Perhaps more than anything else, Square Enix's genre-defining Final Fantasy series is renowned for its excellent storytelling. Granted, their narratives may sometimes be a little disappointing, but, generally, the manner in which story threads are presented and subsequently explored in Final Fantasy games seldom disappoints.
A big part of this down to the series' strong introductions, with most Final Fantasy games starting with a memorable and emphatic bang. In fact, such is the ferocity of these opening salvos, that it can become almost impossible for players to walk away. Some of the franchise's opening missions and introductions are a little better than others though.
3 Final Fantasy VII
There's an awful lot going on at the beginning of Final Fantasy VII; so much so, in fact, that it can be easy to get lost at times. Players are flung firmly into the shoes of a mysterious spiky-haired Mercenary named Cloud, whose background and motivations are left largely unexplored during the opening stages of the game. Together with a group of eco-terrorists known as Avalanche, they'll need to blow up a giant reactor, defeating a terrifying scorpion-like boss along the way.
After escaping from the reactor before it explodes, players bump into Aerith, a bright-eyed young flower seller who ends up playing a huge role in proceedings. Before being able to dwell on this chance encounter for too long though, players will soon find themselves running for their lives once again. Just as it looks as though all hope may be lost, Cloud jumps onto the roof of a moving train; escaping Sector 8 and reuniting with the rest of Avalanche in the process.
Though not all of the changes made in Final Fantasy VIIRemake were for the better, there's a strong argument to be made that its introduction offers a big improvement over the original. Not only does it look much better, but most fans tend to agree that it also does a superior job of introducing secondary characters like Jessie, Wedge, and Biggs; all while offering a much more intuitive combat tutorial.
2 Final Fantasy VI
For the most part, the Pixel Remaster project has done an excellent job of bringing the first six Final Fantasy games closer to modern-day standards. Almost every element of the games has been lovingly recreated, but that's not to say that there weren't still a few big changes that irked some fans of the games. The unusual choice of font is perhaps the most notable, but the decision to alter the introduction of Final Fantasy VI is definitely a close second.
For those unaware, the game begins with a two-minute cutscene showing the game's main protagonist Terra and a couple of imperial soldiers marching towards a town called Narshe. Each of them is inside a gigantic Magitech armor suit, and, as the credits role, players are left to ponder who these people are and where exactly they're going with so much firepower. It's a powerful scene, but is ruined somewhat in the recent remaster by the bizarre decision to cut the credits from the iconic introduction.
Thankfully, the section that follows has been left largely unchanged, with players still making their way through Narshe and the city's mines in order to track down a magical being named Tritoch. Not much is given away about who Terra really is at this time, helping to build and preserve that mystery for the ideal moment later on. That players get to return to the mines of Narshe and claim the Valigarmanda Magicite during the second half of the game only makes the introduction more memorable.
1 Final Fantasy X
Since the PlayStation 2 era, video games and movies have grown more and more alike, with cinematic cutscenes and full orchestral scores helping to support the argument that video games should also be considered art. Final Fantasy X is a wonderful example of this, with its unconventional yet unforgettable storytelling really helping to set the scene, while also perfectly introducing the narrative's main players.
The game begins on the outskirts of a once futuristic city called Zanarkand that now lays in ruin. Moments later though, players are transported back into the past, allowing them to see the city in all its former glory. After some impressive Blitzball-related cutscenes, players are then introduced to the game's main antagonist, Sin: a gigantic blue whale-like creature that brings death and destruction wherever it goes.
What follows is a short tutorial-style section in which players try in vain to overcome the seemingly unstoppable power of Sin. It doesn't outstay its welcome, and manages to get the difficulty settings just right. More importantly, though, it serves as the perfect introduction to Tidus and Spira without ever getting too bogged down in specifics. By the time players finally find themselves back at the Zanarkand ruins towards the end of the game, the introductory cutscene feels infinitely more powerful.