Final Fantasy is mostly an anthology series with primary installments being stand-alone role-playing games, each with different settings, plots, and main characters, but the franchise is linked by several recurring elements, including game mechanics and recurring character names. Each plot centers on a particular group of heroes who are battling a great evil, but also explores the characters' internal struggles and relationships. Character names are frequently derived from the history, languages, pop culture, and mythologies of cultures worldwide. The mechanics of each game involve similar battle systems and maps.
Final Fantasy VII follows the story of mercenary Cloud Strife, who is hired by the eco-terrorist group AVALANCHE-- led by Barret Wallace-- to help fight the mega-corporation Shinra Electric Power Company, who attempts to drain the planet's lifeblood as an energy source to further their profits. Apathetic to the cause, Cloud initially fights for personal gain, and for the promise he made to childhood friend Tifa Lockhart. Cloud eventually joins forces with many others to save the planet, which is threatened by Shinra and Cloud's nemesis Sephiroth, and discovers a reason to fight for a cause other than his own.
Final Fantasy X is set in the world of Spira and follows the story of Tidus and Yuna. Tidus is a star athlete blitzball player, who is taken to Spira by Auron after a monster called Sin destroys his home city of Zanarkand. Tidus then joins the summoner Yuna on her pilgrimage with her guardians to defeat Sin and bring about the Calm. X-2 takes place in Spira during the Eternal Calm, and continues the story of Yuna, who has become a sphere hunter and a member of the sphere hunting group, the Gullwings, with Rikku and Paine. Yuna hunts for spheres to find clues about a mysterious man who looks like her lost love Tidus. However, she becomes entangled in political turmoil the Gullwings must resolve to prevent a war, uncovering a plot to destroy Spira with a secret weapon from its ancient past.
Final Fantasy XII takes place in Ivalice, where the empires of Archadia and Rozarria are waging an endless war. Dalmasca, a small kingdom, is caught between the warring nations. When Dalmasca is annexed by Archadia, its princess, Ashe, creates a resistance movement. During the struggle, she meets Vaan, a young adventurer who dreams of becoming a sky pirate in command of an airship. They are quickly joined by a band of allies, and together, they rally against the tyranny of the Archadian Empire.
Final Fantasy VI focuses on a conflict between the Gestahlian Empire conquering the world and a rebel faction opposed to them known as the Returners, taking place in a fantasy steampunk-style world. The Empire has acquired great power by experimenting on captured espers, magical creatures of legend. The Returners seek magical power to fight the Empire on equal terms, and an amnesiac former imperial soldier, Terra Branford, proves the key to both sides for understanding magic and espers.
Dissidia Final Fantasy centers around a conflict between Cosmos, the goddess of harmony, and Chaos, the god of discord. Each god has summoned ten warriors from prior Final Fantasy games to fight for them against the opposing god. After a previous struggle left Cosmos weakened, she instructs her warriors to find ten crystals that contain the power of light, which can turn the tide of the war if they gather them all.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII begins seven years before the start of Final Fantasy VII, and encompasses the events that take place until just before its beginning. The game's hero is Zack Fair, who was a minor character in Final Fantasy VII and the previous owner of the Buster Sword before Cloud Strife. He is a SOLDIER working for the Shinra Electric Power Company, and tells the tale of Zack's battle against the villainous SOLDIER defector, Genesis Rhapsodos, and the other products of the Jenova Project.
I was introduced to Final Fantasy through the extended day program I was in in elementary school, where every Friday they'd bring in these huge binders full of games that we could play if we brought our game systems. One of the games I'd spend MONTHS playing through was Final Fantasy Legend on the gameboy. I never beat it because it was too hard but i got a more thorough introduction through my cousin Evan, because he had VII and X/X-2 on his ps2 and would let me play them when i'd go over to his house, and eventually let me borrow VII so I could play through it all the way on my own. Once I moved back in with my parents I borrowed X, X-2, and XII from one of my friends and would play them after school, but I never ended up fully finishing any of them. I have all of the Final Fantasy games I never managed to finish on various systems, though, so I'll actually complete them one of these days hehehe but I love the world of FF7 and have a long history with the characters so every time I play through it (I'm playing through the 7 remake right now! once I beat sephiroth in KH2... or if i get stuck on KH3... it's on my list!) i feel like i'm hanging out with old friends :')