The Evolution of Final Fantasy - PlayStation 2 Feature at IGN
The Evolution of Final Fantasy
From I to XII, we catch you up on the facts.
Australia, January 18, 2007 January 18, 2007 January 18, 2007
If we were to call you a 'spoony bard', how would you take it? Would you laugh it off knowingly? Or would you tell us to lay off the crack? For fans of the Final Fantasy series, that expression is the stuff of campfire lore, on par with some of the great gaming catchphrases of our time.
However, twelve games in (or more than 20, if you count spin-offs, portable versions and semi-sequels), the series still remains veiled and intimidating for some gamers. How can a series span so many iterations of consoles, break past the language barrier and still come out with core games that rank amongst some of the finest of all time? Welcome to the evolution of the Final Fantasy series - a crash course through what has made Square Enix's series so loved and longed for by fans all over the world, and how Final Fantasy XII represents the culmination of almost two decades of sterling gameplay and design.
1) The Basics:
There are a few elements that are featured in every core, Roman-numeric Final Fantasy game. Consider these staple components that fans can reasonably expect to see in each iteration - although, not necessarily. But before we dive into those, why 'Final' Fantasy? Back in the day, when Squaresoft was still very much separate from their competitors, Enix, the company was in dire straits. With finances dwindling, then-designer Hironobu Sakaguchi pitched one last game, a 'final fantasy' for the company before he retired, if you'll indulge. Ultimately, the game was a hit and Sakaguchi never ended up retiring. Years later, the name has become as much of a brand as Squaresoft's logo ever was.
What series drove these cosplayers to disgrace themselves so? Final Fantasy, of course!
The Prelude theme:
A classic and simple harpsichord theme that has been present in the series since the first game. Based around a short piece by Bach, the Prelude plays either during the opening titles sequences, during the end credits or after your entire party has been defeated during battle, causing a game over. It is easily as recognisable in gaming circles as the Mario Bros. theme or Sonic the Hedgehog's title screen pop.
Character classes:
With an emphasis on, unsurprisingly, fantasy, the cast of characters in each game has been filled out by magicians, thieves, bards, knights, rogues, warlocks and hunters. However, since the SNES era titles, they are rarely labelled as such - and particularly in the PlayStation's VII and VIII stories, where these roles are never implicitly spelled out. However, in the original NES game, you were actually able to assign classes to each of your characters, which is something that hasn't been repeated since.
In XII, classes remain broad and undefined - though, certain characters are definitely skewed towards physical or magical means of attack. Vaan, for instance, fits into the classic description of a thief; however, his skills are far deeper and more varied than he might outwardly suggest.
FF XII is the culmination of concepts established almost two decades ago.
The Menus:
Being a 'traditional' turn-based role-playing game, menus are an integral part of the Final Fantasy mythos. For many, this is a major detractor and significant reason why they haven't touched the series. However, it should be understood that the menu system is, in fact, a lot more straightforward than it seems. During battle sequences, you can choose from a variety of different tactics: Fight, Magic, Skill, Item, Steal, Run, Summon and several others at your disposal. In a lot of ways, the system is an extension of ideas established by the tabletop Dungeons and Dragons games - but there are no rolls, saving throws or otherwise. Damage is calculated differently, and experience points gained, skills learned and summons mastered all work to a different, more precise end.
The other half of the menu scale is responsible for the back end. With a game of this depth, a system was devised to keep track of each of your character's skill progression, items collected, and tasks undertaken. The complexity and depth of these menus has increased dramatically since the jump to disc-based media. By Final Fantasy VIII, which introduced the Junctioning system, gamers decried the overwhelming nature of the sliding field boxes, percentage signs, elements and virtually infinite combinations that could be tinkered with. It was almost a case of too much freedom and flexibility becoming a major detractor. Final Fantasy XII retains the depth of previous menus, while adopting skill growth trees that are similar in approach to Final Fantasy X's Sphere Grid.
As outlined in greater detail below, the skills system, known as Licences, requires characters 'earn' the right to use skills, weapons and armour before you can equip them. This is tracked on a checkerboard that is progressively unlocked with each licence earned.
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