Game screens
The games usually have several types of screens, or modes of interaction, broadly categorized as:
- Field screens: These are where the main interaction between the characters occurs, and indeed most of the exploration of the world occurs on these screens. Dialog mostly occurs on these screens. Final Fantasy 6 marked the point that Final Fantasy would have realistic computer graphics, while Dragon Warrior stayed with anime style cel-shaded graphics. Prior to Final Fantasy 7, they were pseudo-orthorgraphic, using a simple 2D engine. Final Fantasy 7 and 8 (9?) used pre-rendered and pre-painted backgrounds over which 3D models were overlaid. Final Fantasy 10 used a completely 3D field screen system, which allowed the camera angle to change as the characters moved about. If Final Fantasy games prior to 7 were to be remade in 3D, it they would be remade in partial 3D, having a more sophisticated orthographic viewpoint in the overworld, but still have realistic graphics. If Final Fantasy 7, 8, and 9 are to be remade, they will have a completely 3D field screen system except for the world maps.
- Battle screens: Battles occur on a separate type of screen (or arena), usually with a change of scale and a backdrop "arena" that usually generically represents where the battle is occurring in the game. (For example, a random battle in a desert gets a desert backdrop.) Plot-relevant battles (as opposed to battling random monsters) may have a specially built battle screen/arena however. In Final Fantasy 7 and later, these screens are fully 3D, but very restricted in size.
- World screen: A low-scale screen used to symbolize travelling great distances in times that would otherwise slow the game down unacceptably plot-wise. These are usually not to scale, as a character may appear the size of a small mountain. Relatively little plot occurs here, but there are exceptions. The world screen was cut off by Final Fantasy X.
- Cutscenes: These scenes are non-interactive playback that usually advances the plot. They can either be pre-rendered video, or they can be executed in with the same engine as the field screens. In some cases, pre-rendered video was overlaid with real-time rendered field screen graphics.
The games often feature various mini-games with their own graphical engines.
Release History
Final Fantasy I
- Only the first in the series was available in America until the fourth in the series. At the beginning of that first game the player chose four characters from a stock list: Fighters, Thieves, Black Belts, White Mages, Black Mages, and Red Mages. These four chosen characters, named by the player, became the Light Warriors, carrying four darkened orbs. The adventure started with the rescue of princess Sara from Garland, allowing a small amount of gameplay before the game's true opening sequence, which song played is also present in other Final Fantasy games. This game featured various vehicles for use in crossing different terrains, including a pirate ship, a canoe, and ultimately an airship. This game has been re-released in an upgraded version in the package "Final Fantasy Origins" for the Sony Playstation, alongside Final Fantasy II. Orbs are called crystals in Final Fantasy Origins.
External Link: Final Fantasy Classic
Final Fantasy II
- Final Fantasy II's plot revolved around four friends (Firion, Maria, Gus, and Leon) who survived an invasion of their hometown, Fynn, from the Empire of Palamecia. Their parents were killed by the Empire. Three of them met up again in the resistance headquarters in Altair, and from there they travel around the world and take on temporary companions in their fight against the Palamecian Empire. FF2 is stylistically very similar to its predecessor, using the same battle system and similar graphics (both in the original and in the remake). It is the first game in the series to have a playable female character and a man named Cid. Maria is Final Fantasy's first playable female character, and Leila is the second playable female character and a temporary one. FF2 also introduced Chocobos. The waters are in motion since FF2 (they were a still image in the original version of FF1). This game was never released in America or Europe until 2003 with the "Final Fantasy Origins" package enhanced for the Sony Playstation Console, alongside Final Fantasy I. The original Famicom/NES version was unofficially translated by NeoDemiforce in 1998. FF2 is not to be confused with FF2 for the SNES, which was the original US name for FF4.
Final Fantasy III
- For the NES/Famicom, this was only released in Japan, but it was long later translated into English through emulation by NeoDemiforce. The game featured 4 children on a quest to save the Crystals of the Elements from a force known only as the Dark Cloud. Traveling around the world, they go from the dark world to the Realm of Dreams, where they discover a plot by the gods to destroy the world. They can be changed into many character classes using the first incarnation of the job system that later was used in FFV and FFT. FFIII for the NES is not to be confused with FFIII for the SNES, which was the original US name for FFVI.
Final Fantasy IV
- For the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sony Playstation. Final Fantasy IV introduced the Active Time Battle (ATB) system. It is the first game in the series to have more than one world map. The plot focuses on a main character named Cecil Harvey. The game begins when Cecil and the air force he captains (called the Red Wings) are forced to steal a Crystal. Cecil objects about this to his king, who promptly demotes him and sends him off (along with his friend Kain Highwind) on an errand to carry a package to a place called Valley Mist, the home of Rydia of Mist. The party soon encounters the Fiends of the Elements who are planning, with their leader Golbez (Cecil's brother), to free the enslaved Zemus, a powerful black wizard trapped on the Red Moon. This game was released on the SNES as Final Fantasy 2 by Square of America. There is also an unofficial version of this game called FF4 Hard, which was translated into English from Japanese by players through emulation, as opposed to the standard version, which was translated into English by Square. The playable characters are Cecil Harvey, Kain Highwind, Rosa Farrell, Rydia of Mist, Tellah of Mysidia, Edward of Damcyan (known as Gilbert in Japan), Yang Fang Leiden, Palom of Mysidia, Porum of Mysidia, Cid Pollendina, Edge Geraldine, and FuSoYa.
External Link: Dawezy's Final Fantasy IV Network
Final Fantasy V
- For the Nintendo Super Famicom. It was not available in America until much later (in Final Fantasy Anthology). FF5 used the idea of a 'Job' system in which a character could become any type of warrior he/she wanted. FF5 involved the adventures of Butz (Bartz in PS1 version), Lenna (Reina in the re-released PS1 version), her sister Faris, Galuf and his daughter KuRuru, who had to stop a powerful necromancer named ExDeath from taking all of the crystals of the elements, and using them to open a portal of nothingness, called the Mu. The party travels from their home world to the destroyed world of ExDeath, where they battle his plans until the end.
Final Fantasy VI
- For the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Nintendo Super Famicom. The plot focuses on a character named Terra (or Tina in Japan). The game begins with two of the Empire's henchmen, Biggs and Wedge, and Terra, whose mind is being controlled by a device called the Slave Crown. They attempt to take a frozen creature called an Esper from a northern town, and in the attempt, Terra is knocked unconscious, and later saved by a member of the underground rebellion against the Empire. No relation to the Empire in Star Wars even though the names Biggs and Wedge were taken from the names of the two pilots that accompanied Luke Skywalker in Star Wars in the final assault on the Death Star. This game was released as Final Fantasy 3 on the SNES by Square of America. It was re-released by Square EA on the Playstation with Final Fantasy V under Final Fantasy Anthology. Final Fantasy VI has the best graphics that the SNES has to offer, and it set the foundation for the following Final Fantasy games, making the Final Fantasy franchise have realistic computer graphics from the next installment on. The characters include Terra, Locke, Edgar, Sabin, Shadow, and the villain Kefka.
Final Fantasy VII
- For the Sony PlayStation and PC. This is the first release where the character's names aren't arbitrarily capitalized. It is also the first Final Fantasy with 3D-graphics. The plot focuses on a character named Cloud Strife. Cloud is beginning his employment for a group called AVALANCHE, headed by Barret Wallace, after quitting from the Shin-Ra Electric Power Company's super-soldier unit named SOLDIER for reasons that he cannot recall to become a mercenary. They are attempting to sabotage a Mako reactor, a device which drains energy from the Planet to generate electricity, to create monsters, and to create Materia, magical orbs. These reactors are created and maintained by the Shin-Ra EPC. However, Cloud goes beyond being a hired mercenary with AVALANCHE by his side, and is drawn in to a vast storyline, centering around Sephiroth, who was the ultimate SOLDIER member. Final Fantasy VII seems to be most popular Final Fantasy game. It is the best selling Final Fantasy game installment-wise. Final Fantasy VII would have a motion picture sequel, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.
Final Fantasy VIII
- For the Sony PlayStation and PC. This release featured a dramatic improvment in graphics and cutscene quality. A highly artistic addition to the series, it involved a group of orphans about 17 years of age who were adopted by a school for mercenaries called 'The Garden'. There are many such schools throughout the FF8 world and their main (but secretive) duty is to protect the world from the threat of powerful Sorceresses, as the last one caused a great war.
- This addition to the series was surprising in its incredible level of detail, including ancient stories of a being that gave humans magical powers, an unknown force that makes radio transmissions impossible, the mysterious lineage of the game's main character Squall Leonheart and a burgeoning love between Squall and a young girl, Rinoa Heartilly. While many hold that FF8 created a new zenith in RPGs for artistry and character/plot development, critics disliked the opaqueness of Squall's motives and his unpleasant, unlikeable and distant behavior, as well as the interminably long summoning cut scenes. Therefore, Final Fantasy VIII created controversy among Final Fantasy's pre-32-bit-era fans.
Final Fantasy IX
- For the Sony PlayStation, released in 2000. This release is a return to Final Fantasy's roots - likable characters, a main character with an unknown past, and stereotypical examples of the original series' various character classes (unlike the "Job" system of FF5 and FFT, the characters can't change their type of fighting). The plot revolved around a mysterious villain who needs the people of a devastated culture to gain power as he disrupts the "flow of souls" in the natural cycle of life and death. There are several main characters: Zidane, Princess Garnet a.k.a. Dagger, Eiko, Amarant, Vivi, Adelbert Steiner, Freya and Quina. Chocobos and airships figure strongly in the gameplay. Final Fantasy IX has created controversy among old Final Fantasy fans.
Final Fantasy X
- For the Sony PlayStation 2, released in 2001. Visually much like Final Fantasy VIII, in that the characters have normal proportions. There are some noticable differences between Final Fantasy X and the previous members of the Final Fantasy series. Final Fantasy X introduced voice acting. Under the direction of Toshiro Tsuchida, the battle system is changed from the traditional "Active Time Battle" to a new "Conditional Time Battle." The leveling system has also received an overhaul, with the advent of the Sphere Grid. The story is still the primary focus, aided by exceptional graphics, but some critics have an opinion in reverse of this regard.
- The main character is Tidus (son of Jecht), a cheerful blitzball player from Zanarkand, who escapes an attack on his home city by a creature called "Sin". He is transported to the world of Spira, where he is enlisted in a quest to destroy the creature, who reappears every ten years to wreak havoc until defeated by a "summoner". Tidus joins the summoner Yuna of Bevelle (daughter of Lord Braska the High Summoner), and her guardians Wakka of Besaid, Lulu of Besaid, Auron, and Kimahri Ronso. Kimahri is Yuna's most faithful guardian. He knew Yuna for ten years before the events of Final Fantasy X. He later meets Al Bhed thief Rikku. Wakka and Rikku are close associates of Tidus. They make up the playable cast of the game. Tidus of Zanarkand was voiced by James Arnold Taylor. Yuna of Bevelle was voiced by Hedy Burress. Wakka and Kimahri were voiced by John Dimaggio. Rikku the Al Bhed was voiced by Tara Strong. Unfortunately, Final Fantasy X has created some controversy among fans of the older Final Fantasy games (especially fans of the games released on 8-bit and 16-bit systems) due to linearity, English voice acting, the addition of blitzball, and claiming that it has no world map. Critics disliked Blitzball, and they complained about the Sphere Grid system and the voice acting. Many critics assumed that Final Fantasy X was centered solely on graphics, complaining mainly about the storyline and gameplay. A few critics complained about the soundtrack.
Final Fantasy X-2
- For the Sony PlayStation 2. Marks the first in the series that is a direct sequel to the previous installment. Features Yuna and Rikku from FF X, and a new character Paine, as the main characters. "Eternal Calm" is the intermission between Final Fantasy X and X-2.
Final Fantasy XI
- For the Sony PlayStation 2 and PC. The first Final Fantasy that features online play. Final Fantasy XI takes place in a world called Vana'Diel. Its places include Bastok, San D'Oria, and Windhurst.
Final Fantasy XII
- For the Sony PlayStation 2. Possibly the last Final Fantasy game on the PlayStation 2 if Square keeps the tradition of three games per console. Scheduled for a release during the last few months of 2003. The only information so far is a poster showing a huge city and its population.
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles
- For the Nintendo Gamecube. This is the first Final Fantasy game on a Nintendo console since Final Fantasy VI. Since Sony partially owns Squaresoft, the company that makes Final Fantasy, it seemed unlikely that it would ever see a Nintendo system again. However, Squaresoft created a 2nd party studio that included people who had worked on Final Fantasy games for Playstation to make Final Fantasy games for Nintendo consoles. This new Final Fantasy game is set to feature many new gameplay elements previously unseen in a Final Fantasy game, eg. Real Time fighting.
Compilations
Final Fantasy Anthology
- For the Sony PlayStation. This game is a compilation of Final Fantasy V and Final Fantasy VI, including some CG movies not available in the original games. In Europe, this compilation consists of Final Fantasy V and the "hard type" version of Final Fantasy IV, but not FF6. Final Fantasy VI was released for the Sony Playstation in Europe as a standalone game just before the compilation.
Final Fantasy Chronicles
- For the Sony PlayStation. This was the second multi-release of old games for the PSX, including the "hardtype version" of Final Fantasy IV (which the "easytype version" was included in the Japanese release of Final Fantasy Anthology, but not in the US release. It was previously released in the US as Final Fantasy II for the Super Nintendo) and Chrono Trigger (also previously released for the Super Nintendo). FF4 featured new CG animation, while Chrono Trigger featured new anime style cutscenes.
Final Fantasy Origins
- For the Sony PlayStation. This is the third (and presumably final) compilation of old Final Fantasy titles for the PSX. It includes the original Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II, both released for the NES/Famicom. Final Fantasy II was never previously released in the U.S.. Both games have undergone graphical and audio improvements and gameplay streamlining, unlike the other Final Fantasy compilation games. Due to a widespread dislike of the game by critics and fans alike, it is not likely that Final Fantasy III will ever see a U.S. release. See Final Fantasy Origins for more information. ''See also enhanced remake and Super Mario All Stars.
Spinoffs
External links
See also:
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, a Hollywood movie released on July 11, 2001.
