The Most Obscure Final Fantasy Game Is Actually An Anime Adaptation

Summary Final Fantasy has plenty of spin-offs like Crystal Chronicles and Dissidia, but more obscure ones include an FF: Unlimited PC game.

Final Fantasy: Unlimited began as an anime adaptation of the game series, with its own unique setting and story.

FF:U on PC was a card battler and visual novel, a video game adaptation of an anime based on a game series.

Though Final Fantasy is the most high-profile Japanese RPG series in the West, there are many obscure games bearing the Final Fantasy name outside the prolific numbered mainline entries and remakes, but the most niche game is an adaptation of an anime series. Sub-franchises like Crystal Chronicles and the fighting action of Dissidia are certainly not as well-known as the Final Fantasy 7 Remake series. A plethora of Final Fantasy mobile games have come and gone, and at least three are concurrently up and running, including Brave Exvius, but the Final Fantasy: Unlimited PC game still stands as the most obscure.

Some early obscure games bearing the Final Fantasy name were not actually Final Fantasy games in Japan. The Final Fantasy Legend games were the original SaGa series titles in Japan, and Final Fantasy Adventure was the first game in the Mana series.

The history of obscure spin-offs to the series dates back to the Super Nintendo era. There are differing opinions on the best and worst Final Fantasy games, but niche titles like Mystic Quest rarely enter the discussion since few have heard of them. Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest was released in North America before Japan, and it was a simple RPG aimed at introducing beginners to the genre which was relatively unpopular in the West at the time. The massive popularity of the original PlayStation’s Final Fantasy 7 marked the start of frequent, numerous spinoff titles bearing the Final Fantasy name.

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FF:U On PC Was A Card Battler & Visual Novel Game

Game Adaptation Of An Anime Adaptation Of A Game Series

The PlayStation saw Chocobo’s Mysterious Dungeon, a roguelike, and Chocobo Racing, essentially Mario Kart-style gameplay with the Final Fantasy series’ iconic big yellow bird (the Switch-exclusive Chocobo GP offered a sequel over 20 years later). The spin-offs continued, and by the PlayStation 2 era, side games outnumbered the mainline entries in the series. In 2001, a film and an anime series were both released that bore the Final Fantasy name that were unrelated to any specific video game in the series. Where the 1990s anime Legend of the Crystals took place in Final Fantasy 5’s world, the theatrical film The Spirits Within and the anime Final Fantasy: Unlimited featured original settings and stories.

The Spirits Within was a box office bomb with a mixed critical reception, but more fans of the series at least recall that the movie exists, and it is still available for digital purchase through Amazon and other storefronts. The anime series Final Fantasy: Unlimited is not available on any streaming service or digital video platform in the USA, however. FF:U received two video game adaptations. One was a mobile game with traditional turn-based JRPG battles, released only in Japan, called Final Fantasy: Unlimited With U. Final Fantasy: Unlimited On PC was released in 2003 for Windows, also only in Japan.

Since the release of the Final Fantasy: Unlimited anime series, there have been several films and miniseries released based on games like Final Fantasy 7 or Final Fantasy 15, but Unlimited was the last wholly original series to bear the Final Fantasy name.

While the Final Fantasy crossover with Mountain Dew might have seemed like the strangest cross-promotion the series has had, it related to Final Fantasy 14, which is at least a traditional MMORPG. FF:U On PC was a video game adaptation of an anime based on a video game series, and unlike the mobile Final Fantasy: Unlimited game, it also featured unconventional gameplay. The gameplay was a card game system, in between a series of still images supported by voice acting from the anime series, making FF:U on PC essentially a cross between a card battle game and a visual novel.

No Final Fantasy Game Is More Obscure Than FF:U On PC

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Final Fantasy: Unlimited was no more successful than The Spirits Within, and its intended 52-episode count was cut to 25, which left its story feeling unfinished. Western Final Fantasy fans spent years waiting for official translations of some of the early mainline entries, but each of them has now been localized, including the excellent Final Fantasy: Pixel Remaster collection. Many Final Fantasy games have not been localized, largely due to the advent of mobile gaming. Ironically, FF:U’s mobile game was approachable, as it adopted familiar turn-based RPG mechanics, where the PC game was strange both conceptually and in its execution.

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Despite its troubled production and incomplete story, the Final Fantasy: Unlimited series remains a cult classic among some anime and video game fans. It suffered from uneven production values, early 2000s CG elements which have aged poorly, and two child characters who served mainly as annoying distractions. Still, the series has a certain charm, but even hardcore FF:U fans are unlikely to have played its PC game, which essentially required winning card-based battles to have the story retold to the player. While some Final Fantasy spin-offs have titles that sound like complex, meaningless word salad, they are still more accessible.