I’ve been wanting to jump in on the final fantasy universe for a while now but I’m not sure where to start.
To be clear, I don’t have hundreds of hours to play the whole series. Someone told me that each game tends to be somewhat separate from the series as a whole.
So what is the most recent game in the series that I can start with that is worth it to play and wouldn’t confuse a newcomer?
They are completely disconnected, with the exception of the occasional spinoff or direct sequel, but those are easy to identify. The last game is probably the easier one of the series to pick up and play (this statement has been true for the whole existence of the series)
Where to start? Depends. Everyone of them is a huge game and a big time investment.
Taking into account you have no nostalgia for the series, I’d say your options, in order of what I think would stick are:
If you go completely Final Fantasy insane after any of those, start with FF, the first one from the NES and make your way through them all. Prepare a couple thousand hours.