One of the most influential video games in history, Final Fantasy is a name known far and wide for introducing and popularizing the Japanese RPG or JRPG to Western audiences. The first of the revolutionary titles was released way back in 1987 for Japan only and was later localized in 1990 for the US. There was also a modernized remaster of the game for the handheld PSP system in 2007 with higher resolutions, a different soundtrack, and extra dungeons.

RELATED: Final Fantasy: 10 Hardest Boss Fights From The PS1 Games, Ranked

While many hold the title dear to their hearts to this day, it would be remiss not to mention how far subsequent entries in the franchise have advanced gaming and the JRPG genre as a whole.

10 Traditional Classes Are Being Phased Out

Final Fantasy Starting Jobs

This may give pause at first sight, but if recent titles of the Final Fantasy series are to be taken as a trend, then eventually traditional classes, or jobs, such as Monk or Black Mage, may one day be phased out entirely. For example, Final Fantasy XII had no job system during its original release and later had to be re-released as Final Fantasy XII International Zodiac System, where jobs were implemented.

Additionally, Final Fantasy VII Remake and Final Fantasy XV have no traditional classes to assign characters and instead takes a more action-RPG take for combat. The original Final Fantasy VII did not have a class system either but followed the turn-based RPG formula.

9 Combat Has Gotten Quicker

Cloud, Barett and Tifa fighting against Motor Ball, a boss in Final Fantasy VII Remake

While still controversial to fans to this day, Final Fantasy has begun to shed the traditional turn-based combat in favor of the more involved action-RPG one. Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII was Square Enix's first experimentation with this switch, much to the chagrin of many, and introduced the concept of real-time fights to the franchise.

Final Fantasy XII, XII-2, and Lighting Returns also played with the traditional formula by creating a hybrid of turn-based and real-time combat that was later refined in Final Fantasy XV and the Final Fantasy VII Remake.

8 Limit Breaks Are A Thing

Cloud from the original Final Fantasy VI using his Limit Break, Omnislash against Sephiroth

While it's a weird thing to think about, once upon a time, there was a time that Final Fantasy did not, in fact, have limit breaks. The powerful ability was first included in Final Fantasy VIwhen players were exposed to Cloud's extremely powerful Omnislash or Tifa's Somersault.

The idea for something like the limit break mechanic actually dates even further back than Final Fantasy VII in Final Fantasy VI's desperation attack actions where characters would unleash a powerful attack by being dangerously close to dying.

7 There Are More Primals Than Just Tiamat and Bahamut Now

Shiva Boss Fight in Final Fantasy VII Remake

In the beginning, Bahamut and Tiamat were the only primals in the series, with Bahamut actually being an NPC that gave players quests during their journey in the first entry. Since the release of Final Fantasy III, developers have expanded on that by including the now titular summons of the franchise, Shiva, Ifrit, Leviathan, etc., into gameplay and lore for players to enjoy.

RELATED: 10 Of The Strongest Summons In Final Fantasy History, Ranked

Additionally, there are also Gods now that, while they are not summonable and are usually bosses, still fall under the absolute behemoth umbrella of titan.

6 Random Chance Encounters Have Been Done Away With (Kind Of)

Cloud Facing Enemies in Final Fantasy VII Remake

An iconic mechanic of all turn-based RPGs that are not exclusive to only Final Fantasy, the random encounter aspect of the series has been becoming less and less frequent as of late. Potentially infuriating, players could be walking back to a save point after a particularly tough fight and be ambushed by monsters out of the blue that they now need to deal with.

Since Final Fantasy has been going down a more action-RPG route as of late, however, random encounters have been replaced, and enemies instead can be either avoided or engaged at will. It is also important to note that since Final Fantasy IX, Square Enix has been sporadical, including options that turn off random encounters.

5 Parties Can Be Freely Changed

Final Fantasy VII Remake Party Change

Something else that may come as a surprise to those who have never played the original Final Fantasy is that parties were once static and could not be changed once selected, leaving players with the same characters until the end of the game.

RELATED: Final Fantasy: 10 Strongest Party Members In The Franchise, Ranked

This was partially remedied in Final Fantasy II, where players were able to switch out the fourth party member at will with a roster of characters. However, it wasn't until Final Fantasy IV that the party system began to resemble the modern-day take on the mechanic.

4 8-bit Graphics Are Only Done in Retrograde Now

8bit Graphics from Final Fantasy

Once upon a time, the characters of Final Fantasy looked like chibi sprites done in pixel art style. This was not due to artistic choice but by limitations forced on the game by the era itself. A natural progression of technology has lead gamers from 8-bit graphics to breathtaking digital landscapes and stunningly realistic character design and movement.

Final Fantasy, of course, has also benefitted from this upgrade in advanced lighting, pixels, and coloring, as evidenced by the beautiful Final Fantasy VII Remake and Final Fantasy XV.  

3 There is Now Voice Acting In Games (Sometimes)

Tifa from Final Fantasy VII Remake Talking to Cloud in Sector 7

Honestly, this one is still a bit spotty as Square Enix sometimes chooses only to do partial voice acting in Final Fantasy, such as battle exclamations and noises, rather than have everything voiced.

Still, that is a far cry from what it once was, when voice acting was left out of video games because of storage concerns and compression issues. When Square does choose to implement full voice acting, though, the talent they choose to voice their cast is often well-selected and can bring out the personalities of their characters like no other.

2 The World is Huge Now

Noctis and crew Pushing the Regalia Car in Final Fantasy XV's open world

In comparison with today's video games, the original Final Fantasy's scope was almost microbially small. Because of the advancements made in storage capacity and compression, worlds are able to be bigger than ever. Some games, most notably Minecraft, are even larger than the Earth that we inhabit.

While Final Fantasy is nowhere near that large, the progress made throughout the franchise is still impressive nonetheless. Final Fantasy XV, the largest game released in the series in map size as of yet, is theorized to be even larger than the maps of other open-world games, such as Witcher 3 and Grand Theft Auto V.

1 Overworlds Have Either Been Changed or Removed

Final Fantasy's Overworld

Overworlds in Final Fantasy has undergone huge changes since the first title was released. No longer is the overworld just a map where your character moves over locations and fight random monsters on the way to the next quest.

Now characters actually interact with the world, buildings, characters, animals, plants, and water - everything can be seen within a third-person view. With the rise of open-world video games, sandboxed worlds filled to the brim with content are much more common and even extend to here as well.

NEXT: Final Fantasy: 10 Best Games For Newcomers, Ranked