Final Fantasyis one of the most important and iconic video game series to that point that even those who don’t play video games know about it. Over the course of 30 years, the series has had tons of main entry titles and different spin-offs. There has been tons of different experimentation where they test the limits of what it means it be aFinal Fantasygame, and of course explored many different areas and characters.
One of the best parts of most of the bestFinal Fantasygames are the villains. Not only are most of these written and voiced well, they tend to be tragic, and driven by something or the other. Many of the best villains have incredible backstories, tons of different character interaction and leave a lot open to be explored. Both, in terms of their own past or future, and in terms of the world built around them. WhileFinal Fantasyhasn’t been too big on spin-offs for a while, all of these villains definitely deserve one.
Angeal is one of the most tragic characters in the franchise, and a big reason as to whyCrisis Coreis such a beloved game. Angeal is an honest and disciplined man, bound by his honor. He was also, at some point best friends with Genesis and Sephiroth. While Genesis acted as the primary villain in the game, it becomes very apparent by the end that Shinra and their scientific wing were the real antagonists.
A game exploring Angeal’s past in Banora, his early days with SOLDIER working with Genesis could make for a compelling tale. A spin-off similar toCrisis Corewould be perfect. Exploring their pasts and the internal politics of SOLDIER, Shinra and everything else. With the recentFFVIIremakes taking prominence, it may seem like over saturation by focusing on one area of the franchise so much, but, to be honest the characters in this area deserve it. Plus we would get to seemore of the Buster Sword, which is always a win.
4Folmarv Tengille
Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lionsis one of the greateststrategy games out there, especially in terms of narrative, world-building and character development. It is right up there withTactics Ogre: Reborn, which hassimilar gameplay and class systemstoo. The game is chock-full of tragic tales, internal conflict and riveting characters. Folmarv is one of the antagonists of the game and leader of the Knights Templar.
He acts as a man driven by desperation and blind faith. Any spin-off toWar of the Lionswould be great, especially one set 20–30 years in the past, so players can see how the Knight Templars came to be, how did Folmarv fall to an obsession with Ultima, and more details around the geopolitical situation and how the church operated. This prequel could be similar in style toTactics Ogre:Knight of Lodis, portraying a tragic villain. Or alternatively one similar to someFire Emblemgames where players can follow different interwoven stories.
Final Fantasy XII’sbig bad might seem like a weird choice for a spin-off. Vayne is a cunning and nefarious villain, who will stop at nothing in his pursuit for power. Be it ruling Dalmasca, or something beyond that, Vayne is extremely ambitious and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. A game centered around Vayne could be amazing. He’s a character players would love to hate, watching all of his various plans unfold from his point of view would be exciting to watch.
Beyond that, a spin-off focused on Vayne could expand the lore of Dalmasca, focusing more on the political intricacies of the nation, and perhaps shed some light on his family as well. Vayne clearly cares for the betterment of Dalmasca and this could be an interesting factor to juxtapose with his villainy.
Sephiroth is one of the most famous videogame characters out there, his presence transcendsFinal Fantasy. He frequently features in other games, and he’s known as one of the most iconic villains out there. Whilst this might seem a bit redundant with the newFinal Fantasy VIIremakes out right now, considering the impact Sephiroth has and how well executed everything about him is, he deserves his own spin-off.
A game exploring Sephiroth’spast as a heroand a symbol at SOLDIER could be amazing, slowly portraying the realities he uncovers and his subsequent fall from grace. His relationship with the likes of Angeal could also be interesting to explore. Alternatively, focusing on a different period of his life can work well too, especially since the last we see of him isn’t an explicit goodbye.
Ardyn is one of the best new characters introduced in the franchise. Hischemistry with Noctis, and other characters inFinal Fantasy XVis fiery. Ardyn is a unique character with interesting motivations. He isn’t downright evil, rather an idealist whose path has been twisted over centuries. While we did get a DLC chapter related to him, there’s still so much that can easily be explored with Ardyn, and any return to theFFXVworld is welcome.
Ardyn always comes across as light-hearted and charming despite the fact thathe is wholly manipulative. Whatever his intentions may have been a thousand years ago, they’re corrupted now. Ardyn would be an incredible character to plan a spin-off around. Any point during his 2000-year-long past could be explored to flesh out his motivations and what changed.
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