Times Final Fantasy Scared Us

[Jason Tandro]

Well Halloween is just around the corner, why not have a discussion about the scary moments of Final Fantasy. Our beloved Final Fantasy VII has some pretty dark moments and may - tone wise at least - be one of the creepiest games in the series. But the series is littered with abnormally creepy dungeons, chilling musical scores and of course a boatload of disturbing scenes. (And yes, this can be any Final Fantasy-related property. Go nuts!)

Here are a few of mine:

Spoiler: The Trail of Blood, Final Fantasy 7

May as well start off with FF7. In a game full of eerie scenery nothing unnerved me more as a wee lad then when my adventurous beloved Final Fantasy suddenly took a dark route most commonly scene in survival horror. The bloody trail leading an ominous path through the Shinra Tower was one thing - the damned music was what stuck with me.

Spoiler: The Lunar Base Sequence, Final Fantasy 8

Nothing beats everything going tits up - in outer space. The entire process of learning about the Lunar Cry is creepy in its own right, but when Rinoa goes out into the space walk to release Adel and that chilling warbly rendition of Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec plays... hooh, gets me every time.

Spoiler: The Ending of Tam-Tara Deepcroft (Hard), Final Fantasy XIV

After a story-arc that had been in the background for a while about a misfortunate band of adventurers, and reading cryptic notes about a "wedding" to take place to the doomed souls therein, the developers decided to end on a cliffhangar straight out of J-Horror.

Skip to 2:30 if you just want to see the truly creepy scene.

 

[Flintlock]

I haven't been scared by a Final Fantasy game since I was a kid, and even then it wasn't by parts which are probably supposed to be scary. The Northern Crater in VII and Lunatic Pandora in VIII were what frightened me, partly because I anticipated there being tough monsters and bosses, but also because they both contain points of no return. With the Lunatic Pandora in particular, I was always worrying I'd accidentally fly into it with the Ragnarok (I didn't know you can go back to the Ragnarok until you fight Seifer).

Sorry I don't have more to contribute.

 

[Ghost X]

Drawing a blank at the moment, but I can think of one: Knowing Emerald weapon is somewhere around whilst you're in a submarine trying to avoid him.

 

[Lex]

I remember getting freaked out in City of the Ancients when the party wakes up at night. It's already eerie because it's a very dead place, but I remember running around there for what felt like a long time not knowing how to progress and then that happened and everything that follows.

FFVIII - Deling City, for some bizarre reason, gives me an ominous feeling. Also Galbadia Garden, because I didn't know Cerberus was optional. To the point where I got "stuck" on Cerberus (I obviously didn't understand the junction system very well either lol).

This was all on very first playthroughs when I was between 7 and 10 years old and it's likely in some way related to my extreme fear of the Blair Witch Project at that time (I hadn't seen it, I just believed the viral marketing and my older cousins told me stories about the movie). I know how random that sounds but when you're a 9 year old you relate everything to everything.

My fear got to ridiculous stages and lasted for about two years or so. In the winter I was afraid to be in my bedroom beyond 5pm because it was dark and my room window faced out to the back garden (ground level house). I couldn't be near the window, I was always afraid that little stick symbol would appear on it for some reason (condensation lol). I used to drag my covers into my parents bedroom and sleep on the floor. Anything about forests or darkness pretty much freaked me out. I was apparently over it by the time FFIX came out

To be honest I haven't had a back-facing bedroom since then and it still gives me a weird feeling. If you give me a choice between a front or back facing bedroom window I'd choose the front, and that must be related to the childhood thing because I prefer the quiet in general and a room that faces onto the road is always less quiet than one facing onto a garden. It might just be the general creepiness associated with the room though, my parents still talk about how when they moved in there were weird runic symbols painted on the inside of the built-in cupboard and by chance the parents of a friend of mine retired in that house and kept talking about how it was haunted XD.

Anyway the point of that story is that the reason I remember ominous feelings in certain FF places is likely because it was evening in winter and I had my back to the window while trying my hardest to focus on the game rather than the possibility of the Blair witch hovering behind me outside my bedroom window plotting my murder.

 

[Tetsujin]

(why is this in General Gaming though? )

I only got scared by Emerald Weapon. That ominous son of a submariner.

 

[Lex]

Spoiler: More background rambling about that old house

So in my nostalgia for my childhood fears I just spoke to my mother about the room because I wanted to know exactly what was there.

When they moved in there were runic symbols drawn all over the inside of the cupboard as well as a pentagram with a man on it (similar to the star of David, she thinks). Another cupboard outside the front door (a bit like a built in shed, basically just a storage cupboard) had a cross inside it - one someone had nailed together with two bits of wood, about the size of a chair.

Halloween appropriate fear wise

 

[Dark and Divine]

FFIX - That chamber with the multiple stone in Oeilvert always freaked me out. Don't know if it was because of the music or the sound of the talking faces interchanging between them, bit that scene always sent a chill down my spine.

 

[JBedford]

Definitely Emerald Weapon. I've probably told this story before, but my brother was scared to go underwater because of Emerald Weapon. This would have been right after completing Junon Underwater Reactor when you have to go get the Huge Materia from the sunken sub.

I ridiculed him and took the control and submerged myself. Looked ahead a bit and couldn't see him in front of me, so I rotated and he was RIGHT BEHIND ME. Panicked, I surfaced and saved my game. That's the scariest moment.

Most of the times Trail of Blood was creepy. The impaled Zolom, and when I noticed the goblin face in the corner of the Ghost Hotel. And the trail of blood in Shinra definitely too, the freaky enemies that come at the time like Zenene definitely added to ethe experience.

Honestly can't think of an FF example outside of VII. Maybe Oeilvert's faces and Pandemonium's eyes, although I might have just recognised that these things were supposed to be creepy.

 

[Jason Tandro]

Yeah I think everybody has terrifying encounters with Emerald Weapon. Fuck that ominous floating fuck.

Flintlock: You know I swear this is true I always had the exact same fear of the Pandora. The same goes for anything flying on the map that I don't want to run into - Galbadia Garden, the weapons from FF7, the N-Zone in FF5. It wasn't terrifying but it was unsettling whenever you see it there are really want to avoid it. Galbadia Garden gave me a particularly nasty scare when you leave Edea's House and it's RIGHT THERE.


@Lex: So... you need to write at the very least a short story about that house of yours. That was a fascinating read.

 

[Ite]

A lot of the monster design from FFIV is bloody creepy, particularly the grinning faces on monsters like the octopus. And the Calcobrena... eughhh.

It's mostly monster design and behaviour that scares me. In FFVII, the appearance of Gi Nattak is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it horror face. Also the Unknowns in the Gelnika, especially the floating nightmare-waffle that gropes you and makes you Sad. Disgusting. Emerald Weapon has been mentioned before, but it bears repeating. Can't a guy submarine in peace?

In FFVIII the dummy president is unnerving, with his jerky movement and the whole "YOUNG...LADY..." thing.

In FFIX, every time I got a close-up of Zorn and Thorn I get a little wigged out. Their eyes... they're staring into my soul. *shiver* and Ozma... for reasons that I hope are obvious.

The second and third forms of Yunalesca are fucking metal. I died so often in that fight, probably because I wasn't thinking clearly cause holy shit is that a pile of tentacles or a head???

Most of the FFXII hunts are scary, because I'm never at the appropriate level. There's one phantom-type in the Westersands that's very spooky looking. Also: the first time (won't spoil it) happens in the Stillshrine of Miriam. I shouted "AAARGHHH!" and my roommate thought I'd hurt myself.

 

[Unit-01]

It's mostly monster design and behaviour that scares me. In FFVII, the appearance of Gi Nattak is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it horror face. Also the Unknowns in the Gelnika, especially the floating nightmare-waffle that gropes you and makes you Sad.

The second and third forms of Yunalesca are fucking metal. I died so often in that fight, probably because I wasn't thinking clearly cause holy shit is that a pile of tentacles or a head???

Most of the FFXII hunts are scary, because I'm never at the appropriate level. There's one phantom-type in the Westersands that's very spooky looking. Also: the first time (won't spoil it) happens in the Stillshrine of Miriam. I shouted "AAARGHHH!" and my roommate thought I'd hurt myself.

Can I double thank this post? Lady Yunalesca's second and third form are very creepy I'm glad I not the only one who saw that. (Also that boss sucked, I had to try at least 20 times before I beat her).

In XII there is this one phantom in the sewers of the main city, as a part of a hunt. The fact I went to go and kill it, I go down there and it cast Death and killed all of my party, always under leveled in XII.

____

The monster on the moon in VIII, like seriously wtf. So many that when they show it from afar it looks like a wave of grey.

In VII, and this was talked about on the podcast. The monster in Shrina Manor that is like the two heads and one body. Screw that thing.
A good portion of the monsters in VII are downright disturbing, in the Remake... man we are all in for a horrific treat. Also it makes it worse when you think all the monsters are results from not only Mako, but Cetra that Jenova turned into monsters.

-Last one with VII, the Hojo boss battle...*Drops Mic*

The one town in VI that is full of robbers and monsters. It's really run down, very unsettling.
(This isn't stuff that scared me, just things I find creepy, and scary if I tried to think about them alone in the dark)

 

[Lulcielid]

They only time FINAL FANTASY scared me was when I was very low on items, many hours have passed since the last time I saved and the closest save point was like half an hour away.

 

[Flare]

Trail of Blood in Shinra Manor is one of the creepiest moments for me. Emerald Weapon in the ocean is pretty unnerving too. I find deep oceans can be creepy anyhow, so it takes advantage of that for me.

It's honestly hard for me to remember being scared anywhere else... I think the fused form of Zorn and Thorn was pretty creepy though.

 

[Fangu]

Trail of Blood for me as well. Definitely the only time I've had creepy vibes from an FF game.

That being said, Subterra in FF12 is not a pleasant place to be. But it's more exciting-scary than scary.

 

[Shademp]

The first eighteen seconds of the dungeon theme for Kefka's Tower shook my core and took me a long time to get used to. It's strong, harsh sounds both made me feel physically ill at first (my ears REALLY don't like the sound itself, even to this day) and like I was treading grounds I wasn't supposed to tread: The home of a MAD GOD. The powerful foes in the area also add to the fear, definitely.

When first visiting Kefka's Tower I shut off the game after just a few seconds because that intro made me so scared.

 

[Obsidian Fire]

Trail of Blood of course.

To add to the FFXIV example, if you do Palace of the Dead after doing Tam-Tara Deepcroft (Hard), the first cutscene after Floor Ten is that creepy slasher smile followed up by a floating pair of shoes... looks like she's back...

 

[ultima espio]

FFIX whenever this came on, and you couldn't remember if you saved or not:

 

[Octo]

other than what has been mentioned already:

the gi cave specifically

Spoiler

which out of context looks pretty goofy but it made me jump

Also even though I don't like FFX - Anima - that first FMV where it appears and its like.... theres this grotesque monster but wait...thats a human eye.

I dunno it stuck with me, and this was before I knew the full story behind Anima.

 

[Lex]

Oh yeah that part of the Gi Cave creeped me out too, definitely.

 

[Ite]

That gif!! That's exactly it. Aaaaaahhhhhh!!!

 

[Jason Tandro]

Trail of Blood of course.

To add to the FFXIV example, if you do Palace of the Dead after doing Tam-Tara Deepcroft (Hard), the first cutscene after Floor Ten is that creepy slasher smile followed up by a floating pair of shoes... looks like she's back...

I need to do Palace of the Dead.

Spoiler

Apparently Edda is the final boss of floor 50... I need it....

 

[Obsidian Fire]

^Yeah... I don't know how many times I've done Floor 41-50 with no healer and people don't know boss mechanics and we wipe... Edda is evil...

 

[Tetsujin]

(someone move this to Sub-Final Fantasy please? )

 

[Clement Rage]

Any time a Tonberry or Marlboro turns up.
Notable in FF13, in the Xenobia the butcher mark. Giant tentacled monstosity shows up: meh, nothing new. Tonberry stabs it in the foot: Oh shit.

 

[Blade]

FFVI had the Tower of Fanatics and Cyan's trip through the Doom Train and dealing with Wrexsoul.