The people behind Final Fantasy 16, from its director to its combat creator that made the game attain its Devil May Cry-esque feel and playstyle, are clearly into the long-running JRPG series. But which ones are they fans of?

A recent IGN interview has revealed that and a ton more. Game director Hiroshi Takai, creative director and writer Kazutoyo Maehiro, and battle director Ryota Suzuki have shared their top 3 Final Fantasy games of all time. The results may surprise you.

Hiroshi Takai said that his top 3 favourite Final Fantasy games are Final Fantasy 5 (SNES), Final Fantasy 6 (SNES), and Final Fantasy 10 (PlayStation 2).

Kazutoyo Maehiro said that his top FF picks are FF5, Final Fantasy Tactics (PlayStation), and Final Fantasy 12 (PlayStation 2).

Ryota Suzuki said his top 3 FF games are Final Fantasy 3 (NES/Famicom), Final Fantasy 10, and Final Fantasy 5.

What’s really interesting is that all three share the same favourite Final Fantasy game: Final Fantasy 5. FF5 was renowned for its incredibly flexible Job system (classes) where the game’s four main characters can acquire different classes, change them at any time, and even use some specific Job abilities in other Jobs that are limited in scope. The team said that Final Fantasy 5 has influenced Final Fantasy 16’s combat system to a degree.

Other highlights in the interview include:

• Hiroshi Takai stated that Final Fantasy 6 was the pinnacle of pixel art in the series.
• Kazutoyo Maehiro said that he listed FF Tactics and FF12 because he worked on both games, adding that they influenced how he worked on future titles.
• Ryota Suzuki said that he loved FF10 for its story and FF3 for the wonders it brought to him as a kid back in the 90s.

Final Fantasy 16 will be out on 22nd June exclusively for PlayStation 5. For more on the Square Enix JRPG series, check out our recent top picks of Final Fantasy games you can start off with without any baggage whatsoever.