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Where to even start with Final Fantasy?
(beehaw.org)
I’ve been wanting to jump in on the final fantasy universe for a while now but I’m not sure where to start.
To be clear, I don’t have hundreds of hours to play the whole series. Someone told me that each game tends to be somewhat separate from the series as a whole.
So what is the most recent game in the series that I can start with that is worth it to play and wouldn’t confuse a newcomer?
I'd start with 6 (sometimes referred to as 3 in the US). The writing is solid, there are plenty of choices to make and characters to play with, and it moves along nicely. You can put a bunch of time into maxing everyone out and grinding out the highest difficulty areas, but you don't have to.
Great story, great characters, and one hell of a female lead especially considering the era it was released in.