Showing posts with label aerith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label aerith. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

My Top 50 Most Memorable Final Fantasy Bosses: #10 to #1 (+more!)

Hi again and welcome to the final part of my 5 part series celebrating some of the most amazing bosses of the Final Fantasy series. This is a biased list and what I think are the most memorable bosses in the entire series. We’ve already counted down from #50 to #11, so if you’ve missed them click here for #50 to #41, here for #40 to #31, here for #30 to #21, and here for #20 to #11.

As explained before this list deals with spoilers, so if you’re not too familiar with the series and don’t want anything spoiled, I’d suggest you look no further. Without any further delay here’s my Top 10 Most Memorable Final Fantasy Bosses!
#10 – Hojo
Game: Final Fantasy VII
Other names: Helletic Hojo, Heretic Hojo, Lifeform-Hojo N, Lifeform Hojo
When do you fight them: The last boss of Disc 2 (of 3)
Location: Sector 8
HP: 69,000
Difficulty: 6

Note: The HP above is the total HP for all three of Hojo’s forms put together, separate they are 13,000HP for his original form, 26,000HP for Helletic Hojo and then 30,000HP for Lifeform Hojo.

So we start the Top 10 with the epic battle with Hojo. The fight itself is actually relatively easy, none of his forms should give you too much trouble. He doesn’t hit that hard and while he does use a lot of status ailments, they can be easily cured. Helletic Hojo is probably the hardest form because his arm swipe can waste some damage if you’re not careful, otherwise he’s surprisingly easy.

This boss is memorable for two reasons. Firstly, Hojo himself as a character. You’ve spent the good part of two discs wanting to kick Hojo’s ass, for kidnapping Red XIII and Aerith, considering the idea of breeding them because they’re the last of their respective species, and then ultimately being responsible for experimenting on Vincent, Cloud and Zack and creating Sephiroth to being the monster he currently is. For a lot of people he’s the true villain of FF7 because he’s responsible for so much disaster in the game. So when you finally get your hands on him, you know you’re going to give him a brutal beating.

The other reason is the transformations of Hojo. Now, if you, like a lot of people including myself, played FF7 first, then seeing Hojo transform into different forms was probably the first time you’ve seen it happen in a Final Fantasy game. Some of the greatest Final Fantasy bosses mutate and transform into different shapes and Hojo’s are no different. But what is special about Hojo’s transformations are just how different they are to one another. Lifeform Hojo, the final form, looks so sinister, you’d creep out so much if you saw that in real life with his long tail, no legs and white face. But for me it’s Helletic Hojo that’s the most memorable, he’s absolutely fuck ugly (mind my language), possibly one of the most disgustingly grotesque monsters in Final Fantasy history, that will look gloriously horrifying when fully rendered in the remake. Hojo’s experiments are inhumane, but at least he saved the most horrible looking experiment for last, on himself.
#9 – Diablos
Game: Final Fantasy VIII
Other names: None
When do you fight him: Completely optional, any time from early on in Disc 1 throughout the game, including Disc 4 (of 4)
Location: Inside a magical lamp
HP: 80,800
Difficulty: 8
Note: All enemies on FF8 have varying stats depending on what level you are. For the sake of this listing I’ll be putting down the maximum HP that the boss can have.

Diablos is definitely one of the most memorable boss fights in Final Fantasy history. He looks tough, he is tough and, even though he’s optional, chances are if you’ve played FF8 you’ve been against this guy and he’s kicked your ass.

Because you can go against him at virtually any point in the game, his HP is dramatically different at different times. His lowest HP is actually 1,600, less than 50 times his maximum. But no matter when you go against him, he’s such a tough guy to beat. It’s mainly because he uses gravity attacks and he has a strong physical attack. He’s fast too so he’ll use Gravija, which reduces all your characters HP to a quarter, and can then attack you not long after, KO-ing one of your party relatively easy. What makes the fight even harder is that he’s one of only 11 enemies that you can stock Demi from, and he’s certainly the earliest point in which you can get it. So while you’re trying to chip his HP down to defeat him, you also want to stock as many as you can from him. Diablos is a badass GF, is as tough as nails and is one of the coolest and most difficult bosses in FF8, for sure.

#8 – Yunalesca

Game: Final Fantasy X
Other names: None
When do you fight him: Approaching the end of the game
Location: Zanarkand Dome
HP: 132,000
Difficulty: 7
Note: The total HP above is all three forms of Yunalesca put together, her original form has 24,000HP, her second form has 48,000HP and her last form has 60,000HP. She’s difficult to defeat but shouldn’t give you too much trouble, providing you can deal with her status ailments and not let them overcome you.

So two entries ago I mentioned that Hojo was probably the first monster transformations Final Fantasy fans had seen. But for me, Yunalesca’s transformations are insane, certainly some of the best in the whole series. Going against Yunalesca on her own in her normal form is fun, but you just know that’s not how it’s going to end. So in her second form she develops a large purple veil which extends behind her into the ground. It looks like purple flesh actually. She also has snake-like creatures come out and bite your party from behind. 

But it’s her final form that’s the most insane. You realise that those snake-like creatures that have been biting you are actually her hair. And that purple flesh is actually the neck of a far larger, more grotesque Yunalesca. The final battle is basically a massive face of a deformed Yunalesca. It’s pretty fucked up but it looks amazing.

What I love the most about Yunalesca’s transformations is that it’s all one monster. Most transformations in the games usually depend on “killing off” the first or second parts, before the next one appears, or it depends on a sequence like an FMV or it “loads” like a second boss battle. Yunalesca’s transformations are not only done in sequence, but parts of her don’t “die off”, the original Yunalesca ends up riding the back of the large monstrous neck of the large Yunalesca face in the front. It’s hard to explain but it’s definitely worth seeing if you’ve not seen it before, it’s insane!

#7 – Demon’s Gate

Game: Final Fantasy VII
Other names: None
When do you fight him: Around two thirds of the way through Disc 1 (of 3)
Location: Temple of the Ancients
HP: 10,000
Difficulty: 8
What. A. Bastard. In terms of what boss battles frustrate me the most, this guy is very high on the list. I know I’m not the only one that feels this way, there are countless FF fans that stumble on Demon’s Gate and probably have raged quit too. In terms of mandatory boss battles I believe (although I haven’t fully researched) he’s the first boss in FF7 to break the five digit HP threshold (I know Godo does too, but he’s optional), I certainly remember seeing his HP as a kid and going “oh shit, here we go!”. It’s not just his high HP that gets you though. It’s his ridiculously high Magic Defense. Virtually all your magic attacks are worthless in this battle. Some of your higher summons are worth using – and Bahamut is a MUST! If you didn’t pick up Bahamut from where you went against the Red Dragon then that makes this battle so much harder. Otherwise, it’s actually best to hit him with physical attacks – but there’s a snag in that plan too. His attacks are so strong and so physical it’s highly recommended that you put your characters in the back row. Chances are his Falling Rock attack will instantly KO any party member without Barrier and not in the back row. In a nutshell this is a seriously strong test for any amateur Final Fantasy fan, and even the people who have played through many FF games struggle with him, he’s just a total bastard!

#6 – Tantarian


Game: Final Fantasy IX
Other names: Dantalion
When do you fight him: Completely optional, two opportunities to fight him, one is around halfway through Disc 2, the other is towards the start of Disc 3 (of 4)
Location: Alexandria Castle
HP: 21,997
Difficulty: 8
Speaking of bastards, here’s another one! Tantarian is completely optional, but certainly memorable. I’ve gotten Game Over many many times to this guy because he’s just so tough. You have only two opportunities to fight him and he’s super tough the second time you can go against him, never mind the first time! I’ve never beaten him on the first attempt, you’re so much weaker on Disc 2 and not only that, but you’re in the middle of a 30 minute time limit to rescue Dagger, and you’re about to take on Zorn and Thorn in that time too! So unless you want the feeling of accomplishment of doing it on Disc 2, definitely take him on at the second opportunity.

What makes Tantarian so different from, well, probably every other boss battle in Final Fantasy history is the fact that you have to find him, hidden inside of a large book. You attack the book and he lands on different pages, and unless he lands on a certain select few pages he’ll be hidden from being attacked. When he’s hidden, he’s stupidly strong and you can barely cause any damage. When he’s revealed, he’s exposed and is vulnerable to good damage from your party, whilst only being able to use Poison you. After a few turns he hides again.

He’s mainly on this list because, as I stated, he’s an absolute bastard. His main attack is Paper Storm and it can cripple your party’s HP. Recovering from that attack alone sets you back, because your target is to hit Tantarian as often as possible (even if the attacks don’t waste much health) so that he gets found as quickly as possible. When he’s found, you just destroy him with as much damage as possible, preferably magic spells and Fire because he’s week against it. And rinse and repeat. But he’s a tough little bastard and trying to deal with him and making sure you don’t lose is a heavy task indeed.


#5 – X-ATM092


Game: Final Fantasy VIII
Other names: Black Widow, X-ATM082
When do you fight him: Very early on in the game on Disc 1 (of 4)
Location: Dollet
HP: 5,872
Difficulty: 7
Note: All enemies on FF8 have varying stats depending on what level you are. For the sake of this listing I’ll be putting down the maximum HP that the boss can have.
I was going to knock him down to 6/10 for difficulty but if you’re actually trying to defeat him, then the battle is long and a little difficult so I thought 7/10 is fair.

Ah, X-ATM092. What a true bastard you are. I actually love this battle. It’s so much fun running away from this beast of a machine. The fact that it’s so tenacious makes your adrenaline pump, the music helps too.

I, have never defeated X-ATM092. I’ve always wanted to try but just couldn’t be bothered, whenever I’ve decided to play FF8. I always end up running away from him, and usually can avoid getting caught up apart from on that damn bridge. It’s just a really fun segment of the game, incredibly memorable, hell if you’ve not gone against X-ATM092 you can’t really say you’ve played FF8!

#4 – Midgar Zolom

Game: Final Fantasy VII
Other names: None
When do you fight him: Completely optional, any time at around a third of the way through Disc 1 (of 3) onwards
Location: Grasslands Area of World Map
HP: 4,000
Difficulty: 8
I know I’ve said it so often but, what a bastard! Midgar Zolom may be completely optional but I bet you any money you gave him a go didn’t you?? Some of you succeeded and some of you failed, but you all wanted to see what the big deal was about going against the massive snake in the marshlands!

Of course you can go against him at any point in the game and going against him towards the end of Disc 1 onwards means he’s relatively easy. But his difficulty rating of 8/10 stems from if you actually choose to go against him when you first can on your first run through that part of the game. And I always do go against him, so I can get the Enemy Skill “Beta”, and he’s the only enemy in the whole game that knows the move, not to mention learning “Beta” that early in the game makes it the strongest move available by some distance at that point.

I’m sure you already know but there are three ways to avoid going against the Midgar Zolom if you choose not to. The first is to catch a chocobo at the nearby Chocobo Ranch, and cross the marshland with ease that way. The second way is to time your run across the marshland to perfection, thus avoiding the Midgar Zolom on foot. Or the third option is to take advantage of the save glitch, which is to time your run relatively well, get around halfway across the marshland and save your game. Reset the game and the Midgar Zolom is very far away, and just run the rest of the distance.

But if you do fight him, this is how it goes down. There’s three stages to going against the Midgar Zolom, the first is when he’s crouching and he bites you. His attacks can easily KO any member of your team so it’s best to put everyone in the back row. If you can survive this part then when he loses around 1000HP he extends and leans on his tail. You realise there and then how huge he really is. This part is very similar to the first, apart from he can also knock off party members from the screen, meaning you have to fight with two, or even one, member of your party. When he goes down to around 1500HP he will counter attack with a single use of “Beta”, which deals HUGE fire damage to all your party. This attack at this part of the game is so hard to overcome, so you have to have at least one member of your time have Fire and Elemental material on their armour, and to have enough HP to deal with that attack. If you want to learn “Beta” that party member also needs to have the Enemy Skill material. At that part of the game chances are your other characters just won’t survive “Beta”, and if this individual party member does, you have to quickly either finish off the Midgar Zolom or revive party members who got knocked out, if they’re still on the field! Midgar Zolom is an unforgettable boss battle, completely optional but is practically legendary among the great boss battles of Final Fantasy, or at least, I think so.

#3 – Beatrix
Game: Final Fantasy IX
Other names: General Beatrix
When do you fight him: Three times, she’s the last boss on Disc 1, then you go against her twice again in the first third of Disc 2 (of 4)
Location: Firstly in Burmecia, secondly in Cleyra and lastly in Alexandria
HP: 5,709
Difficulty: 8

Note: You go against her three times, and her health is different each time. Above is the highest her health gets to, which is the last time you go against her.
If you’ve followed my work on this website before you know how besotted I am with Beatrix. She’s beautiful and strong and is royal and just magical. If only… ahem! Anyway. Beatrix is a beautiful bastard! Yes even though I love her she’s also incredibly tough to deal with, and that’s not once, but all three times. Every battle is practically the same and depending on how strong your characters are, these battles can either be a battle to survive or a battle to Steal as many items from her as you can. There’s just no point in attacking her because she’s practically invincible, or at least, defeating her makes her take your party out regardless. She has a very high HP in every encounter so taking her down is a task even if you wanted to, but as I said it’s pointless. So just concentrate on stealing and surviving.

But surviving is so tough. All her attacks deal significant damage, most of her attacks can KO any member at one time and she’s fast too. So Phoenix Downs, Potions, Hi-Potions and Stealing are what you need to do. Because the battles are timed chances are you won’t be able to steal all the items off her anyway, because they’re hard to get anyway. I think in all the times I’ve gone against Beatrix over the years, I’ve only managed to Steal everything once. And that’s probably a good 20-30 times I’ve gone against her over the years.

Final Fantasy IX isn’t as popular as VI, VII, VIII and X so Beatrix isn’t as popular as many other bosses. But I can reassure you, that Beatrix among FF9 fans is a very popular character and her boss battles are very well thought of. I love her, and even if she kicks my ass every time, I love battling her.

#2 – Kefka


Game: Final Fantasy VI
Other names: None
When do you fight him: Technically you go against Kefka six times over the course of the game, but as actual proper battles go only twice, firstly around a third of the way through the game, then he’s the final boss of the whole game
Location: Narshe, Kefka’s Tower
HP: 62,000
Difficulty: 7
Note: As stated above you technically go against him twice, and his health is different each time. Above is the highest his health gets to, which is the last time you go against him.

I only just found out at the time of writing this that the battle beforehand is actually not Kefka, all of those parts of the god-like structure are actually the Warring Triad, who have pledged their allegiance to Kefka who has ascented into Godhood. I actually thought they were all parts of Kefka, and then at the top you just go against him as the final boss. But nope, when exploring Kefka’s Tower you go against the Warring Triad individually, then go against them all together as a huge structure which is called “The Statue of the Gods” before taking on Kefka at the end.

Anyway, yes. Kefka. I placed him at #1 in my Top 50 Favourite Final Fantasy Characters. As a character he’s incredible, funny and as deliciously evil as villains come. And his boss battle is up there with the best. As stated before, you have to go through The Statue of the Gods before you can even get to him, and that’s a task in itself. Going against Kefka is also a heck of a battle, but if you’ve beatin The Statue of the Gods beforehand you should be able to finish the job with Kefka.

What makes this battle legendary is the theme song “Dancing Mad”. Actually “Dancing Mad” is played in four parts throughout the final boss. Each part of the Statue of the Gods gets its own part of the song “Dancing Mad”, and the finale of the song is when you go against Kefka. Still, it’s an incredible piece of music and it really gets you pumping to take down Kefka. Hearing his legendary laugh mid-track once in a while is a brilliant touch as well.

Kefka looks incredible in his final form, as a god, he looks just awful but not quite deformed. I’ve always wanted to collect the Final Fantasy Master Creature figurines, and Kefka’s figure looks INSANE. Check them out if you get a chance!

#1 – Sephiroth



Game: Final Fantasy VII
Other names: Bizarro∙Sephiroth, Safer∙Sephiroth
When do you fight him: You go against him three times, all after each other as the final boss of the game, although the last battle is technically a scripted one
Location: Northern Crater
HP: 580,001
Difficulty: 8
Note: Because each battle is one after the other, I’ve decided to put all his HP together. Both Bizarro∙Sephiroth and Safer∙Sephiroth can vary in HP depending on a gazillion factors (that I’m not going to go into), so above is the maximum HP they can both have, and the single 1 HP the final battle has.

Let’s be honest, was the result ever in doubt? As soon as I announced this list I reckon you knew what no1 would be. And while it’s obvious, it also needs to be stated and addressed because it’s so worthy of the accolade as “best Final Fantasy boss ever”. There aren’t many Final Fantasy fans that would disagree, and that’s regardless of FF7 being their favourite or not. I’ve seen adults fight Sephiroth for the first time getting pumped up, never mind what the feeling was as a teenager or as a kid if you played that early on in your life.

Like a lot of people, Sephiroth was my first Final Fantasy final boss. Clearly this makes me attach to it fondly but it’s not just that. Everything about this fight is practically perfect. You’ve been wanting to get your hands on Sephiroth for the whole game, and you don’t get even a legitimate sniff until right at the end. And even then, you go against Bizarro∙Sephiroth. You’re like, “wow, he looks insane”. Even going against Bizarro∙Sephiroth is epic. He looks ungodly and can, if you let him, do some damage to the party. But to be fair, Bizarro∙Sephiroth isn’t that tough. If there was any doubt that this wasn’t Sephiroth’s final form then your instincts were right. I can’t remember if I felt that way or not.

But then, you have Safer∙Sephiroth. Before you even see him you hear “One Winged Angel”, arguably the most famous track in the entire Final Fantasy series. If you’ve not heard “One Winged Angel” then it’s a modern day orchestral masterpiece. With a spiralling purple background behind him, Safer∙Sephiroth extends his arms, welcoming your party to his realm. His form is incredible, all his limbs are replaced with white cloud-like feathers, and he has a single black wing on his right arm. He just looks majestic.



He hits like a bitch too, all his attacks can cripple your party. Moves like Pale Horse, Shadow Flare and his wing attack can all land massive damage on you. He casts barriers on himself too. Luckily there’s a pattern to his moveset so you can predict what he’s using and when. I actually think this adds to the grandeur of the battle, because even though you know what’s coming, each move is so splendidly dangerous and you dread what comes next.

And then there’s Super Nova. Never in the Final Fantasy series has a boss had a move that takes over 2 minutes to prepare. I can’t think even in modern Final Fantasy games has it happened. I’d describe it to you but it’s best to see it for yourself. It puts your party in multiple status ailments and cripples your party’s HP, wasting 15/16 quarters of it. Thankfully it can never wipe your party out.

The battle against Sephiroth is long and super tough and if you survive it, the feeling you get is just amazing. It’s technically not the final battle though, because you also fight him in the Lifestream with just Cloud but as stated above, it’s mainly a scripted battle because you can’t lose. It’s still awesome though. All three battles are incredible visually and it’s just simply one of the best boss fights in video game history, never mind the Final Fantasy series.


So well done Sephiroth, you win this prestigious trophy!



Well that’s the end! Thanks so much for reading. As always I have some stats that you may or not be interested in, so for those see below.

Bosses by Final Fantasy Game Entry:

So as you can see above FF7 has the most entries in this list, despite FF9 being my favourite. It stormed the list with 14 entries. Perhaps it’s because it was my first Final Fantasy game, so the bosses hold a lot of nostalgia for me. FF9 is in second place with 8 entries and then in joint third is FF8 and FF10 with 7 entries. FF6 had 6 entries.

Bosses in order of difficulty, in brackets is the game the boss is from and after is the difficulty rating (remember, this is all in my opinion):


  1. Penance (10) – 10
  2. Dark Aeons (10) – 9
  3. Ozma (9) – 9
  4. Emerald Weapon (7) – 9
  5. Tantarian (9) – 8
  6. Demon's Gate (7) – 8
  7. Midgar Zolom (7) – 8
  8. Beatrix (9) – 8
  9. Seymour Flux (10) – 8
  10. Diablos (8) – 8
  11. Gizamaluke (9) – 8
  12. Odin (13) – 8
  13. Sephiroth (7) – 8
  14. Griever (8) – 8
  15. The Turks (7) – 7
  16. Seymour and Anima (10) – 7
  17. Lost Number (7) – 7
  18. Plant Brain (9) – 7
  19. Carry Armor (7) – 7
  20. Trance Kuja (9) – 7
  21. Godo (7) – 7
  22. Yunalesca (10) – 7
  23. Kefka (6) – 7
  24. Barthandelus (13) – 7
  25. Humbaba (6) – 7
  26. Elvoret (8) – 7
  27. Sinspawn Gui (10) – 7
  28. Diamond Weapon (7) – 7
  29. Bahamut (8) – 7
  30. Ultimate Weapon (7) – 7
  31. X-ATM092 (8) – 7
  32. Ba'Gamnan (12) – 7
  33. Gerogero (8) – 7
  34. Gi Nattak (7) – 6
  35. Atma Weapon (6) – 6
  36. Black Waltz 3 (9) – 6
  37. Cagnazzo (4) – 6
  38. Ultros (6) – 6
  39. Hojo (7) – 6
  40. Dahaka (13) – 6
  41. Edea and Seifer (8) – 6
  42. Sin (10) – 6
  43. Belias (12) – 6
  44. Calcabrina (4) – 6
  45. Hilgigars (9) – 6
  46. Guard Scorpion (7) – 6
  47. Whelk (6) – 6
  48. Jenova-BIRTH – (7) – 5
  49. Phantom Train (6) – 5
  50. Dark Knight (4) - 5

Please note, I’m not saying these are the 50 hardest bosses in the series, there are many, MANY harder bosses I’m not including. I just thought you’d like to see the 50 bosses in the order would be by “difficulty” rating.

Bosses in order of Total HP, in brackets is the game each boss is from (remember some bosses can vary so where applicable it’s the maximum HP that boss can have):

  1. Penance (10) – 12,000,000
  2. Dark Aeons (10) – 8,000,000
  3. Barthandelus (13) – 5,227,500
  4. Dahaka (13) – 2,314,800
  5. Emerald Weapon (7) – 1,000,000
  6. Sephiroth (7) – 580,001
  7. Sin (10) – 140,000
  8. Yunalesca (10) – 132,000
  9. Griever (8) – 115,950 
  10. Ultimate Weapon (7) – 100,000
  11. Bahamut (8) – 90,000
  12. The Turks (7) – 83,000
  13. Diablos (8) – 80,800
  14. Seymour Flux (10) – 70,000
  15. Hojo (7) – 69,000
  16. Kefka (6) – 62,000
  17. Trance Kuja (9) – 55,535
  18. Ozma (9) – 55,535
  19. Diamond Weapon (7) – 30,000
  20. Humbaba (6) – 26,000
  21. Seymour and Anima (10) – 24,000
  22. Atma Weapon (6) – 24,000
  23. Carry Armor (7) 24,000
  24. Edea and Seifer (8) – 23,400
  25. Ultros (6) – 22,000
  26. Tantarian (9) – 21,997
  27. Belias (12) – 15,943
  28. Sinspawn Gui (10) – 12,000
  29. Demon's Gate (7) – 10,000
  30. Godo (7) – 10,000
  31. Hilgigars (9) – 8,106
  32. Lost Number (7) – 7,000
  33. X-ATM092 (8) – 5,872
  34. Beatrix (9) – 5,709
  35. Gi Nattak (7) – 5,500
  36. Calcabrina (4) – 5,315
  37. Cagnazzo (4) - 5,312
  38. Dark Knight (4) – 4,520
  39. Midgar Zolom (7) – 4,000
  40. Jenova-BIRTH (7) – 4,000
  41. Ba'Gamnan (12) – 3,983
  42. Gerogero (8) – 3,650
  43. Elvoret (8) – 3,523
  44. Gizamaluke (9) – 3,175
  45. Phantom Train (6) – 1,900
  46. Whelk (6) – 1,600
  47. Black Waltz 3 (9) – 1,292
  48. Plant Brain (9) – 916
  49. Guard Scorpion (7) – 800
  50. Odin (13) – Unknown
Well that’s the end of my listing! Thank for you all so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed it, and if you want to comment, agree, disagree, give your opinions on what are the best bosses or most memorable bosses, then you can do so below. Until next time, take care!
 
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Sunday, July 08, 2012

My Top 50 Final Fantasy Locations: #20 to #11

Welcome to Part 4 of 5, of My Top 50 Final Fantasy Locations listing. Sorry I didn't post this yesterday, I had completely forgotten to do so!

We're approaching crunch time now. These places before you are places in the Final Fantasy series that are absolutely amazing, in a variety of different ways. Today I count from #20 to #11, if you've missed them click here for #30 to #21, here for #40 to #31 and here for #50 to #41. Let's do the Top 20!

Please note: This list will talk about spoilers. If you have not played the game that each location represents I'd avoid that entry.

#20: Giruvegan
Game? Final Fantasy XII
When do you go? Towards the end of the game
Revisitable? Yes
Description: An ancient city, completely out of vision due to large quantities of Mist covering the place. It's completely indoors and is basically a large pit, and at the bottom is The Great Crystal. However this pit is in darkness, and has many lights and designs that bright up in its black surroundings.
I don't know if it's just me; no one else really talks about it, but I find Giruvegan absolutely stunning to look at. I remember playing hours and hours of Final Fantasy XII, boring as hell as it is at times (Don't deny it, FF12 can be boring for long periods of time) and then getting to Giruvegan and just being taken aback by its beauty. Just panning the camera across the terrain, looking at its darkness, its lights, and I had to take a moment to take it all in. It's just damn beautiful. The Great Crystal is pretty cool too, but when you enter Giruvegan, seriously, look around you. Look at what you can see. You'll appreciate it. For some reason not many people talk about this place as much as me, which is a damn shame as it deserves a big mention for being as awesome as it is, in my eyes anyway.

Giruvegan is the fourth and last entry from Final Fantasy XII in this list.

#19: Dali
Game? Final Fantasy IX
When do you go? Very early on
Revisitable? Yes
Description: A very small village, which its main landmark is its windmill. It looks like an ordinary village with normal villagers, but underneath the surface all the men in the village are producing a Black Mage Army for Queen Brahne to use to take over the Mist Continent.
I love Dali. It's such a cute little place, and the first place that seems to make Vivi even remotely happy, until of course, he's mistaken for one of the Black Mages that are being made for war. Vivi loves windmills. What makes Dali so amazing is its lovely music; it's so nice and warming, you wish music like that was played in your house when you go home. Well I do anyway. And I really wish in a certain way the horrible things that do end up happening in Dali never happen, as it's just such a nice little place. But this is Final Fantasy after all, so it would have been wrong if every thing was nice and perfect here. Man, I love Dali.

#18: Esthar City
Game? Final Fantasy VIII
When do you go? Completely optional, from half way through the game onwards
Revisitable? Yes
Description: Possibly the biggest, highest technological city in the history of Final Fantasy. A monstrosity of a city filled with large blue buildings, super fast cars and large surface roads.
What's the opposite to Dali? Probably Esthar. Remember I said earlier that Rabanastre to scale is possibly one of the biggest places in all of Final Fantasy? Well this, I'm almost certain, is the king. Esthar is just a beast. It covers such a large area, I've never seen an area in a Final Fantasy world map cover such a large patch. Just look at it! It's big and blue! So big. It's got to be bigger than Rabanastre, than Eden, than Zanarkand, than Midgar. It's just untouchable. And it also has the coolest president in the history of Final Fantasy too, in Laguna. You just can't beat Esthar.

#17: Calm Lands
Game? Final Fantasy X
When do you go? Approaching the end of the game
Revisitable? Yes
Description: A huge plain of grass that's usually used as a place of celebration for the world of Spira for when Sin is defeated. It has an iconic 'scar' towards the end of the plain where Sin fell in a climatic battle with one of the Final Aeons many years ago.
The Calm Lands may not look like much but it says something that they made the Archylte Steppe after it, only three games after the original. Its concept is simple yet effective, it marks the beginning of the end of the story of Final Fantasy X. The Archylte Steppe's purpose is pretty much the same for FF13. But you can do so much here; you can grind your characters abilities well here, you have a lot of side quests that stem from here, amongst other things. You come to the Calm Lands in the story only once, but chances are you'll spend a lot of time here as it has such a good purpose and is so big, that there's so much to do. It's a truly grand Final Fantasy location.

Calm Lands is the fifth and last entry from Final Fantasy X in this list.

#16: Memoria
Game? Final Fantasy IX
When do you go? Final dungeon (unless you count The Crystal World seperately, then it's the penultimate location)
Revisitable? Yes (when retreating from The Crystal World anyway)
Description: A load of locations meshed into one, formed from the memories of all the characters, and that of time itself.
Memoria is one of my favourite final dungeons. I see it as the final dungeon of Final Fantasy IX, the Crystal World is so short it's hardly a dungeon is it? Memoria is an amazing place. I love the fact that you have this amazing story of Final Fantasy IX, that all of the characters take part in, all of the locations, the dreams, the experiences, everything, and it's all meshed into one location at the end. You have some very significant places in Memoria, some that you will recognise instantly, others are quite discrete. It's a fascinating area and I love it.

#15: Narshe
Game? Final Fantasy VI
When do you go? Right at the beginning and a little later on
Revisitable? Yes
Description: A coal mining town, trying to maintain neutrality in the game's tensions between the Empire and the Resistance, but leans towards the latter discretely. An esper is discovered here and its appearance sparks the beginning of the game.
Narshe will always hold a strong place in my heart, it all begins here and it's a cool little town. As Final Fantasy VI towns go they don't look that great, primarily because the graphics weren't as good back then, but Narshe's blue roofed buildings make it stand out more than the others. All of the steam coming out from the chimneys, and the coal mine to boot, it's distinct in the context of the game. You can come back here in the World of Ruin but it's just lifeless, which I suppose is fitting of the time of the game when its in utter chaos. Either way Narshe is a cool little place, and if you ask anyone who has played Final Fantasy VI, chances are they'll agree with me.

#14: Cosmo Canyon
Game? Final Fantasy VII
When do you go? Towards the middle of the game and towards the end of the game
Revisitable? Yes
Description: A pilgrimage site for those who seek to learn about The Planet and its cycle, it's also the hometown of Red XIII and his 'grandfather', Bugenhagen.
Want to know if someone actually is legitimately someone who likes Final Fantasy VII? Ask them about Cosmo Canyon. Lots of things get mentioned about FF7, the death of Aerith, One Winged Angel, Cloud's spiky hair, but nearly all the true FF7 fans know and love Cosmo Canyon. And what do proper FF7 fans love more than Cosmo Canyon? The amazing theme for Cosmo Canyon! What a song. That being said Cosmo Canyon is so cool, the storyline progression that happens here is so cool too, and most importantly, Buganhagen is too cool. That man is just a legend. Cosmo Canyon is not a place that I'd like to live if I could, but would I love to visit here if possible? You damned right.

#13: Oerba
Game? Final Fantasy XIII
When do you go? Very late on in the game
Revisitable? Yes
Description: What was once Vanille and Fang's hometown, described by them as a lovely place to go to, is now a dead, desolate abandoned village. Oerba is so lifeless that it snows crystal dust.
I admit, even playing Final Fantasy XIII as an adult, I bought into Vanille and Fang's story that on the other side of Gran Pulse would be a bustling town full of people to greet and welcome the two best friends home. I was naive. I should have expected Square-Enix to dash the character's hopes of returning to the place they called home and make it horrible. But I never did. And when I saw Oerba, my heart sunk. It's horrible. It's an absolutely horrible place. WHY SQUARE-ENIX WHY?! WHY DO THAT?! It's so mean! Oerba is an amazing place, it's what Zanarkand should have been really. Yes I think they did a better job of Oerba than they did Zanarkand. Oerba is so dead, so lacking in anything that it even snows crystal dust. That's just horrible. But under all that horribleness is what was once a town. I think that's the hardest bit. The fact that you can see pretty much everything in its natural state, just rotting. It's not destroyed by a fire or sucked up, or a pile of rubble. It's like everyone just... disappeared. I love what Square-Enix did to Oerba, love and hate it. It's an amazing place.

Oerba is the eighth and last entry from Final Fantasy XIII in this list. 

#12: Zozo
Game? Final Fantasy VI
When do you go? Towards the middle of the game
Revisitable? Yes
Description: A town that's completely overrun by thieves and criminals. One of the few places in the entire series where it permanently rains. Everyone in the town are incapable of telling the truth and random encounters happen everywhere, a rarity for a Final Fantasy town.
As horrible a place Zozo is, it's also pretty damn cool. I love coming to Zozo, even the random battles don't bother me. I think it's the music again. Music is so important in a video game as it really sets the tone. I love the fact that everyone lies here, it makes for an interesting experience. I don't really know what else to say other than I love Zozo.

#11: Conde Petie
Game? Final Fantasy IX
When do you go? Half way through the game
Revisitable? Yes, until it is blocked off by Iifa Tree roots when Mist surrounds all over Gaia
Description: The village of the dwarven race. A single building across two of Iifa Tree roots, it's a passage from the Black Mage Village to Madain Sari and the Iifa Tree itself.
I can describe this place in a single word - Rally-ho! Rally-ho! Rally-ho! I love this place. It's such a brief blip that you actually spend here, but in that time the amount of comedy Squaresoft stirred up is just magical. I love the dwarves, who refuse to let you in unless you say Rally-ho!, I love their way of speech, which is almost spelt like how people in Scotland speak, I love the fact that the only way to get to the other side of the village is by getting married, and how Zidane reacts when Dagger agrees, and I love the fact that Quina doesn't understand the logic of having to buy food. But the best moment in the 15 minutes you spend here is the option of getting Vivi and Quina married. It's just one of the funniest moments in Final Fantasy history. I mean it. It's just classic. I so happy...

And we've arrived at the Top 10. I hope you've been enjoying going through these locations with me. I've enjoyed writing about them that's for sure. One more part left to go. What will I crown #1 in my favourite locations of the Final Fantasy series? Find out tomorrow. Have a good night! 

Click here for #10 to #1.

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Thursday, July 05, 2012

My Top 50 Final Fantasy Locations: #40 to #31

Welcome to Part 2 of 5 of My Top 50 Final Fantasy Locations list. Yesterday I gave you from #50 to #41 so today we'll naturally go from #40 to #31. Let's get straight to it!

Please note: This list will talk about spoilers. If you have not played the game that each location represents I'd avoid that entry.

#40: Northern Cave
Game? Final Fantasy VII
When do you go? Final dungeon
Revisitable? No
Description: A large cave. Simple. Well not really, there's a lot of history in this cave. Jenova landed here when she arrived on The Planet and for the entirety of Final Fantasy VII this is actually where Sephiroth is; it was Jenova using images of Sephiroth throughout the game. The cave itself isn't anything special until you get to The Planet's Core, where your final battles with Jenova and Sephiroth take place.
The fact that Northern Crater, the final chapter in the amazingness that is the story of Final Fantasy VII lacks so much in grandeur definitely knocks it down to 40th place in my list. Don't get me wrong, because I've played this game so many times I know every nook and cranny of this cave, but you can't help but feel a lack of inspiration for three quarters of the time you spend here. The payoff at the end is amazing of course The Planet's Core truly is a place of gruseome beauty, but Squaresoft didn't really pull all the stops to make you feel like you were going to enter anything other than a bog standard cave for the most part. Which is a shame.

#39: South Figaro
Game? Final Fantasy VI
When do you go? Very early on, towards the middle of the game and towards the end
Revisitable? Yes
Description: A regular Final Fantay VI town in some ways, but with lots of events happening here and with it being the first town you can properly visit, it's quite a memorable place.
You go here three times, firstly you go through it early on when you're on your way to the Returners Hideout, then you come here a bit later on and recruit Celes, and then lastly you go through here after Kefka destroys the world and are suspicious of a mane named Gerad, who is a badly disguised Edgar. I just love South Figaro, it's a pleasant FF6 town considering for the most part its under Empire law, and the fact that many cut scenes throughout the game happen here makes it an important place to go.

#38: Rabanastre
Game? Final Fantasy XII
When do you go? At the beginning, and many times throughout the game
Revisitable? Yes
Description: A very large city, probably to scale one of the biggest and most busy cities in the history of Final Fantasy.
You probably visit Rabanastre of Final Fantasy XII more than any place in the history of Final Fantasy, if we're not including airships and the like. You go here very often during the entire course of the game, it's arguably your 'home', if there was one. It's where Vaan and Penelo are from, two of the main characters of the game. It's just a very iconic city, everything about it, the size, the story line progression, the music, everything about it you'll not forget easily. Almost to the point where it's annoying actually, but I don't think it goes that far really, otherwise it wouldn't be in this list!

#37: Forgotten Capital
Game? Final Fantasy VII
When do you go? Nearly half way through the game, and towards the end
Revisitable? Yes
Description: A small mythical city completely in ruins, once belonging to the Ancients, houses still intact yet desolate.
It goes without saying that this place serves witness to one of the most iconic moments in video gaming, the death of Aerith. As a place it's not really that amazing in my eyes, as beautiful as it is, but the scene that will be mentioned over and over again as one of video games most horrific moments; when Sephiroth drives his long and slender sword through the back of Aerith, mercilessly, that happened here, it has to mentioned amongst my Top 50. It's a very short area yet some of the landmarks are just unforgettable, particularly the lake and of course, the Cetra castle and altar in which the above happens.

#36: Magitek Research Facility
Game? Final Fantasy VI
When do you go? Nearly half way through the game
Revisitable? No
Description: A rusty, gritty, filthy research lab, where The Empire conduct life-threatening experiments on the Espers.
The Magitek Research Facility has one of the best in-game songs of Final Fantasy VI, and yes, that does form a big part of why I put it in this list. But it's also a big part of the first half of Final Fantasy VI, the infiltration of the research facility and going to Vector in general, marks the first time you're really taking it to The Empire. What you find happening here however was not what was bargained for; seeing six Espers being completely drained of life in test tubes is a pretty damn horrible scene, and not done justice in a Super Nintendo game (which makes me point to my article on Why I Want a Final Fantasy VI Remake). The Magitek Research Facility is definitely one of the more intriguing places in Final Fantasy VI.

#35: Moonflow
Game? Final Fantasy X
When do you go? Approaching half way through the game
Revisitable? Yes
Description: A large river that separates Spira into two halves; you cross the river to get to the Northern parts of Spira. A huge surge of pyreflies make the river glow at night, creating a beautiful scene that many of the people of Spira hold in high regard.
The Moonflow is another one of those places in Final Fantasy that are just so damn beautiful. Squaresoft/Square Enix truly know how to pull of imaginary places and make you wish so bad that they were real. You don't spend that long here in Final Fantasy X, but a few things happen, you recruit Rikku permanently (one of my favourite female characters), you see Shoopufs and Hypellos for the first time, (and I loves the Hypello yesh yesh) and Auron tells you of an awesome story about when Jecht came here for the first time. It's just a good little place storyline wise, and scenery wise, it's damn gorgeous.

#34: Lake Bresha
Game? Final Fantasy XIII
When do you go? Very early in the game
Revisitable? No
Description: Once a lake, when the party land on Lake Bresha it is completely crystallised due to the fal'Cie Anima, landing here, defeated by you previously.
You have to walk on this crystallised lake to reach the Vile Peaks, but more importantly than that is the storyline that occurs here. It's here that your party realises they're branded l'Cie and will turn into monsters or crystal. They all bicker and fight, taking out their frustrations on each other before taking it out on the PSICOM soliders who are trying to capture them. Snow stays put, having found his girlfriend, Serah, turned to crystal. All of this happens on Lake Bresha, which in its crystallised state, is a damn beautiful sight.

#33: Iifa Tree
Game? Final Fantasy IX
When do you go? Towards the middle of the game, and after the final battle
Revisitable? Yes
Description: On appearance it's a large tree but in actuality it's the source of all the Mist in Final Fantasy IX, and is the filter of the souls of Gaia.
The Iifa Tree is such an important part of Final Fantasy IX. So many things happen on the Iifa Tree, in the Iifa Tree or because of the Iifa Tree. It's an ugly thing yet there's that certain weird beauty about it, it's fundamental in FF9. So important in fact that you find yourself back here when you deal with the final bad guys. It's just one of the true landmarks of FF9 and its look stands out so much.

#42: Shumi Village
Game? Final Fantasy VIII
When do you go? Completely optional, from half way through the game onwards
Revisitable? Yes
Description: A village built 323 meters underground that is host to the species of Shumi and Moombas.
I love the Shumi Village. It's so quirky and random that you can't help but like it. Most of the stuff that happens here is pointless, bar some small hints that Laguna once visited here, but the Shumi Tribe are lovely people and of course, Moombas are the cutest Final Fantasy creature never to appear in a second major FF title (bar its cameo as one of Lulu's dolls in FF10). You just can't help yourself, admit it, the Shumi Village kicks ass.

#31: Gold Saucer
Game? Final Fantasy VII
When do you go? Twice, towards the middle of the game
Revisitable? Yes
Description: An enormous amusement park and a huge tourist attraction, it's built directly over Old Corel, where Barret and a few other characters where born.
Ah, the Gold Saucer. So much happens here and it's so flashy and awesome that you just can't ignore it. Some people love it some people hate it. I lean more towards the former, I love playing a lot of the mini games here and the storyline progression here is pretty good, not to mention the awesome combination of dates possible with Cloud on the Gondola! It's just a great part of the game, the two times you come here, at least I think so.

And... that's enough for today. Part 3 of my Top 50 Final Fantasy Locations listing will be posted tomorrow. Until then have a good night.


Click here for #30 to #21.
Click here for #20 to #11.
Click here for #10 to #1.
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