Party

The term Party refers to the collection of characters under the player's control in the Final Fantasy series. Parties thus decide who the player takes into battle, making it a pivotal detail of the game's battle system. Some games have set parties, with members joining and leaving as the plot demands it, such as Final Fantasy IV, while other games allow the player to swap party members in and out to form whatever team they desire, which began in Final Fantasy VI. The number of party members changes from game to game, but four is the most common configuration.

Most games also have a "party leader", usually the main protagonist, who must be present in the party at all times except under certain conditions. This party leader is usually the character that appears on the World Map and locations, unless they are KOed, then another character takes their place. Usually, after reviving, the leader retakes their place.

Final Fantasy
The player chooses jobs for four party members at the start of the game, and the party and those jobs remains set for the entire game. The character that appears outside of battle is whoever is at the top of the formation.

Final Fantasy II
Firion, Maria and Guy are all permanently controllable in the party, with various other party members joining and leaving at set intervals. The party limit is four.

Final Fantasy III
As in Final Fantasy, the player controls four set characters, but allies join the party at set intervals.

Final Fantasy IV
The party of Final Fantasy IV is made up of five characters, with two in one row and three in the other, more than any other main series game. The protagonist Cecil Harvey is the only character permanently playable, and all other party members join and leave the party during the course of the game. In the Advance release, after destroying the Giant of Babil, all previously playable party members except for Fusoya and Tellah can be swapped in and out of the party at well, but Cecil must always be present. This feature was removed for the DS release. It is the only game in the series with a party limit of five.

The player may choose the party leader by pressing the L and R buttons in the Super NES and GBA releases, or the Y button in the DS release.

Final Fantasy V
The playable cast is limit to four again, and the cast is set, although partway through the game, Galuf is killed and his granddaughter Krile takes his place, receiving all his skills.

Final Fantasy VI
Although the party limit remained as four, Final Fantasy VI was the first game in the series to allow players to change party members at will - for this purpose, twelve playable characters (the most of any Final Fantasy game), two hidden characters and approximately half a dozen temporary characters, were utilized. Once the player gains access to these places, party members can be swapped around freely at Narshe and later the player's airship, although on a few occasions some characters will leave and cannot be chosen. At other times the party is set for certain in-game events - for example, Locke and Celes must be in the party during the attack on Vector, but the other two party members can be whomever the player chooses.

In the World of Ruin, the party is scattered, and while the player is again free to make their own party as they like, they are limited to the party members they have rescued. Restrictions on who can be in the party only occur for subquest - for example, the subquest to hunt the monster Hidon can only be accessed once the player enters Thamasa with Strago and Relm in the party, otherwise Hidon will not appear.

Final Fantasy VII
The party limit is reduced to three in Final Fantasy VII, although the Materia system arguably makes up for the loss of an extra comrade with an added degree of customization to the party members. Fairly early in the game after leaving Midgar, the PHS lets the player change their party at will at Save Points and on the world map. However, at certain times the player will not have the opprotunity to use the PHS, effectively making the party set for that time, and on other occasions certain party members must be in the party. Sephiroth is also available as a temporary party member in a flashback, but is AI controlled and the player cannot direct his actions. Cloud must be in the party at all times, except for a short sequence where he leaves the party.

Final Fantasy VIII
The party limit is again limited to three, although the player can change the party at any time on the world map. Again, at certain times the party is set and certain members cannot be changed. Edea and Seifer are temporarily playable, and Laguna, Kiros and Ward make up their own party in certain sequences, but cannot be changed among the normal party members. Squall must be in the party at all times, except for a few occasions where the player controls two parties, in which case the second party is assigned an alternative leader.

Final Fantasy IX
For the first half of the game roughly, the party is set and cannot be changed except when given the option to do so as the plot requires. After acquiring the airship, the party members can be changed as the player wishes. Zidane is the party leader and must be present at all times, except for within Memoria and the Crystal World, where Zidane can be switched out, and the party limit is again four.

Final Fantasy X
Unlike earlier games Final Fantasy X allows the player to switch one of their seven characters mid-battle, though only three can be used at a time. If a party member is KOed they cannot be replaced, but first must be revived. If all three current characters are killed, the player gets a Game Over.

Final Fantasy X-2
Yuna, Rikku and Paine are the only playable party members available.

Final Fantasy XI
A Party in Final Fantasy XI refers to any number of characters between two and six members, one of whom is the leader of this organization. (technically, this makes this the largest party of 'active' members in the Final Fantasy series, allowing up to 6 characters compared to Final Fantasy IV's maximum of 5) This organization is typically temporary, but players occasionally form bonds of friendship and create static parties. There is no official in game term for this, this is a player-coined definition for people who commonly party together. Parties form in the game to do various quests, missions, or to experience when multiple members would fair better collectively or have more fun than they would trying to do any one of those things by themselves. Parties appear on the screen in the lower right hand corner of the screen. The players name who is viewing the list will always appear on top and then the party members appear in the order they joined. The list includes names and the HP and MP of all members. The leader of the party always has a yellow dot before his name.

An Alliance is a group of two or three parties that band together to do even larger, more difficult quests generally. It is possible to form an alliance to try to get experience points, but in general this does not happen because of how experience is calculated. There are encounters that are too difficult for just one party. Often these include high level notorious monsters, certain burning circle fights, and quests that a high number of people want to complete together. As far as how they are displayed, the additional two parties are displayed starting in the upper right hand corner of the screen. If there are two, the second party will be placed under the first. The alliance leader is given an additional white dot next to his yellow dot for being a party leader.

Since the game is centered on parties, there are certain (positive) spells that can only affect other party members. These spells or abilities include; Bard Songs, Regen spells, Refresh spells, Sneak, Invisible, or Deodorize. The one exception to this rule is Ballista, a form of Conflict, where those spells can affect anyone on the same team. Spells that do not work for players outside of their own party do not work on players who are in other parties within alliances.

Final Fantasy XII
A main party of six characters appears in Final Fantasy XII, but only three of these can be used at a time. Like in Final Fantasy X, party can be switched in and out, though this time KOed party members can be replaced with living ones. Party members cannot be switched out if they are being targeted by an attack or ability of any kind (their name will appear red in the menu). Characters not currently being used can be revived or healed by the party members that are in battle. If the active party is KOed or otherwise unable to fight, the player will be asked to bring at least one character from reserve into the active party. The player only gets a Game Over once all six characters have been defeated. Vaan is the only party member that appears in towns, and he will appear even if he is KOed. Outside, any character can be made party leader. The party leader is chosen by the player, though other than the camera following them they are no different from the other characters on the field.

Final Fantasy XII includes several Allies and Guest characters that are controlled by the computer. The Allies appear in certain areas or even in some hunts, fighting alongside the party for only a brief moment and have no relation to the party or the plot. Guests are like allies, but with some differences. Guests actually enter the party and appear as a fourth member of the active party, but can't be switched with other party members. Guests are also important to the plot and are often connected to the party. Guests, as they are party members, can be revived, however once allies die, they remain so. Neither Allies, nor Guests, can have equipment or gambits changed, nor can they level up.

Final Fantasy Tactics
Unlike main series games, Final Fantasy Tactics allows players to create parties of whatever size that they wish, though only five characters can be used in battle at one time. Since characters can die permanently and new ones can be recruited, the party can be made up of very different characters from those that have places in the main storyline. Enemy Generics and Monsters can also be recruited into the party. The player chooses these five characters from their party roster, and places them in the formation that they start the battle in. These five can be any characters that the player wants, except for main storyline battles, where Ramza Beoulve always must take part. Ally characters, whom the player does not control, also appear in storyline battles with set locations in the starting formation that the player does not control.