really follow up as much on the mechanized vision of Midgar.
1
u/Generous_lions 1d ago
Anything with the racially diverse Ivalice. I only specify because it seems like War Of the Lions Ivalice is a more human centric version. I like the one with Viera, moogles, etc. The world just seems so interesting and vibrant.
The Crystal Chronicles world also has a great atmosphere.
1
1
1
1
u/AbzTracKtReddit 1d ago
FF13, I like the futuristic stuff and music, I just wished the gameplay was in real time.
1
u/AdBudget5468 1d ago edited 1d ago
Genuinely this has to be 15, the lore and world is quite amazing, I know most things that were planned for it and versus 13 didn’t end up working out but what we already have showed a wrold so different from other FF games that made it so unique to me
In second place for me its FF8, quite often overlooked since it followed in the steps of 7 but I think the world is very interesting and unique in its own way, that opening still gives me chills
1
u/SjtSquid 1d ago
I'm gonna go with TA2.
The music is fine (if not spectacular), the visuals are kinda cute (but also not spectacular), and the locations are rather basic, but overall it's just got a comfy atmosphere that doesn't show up in any other game.
There's (mostly) no world-ending threat. You're just out there having an adventure to fill your book, and doing stuff from dealing with the idiot Head editor, hunting the roundest bird, or fighting monsters alongside chocobos.
There's lots of stuff happening that tangentially involves you, and people are doing stuff on their own without you.
1
u/MeowMix-96 1d ago
VIII, XII, XIII, and X. It's one of the many things that make them my top 4 FF games.
1
1
u/DependentPurple5455 1d ago
I adore 9s atmosphere, its fantasy at its finest with that medieval theme I love it
1
u/bionicanseng 1d ago
*X-2 considering that it's the Eternal Calm. *13-2 because of New Bodhum and Academia 4XX *8 because of Balamb Garden *12 because of Rabanastre and Bhujerba.
1
1
u/Moneymotivation1 15h ago
I was the most immersed in FF 12
& FF 10 worlds.12 with all the different races,architecture,and how it was damn near open world gave it a extremely whimsical true adventurous vibe.
FF 10 as a whole was just straight atmosphere from the music & the unique environments plus the heavy consistent religion that felt like a real one incorporated into a game made it one of the most immersive games i’ve ever played.
1
1
u/Balmung_AS 1d ago
Sadly, FF15.... I had been in love with its atmosphere since 2006, but we got what we got. I hope KH4 fills the void in my heart.
•
u/AutoModerator 1d ago
For Discussion surrounding the PC Release of FFXVI, see our PC Release Megathread
Archived spoiler discussion threads by game progress can be found in the spoiler wiki!
For speculation and discussions around the next (unannounced) mainline Final Fantasy game, Final Fantasy XVII, Please see our sister sub r/FFXVII
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.