Survey: 27% Of People Wish They Could Get Rid Of This Final Fantasy Game

Final Fantasy is unique among some of the larger gaming franchises in that its numbered entries differ significantly from one another. Early information about the upcoming Final Fantasy 16, for example, details a world entirely new to the series with its own unique mythology. This follows suit with most prior entries in the series. Because of this general trend, most Final Fantasy games can essentially be played piecemeal.

On one hand, Final Fantasy games are especially newcomer friendly, since a new player can jump in at virtually any point in the franchise. On the other hand, a fan of one Final Fantasy may not necessarily be a fan of another. For instance, fans were largely disappointed with the initial release of Final Fantasy 14.

SVG conducted a survey of just over 600 gamers to determine which Final Fantasy entry players most want to eliminate. In the lead, surprisingly, was Final Fantasy 7 Remake, earning approximately 27% of votes.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake was well-received by critics, so its poll lead isn't indicative of poor reviews. Its Metacritic User Score is described by the site as "generally favorable." In the absence of any indication of widespread disappointment, the most likely reason fans determined Final Fantasy 7 Remake to be most deserving of banishment from the franchise is that it was an attempt to iterate on an all-time classic. The update also included some changes to the original's story, which may have hurt it in the eyes of some fans.

An earlier poll conducted by SVG determined that the original Final Fantasy 7 was the majority of fans' number one favorite entry in the whole franchise. Thus, 7 Remake is, despite its success, mixed up with an all-time favorite by its very design. Whether or not it succeeded in evolving the original, there are inevitably going to be fans of the original game unhappy with the updated version.

Taking second-place was Final Fantasy 14, earning about 17.5% of votes. While at its launch 14 was widely panned, it has since been turned around into a relatively popular MMORPG. That said, there are inevitably players who only tried the game out in its initial state who may be responsible for its relatively high raking.

Next highest was Final Fantasy II with roughly 16% of the vote. In this case, its banishability could be attributed largely to critical reception. While some reviewers found issues with the remake specifically, a version of Final Fantasy 2 for the PSP nevertheless sits at a Metascore of 63. Finally, in fourth and fifth places respectively were Final Fantasy XV and Final Fantasy XIII. These two are cases of entries that, while not necessarily disliked, simply aren't quite as acclaimed as others in the franchise.

About 15.5% of voters overall selected an "Other" category. The majority of those voters specified that they either had no preference or simply wouldn't banish any game from the series.

Whether or not the upcoming Final Fantasy 16 deserves banishment will surely be discussed at the time of its PS5 and PC release.