Terra the magical half-human. Shadow the mysterious assassin. Celes the tough, tender general. Kefka the fool who would be god. Each of the many unforgettable characters in Final Fantasy VI has made a huge impression on a generation of players, but why do we feel such affection for these 16-bit heroes and villains as so many others fade? The credit goes to the game’s score, composed by the legendary Nobuo Uematsu. Armed with newly translated interviews and an expert ear for sound, writer and musician Sebastian Deken conducts a critical analysis of the musical structures of FF6, the game that pushed the Super Nintendo’s sound capabilities to their absolute limits and launched Uematsu’s reputation as the “Beethoven of video game music.” Deken ventures deep into the game’s lush soundscape—from its expertly crafted leitmotifs to its unforgettable opera sequence—exploring the soundtrack’s lasting influence and how it helped clear space for game music on classical stages around the world.
The sixth episode of the the incredible story of Final Fantasy VI! In this book, you'll find everything you need to know about FFVI. You'll dive into its development, its story, its characters, and you will go further with in-depth analysis of its themes, its soundtrack, its game design choices, and its impact on the J-RPG genre. A complete analysis of the famous saga in the world of video game! EXTRACT 1991: Hironobu Sakaguchi was elevated to vice-president at Squaresoft. The position was in addition to his role as the creative director of Final Fantasy. The dual role made him aware that he could not indefinitely keep the same position nor continue to be a full-time game designer. He would have to delegate. Following the release of Final Fantasy V in December 1992, the sixth installment was placed on the drawing board. Sakaguchi chose to retain the positions of producer and overall supervisor, and entrust the reigns of the project to Yoshinori Kitase and Hiroyuki Ito. Kitase had been involved in the writing and field planning of FF V; for this new game, he was put in charge of the story-telling. Meanwhile, Ito would supervise the game and battle systems. With this configuration, Sakaguchi hoped to bring the franchise to new heights. The artist Yoshitaka Amano and the composer Nobuo Uematsu, mainstays since the beginning of the series, were brought back in for this project. Many rising stars were also attached to the development, such as art director Hideo Minaba (who would take charge of the FF IX world), the graphic designers Tetsuya Takahashi (one of the creators of Xenogears, Xenosaga and Xenoblade) and Yusuke Naora (future art director of FF VII). There was also a certain very promising game designer by the name of Tetsuya Nomura, who needs no introduction. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Pierre Maugein, under the pen name Killy, wrote for Jeuxvideo.com from 2003 until 2006. Although he trained to be a graphic designer, he decided to move to video game journalism because of his love for the industry. He worked as a freelance contributor for JeuxActu and then wrote for the Ragemag website on various topics, from art and literature to science, cinema and video games. Since then, he has been a member of the staff at Journal du Gamer. He has written various articles for the Level Up collection which is also published by Third Éditions.
A hardcover volume that showcases the intriguing evolution of pixel art from the Final Fantasy series! Containing detailed sprite sheets that showcase the pixel composition of Final Fantasy's beloved characters, maps of Final Fantasy's most popular highlighting tools used by the developers, and a special interview with Kazuko Shibuya, the character pixel artist for the Final Fantasy series, FF Dot is a one of a kind product that immerses readers into an iconic aspect of the Final Fantasy experience. Dark Horse Books is proud to collaborate with Square Enix to bring fans FF Dot: The Pixel Art of Final Fantasy, translated into English for the first time. This localization of the original Japanese publication holds nearly 300 pages of colorful pixel art, and is an invaluable addition to any Final Fantasy fan's collection.
What gamer hasn’t tried Final Fantasy VII? The game, released in 1997, is now the standard-bearer of a whole generation, and it’s also the one which catapulted Sony’s PlayStation onto center stage. To celebrate this mythic video game’s 15th anniversary, Third Editions wanted to throw itself back into this unbelievable universe. This carefully crafted publication takes a look back at all the titles that helped forge Final Fantasy VII’s mythology (including the Compilation of FF VII), and deciphers their content through examination and original analysis. This book was written by Nicolas Courcier and Mehdi El Kanafi, former authors and now publishers. The first print was release in 2011. An essential book to (re) discover the universe of the mythical series Final Fantasy! EXTRACT "To celebrate one of the most important RPGs in the history of video games, Third Editions has decided to publish a tribute book: a heartfelt edition, but also one that truly analyzes the games that revolve around this legendary RPG. Indeed, the subject of this book is not only Final Fantasy VII, but the entire Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, from Advent Children to Before Crisis, including Crisis Core and Dirge of Cerberus, without forgetting Last Order. To get this journey off on the right foot and refresh your memory, we begin by summarizing the Final Fantasy VII saga. For the first time ever, the full story will be told in chronological order: from the Planet’s origins to the awakening of Genesis, as depicted in the secret ending of Dirge of Cerberus. Once the entire saga has been told, we will take you behind the scenes so that you can discover how the video game compilation was created. You will learn about the people whose unexpected decisions changed the game’s design. We will also provide a number of anecdotes pertaining to the game’s overall development. A complete interpretation will then be offered for each title, paving the way for numerous reflections." ABOUT THE AUTHORS Nicolas Courcier and Mehdi El Kanafi - Fascinated by print media since childhood, Nicolas Courcier and Mehdi El Kanafi wasted no time in launching their first magazine, Console Syndrome, in 2004. After five issues with distribution limited to the Toulouse region of France, they decided to found a publishing house under the same name. One year later, their small business was acquired by another leading publisher of works about video games. In their four years in the world of publishing, Nicolas and Mehdi published more than twenty works on major video game series, and wrote several of those works themselves: Metal Gear Solid. Hideo Kojima’s Magnum Opus, Resident Evil Of Zombies and Men, and The Legend of Final Fantasy VII and IX. Since 2015, they have continued their editorial focus on analyzing major video game series at a new publishing house that they founded together: Third. Grégoire Hellot is a French freelance journalist who specializes in video games. He began his career in the field more than twenty years ago when he joined Joypad magazine. As a pioneer dealing in Japanese video games, he has contributed to the French public’s acceptance of these unique titles. Today, he contributes to the Gamekult website and is also the Managing Director of Kurokawa Editions, created in 2005 by the publishing house Univers Poche. Grégoire is also known for his role as the Silver Mousquetaire in the TV series France Five.
When Final Fantasy V was released for the Japanese Super Famicom in 1992, the game was an instant hit, selling two million copies in the first two months alone. With a groundbreaking job system that combined the usual character classes like knights, thieves, and mages with offbeat classes such as chemists, dancers, and bards, the game appeared to be a shoo-in for North American distribution. But the game was dubbed "too hardcore" for a Western audience and was swapped out with Final Fantasy Mystic Quest, a simplistic new game tailor-made for Americans. That didn't stop a teenage Chris Kohler from tracking down Final Fantasy V. The young RPG fan got a Japanese copy of the game, used it to teach himself Japanese, and with the help of some internet companions created the first-ever comprehensive English-language FAQ of the game. As the internet narrowed the cultural gap between the East and West more each year, the game was eventually translated into English for the PlayStation, Game Boy Advance, and iOS. Fans in the West finally got to learn what all the fuss was about. Now the acclaimed author of Power-Up and an editor at Kotaku, Kohler is revisiting the game that started his career in games journalism. Based on new, original interviews with Final Fantasy V's director, Hironobu Sakaguchi, as well as previously untranslated interviews with the rest of the development team, Kohler's book weaves history and criticism to examine one of the Final Fantasy series's greatest and most overlooked titles.
The Reverse Design series looks at all of the design decisions that went into classic video games. This is the first installment in the Reverse Design series, looking at Final Fantasy VI. Written in a readable format, it is broken down into six sections examining some of the most important topics to the game: How narrative elements, specifically the design of the fourteen player-characters, was the critical constraint which shaped the game’s production How the game broke with numerous RPG traditions in order to focus on plot and characterization, while still maintaining mechanical depth How the systems were designed to allow the player to use any combination of characters with equal levels of success Key Features Comprehensive definitions of key concepts and terms, introducing the reader to the basic knowledge about the study of RPG design Summary of historical context of Final Fantasy VI how it came to be, how it diverges sharply from the class-based design ideas of older RPGs, and what systems in uses to replace those old ideas Extensive collections of data and data visualizations explaining how Final Fantasy VI’s systems work, how those systems evolve across the course of the game, and how the overall game systems were designed to be balanced easily
An unauthorized look behind one of the greatest video game franchises of all time, Final Fantasy The Final Fantasy universe is packed with compelling characters and incredible storylines. In this book, you'll take a fascinating look at the deeper issues that Final Fantasy forces players to think about while trying to battle their way to the next level, such as: Does Cloud really exist (or should we really care)? Is Kefka really insane? Are Moogles part of a socialist conspiracy? Does the end of the game justify the means? As Mages, Moogles, fiends, and Kefka are mashed together with the likes of Machiavelli, Marx, Foucault, and Kafka, you'll delve into crucial topics such as madness, nihilism, environmental ethics, Shintoism, the purpose of life, and much more. Examines the philosophical issues behind one of the world's oldest and most popular video-game series Offers new perspectives on Final Fantasy characters and themes Gives you a psychological advantage--or at least a philosophical one--against your Final Fantasy enemies Allows you to apply the wisdom of centuries of philosophy to any game in the series, including Final Fantasy XIII Guaranteed to add a new dimension to your understanding of the Final Fantasy universe, this book is the ultimate companion to the ultimate video-game series.
The Sky Book Three contains Amano's sketches and paintings for Final Fantasy VII (1997), VIII (1999), IX(2000) and X (2001), depicting characters such as Zidane Tribal, Garnet Til Alexandros XVII, Adelbert Steiner, Vivi Orunitia, Amarant Coral, Queen Brahne and many others. Bonuses include a series of silkscreen images done for Final Fantasy VIII, unreleased pen-and-ink sketches of the Gunblade and designs for the gemlike logo of Final Fantasy IX. Book Three completes The Sky series at a special low price!
Explore the art and adventure of the quintessential entries in the Final Fantasy saga with this gorgeous 300-plus-page hardcover. Collecting concept art, design notes, creator retrospectives, and more from Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII, and Final Fantasy IX, Dark Horse's journey through the creation of the groundbreaking role-playing masterpiece continues! Dark Horse and Square Enix are thrilled to present the second of three volumes that officially translate Square Enix's detailed history chronicling the creation of the Final Fantasy franchise's seventh, eighth, and ninth games. Filled with captivating art and creator commentary, Final Fantasy Ultimania Archive Volume 2 remains completely authentic to its Japanese source material with unrivaled access for a Western audience. This prestige compendium is a must-have addition for any Final Fantasy enthusiast's collection.
An astonishing journey through the creation of the seminal role playing epic, officially available in English for the first time ever! This holy grail of Final Fantasy fandom is packed full of original concept art, process pieces, and notes from the original artists and designers chronicling the creation of these timeless games. Dark Horse and Square Enix are thrilled to offer the first of three volumes celebrating the entrancing lore and exciting development of the initial six entries into the Final Fantasy saga. Totaling over three-hundred pages and collected in a high-quality hard-cover binding, Final Fantasy Ultimania Archive Volume 1 remains faithful to its original Japanese source material while simultaneously offering unparalleled accessibility for Western readers. No Final Fantasy collection is complete without this beautiful tome of art, lore, and history.
