Square Enix



With Final Fantasy turning 25 this year, and themed concert 'Distant Worlds' returning to the UK this week, there's no better time to look back at a franchise that shaped and defined role-playing games across generations of consoles.

Before we dive in, let's start with that burning question: why named Final Fantasy? The exact reason is disputed, but most attribute it to one of two reasons. It's thought that this was developer Square Enix's (then known as SquareSoft) last-ditch effort to save the company before going bankrupt.

The other is that it's thought it would be series producer Hironobu Sakaguchi's last game, and had it failed, he would have left games development and returned back to university.

Either way, the irony isn't lost, as another 13 main adventures, copious direct sequels and countless spinoffs followed. And while it's hit a rough patch in recent times, the franchise marches on with legions of fans behind it. But how did it rise to prominence?

The NES era: Final Fantasy I to III

It all began in 1987, as a young Sakaguchi worked with a small team to make a role-playing game that offered large expanses and a battle system modelled both on sports and western Dungeons & Dragons games, in the way that characters would line up on one side of the screen and offer elemental attacks respectively.

All the core elements of Final Fantasy appear in this first instalment, from the world map to the towns, turn-based battle system and the names of its iconic spells, monsters and characters.

In a theme that would continue for all core Final Fantasy games, follow-up Final Fantasy II would reinvent itself with a new universe disconnected to the last.

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While each one would retain familiar names and monsters, the characters and story were entirely new, and also introduce new game systems.

Final Fantasy II introduced two new reoccuring elements - Chocobos and the name 'Cid' - and while it retained many familiar mechanical elements, ditched experience points for a system where characters would grow and learn new abilities based on their use.

Final Fantasy III, meanwhile, brought back the idea of experience as well as introducing a Job system in battle, another idea that would make a return in later games.

Interestingly, III didn't see a release in North America or Europe, and only first appeared as a polygonal remake for Nintendo DS, iOS and PSP. The first two Final Fantasy games, meanwhile, also saw a spit and polish for the WonderSwan, PSP, PS1 and iOS.

The SNES era: Final Fantasy IV to VI

The trilogy of SNES adventures is where Final Fantasy really began to hit its stride. A boost in visual power and cartridge memory would provide bigger, better-looking adventures.

Interestingly, all three adventures toyed with the idea of multiple worlds in different ways. Final Fantasy IV had players travel to a hidden subterranean plane as well as the moon, each with their own world maps.

Final Fantasy V offered split dimensions. With the world split into two dimensions to diminish the evil ExDeath's powers, the two maps would ultimately merge into a single, climatic world, offering new and expanded dungeons based on the respective parts of the former worlds.

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Final Fantasy VI, meanwhile, provided us with one of the franchise's most jaw-dropping and surprise moments, when grand jester Kefka finally achieved what so few others couldn't and triggered the end of the world, with players spending the second half of the game locating their scattered party in a post-apocalyptic landscape.

The SNES era also brought on a naming debacle that still causes some confusion to this day. In North America, Final Fantasy IV is Final Fantasy II, while Final Fantasy VI is Final Fantasy III. The Western naming scheme was corrected, however, with the arrival of PlayStation systems.

The PlayStation era: Final Fantasy VII to IX

Final Fantasy VII represented a seismic shift for Square in a number of ways. For one, it was the change in platform. After sticking with Nintendo through two generations of consoles, the N64's decision to use cartridges limited the ambitions of the franchise, and so Square jumped ship to Sony, a move that's said to have established PlayStation as a serious player in gaming, at least in Japan.

The advent of 3D technology and CD-ROM storage allowed the use of gorgeous pre-rendered backgrounds and lavish pre-generated cutscenes, and despite the jump in production values, surprisingly didn't compromise on the size and scope of the adventures.

Final Fantasy VII was a huge undertaking, said to be the biggest production in games at the time, and the end result is an adventure that broke sales records and earned universal critical appraisal.

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While today it's regarded as a flawed masterpiece, for many it was the first taste of the series and role-playing games in general, and as a result is held in extremely high regard, and is subject to endless requests for a remake.

Final Fantasy VIII, meanwhile, offered some of the most dramatic changes to the series to date, reinventing many staples that were core to role-playing games.

Instead of learning magic, it had to be 'drawn' from enemies and the world around you, becoming a finite resource that could also be equipped to boost stats. Limit Breaks would trigger based on low hit points, as opposed to accumulated damage, changing the way players approached these special attacks, while money wasn't earned from battle but paid through wages as part of being a soldier.

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Such ideas were ambitious and resulted in a number of new strategies for the player to deploy - for many, they were too confusing and ill-communicated. While not held in high regard as VII, we feel the passage of time has been kinder to VIII, and even the most disgruntled players can commend it for the wonderful and infinitely playable Triple Triad card mini-game.

Final Fantasy IX, which followed just a year later in the US and Japan, was an opportunity for Square to celebrate the entire series before it shifted into double figures.

The result was a far more traditional adventure; gone were VIII's confusing systems and futuristic setting, and instead was a fantasy world styled to be similar to its earliest years, one steeped in steam-powered airships, monarchs in castles and bustling taverns in sleepy towns.

A wonderful cast of characters, beautiful visuals and a world steeped in secrets and side-quests make this one of the highlights of the series, and arguably the best PlayStation Final Fantasy game of them all.

Time for change: Final Fantasy X to XII

Another shift in platforms resulted in more technological advances. Fully polygonal environments and orchestrated music aimed to deliver a more involving and better-presented story in Final Fantasy X, a game that arrived just a few years into the PS2's lifespan.

Again, more adjustments came to its core battle systems. For the first time since IV, the battle system changed to a 'conditional' one, allowing status effects and specific attacks to delay an opponent's attacks, driving a new form of tactics.

Meanwhile, the Sphere Grid replaced experience points, allowing players to choose how to develop their party by upgrading specific stats by spending points.

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Perhaps the most controversial change was the lack of a world map, instead opting for a basic regional map that would simply connect local areas. While the end-game allowed you to enter co-ordinates with an airship to access secret areas, it was a change that many users felt disappointed by, and yet is something Square has stuck with in subsequent adventures.

Regardless, Final Fantasy X was a tremendous success, and is seen by many as the last traditional game in the series. It was followed by XI, an online-only title that used themes and names common to the series, but with a more social focus and real-time combat.

While the idea of having a main numbered Final Fantasy as a spinoff of sorts was controversial, the game has its legions of fans, and it's since been revealed that between its subscription model and copious expansions it has become the most profitable game in the series.

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It was also around this point In time that two key members of Square, producer Hironobu Sakaguchi and composer Nobuo Uematsu, resigned from the company. While specific details of their departures are unknown, it is said both wanted a break from the series, and subsequently went off to establish their own companies.

But the series marched on, and changes continued to take place. Using ideas from XI, the single player XII offered a number of radical changes. Real-time combat in the field replaced dedicated turn-based scenes with random encounters. Allies were no longer directly controllable, instead relying on a Gambit system that would automatically issue actions based on certain requirements.

XII is the black sheep of the family; not only is the combat systems completely different, but so is the feel of the game - from its pacing to the music and story approach. That said, its tight focus and superb tactical combat makes it one of the strongest games in the series, but whether it's a true Final Fantasy game is up for debate.

Square Enix

Recent struggles: Final Fantasy XII to XIV

While the PlayStation era saw a glut of critically-acclaimed releases in a very short space of time - the release dates between VII and XI was around five years apart – the wait for XIII was a long and anticipated one.

Announced as part of the the 'Fabula Nova Crystallis' collection, XIII was part of an wave of numbered and spinoff titles set within the same universe.

This ambition combined with the heavy demands of new console generation – with high-definition visuals and multi-platform development - led to a much longer and more turbulent development.

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On release, XIII saw mixed to positive reviews. While it was praised for gorgeous visuals and superb combat (it was a fine blend of its turn-based heritage and XII's scripted commands) it was also criticised for its heavily linear paths and a story that took far too long to hit its stride.

Worse fortunes met the next online-only title, XIV, which was universally panned upon its release in 2010, forcing Square to temporarily drop subscription fees and swiftly replace its upper management.

After two years in development a rebooted version, titled Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, is set to be released in 2013.

The last few years haven't been kind to Final Fantasy, and it'll be interesting to see how Square faces the challenges of a new console generation in the years to come.

Spinoffs: From direct sequels to Tactics

From the PlayStation-era onwards, Final Fantasy has received a number of spinoffs and tie-ins that make use of its themes and lore.

The most interesting are the direct sequels, such as X-2 and XIII-2, which continue the narratives and further experiment with mechanics of specific instalments in a series that has strived to keep evolving.

There has also been a willingness on Square's part to return to older Final Fantasy games to continue their stories. IV saw the story-driven The After Years, 17 years after the SNES original, while VII was subject to PSP prequel Crisis Core and sequel Dirge of Cerberus.

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Perhaps some of the most successful spinoffs are those unrelated to the core series. Final Fantasy Tactics is regarded as one of the strongest turn-based strategy games on consoles, while Crystal Chronicles offered an action-oriented co-op adventure that could make use of Game Boy Advance systems.

Square Enix also hasn't been shy in celebrating its many fan-favourite characters and universes through novel mash-up titles. Dissidia pitted familiar heroes and villains for an enjoyable handheld fighter, while the recent Theatrhythm is a grand celebration of the series's beloved music by using tracks for an enjoyable rhythm action-game.

What are your highlights from Final Fantasy's long history? Add a comment to the space below!

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