10 & 13 not included, which was the most Linear game?

[Locke4God]

10 & 13 don't count, because they are obviously intended to be linear, but some of the other games are more linear than you might think, and I wanted to know which ones you thought they were.

Think carefully. Which game might seem very open, but really you never have much of a choice but to go to the next area?

[Locke4God]

I wanted to post this seperately so it wouldn't be read with the question above. Sorry for the double, but


I think 6, 2, 4, and 1,,, the early games esspecially are decidedly not as linear as the next ones. You can always end up going to towns that you're not really supposed to get to yet, and later in the games visit wherever you want regardless of the story's progress.

8, is actually fairly open for the most part, and 12 definately is.

I think 7 & 9 are actually the most linear. 7 for almost the entirely of the first disk, you just have to keep moving. There are a couple of little side gigs you can get involved in, but it doesn't truly open up until at least disk 2, and remember it's only a 3 disk game.

9 however, is extremely linear despite it's feel, until disk 3 of 4. You have to go to Lindblum, then to Freya's town, then to the tree, then to the tunnel to the northern continent, then to the Lifa tree, and so one, and there's not much going back or venturing off to the side. So 9 get's my vote for most linear.

[Zargabaath]

I think the general consensus is that Final Fantasy IX was the first FF to be pretty linear in terms of gameplay which lead to Final Fantasy X's linearity. I would have to disagree a bit with Final Fantasy VII being as linear as Final Fantasy IX. The player can do the Ft. Condor mini-game once they reach the area. The Gold Sauce I believe is available anytime after the first time going there? Not sure. Haven't gotten to that part on my current play-through.

I don't know now. I don't see FFVII or FFIX being that linear. IX has the Chocobo hot & cold game plus Tetra master. VII has the Wutai side-quest with Yuffie. Yuffie & Vincent being secret characters. Than there is getting Aeris' final limit before she dies which is an out-of-the-way quest. I do think the Gold Saucer gets its full inventory of things to do in disc 3 though.

To me a game being very linear doesn't matter most of the time - Final Fantasy XIII is the exception though I consider that game restrictive. I can get by with a linear or with a more open style of gameplay.

[Locke4God]

Oh mind you, I don't view linear as a bad thing necessarily.


in regards to 7 - You cannot return to the Gold Saucer until a little later, and yeah you do have the Ft Condor event. It's certainly not super linear, but it also doesn't open up as much as others until a little later.

and 9 is a little moreso. I mean Tetra Master and Hot & Cold are ok, but not toally in the go explore anything you want kind of way. I think Tetra is pretty unanamously regarded as inferior to the Triple Triad card game, so if you'd just played 8, then Tetra just comes off as adding very little. And I do suppose that Hot & Cold is a little extra, and alright, but in regards to making the game non-linear, it really doesn't cause you deviate from the course or allow you to investigate outside of the prescribed path.