Final Fantasy Games With The Best Summon Systems

As a seasoned gamer with over two decades of gaming under my belt, I must say that the evolution of summons in the Final Fantasy series has been nothing short of mesmerizing. From the humble beginnings of Shiva and Anima in Final Fantasy 3 to the epic battles of Eikons in Final Fantasy 16, each game has brought something unique to the table.

Summons are a well-known feature found in many iterations of the popular game series, “Final Fantasy,” including spinoffs. These summoning elements were initially introduced in “Final Fantasy 3” in 1990 on the NES, which also marked the debut of an interchangeable Job system for the “Final Fantasy” franchise. Unfortunately, North America had to wait until the DS remake was released in 2006 to play “Final Fantasy 3.

From my perspective as an enthusiast, I was first introduced to Summons through “Final Fantasy 6” (renamed “Final Fantasy 3” for the SNES in North America), a groundbreaking experience in 1994. Despite the mixed-up names, Summons remains a captivating feature of this iconic series. Different games have incorporated Summons into their gameplay mechanics in varying degrees of success. Here are some standout instances, ranked for your consideration.

6 Final Fantasy 12

Replace Party Members Temporarily With Espers

In Final Fantasy 12, the Summons are known as Espers, and they are associated with Zodiac signs. The concept of Zodiacs is significant in the Ivalice games, such as Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy 12. As the story progresses, players can unlock more Espers. During combat, characters can temporarily call upon these Espers to join them.

The original party members will be swapped out, leaving only the summoner and the Espers active. For instance, the protagonist Vaan has the ability to call upon Belias for assistance, allowing them to team up and combat monsters. Although their journey may be brief, if players skillfully utilize their summoned ally, they can overcome even the most challenging predicaments.

5 Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

Power Up Summons Through Tomb Raiding

In Final Fantasy 7, Materia was a new addition to the game series. These spherical objects held various powers such as boosting HP (Health Points) with HP+, casting spells like Fire, and even conjuring creatures for summoning, like Ifrit. In the initial remake of the game, many of these summonable creatures could be obtained by winning VR-style battles.

In the sequel to Final Fantasy 7, titled Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, players may encounter Summon relics across various regions they explore. A character named Chadley will then transform the data from these discoveries into Virtual Reality battles. If victorious in these battles, players receive Materia as a reward. For instance, the Summon for the Cosmo Canyon region is Bahamut Arisen. Upon summoning in battle, these creatures join your entire party and can be commanded alongside following a pre-set AI of abilities.

4 Final Fantasy 6

Learning Spells From Gods

In contrast to Final Fantasy 7’s Materia system that was inspired by an earlier prototype in Final Fantasy 6, some might contend that the latter’s implementation was even superior. Similar to Final Fantasy 12, the summoning mechanic in Final Fantasy 6 was known as Espers. Upon acquiring a new Esper, a character could attach it and then employ it during battle, resulting in a random effect.

For instance, Shiva typically unleashes icy attacks on adversaries, just as she often does in these games. Furthermore, characters can acquire magical abilities from Espers. Upon mastering these skills, the characters would possess these spells indefinitely, marking a distinctive approach to Summons up until that point.

3 Final Fantasy 8

Draw Magic And Boost Stats

In this game, the Summons have a unique name that’s never been copied before – Guardian Forces, or GFs. You can get these in the story and optional boss fights of Final Fantasy 8. The very first one players can grab is Ifrit. Once you’ve got it, you can connect it to a character, then assign commands to that character which become unlocked.

For example, the universal command each GF dished out was called Draw. Characters could absorb magic through this command from monsters to use in battle or they could equip spells to stats linked to their GFs like Strength. It was a wild system at the time and it is still odd now, but that doesn’t mean it was bad. Quite the contrary, as the GFs were an interesting way to handle equipment, magic, and Summons all tied to one system.

2 Final Fantasy 10

The First Big Upgrade To Summons In Ten Games

In my gaming experience, stepping into the world of Final Fantasy X felt like a massive leap forward for the series. The graphical enhancement from PlayStation 1 to PlayStation 2 was nothing short of stunning, and the addition of voice acting really brought the characters to life.

In the game, characters could enhance their abilities through a system called the Sphere Grid. However, only Yuna had the capacity to summon powerful creatures known as Aeons. When summoned, other party members would be temporarily replaced and players could control the Aeon until it was called back or perished. Even after an Aeon’s demise, Yuna could call forth another one onto the battlefield, ranging from renowned beings like Bahamut to peculiar entities like Yojimbo. In essence, this Aeon system resembles the Esper system in Final Fantasy 12, but the intimate connection between Yuna and her Aeons gives it a more distinctive feel, almost as if she were a Pokemon Trainer.

1 Final Fantasy 16

Square Enix Borrows Heavily From Naruto To Give You Direct Control Of Eikons

In “Final Fantasy 16,” there were mixed opinions, but everyone can agree that it significantly improved the role of Summons in the series. In this game, powerful beings called Eikons were housed within champions known as Dominants from different nations. For instance, the main character, Clive, served as the Dominant for Ifrit, one of the Eikons. What’s more, Clive could harness the abilities of other Dominants by wielding their weapons or casting their spells, thus expanding his skill set through multiple branches.

The leveling system was quite impressive in this game, but what truly captivated me about Final Fantasy 16 was the Eikon boss battles, which resembled colossal Kaiju fights. As Ifrit, players were tasked with destroying other massive Eikons. There were additional elements that added to the excitement, though discussing them would involve spoilers. It remains uncertain if Summons will ever achieve this level of epicness in gameplay again.

2024-11-02 08:35