If you play the Final Fantasy games now, you would have easy access to the games. You can play all mainline series from FF 1 to FF16 with relative ease. However, back then, following this series proved to be a problem. You’d be shocked that before Final Fantasy VII was released, there were only FF 1, 2, and 3, so what happened to FF 4, 5, and 6?
What happened to FF 4, 5, and 6?
The very first Final Fantasy game that was released in the US or internationally was Final Fantasy I. It was out for the NES without any changes other than the translation of the dialogue. However, what happened to the other three games was a bit fascinating.
Translation delays and development speed
Back then, FF games were being pumped out at a rapid pace for the NES. They were very successful in Japan, so FF 1 to 3 made a killing. However, due to how technology was limited back then, translating a game took time. By the time FF 2 was supposed to come out in the US, it was canceled because of the delayed translation. Plus, FF 3 had also come out in Japan, so the US and the rest of the world were going to do some catching up/
The games got renamed
Around this time, the NES was waning in popularity because the SNES was already out. While it is unclear, they never released FF 2 and 3; FF 4 was already out on the Japanese Super Famicom. That game was translated and ported to the SNES. Instead of calling it FF 4, they called it FF 2, because only FF 1 had come out for the NES.
The next game, FF 5, also suffered what the original FF 2 and 3 did, which was that they didn’t get translated in time. So time passed, and FF 6 was out in Japan. This led to the game getting a translation and being released for the SNES. FF 6 was now FF 3, so at this point, the confusion wasn’t around just yet.
The release of the PS1 Final Fantasy games
When FF 7 was announced for the PS1, people were in awe because of how good it was, but this was the first time when players wondered, ” What happened to Final Fantasy 4, 5, and 6? They never really answered it at the time, but since FF 7 was so good, the players didn’t care. Plus, FF 8 retained its title, and so did FF 9, as well as the upcoming FF 10 for the PS2.
The eventual release of FF 2, 3, and 5
It wouldn’t be until the years 2002 or 2003 (depending on where you are) that people would finally experience FF 2 and 3. FF 2 came as a bundle game with FF 1 for Final Fantasy Origins for the PS1. Final Fantasy Anthology would house FF 5 and 6, also for the PS. It wouldn’t be until the year 2006 that players would fully experience Final Fantasy III as a 3D remake for the NDS. It took Square almost 20 years to make all of its mainline games available to the people, but nowadays, it is easier to buy and play whatever version or port you want.
