Final Fantasy XI

+11

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More games like Final Fantasy XI

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Reviews

81%Audience ScoreBased on 108 reviews

story9 positive mentions

grinding6 negative mentions

Deep and engaging storylines, especially in expansions like Chains of Promathia, which are considered some of the best in the Final Fantasy series.
Complex and rewarding gameplay with a unique class and job system, including the ability to switch classes on a single character and the Trust system that allows solo play more easily.
Rich, expansive game world with impressive music and a dedicated, helpful community that enhances the experience despite the game's age and complexity.

Extremely outdated and clunky UI and controls, originally designed for PlayStation 2, making navigation and interaction frustrating on modern PCs.
Complicated and onerous installation and account setup process involving the antiquated PlayOnline system and multiple account requirements, which can take hours and is confusing for new players.
Steep learning curve with poor in-game guidance, requiring frequent use of external guides and community help; gameplay is slow-paced with excessive grinding and walking, making the early game difficult and off-putting for new players.

story
55 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16% positive mentions, 79% neutral mentions, 5% negative mentions
The story in this game is widely praised for its depth, rewarding narrative, and classic Final Fantasy elements, especially in the expansions where plots become more fleshed out and interconnected. However, the storytelling can feel obscure and slow-paced, often requiring guides due to vague quest directions and heavy walking, which may frustrate new players. Despite its aged design and outdated mechanics, the story remains a strong highlight, offering extensive content and a unique, satisfying experience for those willing to invest the time.
- “The story becomes much more engaging, the characters become memorable, and the world feels like it has a lot more depth.”
- “The endgame is massive and brutally difficult, and even if you are not interested in playing endgame, you can simply relax and play the story - which is absolutely amazing and provides dozens of hours of playtime alone.”
- “That's when the final expansion gets released, connecting the story of the vanilla version and the previous expansions to form a single narrative, with missions to guide you through their content, and finalizing the whole game.”
- “80% or more of the quests are not beatable without checking a guide.”
- “The few nation missions I undertook all involved a lot – and I mean a lot – of simply walking around.”
- “However that is the only reason to play this game, there is almost no people to play, game is super tedious, no respect for your time, you have to wait in game days or real time server resets to proceed with many many quests so your time gets wasted for no reason, it was a design choice.”
gameplay
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21% positive mentions, 58% neutral mentions, 21% negative mentions
The gameplay of Final Fantasy XI is considered slow and outdated by many, with a steep learning curve and archaic mechanics that may feel cumbersome, especially in the first hours. However, its diverse classes, playstyles, and deep quests offer a rewarding experience for players willing to invest time and navigate its old-school MMO design. Fans of classic MMORPG gameplay from over a decade ago will find value, though modern conveniences and UI improvements are lacking.
- “The gameplay can be very satisfactory due to its many classes, playstyles, and combinations you can take.”
- “If you do your homework and aren't intimidated by old-school & archaic mechanics and prepared to search the wiki, you're in for something special.”
- “If you like the mechanics of MMOs from 7 to 11 years ago and want one that's still active, pick this up; it's also got decent storylines if you choose to follow the mission chains.”
- “From its controls to the UI and gameplay itself, Final Fantasy XI has aged terribly.”
- “Without mods you won’t have a minimap, thus you need to open the menu. You also can’t minimize the game or use Steam to count gameplay time.”
- “Arguments can be made for this slowed-down kind of MMO gameplay, but personally, I found it to be too slow (and that’s coming from someone who enjoyed the slow passages of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn).”
graphics
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30% positive mentions, 40% neutral mentions, 30% negative mentions
The game's graphics are clearly outdated, reflecting its early 2000s origins with PS2-quality visuals by default, but they still hold a nostalgic charm and can look decent on modern high-end systems once settings are adjusted. While not impressive by today's standards, the visuals remain functional and contribute to the classic Final Fantasy MMO experience.
- “Epic battles, nostalgic graphics.”
- “Now SE made and placed their own windower function and the graphics are really not that bad on a high end gaming computer of this era.”
- “This isn’t referring to the soundtrack (which is just as great as expected from the franchise) or the graphics (which still hold up reasonably well) but the lack of a tutorial or general directions.”
- “It's actually a wonderful Final Fantasy but due to being old it's absolutely grind heavy and of course graphically outdated.”
- “This game is old: the default graphics settings hurt (they're at PS2 quality) you will need to change settings before you play.”
- “But once you get past that, and if you can look past the 2003-era graphics, it is an FF MMO as it was meant to be.”
music
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71% positive mentions, 29% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its quality and nostalgic value, often considered some of the best in any MMORPG. Even players with criticisms highlight the soundtrack as a key reason to enjoy the game. Overall, the music significantly enhances the gaming experience.
- “The music is amazing.”
- “Even if you can't get your account working, you at least have the PlayOnline music to keep you happy.”
- “It still has some of the best music I have ever heard in any MMORPG to date.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions
Grinding in the game is widely viewed as tedious, time-consuming, and heavily reliant on waiting for server resets, reflecting an old-school design that can feel outdated and frustrating. While it requires constant use of guides and offers little respect for players' time, some appreciate its traditional MMORPG style and social aspects, seeing it as a challenging but rewarding experience.
- “The game is super tedious with almost no people to play, and requires waiting in-game days or real-time server resets to proceed with many quests, wasting your time for no reason; it was a deliberate design choice.”
- “It's grindy, tedious, and cryptic to the point of requiring a guide at all times. The game does not respect your time and feels old school in every aspect.”
- “The gaming aspect can be lacking, especially for older players who need to endure hours of grinding experience in teams where 90% of the grind is just socializing.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 50% neutral mentions, 50% negative mentions
The game suffers from poor optimization on computers, which negatively impacts performance and may lead to a declining player base over time despite its other strengths.
- “Yet due to many negatives, especially the lack of optimization for computers despite being a monthly subscription game, the game will have only a stagnating community that will drop over time.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The game features no microtransactions, reflecting its older MMO design and offering a monetization-free experience.
- “And it is an MMO that has no microtransactions, due to being old.”