Final Fantasy 7 is now playable on a Nintendo console for the first time in 22 years, and Final Fantasy 9, Final Fantasy 10/10-2, and Final Fantasy 12 are all here or on the way. It's excellent news if you're eager to play through them on Nintendo Switch, but even better if you remember what a shock it was that the Final Fantasy series ever parted ways with Nintendo.
Before I get all tearful about the Significance Of This Moment, here's what you need to know about playing Final Fantasy 7 on Switch. It's based on the same updated version that's been on PS4 for years, coming with built-in enhancements/cheats like the ability to triple game speed, disable random encounters, and even heal up your party and max out their powerful Limit Breaks in the middle of a fight (Final Fantasy 9 has similar options). Use any or all of them to make the game easier to play, or leave them off for the old-school experience. Final Fantasy 7 on Nintendo Switch costs $15.99 / £12.79 and is only available via the eShop.
Experience the greatest moments from #FinalFantasy VII and return to the beginning of the RPG that revolutionized gaming. The fight for the planet begins today on #NintendoSwitch and #Xbox One!Switch: https://t.co/gbHFLPNxBa Xbox One: https://t.co/JJjVjDoQCp pic.twitter.com/xCE5jjeSA6March 26, 2019
Ok, with all that out of the way I can start ugly crying about what a big deal this would have been to wee Nintendo fanboy Connor. For its first six entries, the Final Fantasy series was bound to Nintendo, existing solely on NES, Game Boy, and Super Nintendo. There was a 1989 MSX port of the original Final Fantasy too but we don't talk about that.
Final Fantasy 7 was originally planned for Super Nintendo (see Polygon's excellent oral history piece) before Square paused its development to bring more resources over to Chrono Trigger. When work on FF7 resumed, a Nintendo 64 version was considered but canceled in favor of Sony's new PlayStation platform. Though many other Final Fantasy projects made their way to Nintendo since then, none of the main, numbered games were among them… unless you count Final Fantasy 15: Pocket Edition, which hit Switch in 2018. Man, this series is weird.
Anyway, you could almost say Final Fantasy has picked up on Switch right where it left off on Super Nintendo after a 22-year break. Almost because Final Fantasy 8 and 11 are MIA, but it's still a nice thought.
See if you've missed any of the classics on our list of the best RPG games. Or see some more games to look forward to this year in the video below.
