What is Final Fantasy?

michellericks95
Apr 16, 2015
3 min read

So I started Final Fantasy VII last week. It’s my first FF adventure, and I can see the appeal. I mean, I’ve watched The Gamer play a few titles, but immersing myself in the story has been great so far. In the seventh title, I was immediately put into the action so it was easy for my interest to be piqued.

Why is it called “Final” Fantasy when there are 14, close to 15, titles? Well, in 1987 Squaresoft (now called Square Enix) decided to launch a game based on another game called Dragon Quest. Players were immersed in a fantasy world battling monsters and finding companions along the journey. Hironobu Sakaguchi, the game’s creator, was certain Final Fantasy would be the last game he ever made due to poor sales on others. This “final” game would be his last mark on society.

Or so he thought.

The first game sold 600,000 copies, and the company decided to pursue more Final Fantasy titles. The most successful game from the series is, of course, Final Fantasy VII with close to 10 million copies sold worldwide!

Each game is its own adventure, not a continuing story so you can start wherever you’d like!

The games have two sections: field and battle. Field sections encourage exploring and talking to people as you make your way through different areas. Battle sections are kind of random as the game will suddenly take you to a battle to fight off a variety of enemies, earning players experience, items, equipment and currency.

With some of the background out of the way, here are some of the most known Final Fantasy characters:

Cloud Strife (FFVII): He is an ex-SOLDIER member who comes off as cold and brooding at first. He is a powerful fighter and very agile. After restoring his true personality, he shows genuine concern for the planet’s fate. Plus, he’s got great hair and a cool sword. No wonder why everyone loves him!

Sephiroth (FFVII): The well-known villain started out as the best SOLDIER out there. He had many successes on the battlefield and everyone adored him. However, he learns about his origins and how he became a member of the elite group. He is driven mad by his sorrow and vows to end the corruption of humankind. He has his own song where the chorale chants his name too for crying out loud!

Squall Leonhart (FFVIII): He is a mercenary that possess the ever-popular gunblade. He starts out very introverted, but he rises up to his responsibilities and leads his party to victory. I remember seeing him first in the Kingdom Hearts series. I found his to be very likeable despite his off-put personality.

Mog (FFVI): He is a strange creature, he and his species are called Moogles. These creatures appear in many Final Fantasy titles, but the sixth installment allows players to play as Mog the Moogle. He is human-loving, fast-talking and can summon the earth’s power through his dances. What a fun character!

Cecil Harvey (FFIV): He started out as a dark knight, commander of the Red Wings. After he overcomes his dark side he becomes a Paladin who excels in both swordsmanship and airship navigation. Many of his comrades respect him, but he doesn’t let his ego get the best of him. He’s almost too modest as he is shy to express his feelings. He is very brave and able to forgive others.

Tidus (FFX): He appears rather childish at first with his carefree personality. He has a very troubling past that is slowly revealed throughout the game. He’s pretty sensitive, but his compassion helps him lead his group to fight the new threat. Plus, who could forget his laugh!

Lightning or Claire Farron (FFXIII): She casts off an independent personality. She is very headstrong and determined. She, like many other main Final Fantasy protagonists, comes off as very cold. She is very harsh on herself, but that fuels her motivation to lead her group to challenge their fate in the game.

Cid (Almost Every Game): Cid has a variety of appearances. If he is not an actual character in the game, he is at least mentioned. One thing does remain the same in each game though. He is the ancient Lufenian creator of the airship the Warriors of Light use.

As you probably noticed, most of the well-known characters are main characters. However, there are tons of beloved secondary characters.

Now the music is a huge part of the Final Fantasy experience as well. Here are a few of the most popular songs; at least I think they are.

The Cloud of Darkness( FFIII)