Ever since the first title was released in 1987, the Final Fantasy series has been one of the premium hits in the RPG space. With Final Fantasy 7 being credited as a major part of making JPGs popular in the west, the legacy of these increasingly incorrectly named games continues to grow. Featuring magic, mystery, and no shortage of crystals, Final Fantasy will likely remain a mainstay in gaming’s zeitgeist. It’s not just the stories in these titles that make them popular, thanks also have to go to the minigames.
Whether acting as smaller and completely ignorable side-quests to pieces of content closely tied to the story, side quests in Final Fantasy games are some of the most popular in the business. Some of these minigames were quickly and quietly discarded as soon as they appeared, but others stood the test of time to become ageless favourites. Here we want to look at those who made a mark to try to figure out why each of them lasted as long as they did.
Final Fantasy VII G-Bike
In one of the most exciting scenes in the game, the end of Midgar in FF7 has players racing to escape the megacity while being chased by an army of Shinra thugs. This struck such a chord with players that it inspired a full reimagining and release for iOS and Android in 2014. Letting the player modify Cloud, their weapon, and their bike.
This extension of the original minigame was fun while it lasted, though it shut down a year after launch. As for what caused this game to burn out while the player did burnouts, that likely ties into the game’s lack of any real head-to-head gameplay. FF7 G-Bike was very much a single-player experience, which meant that a lack of content patches would always lead to eventual boredom.
Blitzball
Undoubtedly the most contentious minigame on this list, FFX’s Blitzball minigame was introduced as a major component of two main characters, Tidus and Wakka. Even being featured heavily in the game’s intro cinematics, Blitzball is a kind of fusion of rugby and soccer, held underwater in a floating sphere.
Within FFX, Blitzball leaned heavily on RPG mechanics, relying on stats, abilities, and team building to create the most powerful line-up. After a notoriously difficult first match, many players were turned off from the experience, but those who stuck with it for Wakka’s ultimate weapon tended to get a fairer taste.
The longevity of Blitzball for players over something like Final Fantasy VII G-Bike ties into how the game feels like a competitive multiplayer game. While it only operates in single-player mode, the team-versus-team setup makes it seem more like a traditional sports game like FIFA or Madden. It plays as if you’re facing down a team head-to-head, which makes it a pity it never received a multiplayer version.
Triple Triad
Final Fantasy 8 had its haters, but few could dispute the fun of the Triple Triad card minigame. Collecting and using cards on a 3×3 grid involved heavy use of tactics and maths, with high-level cards being able to transform into some of the games’ most powerful magics and items. Square Enix even offers an official app version, which isn’t surprising given the game’s close tie to real card game fun.
Triple Triad already had the head-to-head feel of Blitzball in its original game, and by allowing a new multiplayer version, fans got exactly what they wanted. The new online app gives players the card-based fun they always loved, with the ability to challenge friends and strangers. Though it’s rare for a minigame to expand this much, it was a solid investment from Square Enix given the game’s popularity and the historical success of online card games in other arenas.
A more established, real-life form of this type of competitive card-focused success has been long demonstrated by the different online poker websites. For instance, among the range of varied offerings available at PlayStar, we see the head-to-head poker action that has long been a favourite of competitors in both the video game and casino space. While casinos can reward with cash and bragging rights rather than magic, the appeal remains similar. Of course, casinos also offer similar levels of access through strong mobile integration like Triple Triad does, making the connection even stronger.
As we approach the release of FF16 and the new chapter of the FF7 remake, we have to ask what Square Enix has in mind for minigames. While the setting of FF16 makes us think cards are again likely (more Triple Triad or poker please), FF7 might be heading back into the famous Gold Saucer. The question is, how much will the company integrate competitive play given the power of current-gen online connectivity? It could go either way, and we’re excited to see what comes next.
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