Wark Digest #142 - You'll Still Find Me Here
Welcome back to the Wark Digest, your weekly newsletter of new developments and historical insights from the Final Fantasy universe. I’m Chris, aka Hoogathy, and this week Rebirth hype was fanned to a new height with a playable demo, and uncomfortable details on the Xbox beta for FFXIV dropped, but we also have a milestone anniversary to observe for a game that you shouldn’t talk about in the past tense.
This week’s newsletter is 2628 words, a 12-minute read.
FFVII Rebirth Rolls Out a Demo
The Final Fantasy VII Rebirth State of Play presentation gave us another exciting look at the upcoming blockbuster, and of course, the demo that so many people were eagerly anticipating. Let’s sift through some of the less-spoilery details, our hands-on impressions from the demo, and other insights shared this week:
What’s going on:
The 20-minute presentation (and the deluge of additional info, artwork, and screenshots that followed) pulled back the curtain even further on the second part of the Remake project, including new/returning supporting characters, details on the revamped development systems, and glimpses at mini-games and familiar locales
A 2-part free demo accompanied the broadcast:
“Fall of a Hero in Nibelheim” is the extended flashback segment which kicks off the full game, retelling the “Kalm flashback” from the original game… and offering a playable look at Sephiroth
“Dawn of a New Era in Junon,” the second part, will follow on February 21, allowing players to explore a modified/compacted version of the Junon region and experiment with broader combat options than those in the Nibelheim segment
Progress from the first part can be carried over to the full game, allowing players to skip past sections they’ve already played, and granting two in-game items; the second part, however, cannot be carried over
The final key art posters for the remaining main characters has finally been revealed as well, remixing the iconic scenes for Red XIII, Vincent, and Cid (plus a new piece of key art for Aerith, which shows… well, let’s say, a late-game environment from Rebirth)
Among the new faces teased are a familiar ally from the Compilation in a new set of clothes, and another prime candidate for a cameo (to be deliberately vague)
Director Naoki Hamaguchi clarified that Cid and Vincent will play a role in the story and meet our protagonists, but will not be available in combat in any capacity—contrary to earlier assumptions that they would function as AI guests like Red XIII did in Remake
Creative Director Tetsuya Nomura said in a Japanese interview that Wutai was pushed to the next game partly because they wanted to expand its depiction and make it a more proper nation than the city we visited in the OG, given its expanded importance in the Remake continuity
Nomura told Famitsu that the third part’s main scenario has been fully drafted by Nojima, and it will be on Hamaguchi and the rest of the team to turn that outline into a full-fledged game
What we thought:
Judging by the Nibelheim demo alone, combat in FFVII Rebirth seems very promising—taking a system that worked fantastically in Remake and expanding it in several directions—and we can’t wait to see how it plays with other party members on the 21st
Likewise, the very familiar events of the Nibelheim Incident were every bit as captivating this time around, and it will be interesting to see how the hints laid during these scenes are paid off later
If you’ve been holding off on watching the State of Play for fear of seeing too much, well… you should probably just keep avoiding it, as it touches upon many other elements that we hadn’t seen before
I’m personally intrigued by the difference in Cid and Vincent’s roles this time, and not just because they were my go-to allies for Cloud for my first few OG playthroughs; will they miss certain moments in Rebirth entirely, that they would’ve been around for in the original? How will that affect their roles?
What’s next? State of Play wasn’t the only place in town to catch a new look at Rebirth, however—check out Darryl & Lauren’s impressions from a recent hands-on preview, and some of the key differences between FFVII, Remake, and Rebirth!
FFXIV Xbox Version Detailed
Square Enix has released the details for the upcoming Xbox Series X|S Trial Version of Final Fantasy XIV, ahead of its anticipated full release
What’s going on:
The open beta test for the Xbox Series version is planned to start around 12AM PST on Wednesday, February 21
Participation is open only to new players, embarking on the Critically Acclaimed MMORPG for the first time
Players who already have either the Free Trial or a full FFXIV license registered to their Square Enix account cannot participate
This is due to a technicality, and is being handled as a precaution: your Square Enix and Microsoft accounts must be linked to play, and once linked, they cannot be unlinked, so SE is asking existing players to wait until the full Xbox version is live
This open beta version has the same content and limitations as the Free Trial version already available on PC and PlayStation platforms (minus the ability to buy items from the premium Online Store)
It was also mentioned that the Free Trial and open beta will not require an active Game Pass subscription, but upon graduating to the full FFXIV experience, Xbox players will require an active Game Pass subscription (either Core or Ultimate) to play, in addition to the FFXIV subscription
The release date for the full version has not yet been announced, as it hinges upon feedback from this open beta; the team will review their data before settling on an official launch, at which point existing players will be able to play from a Xbox Series console if they wish
What we thought:
CBU3 is being very cautious about the stability of this version and the servers, which may produce some inconveniences beforehand but will serve everyone much better in the long-term
Barring existing players from the trial version may seem counterproductive in a way, as they’d be best-equipped to put the beta through its paces, but again, the decision has been made to avoid causing problems with irreversibly linking accounts
What stands out more about this version is the price of admission: PlayStation players do not need to have PS Plus in order to play FFXIV on PS4/PS5, nor do so this is effectively going to be the most expensive way to play the game
In USD, Game Pass costs $12/m for Core or $17/m for Ultimate, and the FFXIV sub is $13—meaning Xbox players will be paying double the cost of admission for no real benefit
Granted, Game Pass is a huge piece of the Xbox ecosystem, and it seems the majority of players would already have an active subscription anyway
Nonethless, if someone was to pick up FFXIV and get so hooked that they don’t use their Game Pass membership in the meantime, they won’t have the option of turning off that subscription to save some cash
Given that PS Plus is not required, this seems a demand on Microsoft’s part
Regardless of the business decisions behind the scenes, being a FFXIV subscriber on Xbox is technically more expensive, and for no real benefit at that—it’s enough to put a bit of a damper on what should’ve been a happy occasion for the minority who were holding out for this opportunity
What’s next? For everyone else on other platforms, the Valentione Day’s event has been announced for 2024. From February 7-21, players can embark on this year’s quest (dubbed “Straight From the Shape of the Heart”) from Old Gridania, with a “Love Heart” emote and heart-shaped chair up as rewards.
Final Fantasy VIII Turns 25
A major spotlight has been focused on the world of Final Fantasy VII lately, but this weekend marks the anniversary of the game that followed in its footsteps: Final Fantasy VIII. Let’s take a moment to look back at the legacy and importance of this often-overlooked and misunderstood classic (and a personal favourite of many FFU staff, including myself!):
Why it matters:
Final Fantasy VIII was released in Japan for the PlayStation on February 11, 1999, followed in North America on September 9 (or 9/9/99), and Europe on October 27
Key staffers included:
Yoshinori Kitase returned as director, for the third mainline FF in a row
Hironobu Sakaguchi served as executive producer, though The Spirits Within demanded more of his attention
Hiroyuki Ito helped Kitase as Battle System Designer
Returning from FFVII were Kazushige Nojima as scenario writer, Tetsuya Nomura as character designer, and Nobuo Uematsu as composer
FFVIII continued FFVII’s trend of having a higher level of technology present in-world, and also broke through another technological ceiling with the quality of its prerendered FMV movies and environments—featuring realistically-proportioned characters in battle and on the field for the first time
The gameplay was a considerable departure, thanks to its Guardian Force (GF) and Junction systems, which made summons the source of the heroes’ powers and converted magic into a finite, numbered resource
Players could “Draw” uses of magic from enemies in battle or refine them with GF abilities outside of battle, effectively turning spells into consumable items like Potions… but these spells could also be “Junctioned” or equipped to a character’s individual stats, like HP or Strength, to enhance them
Players could also customize the three other commands available to each party member in battle, starting with basics like casting magic, summoning, Drawing, or using items, but expanding to include new commands altogether
The story revolved around Squall Leonhart, a gunblade-wielding cadet in the military organization SeeD, whose life changes forever when he meets the would-be rebel Rinoa, and gets caught up in a war against the mysterious Sorceress Edea
A subplot sees him reliving the memories of a total stranger named Laguna—who Nojima originally planned would be the protagonist of the game’s first half, eventually passing the mantle to Squall
With battles that scaled in difficulty relative to the party’s level, a total of 16 GFs to recruit through varied methods, unique action-based Limit Breaks for all 6 heroes, and a huge tale spanning 4 CDs (capped by the series’ first vocal theme), FFVIII sought to carry the torch passed on by FFVII
Upon release, FFVIII was a huge critical and commercial success:
It earned an 89% aggregated review score among the game magazines of its time, many of whom praised it as a bigger technical achievement than FFVII
It broke sales records in all three markets upon its release, selling over 6 million units worldwide by the end of 1999
Over time its reception has cooled somewhat, almost earning the reputation of being a “black sheep” among the franchise and dipping in popularity relative to the other PS1/PS2 games—though its opening FMV and the iconic waltz scene are still praised widely as iconic moments in gaming history
In September 2019 Square Enix made good on the demand for a HD remaster of the game, in time for its 20th anniversary, though fans were somewhat underwhelmed with the results; it makes the game accessible on modern platforms, admirably touches up character models, and incorporates some modern quality-of-life improvements, but also fails to hide some of the ugly seams and corners
What we thought:
FFVIII continued what FFVII had started for Squaresoft—namely, moving toward a more cinematic level of storytelling—while also taking a FFII-style risk with a radical change to familiar gameplay systems
The focus on Squall and Rinoa’s romance was atypical for the time as well; while FFIV had Cecil and Rosa, and Cloud had romantic tension with Aerith and Tifa in FFVII, Final Fantasy hadn’t dipped a toe too deeply into these waters before… and then similar relationships proved central to both IX and X
In modern times, FFVIII‘s Junction system is remembered as being either too impenetrable or too exploitable—many recall Drawing being a slog, or summons taking too long, while others have developed a precise method of capitalizing on GF abilities, monster drops, and Triple Triad wins in order to craft a perfect team
To be fair, the in-game tutorials are not as helpful as they should be
As for the story, Squall’s temperament is also criticized or misunderstood by modern audiences, or the amnesia plot is ridiculed
Truth be told? Yeah, FFVIII is kind of a weird game, with some over-the-top elements and unconventional character development methods, but it also set as much of a standard as FFVII did
For a time, Final Fantasy was known for having protagonists with unique signature weapons, in part thanks to the gunblade
Its summons took the ball from VII and ran, becoming true spectacles of CG animation in their own right (and wow, what a roster of summons!)
Gilgamesh’s appearance cemented him in his beloved meta role
A lot of people were introduced to the series with FFVII, and FFVIII built upon that well; as unusual as it can be, it also has a lot of the features that people think of when they think “Final Fantasy”
Though… the non-FMV visuals aren’t aging quite as well as its other PS1 siblings (just don’t tell that to the best-looking guy here)
What’s next? Coincidentally, Kitase was asked about what he’d do with a prospective “Final Fantasy VIII Remake” this week (much like his remarks on FFVI in last week’s issue). He admitted he would focus on refining the junction system, as he’s aware that it was a point of confusion for many players.
(FFVIII fans, be sure to stay tuned over the next couple days, as we have something special in store to mark the anniversary…👀)
Around the Union
Our long-form documentary series continued this week with “Final Fantasy III: A Complete History & Retrospective.” The third and final 8-bit installment in the series was a truly special game, consolidating the elements of its predecessor and laying the framework for the next generation—however, it was essentially lost in obscurity for most fans for many years, and even today remains one of the less-understood main games.
Join us as we tell the tale of Final Fantasy III, from its very origins, through its developments, and on to its modern day legacy.
Last week, I asked which era of Final Fantasy you first played the series in, and once again, there was a pretty clear winner:
56%: PS1 Era
15%: SNES Era
10%: NES Era
12%: PS2
7%: PS3/360 to Modern Day
In light of this, perhaps I was preaching to the choir when defending the virtues of FFVIII—though I’m more surprised by how high the NES era ranked, and thought the PS2 might’ve hooked more people. Regardless, thank you for your input! Getting this kind of feedback, be it on these more informal polls or the full-on satisfaction questionnaires we run for new releases like FFXVI, helps inform our coverage, and thereby make a better product for you!
Good luck to everyone who will be attending the Final Fantasy Union Pub Quiz event this Saturday! I’m stuck on the wrong side of the Atlantic for this one, but I’m sure you’ll all have a blast.
Lastly, as I’ve been teasing, there’s something new in the works here at FFU, and specifically in the Wark Digest’s corner, so… stay tuned…
Now you’re up to speed! From the whole team at Final Fantasy Union, thank you for subscribing. Please let us know what you think of our coverage, and what you’d like to see covered in our weekly installments. As ever, if you’ve enjoyed our work, please share it with your friends!
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Until next time, kupo!