Happy Birthday «Final Fantasy»
18.12.2022
Translation: Julia Graham
The first part of the «Final Fantasy» series was released 35 years ago. It underpinned one of the biggest game franchises in video game history.
It was Square’s last chance. That’s why the name «Final Fantasy» goes down as an Internet legend. The Japanese company was on the brink of collapse in 1987 and the game was expected to save it – which it did. What’s not correct, however, is the significance behind the name. According to the inventor of the game, Hironobu Sakaguchi, its origins are less dramatic. The name had to sound good in Japanese and also be something that could be shortened to FF. Originally, the first part was developed under the name «Fighting Fantasy». But it had to be changed for licensing reasons, so «Fighting» became «Final».
Even if the romantic notion of how the name came about isn’t true, the idea is still entertaining in itself. It wasn’t just Square – now known as Square Enix – that was at risk; Hironobu, the inventor’s career was also on the line. If the game was a flop, he wanted to draw a line under his career in the games industry. Fortunately, it didn’t come to that. With more than 90 games, including spin-offs, «Final Fantasy» is one of the most successful game franchises of all time. As of April 2022, 168 million copies had been sold.
How it all began
The mid 80s saw the advent of role-playing games in Japan. «The Legend of Zelda» and «Dragon Quest» were met with resounding success. The beleaguered games company Square wanted to jump on the bandwagon, and Sakaguchi was keen to create a legacy with what might have been his last game. And that’s how «Final Fantasy» came about. With the following on board: artist Yoshitaka Amano, who designed the characters, and composer Nobuo Uematsu, responsible for the soundtrack. That meant there were two famous people to namecheck. Both also contributed to later titles.
On 18 December 1987, «Final Fantasy» was launched for NES. The game was a success and Square’s financial problems were a thing of the past for the time being. And so the turn-based battle system that was a hallmark of the series for over a decade was born. Its story is still very rudimentary and the characters more of a means to an end. Four Warriors of Light have to restore the balance in the fantasy world. It’s a classic story of good versus evil. Magic crystals play a key role. They’re a plot device that accompanies the series as far as the fifth installment.
Thanks to the game’s initial success, Sakaguchi was able to create a follow-up. However, the story of the four warriors is told to the end. That’s why «Final Fantasy II» isn’t your typical sequel. Instead, it’s a separate story in its own right. And this is something that sets apart each of the numbered titles in the franchise.
A year after the original, part II was released in Japan. The story is slightly more complex and revolves around four orphans who lost their parents in the war. They form a rebel group to crush the empire. Sound familiar? That’s because it is, given that the game is heavily influenced by «Star Wars». It’s not the only parallel «Final Fantasy» draws with George Lucas’ Space Opera. In later installments, we encounter characters like Biggs and Wedge. Those are the names of Luke Skywalker’s fellow pilots in the X-Wing starfighter. «Final Fantasy II» primarily introduces other recurring characters, such as Cid and Chocobos.
As with the second installment, «Final Fantasy III» was also released on NES as the last game in the series. It incorporated a lot of features from the predecessor and established a job system. This allows you to change the character class during the game, thereby adding all the more variation to gameplay.
The end of the Nintendo era
«Final Fantasy IV» saw the franchise switch from NES to SNES. The biggest improvement was in storytelling. Instead of the story being the driving force behind the game narrative, the characters and their development now took centre stage. The main protagonist is the Dark Knight Cecil, who, with the help of his troop, wanted to stop the powerful sorcerer Golbez from destroying the world. The job system from the predecessor is a thing of the past. Now, the characters all have predefined jobs. What could be considered a step backwards on the gameplay front is something that actually lends the likes of Cecil more depth. Character classes are an inherent part of their identity.
The active time battle system is new. This is where a display fills during battle. How long it takes to fill depends on the character’s status. If it’s full, you can use the menu to give commands, such as attack, magic or object. You have to carry out your actions quickly. This system became the standard for a lot of numbered editions.
«Final Fantasy V» builds on the fourth installment and deals with more grown-up topics than its predecessor. The story has even more depth. On a gameplay engineering level, there are increased classes available.
The highlight of the SNES era is undoubtedly «Final Fantasy VI». For many fans, it’s still the best numbered title to date. And for the first time, it wasn’t directed by Sakaguchi but rather Yoshinori Kitase. In all previous titles, magic crystals played a central role. But they’re nowhere to be seen in this game. The fantasy setting has been turned on its head. As for setting, the game takes place in a time that’s based on the industrial revolution, where the characters take a stand against a military dictatorship. In a change to narration type, the story is no longer linear. Now, subplots and flashbacks form new style elements.
The game was released in 1994. And it heralded an end. Namely, the end of the relationship between Nintendo and Square. «Final Fantasy VI» was to be the manufacturer’s last game on Nintendo console for some time. The switch from Sony to PlayStation was a result of Nintendo’s decision to use cartridges rather than CDs as a storage medium. Those responsible at Square didn’t think they could squeeze their ambitious vision onto a cartridge with limited storage.
The PlayStation era
For many people outside Japan, «Final Fantasy VII» was probably the first JRPG they played. It also sparked my love for series. The story about Cloud had me shackled to my TV for hours at a time. Not only that, it was the first title to use CGI cutscenes. This new storytelling element provided increased immersion – to the extent that «Final Fantasy VII» was like an interactive film. You got drawn into the action much more than with the predecessor. Gameplay, on the other hand, hadn’t been revolutionised and instead followed the predecessor mold. The game sold almost ten million copies.
By the sixth installment, the story was no longer based in a classic fantasy world. Something that Square continued in «Final Fantasy VIII». This game was progressive and modern. Square also tried to add a playful new touch to the eighth title. The traditional method of levelling up characters didn’t do much. Instead, the junction system was at the heart of the design. It involved Guardian Forces – the name for incantations in this installment – being connected to the characters. This allowed you to increase their status and give them more skills. What’s more, magic was no longer something they acquired. Instead, it had to be drawn/taken from the enemy legions via fight commands.
By contrast, «Final Fantasy IX» marked a return to old virtues. The graphics and presentation may have been modern but the setting and gameplay followed the same model as the first few installments. The final PlayStation offshoot came in for the best critique of all three for the «Final Fantasy» console games. Financially speaking, however, the title couldn’t keep pace with «Final Fantasy VII», which sold five million copies.
The tenth edition proved more lucrative for Square, as it clocked up eight million in sales. «Final Fantasy X», which was released for Playstation 2, looked different. Not just because of its improved graphics. But also because the world of Spira wasn’t based on the classic fantasy look of the first installment or the sci-fi worlds of the latest spin-offs. Instead, Spira was reminiscent of South East Asia. The presentation looked fresh. And the active time battle system had been replaced by the more strategic conditional turn-based system. This meant you didn’t need to give commands under time pressure any more. Meanwhile, the sphere grid system was geared more towards skill trees in western role-playing games.
«Final Fantasy X» was the first installment to have a direct sequel. However, «Final Fantasy X-2» doesn’t come close to the original. The same goes for a lot of spin-offs that were released during the PlayStation era. With titles such as «Chocobo Racing», it’s clear Square wanted to milk the fantasy cow for all it was worth. But most games sunk without trace. The only one worth mentioning is the strategy game «Final Fantasy Tactics» that featured role-playing elements. To this day, it’s still one of my favourite games.
The film «Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within» also dropped around this time. This project turned out to be a flop for both Square and Sony, who’d invested a lot of money in it.
Online titles and various disappointments
In 2002, «Final Fantasy XI» saw Square forging a new path. Rather than gaming offline, you now played online with others. Making it the first Japanese massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). Even though it didn’t come close to other MMOs of that time, such as «World of Warcraft», the title was still a success for Square. In fact, the PC version is still played to this day.
Around the same time, Square announced it was collaborating with Nintendo again. However, they didn’t join forces to release a main «Final Fantasy» title, but rather a spin-off in the form of «Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles». While we’re on the subject of updates, Square also changed its name, now going by Square Enix when the two companies merged.
In 2006, «Final Fantasy XII» was launched. Although the game was met with good reviews, it didn’t prove as favourable from a financial point of view, given that it only rung up five million sales. That's because PlayStation 2 was at the end of its lifecycle. And game sales for the console took a nosedive at that time.
«Final Fantasy XIII» saw Square Enix break new ground once more. The game was part of a trilogy, consisting of «Final Fantasy XIII-2» and «Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII». The battle system was a lot stronger on action than previous off-shoots. For the first time since the sixth edition, the main character, Lightning, was a woman.
In terms of graphics, the games were a force to be reckoned with. That being said, the first installment in particular suffered as a result of its linearity. The world only opened up for you to explore after a few hours’ gaming. Other parts of the trilogy did a better job and give you more freedom. And yet, the final part of the trilogy in particular can’t really be classed as a «Final Fantasy» when it’s more like an action-adventure. All in all, the trilogy was a lacklustre hit.
Alongside the Lightning trilogy, Square Enix was also working with «Final Fantasy XIV» on another MMO. The game was released in 2010 and was met with scathing reviews. That’s why it was relaunched in 2013 as «Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn». It came with a new graphics engine, user interface, card and server. Although this was classed as version 2.0, to all intents and purposes, it was a brand new game. The new release received good reviews and is still hugely popular today. At the time, it was the MMORPG with the most active players.
«Final Fantasy XV» had been over ten years in the making when it finally came out in 2016. The battle system, presentation and character interaction are fantastic. Whereas, the story seems incomplete. It first gained a foothold via various DLCs, the film «Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV» and the five-part animé «Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV». The problem was that Square Enix wanted to do too much. Ultimately, the 15th title was a mixture of two projects that were being developed in tandem.
In 2020, Square Enix did a better job with «Final Fantasy VII Remake». The game put an exciting twist on the original – and only told a small part of the most popular «Final Fantasy». What’s more, play only took place in the first city of Midgar. «Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth» will tell the rest of the story with new elements, but it probably won’t be released until 2024.
But before then, in summer 2023 to be precise, we should see the launch of «Final Fantasy XVI». This game takes us back to playing completely in a fantasy world, which is based on Europe in the Middle Ages. If you don’t want to wait that long, you can use «Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion» to fill the gap, as it’s due to be released in a few days. This is a remake of the 2007 PSP game «Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII», and it’s almost a prequel to «Final Fantasy VII».
Apart from «Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn», the last decade of games may as well slip into oblivion. But since «Final Fantasy VII Remake», things seem be improving with Square Enix games.
Cover image: Shutterstock
Kevin Hofer
Senior Editor
kevin.hofer@digitecgalaxus.chFrom big data to big brother, Cyborgs to Sci-Fi. All aspects of technology and society fascinate me.
