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Final Fantasy: a brief history

In 1987, Square was on the brink of total and utter collapse, the bankruptcy of a series of failed games. It was with this that they decided to throw away everything they had in one last effort, aptly titled Final Fantasy. The game was a monstrous success, using cutting-edge technology to tell the first of many epic stories in the newly minted Japanese RPG format.

The next two games did not have an immediate release in the United States, but they did grow the brand and the popularity of the series in Japan, leading to the release of Final Fantasy IV in 1991, later released in 1992 in the United States as Final Fantasy. II. It was the first of three SNES releases, and by itself, it swept the entire genre. It was an epic tale of deception and betrayal and the search for a disgraced Knight to uncover and destroy the conspiracy that promises to ruin his nation.

The next game was similarly skipped in the US, a more numbers and level-oriented affair, much like the previous entry III. It was a growth in the series but nothing revolutionary, just an extension of the brand name to bridge the gap until the next blockbuster in Final Fantasy VI.

Final Fantasy VI was released in the US as Final Fantasy III and proved to be the kick in the pants that many American gamers needed to truly fall in love with the series. Even now, he is considered by many to be the best of the series. Terra, Kefka, intensely fun boss battles, and a story to rival anyone ever since, Final Fantasy VI had it all and remains even now one of the most played games in my collection of classic games.

And it was with this game that Square ended the 16-bit era of Final Fantasy. The inclusion of offshoots, Mystic Quest for the SNES, and Legends for the Game Boy should be noted as attempts by Square to spread the franchise’s popularity to a majority audience. Most will note the failure of the effort, as none of these titles were true Final Fantasies relying on the brand more than the game to sell copies.

It would take a technological revolution and the abandonment of a classic partnership for Square’s key franchise to make the leap to widespread popularity. That came in 1997 with the release of Final Fantasy VII for the PlayStation. The decision to leave Nintendo was made for multiple reasons, one of which was Nintendo’s inability to develop a platform capable of the technical prowess Square wanted to introduce. Staying true to the classic cartridge format, Nintendo alienated the desire to include videos and orchestrated music, something that Sony’s new CD game console handled perfectly.

And it was this new technology and openness to innovation that brought Final Fantasy VII to market. It was the first in the series to jump to 3d. Additionally, the first videos to use FMV were played during the emotionally climactic moments of the game. Fans and dissenters have always hotly debated whether the story or the game was revolutionary, but VII’s impact on the genre has been felt ever since. It reinvented, as the series did 10 years earlier, what the RPG genre looked like, and today it remains one of the most popular games of all time.

A year and a half later saw the release of Final Fantasy VIII, the second step in Square’s trilogy of PlayStation games. It took the trailers from Final Fantasy VII and built on them admirably, introducing a new format of magic and leveling that some saw as too easy, but also added entirely new levels of strategy to the experience.

Final Fantasy IX sought to return the series to the medieval roots from which it emerged. Returning from the near-realistic approach of the eighth entry, we saw the reintroduction of the super warped cartoon style from previous games. The plot also goes back to the medieval formats of the previous games, moving away from the science fiction elements of the three previous games. It was well received but overlooked due to the simultaneous release of Sony’s new PlayStation 2 and the introduction of new highs in graphics production.

Enter the next generation. Final Fantasy X was a step forward in the way VII was five years earlier. It introduced true 3D, voice acting, jaw-dropping graphics, and one of the most compelling storylines in the series, blatantly tough and relentless for its characters, so powerful that it spawned a sequel, the first in Final Fantasy history. Of course, the sequel didn’t live up to its predecessor and Final Fantasy X-2 has never received the respect of its siblings, but the game itself is fun and packed with innovation that no game in the main series could achieve.

Except, Square decided to go for it, and in Final Fantasy XI they didn’t even create a standard RPG. Instead, the RPG giant brought us its entry into the realm of MMORPGs, a sprawling and technically wonderful Internet RPG, which now boasts one of the second largest populations on the Internet (World of Warcraft destroys all your competition). Some found it too difficult, and others didn’t like using the brand name just to sell an entirely new product, especially since it delayed the launch of a new console game almost 5 years later. XI has been around for a while and is in need of a sequel, and it remains to be seen whether Square-Enix will go to the trouble.

Yes, that’s correct, Square Enix. The two giants merged shortly after the launch of XI and things took a sure turn. Final Fantasy XII was indefinitely delayed for years due to the merger. But it was finally released earlier this past year to critical acclaim. The game took the more efficient elements of XI’s battle system and introduced a more mature and immersive story, which revolved around all of its characters. As a game, XII is successful on several levels due to its willingness to change the “formula” that the other games created. And this is the story of Final Fantasy as a franchise. Through innovation, Square Enix has always managed to create something incredible that is worth playing and lasting. I still have all of my original Final Fantasies intact on a hidden shelf for safety, something that only Zelda also enjoys as a game franchise. Everything else tends to disappear.

When PlayStation 3 arrives, the newest entry is probably only a year or two away and we’ll see what Square Enix does with it, but you can count on one thing. It will be innovative and top-notch.