It would take a further year for the company’s true assault on the handheld to begin, with a remake of the very first Final Fantasy game in a new ‘Anniversary’ edition celebrating 20 years since its original release. This entry featured a number of crossover characters from Square-Enix’s two most popular franchises – Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, but this wasn’t enough to save it from sales obscurity at just 110k domestically (far less than it was selling on DS). Oddly, Square-Enix’s very first PSP title which contained Final Fantasy elements was Itadaki Street Portable – the latest in the long-running line of board game and business sim crossovers which had obtained moderate success in Japan but rarely found their way overseas (things were no different here, as Portable released only in Japan in 2006). So in this article I’ll be looking back at a history of the franchise on Sony’s handhelds from its origins on the PSP right through the latest release on Vita, with an emphasis on the quality of the ports to the handhelds as well as any sales figures that are available alongside a conclusion of how well the franchise has done on the console.ĭespite its pedigree on Sony consoles throughout the PS1 and PS2 era, Final Fantasy’s Sony handheld debut was a quieter affair focusing on remakes and spinoffs that was somewhat of a precursor for what was to come, but certainly didn’t paint the whole picture. This continued on to the Vita although Sony’s newest handheld didn’t quite receive the volume of output it perhaps should have done, saved by the fact that backwards-compatibility with the PS1 & PSP entries meant you’d always have something to play.

Unsurprisingly, when PSP was announced it received an influx of Final Fantasy titles due to the audience match, many of which went on to successful sales despite just being moderate remakes. It’s no wonder the franchise found the success it has, which is continuing to this day with new entries like Final Fantasy XV. Long synonymous with the PlayStation brand ever since the series made the jump from Nintendo’s home consoles to Sony’s PS1, Final Fantasy is a sweeping JRPG series that ranks among my favourite of all time thanks to a number of brilliant entries that mix epic storytelling, brilliant turn-based combat, beautiful soundtracks and compelling characters.

Final fantasy anthology psp rom