Kupo Chronicle #36 - Real Emotion

Empathetic Mechanics

Welcome to the Kupo Chronicle, the premium edition of the Wark Digest newsletter, where we explore the Final Fantasy universe in long-form and drill down into unique moments of the series’ history. I’m Chris, aka Hoogathy, and in this installment we dig deep into an oft-overlooked hallmark of Final Fantasy’s game design, and how it elevates narratives “off the page.”

This week’s newsletter is 2691 words, a 13-minute read.

Final Fantasy, as a series, gets praised for several hallmark features. Epic stories, robust ensembles, innovative gameplay systems, and stunning visuals are all among the most common things you’ll hear people complement, even sometimes from people who dislike the series overall. Even quirky design choices like spiky hair, impractical yet cool weaponry, and the “belt-to-player-character” ratio are referred to with love (or at least, loving mockery).

But there’s one aspect combining several of these points which gets called out less often—conscious design choices that act like glue holding the entire experience together in certain Final Fantasy games, an unsung hero that other developers should take closer note of.

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The effect I’m referring to is first truly seen in Final Fantasy IV, as illustrated by the application of a certain legendary spell.