I’ve beaten almost every mainlineFinal Fantasygame - one hundred percented most of them - and the hardest one to beat is often overlooked.Final Fantasygames range greatlyin the amount of content included. Although they’re all big, and almost all open world (at least in the main series), some simply have more to do than others, whether it’s in mini-games, optional dungeons, or ultra-tough superbosses, some games are just bigger than others.
However, few players saw the biggest and hardest-to-beatFinal Fantasygame coming. It’s not open-world, it’s not all that difficult, and, strangest of all, it’s a sequel. That’s right:Final Fantasy X-2, the first true direct sequel in the mainlineFFseries, is by far the hardest game in the franchise to 100%. There are several reasons why, but at the end of the day, it comes down to the way the game is structured, and the hyper-specific requirements it has if players want to see the entirety of its story.
What Makes FFX-2 So Difficult?
Mini-Games & Missables
There are many reasons whyFFX-2is so hard to 100%, but to begin with, let’s talk about the mini-games. The simple fact of it is thatFFX-2has a ton of mini-games, and you have to first unlock all of them, then beat them sufficiently, along the road to 100%. Some of them rely pretty heavily on the player’s luck, too, like Gunner’s Gauntlet and the excavation mini-game, so you’re able to’t rely completely on skill.
But really, as long as you have the time to put into them,FFX-2’s mini-games aren’t the hardest part of a 100% run. No, what really makes it nigh-impossible (at least without a solid guide) isthe staggering amount of missable content.FFX-2has lots of sidequests, and they’re incredibly easy to miss. Simply fail to exhaust a certain NPC’s dialogue, or choose the wrong option, and your run is ruined. Of course, you can always go back for it on New Game Plus, but even then, a 100% run is just so exceptionally easy to mess up.
Final Fantasy Games Generally Aren’t So Hard
100%-ing Other FFs Is A Different Story
Lots ofFinal Fantasygames are hard to 100%, butFFX-2is a different story. Usually, when we talk about what makes anFFgame hard to complete,it’s the optional superbosses that get you down, or grindy mini-games. But in truth, these can all be completed with a sufficient investment of time. SomeFFgames even have missables, but these are rarely (if ever) related to the platinum trophy. Usually, they’re little treasures, or one-off story moments that,while they add to the experience, are definitely not necessary to it.
FFX-2is downright cruel in how it withholds information.
Even the originalFFX, which requires players to jump through all kinds of hoops to obtain its Ultima Weapons, is very much beatable, as long as you have a lot of patience. And if you don’t 100% complete it, so what? You don’t miss out on much but the platinum trophy and the best weapons in the game, which, again, are nice to have, but wholly unnecessary with a decent loadout and enough leveling.
By contrast,FFX-2stands out - not just in the sheer amount of missable content and required sidequests involved in getting the platinum trophy, but also inhow unfair it is about revealing them. Sure, everyFFgame has its share of secrets that you have to dig to find, butFFX-2is, at least in places, downright cruel in how it withholds information about them, burying them in the most obscure possible places with arcane requirements few players will ever even try. And, to make matters worse, it gates an important piece of story content behind them.
FFX-2 Hides An Important Story Scene Behind 100% Completion
You’re Expected To Play Multiple Runs
If you really want to see the entirety ofFFX-2’s story - including an important epilogue that resolves an otherwise very ambiguous plot point -you basically have to achieve 100% completion. I won’t spoil the details, but suffice it to say that the game has its own completion meter (separate from the platinum trophy), and you’ll have to fill it up to see the true ending.
The idea is thatFFX-2requires multiple playthroughs to see everything - you can carry over your completion progress from run to run, as long as it takes to hit 100%. It’s an interesting concept, but gets tedious very quickly, especially considering the arcane requirements of certain scenes. Thankfully, this unique 100% challenge is something thatFinal Fantasyhasn’t tried to replicate since.
