Final Fantasy

by Wisdom 

Submitted by:	Aujang@aol.com (Wisdom)
Spelling	1.5
Grammar	2
Coherency	3
Strength of Arguments	4
Presentation	2.5
Originality	2
Penalties	0
Total	14.5
Grade

Which brings me to the point of this editorial. I feel like recapping on Final Fantasy. Not any one game... but the entire series. As I finished Final Fantasy IX, which Square claimed would probably be the last of the "traditional" Final Fantasies, what struck me as most poignant is that the series did feel finished. I was vaguely aware of closing the last chapter to a nine-volume set.

Each of the Final Fantasies could be said to inspire different emotions. This is, of course, largely a matter of personal interpretation, but if we break down the games even further--to their individual themes--a certain progression becomes readily apparent. It is this evolution that defines the Final Fantasy series--what really and truly sets the saga in a class of its own. I'll go into each of the games' themes separately, and as briefly as possible, and then I want to examine another trend in all of the Final Fantasies that serves to make each of them reflections of each other.

The first three Final Fantasies are what I consider to be the groundwork of what was to come. As fond as I am of Final Fantasy I, I am forced to admit that the game is not complicated. The storyline is very straightforward, there are few, (well, 1), plot twists, and character development is simply non-existent. None of this means the game isn't an immensely enjoyable experience, but as far as levels of complexity go, Final Fantasy I is the least trying of the series. It was made to be. The theme in this game is exploration; it is, after all, the beginning of the series. The next two Final Fantasies continue to lay the groundwork necessary to build the setting that Final Fantasy will take place in. While I've never personally played the second and third FFs, everyone that I've spoken with about them agrees that they are still only stepping stones in the series. The second game began establishing unique and memorable characters, relaying the sense of unification to previously scattered personalities. The third introduced a new level of ingenuity into the combat system, and firmly ground the use of the crystals into the vein of the series. In honesty, the nostalgia and experience created by playing the Final Fantasy series can be traced back to these first three games. They are the lifeblood of the series. Their themes--exploration, unification, and progression, respectively, all begin constructing what will make the later games truly magnificent. Now, onto the next cadre in the saga--the 16-bit era.

I won't lie to you. Final Fantasy IV has and always will be my favorite Final Fantasy. It was the first Final Fantasy to truly come alive for me, and for that reason I laud it the highest rank. However, its position in the series is also quite intrinsic. Final Fantasy IV not only created a mobile cast of characters--not everyone you began the game alongside stayed with you--but it also crafted a storyline that forged new boundaries. FFIV was the first in the series where the characters and the storyline exceeded the game's playability. In Final Fantasy I, I played through the game because it was just a joy to play. In Final Fantasy IV, I played through the game because I wanted to know what was going to happen next. Don't get me wrong, FFIV was also tons of fun to play, but when Cecil finally became a paladin, I wasn't thinking about how much fun battling was. I was in awe of this game that had so completely absorbed me into its storyline that I shouted in elation upon Cecil's redemption. The plot twists and world-spanning storyline granted the series true grandeur, and FFIV's theme, redemption, added the first shades of gray to a previously white-and-black saga. Final Fantasy V plays the role of the progression in this trio--the storyline and the character development make no significant leaps and bounds, but the combat system was refined and tweaked, and the presentation of the series changed with the introduction of the fifth Fantasy. It violated every rule in the book up to that point: one of the main characters died. Winning was not a matter of only killing the enemy--we were racing against time. The depth that FFIV had previously established evolved into a plethora of mature undercurrents in Final Fantasy V. And with that, Final Fantasy's name was no longer associated with other games. It had created its own mold... and Final Fantasy VI struck the balancing blow. While I'm sure many of you have read my previous thoughts on Final Fantasy VI, I will not deny its role in the series. Final Fantasy VI's theme is the struggle. Up until this point, every Final Fantasy had not included a cast of characters whose motives actually conflicted. The storylines, while beautiful and complex in their own rights, had not included the sheer realism that FFVI introduced. Your allies include an assassin, a thief, a former Imperial general, and a habitual gambler--these are our heroes? You are fighting a war so dramatically against your favor that it's almost laughable. The leader of your resistance dies. You do not save the world. Final Fantasy VI's crowning glory is in the struggle--the struggle to rebel, the struggle to survive, the struggle to rebuild, and then, finally, the struggle for balance. The final trio, the 32-bit era, uses each of these themes in completing the saga, and then set the series apart for all time.

If anyone has to ask why Final Fantasy VII is the most revolutionary game in the series, and probably the entire history of gaming, it's time to come out of the caves. Whether you liked it or you hated it, there is no doubt in anyone's mind that Final Fantasy VII changed everything. The fact that almost every RPG following for the next two years tried to emulate it only proves that FFVII was to gaming like Godzilla was to Tokyo. With the external themes of the series already solidified, FFVII took the next step, and began illuminating the inner struggles of its individual characters. Its theme can only be called reflection, because in Final Fantasy VII, everyone had his or her own demons to deal with. An entire hour of gameplay is devoted solely to describing Cloud's situation, which excludes the side quests that lead to fully understanding his tremulous situation. His enemy, Sephiroth, has garnered more emotion than Kefka, and I hated Kefka. All of the former themes established in the series are here as well--exploration, redemption, progression, and the struggle--and they merge with reflection to make the first masterpiece of the series. (But not the last.) No, I do not think Final Fantasy IV, which is my favorite RPG, is the masterpiece of the series. My love of FFIV is whole-hearted, but at the same time, I do not think it, or any other in the series preceding FFVII, can compare. I may not hold Final Fantasy VII as dear a game as Final Fantasy IV, but there is no doubt in my mind that Final Fantasy VII holds the crown. It's undisputable. Its successor, Final Fantasy VIII, is not one I hold nearly as high in my esteem, but I don't consider it the worst of the series. It's addition is just as important to the series as any other, because I feel the theme it attempted to develop, interaction, is part of what makes Final Fantasy IX so incredible. Final Fantasy VIII's achievements lie in its cast of characters; as I mentioned in a previous editorial, the dialogue in FFVIII is the most believable. It was the member of the series that focused on polishing and refining elements of the saga that had only been touched upon before, and it did that very, very well. It's storyline and gameplay is another matter completely. We're not even going to go there.

So what are the themes we have so far, from eight games over a decade's span? Exploration, Unification, Progression, Redemption, Evolution, Struggle, Reflection, and Interaction. Each of these stands as memorable on their own, but together, the seams to the series can be seen. Every single theme has its roots in another. What sort of reflection can there be without evolution? What is struggle without redemption? That is why Final Fantasy IX is the second masterpiece of this series, and the perfect culmination of Final Fantasy. All of those themes play major roles in one of the earlier games, but in Final Fantasy IX, each one of them takes the lead at one point, all while remaining secondary to IX's theme: Life. The last of the single-digit Fantasies is about life, and how each of these themes, explored individually before, can merge into an astounding tapestry. From any given standpoint, Final Fantasy IX stands above its predecessors. Its storyline is a balance between interaction, reflection, redemption, and struggle, but never so dominated by one or another that it seems forced. Its gameplay shows evolution and progression, and never is the sense of exploration absent. Unification is tantamount--one by one, all of the characters, with such radically different beliefs and desires, come to fight under a single banner. Final Fantasy IX brings finality to the saga, truly and completely, and that is what I felt as I watched the ending sequence. But as I said, merely because it is the best of the series does not mean it is my favorite. I accord it what it is due, but favoritism is rarely a matter of logic and reason. Nothing will incite the same emotions in me, as the world's resistance of the Giant of Bab-il did, in Final Fantasy IV. (Although the assault on the Iifa tree came close.) My love for Final Fantasy IV is purely subjective. I can defend my reasoning, because Final Fantasy IV was still a great game. I'm sure anyone can provide reasonable rationale when they defend their favorite game, but that does not make the game truly better than another--not on grounds of favoritism. We cannot make the game any more than it is.

And there lies my personal analysis and reflection of what has been the most influential series of RPGs to ever exist. What may come afterwards could be better or worse, and I will not judge the future by the standards of the past too heavily; but in my eyes, this stage of the series has ended. It was an amazing experience.

Notes:
Skimming very close indeed to the word limit comes his submission, which you'd think is fairly unoriginal, well-covered and hackneyed ground, but it's actually quite a breath of fresh air to see the entire Final Fantasy series dissected in such a manner. The editorial nicely sums up the entire series and makes a number of good points, especially on Final Fantasy 9's finality, and is nicely written and very readable.

There are a number of problems, however. First and foremost the larger paragraphs really could have done with a well-placed break or two, to prevent a huge block of text being a chore to read through. "Undisputable" isn't a word - indisputable is an easy-to-make typo, but it nonetheless loses the author a half-mark. Overall, rather a nice editorial... though it'd be nice to get off the Final Fantasy topic, this is a fairly refreshing editorial on the topic. With a little reworking with the paragraphs, making them flow better and less of a mouthful to read, those lost presentational marks could have launched it an extra grade, maybe more.