Seems a lot lately I have been told or asked things like “Chop, you really like Final Fantasy but I know nothing about it, do I have to play the other ones to understand the new ones?”
The answer to that is: Absolutely not!
Final Fantasy is a neat series where unless the title has an extra number or a subtitle (The FFVII series, XIII trilogy, X-2, the Ivalice Alliance to a lesser extent) The games are completely isolated stories with their own lore, worlds, characters and all that good stuff that makes each FF game unique.
The fun part is that there are recurring things in each title that you will slowly be able to spot the more you delve into the series, they aren’t vital to know but can be very fun for new and old fans. Their designs change but the fundamentals remain the same:
Chocobo’s are big rideable birds, they are mostly yellow but in some games you can breed or find them in various colours.
Moogles are cute little magical flying cat things, A lot of the time they are helpful or mischievous and say “kupo” a lot, but sometimes they are only portrayed as stuffed animals.
Malboro is basically Satan’s anus. It is known for its bad breath and mostly inflicts status attacks that can ruin your day. If you’re unsure about them, don’t fight it or run away because shit can quickly go sour with a Malboro if you’re unprepared.
Tonberry’s are cold blooded murder beasts. Except for sometimes when they aren’t. Don’t fight them unless you’re sure you can take them, Save the game first just in case.
Cactuars are fast little cactus monsters, usually not that big of a deal but are quick and have high evasion, sometimes drop pretty alright items, unless it has a flower on it’s head, has a mustache, or is super huge, they aren’t that bad. Their needle attacks can be terrible.
Behemoths are like ripped purple monster dogs with horns. They usually function on a “You think you’ve won? Think again!” Kind of thing, where they cast meteor upon death and can potentially kill your entire party. Behemoths are neat, I like em. (FFXV has already shown off their fantastic rendition of Behemoth and I highly suggest checking out a lets play of Episode Duscae or something to see that beastie baby in action)
There are a lot more, and I didn’t even mention the summons, but this post is already so long :’D
TLDR: Final Fantasy is fun, I love the weird creatures and recurring things in each title, and I am very excited to see what FFXV does with all our favourite monsters.