Final Fantasyis a series of video games, but there’s a rich history of it appearing in other mediums. There have been movies, TV shows, and, indeed, board games, associated with the franchise. Beyond the officially associated, there are also a handful of games that capture a feel not unlike that of these classic games, whether it’s because they feature fantasy adventure, have moving stories, include amazing visuals, or simply feel comforting, cure and cozy.
If you’re a Final Fantasy fan looking for a worthwhile tabletop experience that captures some of what you love about those legendary games, this list is for you.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Board Game: Materia Hunter
It’s always important to get your hands on enough Materia
This card game tasks its players with building parties of Final Fantasy 7 characters and competing with a single opponent or an opposing team to collect as many Materia as possible.
Associated with the Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Materia Hunter allows you to create a party of Final Fantasy 7 characters and use their unique abilities to attempt to collect the most Materia. The game can be played between two players or two teams of two. (Groups of exactly three people are out of luck, unfortunately.)
There’s loads of gorgeous art in this game. The box has one ofthe most beautiful imagesfrom Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and the Materia drawings on the collectible cards are gorgeous.
The book is currently only available in Japan, but its rules have already been translated into English, so you’re able to play as soon as you manage to get yourself a copy.
Chocobo’s Crystal Hunt
Kweh!
This extremely simple card game has players using the chocobo cards they draw to steal crystals from each other. It’s an easy game to understand and play, but there are still loads of interesting things that can happen as different cards with different effects are shuffled around.
A game of card drawing and card stealing, Chocobo’s Crystal Hunt has you using the chocobos you draw to get more crystals and chocobos from both the deck and the hands of other players, with the goal of collecting enough crystals to win the round.
The rules are reminiscent of Old Maid and Go Fish, though not precisely like either. This is a simple game without much of a skill component. It’s not really trying to be mechanically elaborate. It’s just trying to beFinal Fantasy themedand have amazing art, and in those respects, it succeeds.
Descent: Legends of the Dark
An amazing fantasy adventure
This genre-codifying blockbuster of a Dungeon Crawling game takes players through a long-form fantasy adventure narrative meant to be played over numerous sessions spanning dozens of hours. Its storytelling and mechanics are both excellent.
We now arrive at games that are not officially Final Fantasy branded, but that are reminiscent of the franchise in a variety of ways. First and foremost, the Final Fantasy series is about Fantasy Adventure, with finely crafted RPG mechanics and excellent storytelling. There are a lot of Fantasy Adventure board games out there. We madea whole listof them. If we’d wanted, we could’ve included most of the games on that list here, but we decided to pick just one.
We chose this game for two reasons. First, it has superb quality. Descent: Legends of the Dark is the current iteration of the Descent franchise, a giant of the Fantasy Dungeon Crawling genre, of superb quality. It’s also a long-form story. Unlike most board games, this cooperative story is meant to be played over the course of several sessions, and it tells a single ongoing story from start to finish, not unlike the long-form narratives in our favorite fantasy RPGs.
Diamonds Second Edition
Hear… Feel… Think…
This crystaltastic game has you using crystal-themed cards to collect crystals that are worth points. This game’s custom deck has the familiar four suits of ordinary playing cards but with custom art and higher numbers in place of the faces. It also imbues these cards with a variety of interesting abilities.
There are lots of crystals in Final Fantasy. They’re everywhere. They’re how you level up in Final Fantasy 13. Final Fantasy 14 has you guided along your journey by the benevo… “benevolent” crystal goddess Hydaelyn. In a series of games with such an emphasis on stellar production design and striking imagery, it’s fitting that something so intricate and beautiful should play a major role in its aesthetic, a trait these games share in common with Diamonds.
Diamonds is a game with crystal-themed cards, where you compete to collect the most crystals. The title has a double meaning, referring to both the crystals you use to score points and the centrality of Diamonds, the suit to this playing card game, which uses a beautiful custom deck to reinforce its crystalline aesthetic.
Flamecraft
A colorful aesthetic full of appealing dragons
This worker-placement, or, rather, dragon-placement game casts players as “Flamecrafters” whose job is to craft magic weapons with the help of their adorable draconic assistants!
For all of its deep and often emotionally brutal storytelling, the Final Fantasy games have a cute and colorful aesthetic, full of cute fantasy creatures. If you want a game that replicates that aesthetic, Flamecraft is for you.
Flamecraft is a worker placement game where the workers are adorable dragons who help you magically enchant the items you’re creating. This isn’t a game about combat. You’re an artisan here, gathering materials and creating your own magic weapons for adventurers to use. If you want a board game version of Final Fantasy 14’s crafting system or just want to play a cute and colorful resource management game, Flamecraft is for you.
Call to Adventure
Create an epic tale for an epic hero
This well-crafted fantasy card game uses surprisingly straightforward (though not exactly simple) card game mechanics to allow each player to create their own hero and send them on a fantastic adventure full of both triumph and tragedy.
This extremely elaborate card game uses its several different decks (and a handful of other whotsits) to give you everything you need to create your own hero and lead them through an epic story full of engaging challenges and meaningful moral choices. The tasks you complete in this game don’t just give you new abilities. They further flesh out your hero’s story. The game uses different cards for three acts, a mechanic that nudges your story into a satisfying narrative structure.
Victory in this game comes from acquiring Destiny points, which are awarded not just for success but for introducing all kinds of interesting developments, even tragedies, to your hero’s story. In the end, it’s the player who makes the best story who ultimately wins rather than the one who succeeds most. If you’re looking for a moving and epic storytelling experience, few board games can do better.
FAQ
Is there a Final Fantasy Tabletop RPG?
May 2024 will see the release of the Final Fantasy XIV Tabletop RPG, set in the universe of the currently active MMO and highest grossing Final Fantasy game. With it, you and your friends will be able to play out your own custom adventures on the planet formerly known as Hydaelyn!
