• 4Aug 06

  FF Stye

  Final Fantasy Style - Page One

  Like every video game series, Final Fantasy has a unique style. This style becomes evident when comparing the stories, the settings, the characters, and the mythology of Final Fantasy to those of other games. The style to which Final Fantasy (and most other RPGs) belong is often called "epic". Typical to epic games is their considerable length, a broad story line, and the connection between the actions of the heroes to the destiny of the entire world.

  Story: All Final Fantasy stories are world-embracing, which means that the main goal of the heroes is always to save the world by preventing an evil force from destroying or enslaving it. No matter how personal their motives might be, the ultimate destination in each and every Final Fantasy game is the final dungeon, the lair of the villain, and the showdown between the player's party and their final adversary.

  Typical for Final Fantasy stories is also their wide time spectrum. The "current" story is often connected to ancient prophecies or events, to the history of the world, or to a similar story that has happened before.

  The most characteristic feature of Final Fantasy stories, which has become a true "trademark" of the series, is the abundance of emotions invloved in them. Topics such as love, despair, friendship, inner conflicts, betrayal, death, sacrifice, hatred are not only common - they usually represent the very core of a Final Fantasy game, at least since the series reached its "mature" age in Final Fantasy IV.

  The stories of all Final Fantasies since the fourth game concentrate primarly on personal feelings of their characters. This emphasis on the personal and the intimate is perhaps the most powerful "trump" of the series. Few other video games embrace so many different topics at once, and are so rich emotionally, as Final Fantasy.

  Setting: All Final Fantasy games are set in fantasy worlds. Although those worlds share many common traits (in particular, a common mythology), they are different in each Final Fantasy. Every world presented in a Final Fantasy game is in fact a planet, populated by humans and many other creatures. The most typical setting of the series is medieval fantasy, although even the most medievally-inclined worlds of Final Fantasy are still not strictly medieval. There are always some elements of modern technology, the most popular one being the airship, an obligatory vehicle for all Final Fantasies. Final Fantasy VI tends more toward a modern setting; Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII, and partially Final Fantasy X are set in futuristic worlds.

  Characters: Although every new Final Fantasy game introduces a new set of characters, and although most of those characters are unique and original, it is possible to trace the spiritual similarity and relation between various Final Fantasy characters, and generalize them as types. Some of the most popular Final Fantasy character types are: Abrave, often somewhat careless adventurer, who is often the lead character of the game (Butz in Final Fantasy V, Locke in Final Fantasy VI, Zidane in Final Fantasy IX, Tidus in Final Fantasy X), a somewhat strange, "complicated" hero, also a typical main character (Cecil in Final Fantasy IV, Cloud in Final Fantasy VII, Squall in Final Fantasy VIII), a young woman who possesses mysterious powers desired by the villains (Terra in Final Fantasy VI, Aeris in Final Fantasy VII, Rinoa in Final Fantasy VIII, Garnet in Final Fantasy IX), a little cheerful girl (Cara in Final Fantasy V, Relm in Final Fantasy VI, Eiko in Final Fantasy IX), a non-human party member (Mog and Umaru in Final Fantasy VI, Red XIII and Cait Sith in Final Fantasy VII, Quina in Final Fantasy IX), a maniacal villain seeking world domination or its destruction (Exdeath in Final Fantasy V, Kefka in Final Fantasy VI, Ultimecia in Final Fantasy VIII), an effeminate villain with a mysterious past and concealed motives (Sephiroth in Final Fantasy VII, Kuja in Final Fantasy IX, Seymour in Final Fantasy X). A recurrent character who appears in every Final Fantasy game since Final Fantasy II is Cid. Although Cid looks and acts differently in every Final Fantasy game, he is always connected to airships or other flying devices in some way.

  Mythology: Final Fantasy titles have an exceptionally rich mythology. The preponderance of mythological concepts in Final Fantasy is a testimony to the Japanese origin of the series. The vision of the world of Final Fantasy, its low mythology (mythology of fairy tales and folk superstitions), and its demonology (monster mythology) make it clear the series were created by Asian designers rather than by European ones. Although references to Western mythology abound, the overall feeling is unmistakably Asian.
  
  
  Final Fantasy Style - Page Two
  

  The world: The vision of the world in Final Fantasy series is close to the central idea of Asian religions and philosophy: the unity of all living beings. The planet on which all the inhabitants of a Final Fantasy world dwell is often described as a living, breathing being, the source of all life and power. Phrases such as "the planet is dying", "the planet is losing its power" are typical for Final Fantasy. Often, the planet has inner ressources that support its life. These resources are traditionally associated with crystals in earlier Final Fantasies. The crystals are the source of life, and, more importantly, of balance - a typically Asian idea which reflects their vision of the balance of nature, the balance among humans, and the balance between humans and nature as a matter of utmost importance. If the balance is broken, vile forces will appear to disturb the peace of the innocents. This is the central idea of Chinese philosophy, which had a considerable influence on Japanese culture. Another typically Chinese idea is the world being a balance of various elements - fire, earth, wind, etc. In later Final Fantasies, the crystals are replaced with other energy sources, but the concept is always the same. Moon as the origin of humanity in Final Fantasy IV, Esper civilization in Final Fantasy VI, Mako energy in Final Fantasy VII, Tree of Life in Final Fantasy IX - all those concepts have the same prototype. Sometimes, a different kind of energy, a negative power, is opposed to the life-supporting power of the planet - the Void created by Exdeath in Final Fantasy V, Sin in Final Fantasy X. Often such power, previously sealed, is being unleashed by an evil character, or the supporting power of the planet is used by him for evil purposes: ncient statues in Final Fantasy VI, Mako energy in Final Fantasy VII, sealed powers of the sorceress Adel in Final Fantasy VIII.

  According to Asian traditional vision of the world, its creation (or its origin in general) is less important than the balance between its powers. The idea of God as the creator of the universe is not typical for Chinese vision of the world, and the visions of the nations influenced by the Chinese culture. True to this tradition, Final Fantasy rarely explains how or by whom the world was created. The mysterious energy supporting the world can also be considered its origin, which is again a typically Asian idea of the world being one and the same with the energy of life (Brahman in Hinduism, Dao in Chinese Daoist philosophy), instead of being created by an outer force.

  Low mythology: Low mythology is a common name for folk beliefs, superstitions, fairy tales, and legends. Such mythology has virtually no ethical or philosophical value, but instead makes the world a much more mysterious and colorful place. The creatures that belong to the world of low mythology are sometimes hostile, sometimes quite harmless. In European low mythology, this includes ghosts, vampires, mermaids, dwarves, elves, fairies, etc. Low mythological beings of Final Fantasy are usually harmless, or even friendly. Beside the traditional werewolves (Final Fantasy V, Final Fantasy VI) or dwarves (Final Fantasy IV), there are also more original creatures (such as the shumis and the mambas in Final Fantasy VIII). Among the most popular representatives of low mythology are the moogles, which appear in several Final Fantasy games. Moogles are small, cute, pink creatures who look like flying cats or rabbits. They are very shy and live in well-hidden moogle villages in forests. They don't talk much, and usually the only word they say is "kupo!". The most frequently seen and well-known Final Fantasy species is the chocobo, which appear almost in every Final Fantasy game. Chocobos are large ostrich-like birds, usually yellow, which are used by the humans for many purposes, mainly for riding.

  Monsters: The monster collection of Final Fantasy is among the most colorful in the history of video games. There is hardly a type of monster known to any mythology that does not appear in a Final Fantasy game. Although every Final Fantasy intriduces new types of monsters, the most popular species are recurrent. Certain types of monsters are also typical for certain parts of a game: For example, in the beginning of a game insects, lizards, or small humanoids such as imps or goblins prevail, while the final dungeon is traditionally populated by powerful monsters such as behemoths, iron giants, or malboros with their bad breath attack. An example of a typical recurrent Final Fantasy monster is the fire bomb, which is vulnerable to ice and which explodes after some time, killing itself and causing a lot of damage to one of the characters. It is often possible to recognize a Final Fantasy game just by looking at its monsters. Typical to Final Fantasy are visually original monsters that bear names taken from various mythologies of the world. This is especially characteristic for summoned monsters, which appear in every Final Fantasy game since the third, and which are also mentioned in the first two games. Popular sources for monster names in Final Fantasy are Greek, Nordic, Israeli, Indian, Arab, and Babylonian mythologies. To the Greek mythology belong the monster summons Siren (a beautiful singing girl who enchants sailors and then kills them), Titan (a race of god-like creatures, who fought against Olympic gods), Hades (the god of the dead), and Phoenix (a bird that can resurrect itself; a tribute to the dying and resurrecting gods of the Phoenicians, a nation closely related to the Jews, that lived in today's Lebanon). Nordic (Scandinavian) images are represented by Odin (the head of the Nordic pantheon) and Fenrir (a monstrous wolf). Behemoth (a hell demon) and Leviathan (a huge sea monster, means "whale" in modern Hebrew) are popular mythological beings of ancient Israel, while Golem (a mechanical robot) is a creature taken from the mythology of European Jews. The rich mythology of India delivers names for such Final Fantasy monsters as Shiva (one of the most important incarnations of God, and hardly the beautiful woman Final Fantasy fans are used to), Asura (a race of demons), Kali (a powerful goddess, after whom the city of Kalkutta was named), and others. The king of dragons Bahamut is in fact not a dragon, but a fish that is holding the earth in ancient Arab mythology, whose name is a variant of the Hebrew "behemoth". Ifrit, or Jinn, is also a typical figure of Arab tales and legends. The ancient mythology of Babylon is present in names like Gilgamesh (a Babylonian epic hero) and Tiamat (Chaos, the origin of the world).

  • Posted Aug 4, 2006 12:29 pm PT
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• 4Aug 06

  History Of Final Fantasy

  The History of Final Fantasy - Page One
  
  

  
  

  "I don't think I have what it takes to make a good action game. I think I'm better at telling a story." -- Hironobu Sakaguchi

  1987. A small Japanese company known as Square Ltd. is on the verge of a financial disaster. They have been developing games for the Famicom Disk system, but the income has been quite poor, and the general feeling now is that the company needs a true masterpiece to save it from being shut down. Hironobu Sakaguchi, the president of the company, who has developed many smaller games for the Famicom system, decides it is time for a final effort from his side. An action game? No, that wouldn't be his style. To tell a story through a video game- that's what he always wanted to do. A truly epic tale about noble warriors and villains whose sole desire is world domination. Perhaps something more than just saving a princess from a bad guy, like in Enix' famous Dragon Quest series, the leading games of the role-playing genre on consoles. A tribute to Dragon Quest, and yet something different, something bigger and better. Would such a game be a success? If not, Square would fail completely as a company. If so, he would at least be aware of the fact he saved his company and also created a good game. In any case, this will be his final contribution - his Final Fantasy...

  2006. Millions of fans all over our planet play and re-play the games that belong to one of the most well-known and popular video game series of all times. They cry, laugh, mourn, and rejoice together with its small digital heroes. Many gamers unfamiliar with the series are completely baffled and amazed the first time they encounter one of those games, and many of them agree that playing a Final Fantasy game is an entirely unique and incomparable experience. The little, modest game once created by Hironobu Sakaguchi has spawned over a dozen sequels, related games that also bear the title, and many games that were directly influenced by the series. Final Fantasy was, and still is, a huge commercial success, that miraculously turned Square from an obscure little company into a giant. Alone, Final Fantasy VII for the Playstation has sold six million copies, and still continues selling today. Final Fantasy games have conquered the market of console-style RPGs.

  What is the reason behind the huge popularity of the series? Or, in other words, what is the secret of Final Fantasy? What is it that makes these games so special, so unique, so easy to recognize, and so miraculously appealing?

  The answer to this question is simple: Final Fantasy games excel in every possible aspect, and it is their perfection, their balance that makes them so highly entertaining and so endlessly attractive. There are many games with great stories, many games with great gameplay, and many games with great production values, but few possess all of those qualities at the same time. Most of the sequels to great games try to imitate, or, in the best cases, to enhance the original. It is seldom that a sequel in a well-known series is truly innovative.
  
  
  The History of Final Fantasy - Page Two
  

  The Final Fantasy series, on the other hand, surprises its fans with every new game, because each new installment of the series tries something different, sometimes even revolutionary; something that goes far beyond adding some gameplay gimmicks or recycling the best ideas and technique of the original. Role-playing games, in particular, traditionally have very basic stories and casts of characters, while the emphasis of the gaming experience lies on the gameplay: Upgrading characters, fighting, and performing quests. Final Fantasy games were the first console RPGs to introduce deeper stories and memorable characters, but at the same time, they never neglected the gameplay. With the main emphasis shifted from gameplay to story and characters, Final Fantasy could have easily turned into "interactive movies" with minimal gameplay value. Instead, each Final Fantasy game (perhaps with the exception of early NES titles) is an absolutely engrossing experience, combining a captivating story, characters you care for, and top-quality console-style RPG gameplay. It is this balance between story, atmosphere, and gameplay - or, between the novel, movie, and game - that makes Final Fantasy so thrilling, that serves to distinguish between mere electronic entertainment and art. Like a book, Final Fantasy is interesting to read, like a movie, it is interesting to watch, and like a game, it is interesting to play.

  Final Fantasy is the name of a long series of console RPGs, the most recent ones being the online RPG Final Fantasy XI, and a direct sequel to Final Fantasy X - Final Fantasy X-2. The numbered Final Fantasy games all share the same style and many common elements. There are, however, also other games bearing the Final Fantasy title that belong to other genres or have otherwise little in common with the "main" Final Fantasy games. In this category, you'll find the handheld Final Fantasies (Final Fantasy Legend series, and Seiken Densetsu, known as Final Fantasy Adventure outside Japan; both series were developed for the GameBoy), a US-made Final Fantasy Mystic Quest for SNES, and Final Fantasy Tactics, a strategy RPG for Playstation. This article is dedicated to the main series only.

  The mainstream Final Fantasy games can be easily divided into four groups, after the four main consoles they were made for: Final Fantasy I-III for NES, IV-VI for SNES, VII-IX for Playstation, and (currently) X, XI, and X-2 for Playstation 2. Since this article was planned and conceived before those last two games were released, and I still haven't had the chance of playing them, they will not be discussed in detail.

  Several Final Fantasy games were ported to other systems. The seventh and the eighth games were released for the PC. All SNES Final Fantasies were later released for the Playstation: In Japan, as Final Fantasy Collection; in USA, in two compilations: Final Fantasy Chronicles, containing the fourth game of the series together with Chrono Trigger, and Final Fantasy Anthology, containing the fifth and the sixth games; in PAL countries, Anthology contained Final Fantasy IV and Final Fantasy V, while Final Fantasy VI was released separately, with the demo of Final Fantasy X included. The two first NES Final Fantasies were also recently released for Playstation as Final Fantasy Origins. There are plans for porting the SNES Final Fantasies to Game Boy Advance.

  • Posted Aug 4, 2006 12:25 pm PT
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