.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1100&h=618&dpr=1.5)
Traditionally, Final Fantasy games tend to be content-rich experiences. In terms of the mainline entries in the series, the main campaign alone can take anywhere from 30 to 50 hours to see through to completion. Throw in side content, optional areas, bosses, and collectibles, and the hours will quickly stack up, with some Final Fantasy games having well over 100 hours worth of content for those wishing to see it all. Building a game with so much content doesn't always pay off, though. Many developers have been accused of bloating their titles by stuffing them full of unnecessary content just to boost the average playtime.
Somehow though, Final Fantasy usually manages to keep the quality of all of its content at a high level, to the point where some of their more memorable mini-games have developed fan bases to rival the games themselves. These mini-games are extremely diverse, and over the years have encompassed many activities such as Chocobo racing, playing cards, fishing, participating in tower-defense simulators, and even participating in aquatic sports. At their best, these mini-games can take up hours of players' time, and become something of an obsession that goes some way to expanding the game's lore.
Triple Triad - Final Fantasy 8
The world of Final Fantasy 8 is packed full of things to see and do, but if the player becomes tired of the traditional turn-based combat or exploring the world map, Triple Triad proves to be an incredibly fun change of pace. Conceived by veteran Final Fantasy battle designer Hiroyuki Ito, it's a simple card game played out on a 3x3 board similar in layout and design to noughts and crosses. The aim of the game is to use the player's five cards to capture their opponent's five. When the grid is full, whoever has the most cards is declared the winner. Each card is given four numbers, one for each corresponding side, and if, when the player places the card on the board, the number is higher than the number on the card next to it, that card becomes the player's.
Special cards can be collected by defeating bosses in the main game or finding them hidden in locations throughout the world. Different regions in the game have different rules, leading to some interesting variations on the format which include things such as elemental effects. The whole game is entirely optional, but is very popular with fans even today. Fan-made versions of the game have been developed and released over the years, such is the game's lasting popularity. A slightly amended version of the game was also brought back to life as an optional mini-game in FF14, located in the Manderville Gold Saucer area.
Fort Condor - FF7 and FF7 Remake
Fort Condor is a real-time strategy game found within the original FF7 in which Cloud and his team take strategic command of Cosmo Canyon's defensive army, and are tasked with defending the hidden materia contained within it from the advancing Shinra forces. Players are tasked with placing units that must prevent the enemy force's units from reaching the top of the fort by eliminating them. Simple in its design, it nevertheless proves to be a fun, challenging experience, and a great way to take a breather from the main game's emotionally-draining narrative. Players can return to Fort Condor throughout their adventure and play additional missions that ramp up the difficulty and offer rewards to assist the player in the main game. A portion of this mini-game must be played during the main game, so unlike some of the other mini-games, it is not possible to skip it entirely.
The 2020 remake saw the Fort Condor mini-game completely revamped and brought back to life in a similarly addictive way as part of the InterMission DLC. Now a tower defense tabletop game played by residents of the Sector 7 Slums, Yuffie is introduced to it as a way to kill some time. On her quest, she is able to challenge several residents of the slums, as she tries to achieve the necessary number of victories to face the mysterious grandmaster.
While still loosely based on the same game from the original, including using a variation of the same musical theme, the game this time around is fleshed out so that the player has more options at their disposal, including the use of materia. This game is entirely optional and has no bearing on the plot of the InterMission DLC, but its inclusion was welcomed by fans of the original.
Blitzball - Final Fantasy 10
One of Final Fantasy's most memorable mini-games is the fictional sport of Blitzball. A hybrid of water polo and soccer, Blitzball is a 5v5 sport played completely underwater. Introduced during the main story campaign, the player can choose to either engage in only a handful of compulsory matches or play through entire leagues if they wish. NPC players are recruitable and each has varying stats which determine how proficient they are at things such as shooting and passing. The player must attempt to get as close to the opposing goal as they can without being interrupted by the opponent. Once interrupted, the opponent will attempt to take the ball, and how high the player's stats are will determine if they are successful or not.
The same thing goes for taking shots and making passes. If the attacking player's stats are greater than the defending players, this should result in a successful goal or pass. The player can also use special techniques that are learnable, as well as adapt the team's strategy as required. It is a surprisingly in-depth addition to the game and one that players can spend many hours with, should they wish. Doing so rewards the player with some key items to help on their quest, as well as some overdrive abilities for party member Wakka, who excels at the sport.
With upcoming titles Final Fantasy 16 and Final Fantasy Rebirth both on the horizon, it will be interesting to see if mini-games continue to play such an important part in the franchise.
Final Fantasy 7, 8, 10, and FF7 Remake are all available to play now on PS4 and PS5.