Remember opening up your first copy of Secret Of Mana? Those memories are probably quite different, depending on if you lived in Japan, North America, or Europe.

Expectations were high for the first E3 presser from Square Enix in three years. The publisher has a lot of exciting upcoming projects that we haven’t heard much about, including Final Fantasy VII Remake, The Avengers, and Guardians of the Galaxy. Naturally, Square Enix showed absolutely none of them.

The name Square is closely associated with RPGs, and for good reason. But in the days before it had its first huge hit with Final Fantasy, Square tried all kinds of different things, including licensing the rights to the 1986 film Aliens and producing an action game with some now-familiar names in the credits.

The fastest way to beat the iconic role-playing game Final Fantasy IV isn’t to dash through the final dungeon or grind for all the best spells. It’s to walk up and down the same staircase 63 times.

Pop quiz: does the name “PlayOnline” make your blood boil, or at least cause one of your eyes to start twitching? No? Lucky you. If it does, you might be familiar with the worst strategy guide in video game history.

Before I played Final Fantasy VII, I didn’t think it was going to be very good. I don’t remember how I was introduced to the game—maybe it was a store ad, or a magazine, or that wild 1997 TV commercial—but I do remember hating it.

Over the past few years, there have been many complaints about video game endings—that they’re rushed, that they’re unsatisfying, that it feels like the developers spent more time on other parts of the game (usually true). But no unfinished ending holds a candle to Saga Frontier.

In the first few minutes of Final Fantasy VI, just when you think you’ve got a sense of the game’s rhythm, everything changes. Your amnesiac hero Terra, who you’ve been controlling for half an hour and are probably assuming will be your protagonist for the long haul, falls down a hole and passes out. And then you meet…

As we cruise down the highway with our bros in Final Fantasy XV, it’s worth reflecting on the notable bromances and friendships throughout the series. Final Fantasy has a strong lineage of bros and I’ve collected some of the best of the bunch so you can learn what it means to be a real bro.

When you first open up Final Fantasy II, you’re asked to name four characters. Seconds later, those characters are stuck in an unwinnable battle, and you’re forced to watch them die.

It’s Friday, which is still Kotaku JRPG Day in my heart. So here’s an interesting thought on what made old Final Fantasy games special, from two veteran designers who have plenty of insight on what it’s like to make video games.

As Final Fantasy fans across the world wait impatiently for FFXV, let’s take some time to celebrate an important milestone. Yesterday, Final Fantasy Versus XIII’s announcement turned ten years old. Happy birthday, announcement!

Here’s a theory: Final Fantasy is defined by how it sounds.