Highlights
- Final Fantasy side quests can be darker and more depressing than the main plot, adding depth to the characters and the game world.
- Some side quests reveal tragic backstories and explore themes of loss, abandonment, and the consequences of past actions.
- Final Fantasy 16 takes the dark and mature tone of the series to new heights with disturbing and messed-up side quests.
Final Fantasy is a franchise associated by many with charming visuals, memorable characters, and a lot of humor to help keep the experience light and engaging. Sure, the franchise did end up becoming more mature over time, but the gleefulness and joy present in the series never disappeared. Barring Final Fantasy 16, most of the games in the series try to keep the experience as jovial as possible, which is what makes some of the darker moments in the series all the more impactful.
Final Fantasy: 9 Best Worlds To Live In
If players were to live in a world straight out of the Final Fantasy franchise, it would have to be one of the following.
While many disturbing things occur in the main plot of each game, there are times when Final Fantasy can get dark in its side quests as well. Players experiencing the games they love will be shocked by the content of these side adventures, which can be downright depressing at times. However, these side quests have the added effect of helping players bond with these characters and immerse themselves in the wonderful world of these games.
5 Meeting Gau's Father
Final Fantasy 6
Final Fantasy 6 is arguably the best game in the series, with many players loving its ambitious narrative and how it managed to flip the script after Kefka shifts the Warring Triad and wreaks havoc upon the world with his newfound power. When players traverse the World of Ruin, they are tasked with slowly gathering the rest of the main cast before embarking on one final assault on Kefka's Tower.
During their adventures in the World of Ruin, players will stumble upon a solitary house with a solitary old man residing inside. If players come to the house with Sabin and Gau, then the former will deduce that this man is the feral child's father. What follows is a hilarious montage where everyone dresses up Gau for what they assume to be a touching reunion, but it's clear that Gau's father is far beyond the point of reason. After losing his wife during their child's birth, the stress of these events drove him insane and led to him abandoning Gau on the Veldt. While Sabin is angry that the old man shuns Gau instead of assuming his role as a father, the wild child shows a surprising level of maturity and declares his happiness that his father is alive and doing well in this ruinous world, wishing him the best of luck before moving on.
4 Obtaining The Death Penalty
Final Fantasy 7
Final Fantasy 7
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation (Original) , PC , iOS , Android , Nintendo Switch , Xbox One , PS4
- Released
- January 31, 1997
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Final Fantasy 7 has two optional party members players can recruit to round out their party. While Yuffie is a pretty happy-go-lucky thief who remains cheerful no matter what, the second member is an important figure who played a central role in the events that preceded the game. It's a testament to how iconic Vincent Valentine's character is that so many people are huge fans of him despite him being a missable party member.
If players decide to obtain his ultimate weapon, the Death Penalty, then they'll shed some light on his backstory. The love of his life, Lucrecia, was forced into twisted experiments by Hojo, and Sephiroth is technically her child after the mad scientist implanted JENOVA cells inside her. Vincent tried to stop Hojo. but was shot down and experimented on instead, leading to him becoming a shapeshifting monster.
3 Getting Anima
Final Fantasy 10
Anima is one of the strongest Aeons in Final Fantasy 10 that players can get their hands on, and the first time players encounter this summon is when Seymour whips out this powerful being in battle. At the time, most people just assumed that Anima was a powerful summon that Seymour had access to. They had no idea the sand and twisted story surrounding this Aeon.
Final Fantasy: 6 Main Characters With The Most Tragic Fates
The Final Fantasy franchise has always excelled at telling tragic stories, as proven by these main characters with tragic endings.
Anima is Seymour's mother, who wanted her child to use her as the Final Aeon to seal Sin during his journey as a summoner. Apparently, he never wanted to lose his mother, and her spirit laments her failure as a mother and how she couldn't stop him from turning to the side of darkness. She requests that the party help Seymour see the side of reason before relinquishing her services to Yuna.
2 Recovering Dogtags
Final Fantasy 15
If there's one place where Final Fantasy 15 failed, it was the many boring sidequests that felt half-baked and didn't add much to the experience. Still, there were times when the game managed to incorporate a halfway-decent story that didn't involve selling out their soul for cup noodles, and a great example of this comes in the form of David Auburnbrie's request for the player to find the dogtags of fallen daemon hunters.
Final Fantasy: 9 Best Worlds To Live In
If players were to live in a world straight out of the Final Fantasy franchise, it would have to be one of the following.
While this may seem like a fetch quest, the implications of a family having nothing but a dogtag to remember their lost ones by is pretty chilling. It's clear that daemons have caused a ton of pain in the world of Final Fantasy 15, and this is especially evident when Ardyn ascends the throne and plunges the entire world into a perpetual state of darkness and despair.
1 Playthings
Final Fantasy 16
Final Fantasy 16
- Platform(s)
- PS5
- Released
- June 22, 2023
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
Final Fantasy 16 is a dark fantasy game through and through, and players understand why it's the first title in the series to receive an M-rating. While the side quests in the early game can be rather disappointing, they come into their own in later chapters, with "Playthings" being one of the most messed-up side quests in any Final Fantasy game to date.
Players are tasked with helping a girl named Lisette find a lost pet named Chloe, with the only discerning feature being that this creature has white hair. It doesn't take long for players to uncover that Chloe is a Bearer with white hair who suffered from the Crystal's curse and is left petrified. What makes things even more horrifying is that Chloe isn't phased by this death at all, revealing that she had several playthings like Chloe who died in the same way. Clearly, the hate and indifference for Bearers runs so deep that Chloe is led to believe by her parents that Bearers aren't even human, which is a chilling thought.
8 Forgotten Square Enix Franchises
There hasn't been any updates, remakes or sequels involving these classic franchises from Square Enix.
