15 Puzzle

The 15 Puzzle is an optional hidden minigame present in all versions of Final Fantasy. It is a sliding puzzle where the player must slide 15 square tiles into their correct positions. Its name and gameplay is the same as a regular.

Gameplay
It can be accessed when the Warriors of Light are in the ship, and depending on the version, the player must hold down either or  while pressing  or  several times. In smart phone releases, the player must press the touch screen while tapping it several times. The tiles always start in a different position each time the minigame is started.

In the original Nintendo Entertainment System release, the reward for completing the challenge is 100 gil. Starting with Final Fantasy Origins, the 15 Puzzle has a count up timer, and a larger variety of item prizes can be rewarded. The quicker the puzzle is completed, the greater the prize. In Final Fantasy Origins-onward, the red square tiles are those in the correct positions while the light blue square tiles are those yet to slide in.

Screen layout
Dialogue boxes associated with the minigame were first added in Final Fantasy Origins. The top-right box is the count-up timer, and the bottom box lists the controls. Starting with the PlayStation Portable version, the bottom dialogue box was moved to the right and made larger.

In Final Fantasy Origins, the count up timer has an "m" placed after the first pair of number, representing minutes and an "s" after the second pair of numbers, representing seconds (for example, 00m00s00). Starting with the Game Boy Advance version, the "m" and "s" were respectively replaced the conventional format (for example, 00:00.00). In the PlayStation Portable release, the number pairs are more spaced out more. The smart phone version's layout is largely based on the PlayStation Portable version's.

In Final Fantasy Origins, the directional buttons are not represented by an icon unlike and. In the Game Boy Advance and PlayStation Portable versions, the directional pad has an associated icon. The controls for the PlayStation Portable version are largely the same as the Final Fantasy Origins version, except is used to pull up the menu rather than. Final Fantasy Origins has the word "Record" next to the start icon. This was changed to the word "Best" for subsequent releases.

Flash game
The defunct Japanese website for Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls had a flash game adaption of the 15 puzzle. It has a countdown timer, like the Final Fantasy remakes. The flash game has a volume slider to adjust the game's volume and a button to start and stop gameplay. Clicking the button starts the game, and clicking it again stops gameplay. Clicking the button again restarts the game. The player can move a square tile next to the empty spot by clicking on it twice. The game ends when all tiles are placed in their correct positions. This also causes the start/stop button to disappear and the tiles slowly flash between red and light blue every few seconds before switching to a static screen with individual links to three wallpapers, each offered in either 800x600px or 1024x768px.

An alternate version also exists where players can try finish the game as quickly as possible. If they make one of the top high scores, they can enter their 3-letter initials to add to the top scores list. The score page shows the top 20 scores but the flash file shows the top 10 scores.