The name Square is closely associated with RPGs, and for good reason. But in the days before it had its first huge hit with Final Fantasy, Square tried all kinds of different things, including licensing the rights to the 1986 film Aliens and producing an action game with some now-familiar names in the credits.
The fastest way to beat the iconic role-playing game Final Fantasy IV isn’t to dash through the final dungeon or grind for all the best spells. It’s to walk up and down the same staircase 63 times.
Pop quiz: does the name “PlayOnline” make your blood boil, or at least cause one of your eyes to start twitching? No? Lucky you. If it does, you might be familiar with the worst strategy guide in video game history.
Before I played Final Fantasy VII, I didn’t think it was going to be very good. I don’t remember how I was introduced to the game—maybe it was a store ad, or a magazine, or that wild 1997 TV commercial—but I do remember hating it.
Over the past few years, there have been many complaints about video game endings—that they’re rushed, that they’re unsatisfying, that it feels like the developers spent more time on other parts of the game (usually true). But no unfinished ending holds a candle to Saga Frontier.
In the first few minutes of Final Fantasy VI, just when you think you’ve got a sense of the game’s rhythm, everything changes. Your amnesiac hero Terra, who you’ve been controlling for half an hour and are probably assuming will be your protagonist for the long haul, falls down a hole and passes out. And then you meet…
As we cruise down the highway with our bros in Final Fantasy XV, it’s worth reflecting on the notable bromances and friendships throughout the series. Final Fantasy has a strong lineage of bros and I’ve collected some of the best of the bunch so you can learn what it means to be a real bro.
When you first open up Final Fantasy II, you’re asked to name four characters. Seconds later, those characters are stuck in an unwinnable battle, and you’re forced to watch them die.
It’s Friday, which is still Kotaku JRPG Day in my heart. So here’s an interesting thought on what made old Final Fantasy games special, from two veteran designers who have plenty of insight on what it’s like to make video games.
As Final Fantasy fans across the world wait impatiently for FFXV, let’s take some time to celebrate an important milestone. Yesterday, Final Fantasy Versus XIII’s announcement turned ten years old. Happy birthday, announcement!
Here’s a theory: Final Fantasy is defined by how it sounds.
It’s easy to make fun of classic Japanese video games (JRPGs especially) for their poor English, and assume the reason for this was simply one of neglect. Which is kinda true, but there are other reasons behind it as well, and they’re really interesting!
Final Fantasy IV, which has been released on every digital device known to man, is now on Steam, too. It'll run you $16 for the PC version, which is a port of the three-dimensional DS remake of the fourth Final Fantasy that includes some stuff that wasn't on the Super Nintendo, like voice acting and a new "augment"…
Twenty years ago, an RPG called Final Fantasy VI came out in Japan, and really, it's all just been downhill for video games since then.
Via Steve Lin, a Nintendo employee newsletter from June of 1990. "Oddly enough, this first-of-its-kind blockbuster is called Final Fantasy, but you can bet that it won't be the last."
Final Fantasy, Summed Up In A Minute: the Final Fantasy franchise has been around for a long while—here is the Cliffnotes version of its twenty-six year history by LORE. Just in time for Final Fantasy VII's birthday!
The first part of Square Enix's new indie Collective program is live today, and you can already start voting on the games you'd like brought to life.
These days Square Enix's Tetsuya Nomura busies himself with Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts III. But let's take a look back in time, before he was the famous game designer he is today.
As you might know, Square struggled to stay afloat up until Final Fantasy's release in 1987, at which point they began their journey towards becoming a huge part of gaming history. YouTuber Joshua Drew, in a thirty-minute video, takes a look at the events that lead up to the birth of this legendary franchise.
That My Bloody Valentine: Loveless billboard stands out quite a bit in digital artist RubiaDmc's great Final Fantasy VII mashup. That sign was all over Midgar!
