Final Fantasy is one of the most epic RPG series of all time. Some of the games can hook players in right away with a good starting line, or an action-packed cutscene. One game that deserves an honorable mention is Kingdom Hearts which is technically a spinoff of the Final Fantasy series.
The first game has one of the best opening lines ever with, “I’ve been having these weird thoughts lately like is any of this for real or not?” That is followed by a great CG movie with “Simple and Clean” by Hikaru Utada being blasted in the background. That Kingdom Hearts intro is great but so are these intros to Final Fantasy games.
8 “The World Lies Shrouded In Darkness.” (Final Fantasy 1)
This line is based on the PSP’s opening although it is close to the NES’ original line of “The world is veiled in darkness.” After this passage in the PSP version, the game continues with “The winds die, the seas rage, and the earth decays.”
It may sound like a generic setup now, but that’s because a lot of RPGs learned from the first game in this series. It lets players know out the gate that things are dire and it’s up to them to save the day. This is the beginning of the four Warriors of Light.
7 “Owww…I Didn’t See That Hole There.” (Final Fantasy 3)
This line is also based on a PSP version of the series. It’s not as dramatic as the first game’s line which is why it was included. It’s a funny way to open any game with a protagonist, in this case Luneth, falling into a hole without any context.
Also, saying “owww” after falling for who knows how long is an odd thing to mutter wherein most people would probably curse in reality. This is based on an early RPG though wherein strong language had yet to be used, so it is understandable.
6 “The Ancient War of the Magi…” (Final Fantasy 6)
The entire quote, based on the Game Boy Advance port, would be too long to recap here, but the scroll is on the level of the text crawl in the Star Wars movies. The first five Final Fantasy games have the Earth in off-balanced situations but magic is never in danger of fading away.
Final Fantasy 6’s opening instead explains that magic has been dead for a thousand years and has been relaxed with technology. This is the first big leap in thematic genres with Final Fantasy 7 taking an even bigger swing. In many ways, Final Fantasy 6 almost feels like a dry run for Final Fantasy 7 like with Magicite and Materia.
5 “Get Down Here Merc!” (Final Fantasy 7)
This line is based on the remake of Final Fantasy 7 instead of the original PS1 version. In the original game, Barret yells to Cloud, “C’mon newcomer, follow me.” Both lines are good as they establish that Cloud, the new main character is joining a pre-existing group.
It’s one of the most exciting openings in this series, giving players little context to the world. Sometimes a cold open is the best approach for a large-scale story be it in a video game, movie, anime, or whatever.
4 “How Are You Feeling?” (Final Fantasy 8)
Final Fantasy 8 has an existing opening as well with a sleek battle sequence in CG. Squall and Seifer are shown fighting with their swords while an epic tune, “Liberi Fatali” plays in the background. This is before Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace too which also features an epic duel to amazing music.
The battle ends with Squall getting cut and him waking up in bed. Dr. Kadowaki says this line to Squall, which is kind of funny given the epic scene that happened previously. Not many main characters get owned in their openings.
3 “Listen To My Story.” (Final Fantasy 10)
This was the first time players got to see an end-game scene upfront. The game begins with a somber piano tune, panning around the party as they sit quietly by a fire in some ruins. Finally, Tidus, the main character of Final Fantasy 10, starts going off about how this is his story.
At this point, it should be clear that Squaresoft is getting more experimental with how they opened their games for better or worse. Final Fantasy 10 is far from a depressing game by any stretch, making this dark intro feel odd.
2 “When I Awoke From My Dreamless Sleep, I Was Just In Time To Witness The End Of The World. ” (Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13)
Lightning Returns is the last game in the Final Fantasy 13 trilogy. It stars Lightning once again who ascended into godhood at the end of the first game. She plays a side character in the sequel but is now the world’s last hope in defending time from caving in on itself in this finale.
The gameplay is similar to The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask wherein everything players do has a consequence. This opening line is just as foreboding as the first game in the series, clueing players in that they are in for a grim ride.
1 “Bring It!” (Stranger Of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin)
Jack, the protagonist, screams this line at Tiamat before he and his party rush into battle. It’s another example of a game starting with a cold open before things get dialed back. Jack is one of the wildest main characters in a spinoff or mainline Final Fantasy game.
He quickly became a meme after the first trailer debuted because he says “Chaos” so much in it. Jack is brash and unafraid to speak his mind in Stranger Of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, leading to some other great memes.