TheFinal Fantasyseries is a quintessential part of video game history and is well-known internationally thanks to its many mainline entries and spinoffs launching across various platforms. Due to Final Fantasy being Square Enix’s most famous series, many other games by the publisher have paid homage to it in some way.
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However, Square Enix games aren’t the only ones that pay homage to the series, as many other games that launched across its over three-decade-long lifespan also contain references to the series, including character cameos, homages to specific characters from the series, and so much more.
8Secret of Evermore
Despite never seeing a launch in Japan, Square Enix’s Super Nintendo game Secret of Evermore contains several references to Final Fantasy. In the crowd at the coliseum in Antiqua, you can see Terra, Locke, Mog, Strago, Relm, and Umaro from Final Fantasy 6. There’s also a Chocobo Egg item that can raise the HP level of the unnamed protagonist.
The most interesting reference is that Cecil Harvey, the protagonist of Final Fantasy 4, runs the inn and armor shop at Ebon’s Keep. He even suspects you may have heard of him and name-drops Baron Castle, his home in Final Fantasy 4 and related media.
7Star Ocean 3
In Star Ocean 3, the third entry in Tri-Ace’sStar OceanJRPG series, a character named Ameena Leffeld is heavily basedon Aerith GainsboroughfromFinal Fantasy 7, as she has a similar design and also happens to grow and sell flowers.
She also has a similar fate to Aerith,although she diesfrom a combination of grief and her seemingly incurable illness rather than being killed by the primary antagonist. Luckily, right before she passed on, she was reunited with her long-lost friend Dion Landers, who dies just before she does after sustaining severe injuries from battling the Vendeeni.
6Mario Hoops 3-on-3
In theNintendo DS sports gameMario Hoops 3-on-3, which was developed by Square Enix, several characters from the Final Fantasy series are playable. The playable characters are the Ninja, the Black Mage, the White Mage, a Moogle, and a Cactuar.
It’s interesting that Square Enix specifically chose unnamed characters in this game that use their class or species as their name instead, asFinal Fantasy 12had launched a few months earlier, but they may have felt it was too silly for any of those characters. It’s also interesting to note that this game doesn’t seem to be considered a crossover between series in the wayKingdom Heartsonce was.
5The Simpsons Game
The Simpsons Game, based on the long-running animated sitcomThe Simpsons, is chock-full of references to other games, so it’s no surprise that it has Final Fantasy references in one of its levels. The Big Super Happy Fun Fun Game level, which references various Japanese games, mentions the evil Ra-Shin corporation, based on Shin-Ra from Final Fantasy 7.
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In the volcano section of the level, the fire sumo enemies based on Comic Book Guy will sometimes say,"‘Just a flesh wound!’ …Is a quote fromFinal Fantasy IX. Ha ha," when defeated, serving as a reference within a reference, as the original quote is from the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
4Scott Pilgrim vs The World
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, the beat’em up based on the movie based on the graphic novel series, has a reference to the series in the form of the “Never-Ending Fantasy” stat-boosting accessory available in Wallace’s Mystery Shop, as an homage to the series title.
The movie the game is based on also has a Final Fantasy reference when Scott says, “Hey, check it out. I learned the bass line from Final Fantasy 2!” and proceeds to play Battle Theme I from Final Fantasy 4, which was known as Final Fantasy II outside of Japan when it first launched on the Nintendo Entertainment System.
3Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony
Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony, the third mainline entry in theDanganronpaseries, is part of a series known for making many references to other media. The first Final Fantasy that Killing Harmony refers to is the film Final Fantasy: Spirits Within when the Monokuma cubs Monotaro and Monophanie discuss how Square and Enix merged after Spirits Within was a commercial failure.
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The second reference has Monokuma discussing possible future “seasons” of Danganronpa, referring to various other media. The hypothetical fifth season, Final Danganronpa 5 Monokuma Returns, serves as a reference to the Final Fantasy series in general, is stylized similarly to Final Fantasy 7, and also referencesLightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13.
2Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn
InShaq Fu: A Legend Reborn, the beat’em up sequel to the infamous 1994 fighting game Shaq-Fu, Shaq can switch between different Shaq Modes that give him additional abilities. One of these Shaq Modes is called Shaqtus, which turns Shaq into a giant cactus with an automatic needle attack.
While in Shaqtus mode, if you shoot 500 cactus needles at enemies, you will gain an achievement or trophy called “500 Little Pricks,” based on the 1000 Needles attackCactuar enemies usein various Final Fantasy games. It’s also an easy achievement, as the attack requires you only to hold down one button.
1The Last of Us Part 1
In the PlayStation 5 and PC remake of Naughty Dog’sThe Last of Us, The Last of Us Part 1, a mural featuring Cloud Strife and Tifa Lockhart from Final Fantasy 7 can be spotted in room 200 on the second floor of the college dormitory featured in the game’s eighth chapter.
The poster depicts a scene from Final Fantasy 7 where Cloud and Tifa are looking up at the stars together, with the word “Stargazer” at the bottom under smaller but indeterminate Japanese text, serving as a reference to the Stargazer Heights hotel that Cloud and Tifa stayed at in the game.
