Friday, April 3, 2020

Final Fantasy Friday Retrospective: A Gundam Anime Corner Special Miniseries Part 1


 
The Role Playing Game (or RPG) genre is filled with hundreds of gems including Dragon Quest, The Elder Scrolls and Xenosaga.  But one title is synonymous with the genre as a whole and is generally the first one that comes to mind: Final Fantasy.  Since 1987, the title has gotten more and more silly because we’re as far from “Final” as could possibly be.  Over three decades have passed and the little RPG that could has spawned a massive empire of sequels, spin offs, movies, Anime, and everything in between.  With the release of Final Fantasy VII Remake (about goddamn time too), this month at the Gundam Anime Corner, I’m going to be doing a special Final Fantasy retrospective.  I haven’t played all of these games but I am a big fan of the power of Final Fantasy, it’s ability to create so many vast worlds and countless stories to play through in each one.  It’s as close to Anime as a Video Game as I feel anything is.  I’ll be breaking it down by era over the next few weeks, going from its 8bit roots to the now almost lifelike visual powerhouse status.


Part 1-Nintendo Era (1987-1994)
Our long look back begins in the mid 80s, with a little known gaming company named Square.  Hironobu Sakaguchi had long wished to work on a fantasy RPG style game for the company.  But Square didn’t see much revenue coming from this project and frequently denied him the ok to pursue it.  The unexpected success of Dragon Quest changed Square’s mind.  With a small staff at his disposal, Sakaguchi set out to create “Fighting Fantasy”.  At the time, Sakaguchi wasn’t sure the game would be a success and might be the final game he worked on…hence the change in title to the continuously ironic, “Final Fantasy.”  Released in 1987 for the Nintendo Entertainment System, the first game in the series was met with unexpected praise and financial success, with many reviews applauding the deep story and gameplay, as well as the unique score, the first from longtime FF composer Nobuo Uematsu.  To equal surprise, Final Fantasy’s debut title also garnered a great deal of love from its audience in America when the game made its way to US shores.
 
The instant success not only secured futures for both Square and Sakaguchi, but also Final Fantasy itself.  A sequel was immediately greenlit and a year later, in 1988, Final Fantasy II rolled out to continued praise from critics and gamers.  One of the many familiar aspects the II introduced was that it was not a continuation of the previous game, but rather a brand new story, set in a brand new world with a brand new cast, though some familiar elements like musical themes and creatures would make appearances throughout.  Final Fantasy III would follow the same trend in 1990 while also being the last game of the series to be release on the NES.  For various reason, Final Fantasy II and III would not be available in the US for several years after their initial release in Japan, with III having the longest gap, being released on the Nintendo DS in 2006, sixteen years after its release in Japan.
The next generation of Final Fantasy games arrived on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1991 with Final Fantasy IV.  Once again, success was instantaneous with many praising the graphical and gameplay improvements as well as the memorable characters like Cecil the Dark Knight.  US gamers would also be able to play the game at release…but since Final Fantasy II and III were never released stateside at the time, Final Fantasy IV was rebranded Final Fantasy II for US shores…confusion ensues.  Final Fantasy V arrived a year later in 1992 in Japan, but like many others wouldn’t see a US release for a long time.  V was not only innovative with added customization and the first appearance of a “Job System” in the franchise, it was also the subject of the first ever Final Fantasy Anime project, a sequel Anime titled “Legend of the Crystals”, a title we’ll be covering as the second part of our retrospective next week.
In 1994, Final Fantasy reached a newfound level of greatness with Final Fantasy VI, released in the US as Final Fantasy III, for the Super Nintendo.  While each preceding entry in the franchise thus far had plenty of positive reviews, the reviews for VI were those proclaiming it not just the best in the series, but also one of the greatest video games ever made.  With a story larger than any before it, an equally large and diverse cast and events that literally shook the world apart, VI changed the way JRPGs were made in the world of Video Games.  VI also received heavy praise for it’s soundtrack, including the haunting introduction of Terra and the thirty minute operatic sequence later on in the game.  Final Fantasy VI wouldn’t just be the last Final Fantasy on the SNES but the last game Square would release through Nintendo…but what an amazing high note to go out on. 

Little did everyone know…we hadn’t seen anything yet.  But we’ll get back to that in two weeks when we enter the Playstation Era.  Next week, as I mentioned, I’ll be doing a special review of Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals, to coincide with the release of Final Fantasy VII Remake…and let’s hope it doesn’t get delayed again, yeah?  See ya around everyone and hope youre ready for more of my Final Fantasy Friday Retrospective.

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