The other Final Fantasy classics deserve some love
The remake of Final Fantasy VII has been among the most anticipated games for over a decade. While the series always enjoyed success, FFVII was the first Final Fantasy to gain a mass following outside Japan.
A history of Final Fantasy states that: “Sony spared no expense in marketing Final Fantasy VII in the US, allocating a budget of up to US$100 million just for marketing alone. Three 30-second commercials were made highlighting the graphics and gameplay and aired on prime-time slots on all the major networks. There were also major print campaigns in popular publications such as Rolling Stone, Spin and even Playboy, and the gaming magazines. Sony even teamed up with Pepsi for a major holiday promotion featuring the game…Squaresoft finally managed to crack the US market. Altogether, over 6 million copies of Final Fantasy VII were sold worldwide.”
Those familiar with the Final Fantasy, however, would agree that many of the other installments in the series have been tragically overshadowed.
Consider:
- Final Fantasy IV, the first real epic of the series, with it’s themes of duty, betrayal and redemption.
- Final Fantasy VI, which explored the question: “Why do people insist on creating things that will inevitably be destroyed? Why do people cling to life, knowing that they must someday die? …Knowing that none of it will have meant anything once they do?”
- Final Fantasy IX, the action-packed swan song of the FF old guard (and my personal favorite), dealing with nurture vs nature and the despair of facing one’s mortality.
And lest it be forgotten, what about Chrono Trigger? If there is a central theme to the Final Fantasy series (of which Chrono Trigger is an honorary part) it is defiance – to challenge one’s fate against overwhelming odds. The time travel story of Chrono and his companions is a classic in the genre.
With any luck, Square Enix will consider looking into remaking some of these classics for a new generation.
Let’s Mosey.