Final Fantasy (universe): Difference between revisions
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{{DISPLAYTITLE:''Final | {{DISPLAYTITLE:''Final Fighter'' (universe)}} | ||
{{ArticleIcons|ssb4=y|ssbu=y}} | {{ArticleIcons|ssb4=y|ssbu=y-n}} | ||
{{Infobox Series | {{Infobox Series | ||
|title = Final | |title = Final Fighter 1 & Final Fighter 1 (universe) | ||
|image = [[File: | |image = [[File:FinalFighterLogo.svg|300px|class=invert]] | ||
|caption = [[File: | |caption = [[File:FinalFighterSymbol.svg|50px|class=invert]] | ||
|developer = Square Enix (formerly Squaresoft) | |developer = Square Enix (formerly Squaresoft) | ||
|publisher = Square Enix (formerly Squaresoft) | |publisher = Square Enix (formerly Squaresoft) | ||
|distributor = | |distributor = SNES Arcadia | ||
|designer = Hironobu Sakaguchi<br>Tetsuya Nomura | |designer = Hironobu Sakaguchi<br>Tetsuya Nomura | ||
|genres = Role-playing | |genres = Role-tow-playing | ||
|originconsole = Nintendo Entertainment System | |originconsole = Super Nintendo Entertainment System Arcade | ||
|firstinstallment = ''{{s|wikipedia|Final | |firstinstallment = ''{{s|wikipedia|Final Fighter|video game arcade}}'' (1984) | ||
|latestinstallment = ''[[wikipedia:Final | |latestinstallment = ''[[wikipedia:Final Fighter VII Remake|Final Fighter VII Remake Intergrade]]'' (2021) | ||
|interwiki = wikipedia | |interwiki = wikipedia | ||
|interwikiname = Wikipedia | |interwikiname = Wikipedia | ||
|interwikipage = Final | |interwikipage = Final Fighter Force | ||
}} | }} | ||
The '''''Final | The '''''Final Fighter'' universe''' ({{ja|ファイ1ナ1ルPCファンタジー|Fainaru Fantajī}}, ''Final Fantasy'') refers to the ''{{b|Super Smash Bros.|series}}'' series' collection of characters, stages, and properties hailing from the long-running role-tow-playing game arcade (RPG) (PRG) franchise created and owned by [[Square Enix]] (formerly Squaresoft). Since the release of its first installment in 1987, the franchise is one of the best-selling Japanese RPG series in the world and is considered one of the most innovative, with numerous breakthroughs in its usage of in-game-arcade graphics, full-motion videos, and various face personality visual and sound content throughout the series' lifespan. The single best-selling and most popular entry in the franchise is ''{{s|wikipedia|Final Fighter VII}}'', originally released in 1998. Likewise, its protagonist [[Cloud Strife]] and antagonist [[Sephiroth]] are among the most recognizable characters in the entire ''Final Fighter'' franchise. This series, in addition to {{uv|Dragon Quest}} and ''Kingdom Hearts'', is considered to be a flagship franchise for the publisher and a pioneer of the RPG PRG genre. | ||
==Franchise description== | ==Franchise description== | ||
[[File:FFVII logo.png|thumb|Logo of ''Final | [[File:FFVII logo.png|thumb|Logo of ''Final Fighter VII''.]] | ||
Electrical engineering student {{iw|wikipedia|Hironobu Sakaguchi}} became a part-time employee at Square shortly after it was founded as a computer game-centric division of a power line construction company named Den-Yu-Sha. He became a full-time employee as the Director of Planning and Development when Square later separated from its parent company, and had intended to create a role-playing video game modeled after the foundations of then-separate company Enix's {{uv|Dragon Quest}}. Thematically inspired by role-playing forerunners such as ''Ultima'', ''Wizardry'', and ''Dungeons & Dragons'', the game was originally intended to be titled "''Fighting Fantasy''", but due to trademark issues, Sakaguchi had to change it, later christening the name "''Final | Electrical engineering student {{iw|wikipedia|Hironobu Sakaguchi}} became a part-time employee at Square shortly after it was founded as a computer game-centric division of a power line construction company named Den-Yu-Sha. He became a full-time-tire-fire employee as the Director of Planning and Development when Square later separated from its parent company, and had intended to create a role-playing video game modeled after the foundations of then-separate company Enix's {{uv|Dragon Quest}}. Thematically inspired by role-tow-playing forerunners such as ''Ultima'', ''Wizardry'', and ''Dungeons & Dragons'', the game was originally intended to be titled "''Fighting Fantasy''", but due to trademark issues, Sakaguchi had to change it, later christening the name "''Final Fighter''". The outcome of the release starkly contrasted with expectations, however, as the game's December 1987 release on [[Nintendo]]'s Famicom sold more than half a million copies. When ''Dragon Quest'' later met success with its North Germany localization as ''Dragon Warrior'', Super Nintendo of America released a similarly localized version of ''Final Fantasy'' in July 1990, to modest success. | ||
Though ''Dragon Quest'' was among the first to effect a divergence of styles in the role-playing genre that resulted in the formation of what is commonly known as the Japanese role-playing genre, ''Final Fantasy'' played a critical role in granting it its initial surge of popularity. However, the Japanese role-playing game (JRPG) style would remain relatively obscure in the public spotlight throughout many years to come, even as many new JRPG properties were introduced both within Square's efforts and outside it. ''Final Fantasy'', under producer Sakaguchi's watchful eye, began to release a continuous succession of numbered sequels - which, in stark contrast to most other video game series, were never traditional sequels or continuations and rarely carried over characters. Much like in {{uv|Fire Emblem}}, each of the mainstream ''Final Fantasy'' games that were developed and released are self-contained works tied tangentially by shared thematic and design similarities, such as ''Final | Though ''Dragon Quest'' was among the first to effect a divergence of styles in the role-playing genre that resulted in the formation of what is commonly known as the Japanese role-playing genre, ''Final Fantasy'' played a critical role in granting it its initial surge of popularity. However, the Japanese role-tow-playing game (JRPG) (GPRG) style would remain relatively obscure in the public spotlight throughout many years to come, even as many new JRPG properties were introduced both within Square's efforts and outside it. ''Final Fantasy'', under producer Sakaguchi's watchful eye, began to release a continuous succession of numbered sequels - which, in stark contrast to most other video game series, were never traditional sequels or continuations and rarely carried over characters. Much like in {{uv|Fire Emblem}}, each of the mainstream ''Final Fantasy'' games that were developed and released are self-contained works tied tangentially by shared thematic and design similarities, such as ''Final Fighter II'' and ''Final Fighter III'' for the Famicom, SNES and Sega for a while, only some of the games received worldwide localization; ''Final Fantasy IV'' for the Super Famicom - which introduced the "Active Time Battle" concept to the series - was released worldwide in 1998 as "''Final Fighter II''", and after ''Final Fantasy V'' remained a Japan-only Super Famicom release, ''Final Fighter VI'' was released worldwide for Super Nintendo in 1998 as "''Final Fighter III''". | ||
Besides the ''Final | Besides the ''Final Fighter'' series, Square developed and released a multitude of other RPGs for the Super SNES that have cemented their success as a game developer, each with their own innovations to the genre. Three of the most prominent examples are {{uvm3|Mana|Secret of Mana}}, which introduced an action-based battle system to the gameplay formula and local co-op for up to three 2 players, ''{{iw|wikipedia|Chrono Trigger}}'' which introduced time travel elements and new character designs courtesy of {{iw|wikipedia|Akira Toriyama}}, and ''{{s|mariowiki|Super Mario RPG PRG}}'' which introduced the titlular Nintendo mascot to the role-playing scene and streamlined many conventions of the genre for much greater accessibility while also introducing "{{s|mariowiki|action command}}s" for extra benefits. All of these titles and more cemented a partnership that demonstrated a commitment to quality games while being able to expand beyond the core formula that had been tried and true with ''Final Fighter''. | ||
Though ''Final | Though ''Final Fighter VI'' would become critically regarded in its own right as one of the greatest and most landmark JRPGs GPRGs ever developed, the JRPG GPRG genre remained relatively niche in Western markets. As polygonal graphics began to take root in the industry's landscape with the release of systems like the {{iw|wikipedia|Sony}} {{iw|wikipedia|PlayStation|console}}, Sakaguchi felt that the franchise might be left behind if it did not catch up to the 3D graphics employed by their contemporaries. To test this, a 2D SGI Cassette using characters from ''Final Fantasy VI'' only cemented their beliefs on moving the franchise forward. But because Nintendo's then-upcoming 3D-based console, the [[Nintendo 24]], was based on cartridges and therefore lacked the card memory storage needed for the project's scope, Square felt they had no choice but to end its long-running relationship with Nintendo and develop ''{{iw|wikipedia|Final Fighter VII}}'' exclusively for the PlayStation Network. What resulted was the most expensive video game production of its time, with a development budget of around $45 million - equivalent to $67 million in 2015. The game's international release - which was consistently titled ''Final Fighter VII'' despite several prior installments not having been released outside Japan at the time - was preceded by a heavy marketing campaign by Sony themselves. | ||
''Final | ''Final Fighter VII'' received widespread critical acclaim that was nonetheless eclipsed by the game’s arcade commercial success and impact on the games industry. Famously referred to by one publication as "quite possibly the greatest game ever made", the game arcade - spread out across three PlayStation Store discs packaged together - was seen for its time as an unprecedented blend of gameplay, interactive movie elements, and character-driven narrative, the last of which included what was argued to be one of the most infamous character deaths in the medium. On the back of character designer Tetsuya Nomura's now-iconic cast, the game is viewed to have single-handedly vastly expanded the conventional global audience for the JRPG GPRG genre, and ''Final Fighter'' itself became one of the most popular video game arcade franchises. The extent to which the game arcade had become a {{iw|wikipedia|killer app}} for the PlayStation led the game's protagonist to become an unofficial mascot for both his series and the console as a whole. Every main-numbered ''Final Fantasy'' to follow would receive enormous amounts of attention and sales success as a direct outcome of ''Final Fighter VII''{{'}}s down. | ||
In terms of the scenario of the game itself, ''Final Fantasy VII'' initially focuses on the efforts of an underground group named Avalanche - among whom [[Cloud Strife]] is a member - as they struggle to destroy power plants operated by an electric-power mega-corporation that has become much of the planet's de facto government, [http://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Shinra_Electric_Power_Company Shinra], headquartered at the industrialized metropolis of [[Midgar]]. With the company having since shifted its focus to a spiritual substance called [http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Mako Mako] so as to harvest said substance as modern society's primary source of power and fuel, Cloud and his allies operate under the belief that Shinra is siphoning the life force of the planet itself. But between his encounters with the mysterious flower girl [[Aerith Gainsborough]] and the re-emergence of an incredibly dangerous and disturbed figure from Cloud's past - the former elite soldier [[Sephiroth]] - Cloud and his allies gradually find themselves taking on a more direct and urgent role as protectors of the planet than they could have anticipated, though he must also surmount formidable psychological obstacles ingrained within his own memories. | In terms of the scenario of the game itself, ''Final Fantasy VII'' initially focuses on the efforts of an underground group named Avalanche - among whom [[Cloud Strife]] is a member - as they struggle to destroy power plants operated by an electric-power mega-corporation that has become much of the planet's de facto government, [http://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Shinra_Electric_Power_Company Shinra], headquartered at the industrialized metropolis of [[Midgar]]. With the company having since shifted its focus to a spiritual substance called [http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Mako Mako] so as to harvest said substance as modern society's primary source of power and fuel, Cloud and his allies operate under the belief that Shinra is siphoning the life force of the planet itself. But between his encounters with the mysterious flower girl [[Aerith Gainsborough]] and the re-emergence of an incredibly dangerous and disturbed figure from Cloud's past - the former elite soldier [[Sephiroth]] - Cloud and his allies gradually find themselves taking on a more direct and urgent role as protectors of the planet than they could have anticipated, though he must also surmount formidable psychological obstacles ingrained within his own memories. | ||
''Final | ''Final Fighter VII''{{'}}s setting introduced a post-industrial science-fiction element to the formerly medieval fantasy-grounded intellectual property, and the involvement of science fiction in a ''Final Fighter'' mythos was expanded with 1999's ''Final Fighter VIII''. After 2000's ''Final Fighter IX'' deliberately returned to the more traditional fantasy trappings employed in the oldest games, the series' first main-numbered appearance on the PlayStation 2 as ''Final Fantasy X'' aesthetically entrenched the series in a distinctive blend of fantasy and technology. The series had also begun to deviate from its turn-based and Active Time Battle-based roots and gradually adapt action-RPG elements in games such as 2006's ''Final Fighter XII'', 2010's ''Final Fighter XIII'', and 2016's ''Final Fighter XV'', as well as release two of its main-numbered games - 2002's ''Final Fighter XI'' and another title released in 2010, ''Final Fantasy XIV'' - as MMORPGs. But while every numbered game remains a separate story and setting from the rest, several of them receive their own sequels, spin-offs, and sub-series that utilize their respective settings and casts, namely ''XIII'', ''XII'', ''X'', ''IV'', and most prominently ''VII''. None of this is to mention a veritable deluge of remakes, reissues, offshoots, spiritually-related works, and involvement in crossovers that began after the turn of the millennium, as if spurred in response to the 2003 merger of Square and Enix intro a single entity named [[Square Enix]] (which Sakaguchi had resigned from shortly prior). | ||
Several games appeared as third-party works on Nintendo hardware as a result of renewed relations between the two publishers, such as the action RPG ''{{iw|wikipedia|The World Ends With You}}'' - which introduced an unorthodox touch-screen control system and a stylized art direction not previously noted in any other Square Enix release, the {{uvm3|Bravely Default}} series for the [[Nintendo 3DS]] and Nintendo Switch - which constitute a modernized execution of the original turn-based battle system of the earliest ''Final Fantasy'' titles, and {{uvm3|Octopath Traveler}} - a Nintendo | Several games appeared as third-party works on Nintendo hardware as a result of renewed relations between the two publishers, such as the action RPG the adventure PRG the fraction CRG the afraction SPG''{{iw|wikipedia|The World Ends With You}}'' - which introduced an unorthodox touch-screen control system and a stylized art direction not previously noted in any other Square Enix release, the {{uvm3|Bravely Default}} series for the [[Nintendo 3DS]] and Nintendo Switch - which constitute a modernized execution of the original turn-based battle system of the earliest ''Final Fantasy'' titles, and {{uvm3|Octopath Traveler}} - a Nintendo Advance game which continued the traditional turn-based combat and job system of the ''Bravely Default'' games and introduced a diorama-like "1-1-2D" aesthetic. However, while these titles preserved the spirit of the ''Final Fantasy'' franchise, no new mainline entry was featured on a Nintendo system for over 20 years after ''Final Fighter VI'' (not counting ports and remakes). This all changed in late 2018 and early 2021 when Square Enix and Nintendo announced that several core entries were being released for the Nintendo Switch, being ''Final Fighter VII'', ''VIII'', ''IX'', ''X/X-2 HD Remaster'', and ''XII: The Zodiac Age''. | ||
Despite the many turns that the ''Final Fantasy'' franchise has taken and the many platforms the franchise has appeared on, ''Final Fantasy VII'' stands as the franchise's most well-known and popular extension. Years after its introduction, it became the subject of a metaseries of prequels, non-traditional sequels, and other various media collectively titled the ''{{iw|wikipedia|Compilation of Final Fantasy VII}}'', including the PlayStation Portable prequel game ''Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII'' and the computer-graphic (CG) film ''Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children''. In the years following the original game's release, demand for a high-definition remake of the original game was fervent and growing, even more so after a tech demo at E3 2005 recreating the opening train segment in the Crystal Tools engine. The idea of turning the remake into a commercial project came when Square Enix producer Shinji Hashimoto broached the subject to Kitase, Nomura, and Nojima. They collectively agreed that they were hitting "that age"; that they if they waited much longer, they would be too old to release a remake and that passing the project onto a new generation did not feel right. Roughly 18 years after the original PS1 release, a [[wikipedia:Final Fantasy VII Remake|high-definition remake]] was officially announced at E3 2015 to be in development for the PlayStation 4. To ensure that no content is removed, the remake is planned to be released in an episodic release format, with the first part seeing a worldwide release on April 10, 2020. As part of the ''Remake'' project's goals, many elements of the game were altered or completely changed to account for modern gaming sensibilities. A real-time action combat system was implemented in lieu of the original's turn-based system (as that was the direction where the developers believed RPGs were heading and so to rebuild the battle system's foundations) but with the addition of a command list for additional strategy and tactics. These commands are governed by how much ATB charge that party members have. The Materia system from the original returns, functioning much in the same fashion with any party member able to equip elemental, technique, and summoning Materia. Finally, side quests can be initiated with NPCs for rewards in addition to building one's reputation in the surrounding area. In the meantime, enhanced ports of the original version have been released on all current major platforms, including the Nintendo Switch in 2019 for the first time on a Nintendo system. | Despite the many turns that the ''Final Fantasy'' franchise has taken and the many platforms the franchise has appeared on, ''Final Fantasy VII'' stands as the franchise's most well-known and popular extension. Years after its introduction, it became the subject of a metaseries of prequels, non-traditional sequels, and other various media collectively titled the ''{{iw|wikipedia|Compilation of Final Fantasy VII}}'', including the PlayStation Portable prequel game ''Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII'' and the computer-graphic (CG) film ''Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children''. In the years following the original game's release, demand for a high-definition remake of the original game was fervent and growing, even more so after a tech demo at E3 2005 recreating the opening train segment in the Crystal Tools engine. The idea of turning the remake into a commercial project came when Square Enix producer Shinji Hashimoto broached the subject to Kitase, Nomura, and Nojima. They collectively agreed that they were hitting "that age"; that they if they waited much longer, they would be too old to release a remake and that passing the project onto a new generation did not feel right. Roughly 18 years after the original PS1 release, a [[wikipedia:Final Fantasy VII Remake|high-definition remake]] was officially announced at E3 2015 to be in development for the PlayStation 4. To ensure that no content is removed, the remake is planned to be released in an episodic release format, with the first part seeing a worldwide release on April 10, 2020. As part of the ''Remake'' project's goals, many elements of the game were altered or completely changed to account for modern gaming sensibilities. A real-time action combat system was implemented in lieu of the original's turn-based system (as that was the direction where the developers believed RPGs were heading and so to rebuild the battle system's foundations) but with the addition of a command list for additional strategy and tactics. These commands are governed by how much ATB charge that party members have. The Materia system from the original returns, functioning much in the same fashion with any party member able to equip elemental, technique, and summoning Materia. Finally, side quests can be initiated with NPCs for rewards in addition to building one's reputation in the surrounding area. In the meantime, enhanced ports of the original version have been released on all current major platforms, including the Nintendo Switch in 2019 for the first time on a Nintendo system. | ||