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If there’s anything I love, it’s DLC-sized mods/romhacks for Final Fantasy games. I play them with great frequency on my Twitch stream, as well as my personal downtime. I’ve written about these before - whether randomizers, story adjustments, or complete overhauls, there are so many of these.
I wanted to pick a few of my personal favorites that I plan to play in 2024, and that you should as well. If something else really great comes up over the next few months, we’ll revisit this and add it to the list.
This article runs the gamut of difficulty mods, story mods, and much more. There are so many ways to experience the classic Final Fantasy games, and this is a sampling of some of the best DLC-sized mods you can play.
Note: I cannot give you links to any ISOs, ROMs, or files needed to create these romhack experiences.
DLC-sized mods for classic Final Fantasy games to try in 2024
1) FFVI: T-Edition
I’ve written about Final Fantasy VI T-Edition, and it remains my all-time favorite mod for this game. It’s overwhelmingly difficult, but it doesn’t start that way. It added so much cool stuff to the game: optional bosses, costumes, new side quests, and quite a few dungeons. There’s plenty of new music (taken from other games), equipment, and balance adjustments made in T-Edition.
It’s been updated several times over the years, given some balance changes, and other much-needed adjustments. There are few things I enjoy more than figuring out some of these bosses' new mechanics and tricks. I never did defeat Kefka, so in 2024, it’s time to go back and try again.
If you want challenge, tons of new content, and a fresh way to play Final Fantasy VI, then pick up the DLC-sized mod called T-Edition.
2) FFIV: Daughter of Darkness and Light
I stumbled onto this DLC-sized mod for Final Fantasy 4 while trying to find an update on FF4 T-Edition. I still don’t have a concrete idea on when/if that’s coming to English players. “Daughter of Darkness and Light” builds upon a previous romhack, Project II. That mod rewrote the script, added in removed content, and so much more.
However, this is an improvement upon that, in the form of a different plot. It tells a “What If” style story, where Cecil became a White Wizard, and Rosa is a Dark Knight. It’s not a major change, but it does tell a very interesting story from a new perspective. I think fans of classic FF4 are really going to enjoy this one.
3) FFVI: Beyond Chaos EX
Normally, I leave randomizers off this type of list, but this is one of my favorite DLC-sized mods for the classic Final Fantasy games. Final Fantasy VI: Beyond Chaos EX changes so many facets of the game, and completely randomizes it. You could start with Umaro, who now looks like a Chocobo, for example.
The real interesting content isn’t in the challenging modes you can add to it, or the various musical updates - it’s the new abilities. You can get some truly chaotic powers that you can trigger for free in combat. Like “? Pearl,” which will cast random spells that have the Pearl/Holy attribute. There are several of these new, randomly slapped together powers that can wipe your own party.
I’ve had times where I used a random Wind ability, cast Whirlwind, and my entire party was killed, alongside the enemy. That’s where the real fun is - the pure chaos that comes from whatever your party can do.
4) FFVII: New Threat
I have looked high and low for Final Fantasy VII DLC-sized mods, and there simply aren’t very many. Most of them are cosmetic or hard-modes, and that isn’t really what I was looking for. However, I do have an interest in FFVII: New Threat. This fixes a lot of the grammar issues and typos from the original, and also offers better balance.
Battles aren’t necessarily harder, they just require more thought and planning. There are also some great new side quests, enemies, and some QoL changes - cutscene-skipping stands out. It’s been updated quite a few times, and has some variants - for example, if you want specific changes added to the game.
This is for the gamers who are excited for the Final Fantasy Remake/Rebirth games, but haven’t played the original.
5) FF5R
Final Fantasy 5R is a romhack that I haven’t actively played yet. This is the one I’m looking forward to the most, now that it has a translation, courtesy of Serity. It brings a wealth of new and familiar enemies from across the franchise, adjustments to the job system, new shops, and so much more.
It reminds me, at first glance, of FFVI: T-Edition. It may not have a ton of new content and dungeons like T-Edition does, but that will require me to go through it further than I have.
Further updates have gone out for this game, by parties other than the original creator of the DLC-sized mod. If Final Fantasy V is simply too easy for you, then I recommend giving this version a try. It’s available across several websites dedicated to romhacking, and is potentially the best mod for FFV of all time, judging by reactions and gameplay.
There are always dedicated creators offering new ways to play Final Fantasy games. As the year rolls on, I’ll keep an eye out, and bring them to light here, so you know what to look for when it comes to quality DLC-sized mods.
