Final Fantasy Games

Final Fantasy Games

In the main line of Final Fantasy games, 12 original titles have been released. Each one is titled simply Final Fantasy with corresponding Roman numeral. The logos are simply serif-fonts with a gradient image emblazoned between the words. Although all twelve games bear the same name, each Final Fantasy title is unrelated to the previous storyline and bears only a few similarities in game design.

Each Final Fantasy game, with the possible exception of Final Fantasy VIII, features a fantasy swords and sorcery theme. Often the world is in distress and a group of misfit heroes are unwillingly charged with its salvation. The danger comes from madmen drunk on power, ancient beings awakened and running amok or other such catastrophic devices.

Once players begin their journey other objectives and side-quests often present themselves. These usually yield new characters, magic spells or rare pieces of equipment for the party.

Random battles are a large part of the gameplay in Final Fantasy games. When wandering in dangerous areas or on the overworld map, one step suddenly brings a host of monsters to fight. Defeating foes gains both gold and experience points for the player and increase the characters' statistics to make them much stronger.

Another large part of Final Fantasy games is character management. Using an extensive menu system, players equip/unequip characters with various items that strengthen certain statistics or add special abilities. Characters also learn magic spells based on these items and stats. As the numbers grow, the party becomes more capable of fending off the hosts of increasingly strong monsters they find, including boss characters and other tough baddies.

The Memorable Music

The Final Fantasy series is also well-known for its music. Even the original 8 and 16-bit games featured striking scores that have been remixed by fans dozens of times over.

Nobuo Uematsu was the chief music composer for the Final Fantasy series until his resignation in 2004. The music varies greatly from game to game with a few common tunes threading them together. One of the most famous pieces, "Prologue", is the harp music rising and falling at the games' opening sequences. This theme was actually based on a piece of music by Bach.

The Black Mages, a Japanese rock band, has released two albums of arranged Final Fantasy music with input from Uematsu-san. Uematsu has also begun a series of Final Fantasy concerts in Japan, both of which have been immensely successful. The London Symphony Orchestra and Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra have even performed music from Final Fantasy.

Not Very Final

With its huge success, the Final Fantasy series is far from its final stages. The recent movie, Final Fantasy 7 Advent Children is a huge hit in Japan and abroad, bringing characters from the fan-favorite Final Fantasy VII to the big screen.

Rumors are also circulating about the possibility of an updated version of Final Fantasy VII for the PlayStation 3. Square-Enix has also announced Final Fantasy III, previously unreleased in the U.S., for the Nintendo DS with 3D graphics. It seems the "final" is a long, long way away.