Wark Digest #203 - Toll and Treasures
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 we look at insight from another prominent maestro’s struggle, and reminisce on the peak of Final Fantasy XI.
This week’s newsletter is 1914 words, a 9-minute read.
The Toll of Composing
Masayoshi Soken has become Final Fantasy’s most prominent composer today thanks to his ongoing work on Final Fantasy XIV, the associated rock band The Primals, and the score for Final Fantasy XVI. However, in an interview with PCGamesN, Soken has denied the notion that he might remain at the forefront of the franchise’s scores in the same way Uematsu did for so long. Let’s take a look at why…
What they’re saying:
“I can’t really come up with a specific example, mainly because of the sheer amount of work that was needed, but in terms of the spirit that went into the creation of XIV and XVI, I would say that it was very different”
He had expected them to be closer experiences beforehand especially since he was already used to composing for these sorts of games
“If I were to put it into very few words I would say that XIV has variety and XVI requires stories”
When asked if he would be open to doing the score for another mainline Final Fantasy while still working on Final Fantasy XIV, Soken’s response was pretty emphatically clear: “I would be very honest in saying that I never want to do anything like that again”
“Every day was a really horrible hell – really something beyond your imagination of hell”
But here’s where his previous experience came in handy: “In the past I worked on A Realm Reborn while working on [Final Fantasy XIV] 1.0. I had the experience of working on two massive games [at once], so I just didn’t give up this time either”—but the sheer difference in scale from making music for PS3 games (as he was for the original iteration of FFXIV) vs. PS5 games compounded the difficulty of juggling both
Ultimately, if he was asked if he would do another simultaneous project, he’d have to turn it down, however regretfully: “If I had two bodies, I would do both”
What we thought:
As he says, these two games are quite different creatures, one requiring a lot of event-specific orchestrations, and one consisting of mostly environmental themes and other motifs that get reused often (with the additional benefit of having multiple other expansions to build off of)—“variety vs. stories” is an interesting way to summarize it
It makes sense that it was harder to bear XIV and XVI simultaneously, opposed to the double duty he pulled on XIV 1.0 and 2.0—Soken was almost a full decade older, and FFXVI was a massive undertaking from the ground up, and he wasn’t the sole contributor to 1.0
The interview asks him specifically about composing for Dawntrail and XVI, but in reality, with the long development of FFXVI he was probably working on it in some capacity alongside Shadowbringers and Endwalker, and Dawntrail could’ve fallen into the latest stages of FFXVI’s process
Hypothetically it also could have been on his plate while he was fighting cancer, famously working even from his hospital bed… so the hellish remarks would make a lot more sense
Dawntrail’s score is breezier and more lighthearted than the previous expansions, much like the game’s tone itself, but it’s always felt to me like some of Soken’s relief at having the extra work off his shoulders is reflected in its “vacation”-like themes (especially the jubilant theme, “Open Sky”)
That being said, it’s a shame that Soken likely won’t do another mainline game—much like Yoshi-P, he seems content to work on FFXIV forever at this rate, but he’s the closest the series has come to having a de facto main composer since Nobuo Uematsu stepped back, and it would’ve been great to have another full score from him that isn’t an expansion pack
But, who knows? Stranger things have happened, even within FFXIV‘s lifespan
And there’s always the possibility that Soken could share/split the responsibility for XVII, or that he’s misdirecting us…and I don’t think we’ll know more about this for quite a long time anyway
What’s next? Who’s to say when a hypothetical Final Fantasy XVII could be coming, but if Square Enix is looking to pull an experienced Final Fantasy composer for the job, the candidate pool is… fairly slim. Masashi Hamauzu and Shotaro Shima will surely be tied up with the third part of the Final Fantasy VII Remake; Hitoshi Sakimoto’s style is usually reserved for Ivalice and games with a similar tone; and Yoko Shimomura will be busy with Kingdom Hearts 4. There are some smaller names they could call upon, but at this rate it’s almost as likely that they would pick someone unknown. It all depends on the tone of the game, and when it would be in development.
(Kumi Tanioka could be an interesting pick—once the main composer for Crystal Chronicles and a member of the Final Fantasy XI tribute band, the Star Onions, she’s been contributing elsewhere around the industry for years. As an independent, she’s worked with Nintendo on Super Smash Bros and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, and even on Minecraft.)
Thundaga Round!
Wizards of the Coast announced a special live event to celebrate the release of Magic: The Gathering—Final Fantasy in Chiba, Japan, from June 27-29
The main event of Magic Spotlight: Final Fantasy is a 2-day Standard tournament with a $50,000 USD prize pool, with promo cards for participants and invites to MTG’s big Pro Tour for the top 8 players
All kinds of other free events will be happening as part of the 3-day event
Alternately, MagicCon: Las Vegas attendees will receive an exclusive promo card, “Torgal, Clive’s Companion,” using Kazuya Takahashi’s concept art; this heckin’ good boi will play very nicely with many FF characters
And lastly, Ben Starr himself will be hosting a big official reveal of the set at PAX West on May 10
Speaking of FFXIV, a “Callback” campaign is underway now until May 9, where active players can invite eligible friends who have been inactive for at least 90 days; if accepted, these players can enjoy “up to seven days of free play time” (measured in real-time from the first day you log back in)
Returning players who accept the invite can also receive Aetheryte Tickets and Silver Chocobo Feathers
If the called player purchases a subscription within 90 days of their return, the inviting friend receives 5 Gold Chocobo Feathers
Perfect timing for the Hatching-Tide event, which ends next Thursday!
Ever Crisis’ Easter event rolls on with a new weapon and outfit for Yuffie, while First Soldier Episode II Chapter 3 has arrived—alongside a Critical Threat battle with Masamune
Since our last update Odin has been added as a proper unlockable (and wind-elemental) summon after his prominent role in the 1.5 anniversary
Treasures of Aht Urhgan at 19
Today marks 19 years since the release of Treasures of Aht Urgan, Final Fantasy XI’s third expansion. Let’s take a look back at its legacy (and how it may reflect a much more recent piece of series history!)…
Why it mattered:
Treasures of Aht Urhgan launched on April 18, 2006 in North America, and on April 20 for the rest of the world (except Oceania, which had to wait another day)—launching simultaneously on PS2, PC, and Xbox 360
In the storyline, the mysterious Empire of Aht Urhgan begins welcoming travelers after an isolationist period; player characters get a permit to visit, sign up as a mercenary, and eventually get caught up in the infighting
This was also the introduction of Aphmau and the Blue Mage Raubahn
The expansion brought the Blue Mage, Corsair, and Puppetmaster classes the continent of Aht Urhgan itself; a rebalancing of content difficulty
In this era FFXI saw record numbers of players, with over 500, 000 total active players, and a simultaneous active player count over 150,000, for the first time
Treasures was the first time a Final Fantasy graced a Xbox console, arriving in a new bundle for the 360 that included the base game and both other expansions at the time, Rise of the Zilart and Chains of Promathia
What we thought:
Treasures of Aht Urhgan was, in some ways, Final Fantasy XI’s peak
It was propelled to its peak numbers at this point, and represented a sweet spot for the actual content, especially with the effort to curb the difficulty and grind (without totally alleviating it—some of the most prevalent problems, like the difficulty of making a party, were just as bad as ever)
Elsewhere, however, the specter of World of Warcraft was beginning to rise; released in 2004, it would become the biggest MMORPG in the world in 2008 (until FFXIV eventually dethroned it)
Treasures of Aht Urhgan and Dawntrail actually have quite a few similarities:
Both involve travelling to a continent (Aht Urhgan and Tural) that had been closed off to the player, and teaming up with someone in the succession for that land’s throne (Aphmau and Wuk Lamat)
Both had influences from real world regions—the Middle East for Treasures, Latin America and Southeast Asia for Dawntrail
The Mamool Ja were native to Aht Urhgan (and tied to the Blue Mages), and reappeared as one of Tural’s native races
Both incorporated Xbox into the game for the first time
Conversely, Dawntrail represents a bit of a downturn in FFXIV’s player base, as part of the comedown from Endwalker and the culmination of the Hydaelyn & Zodiark Arc which had encompassed everything to that point
What’s next? Patient players can still experience Treasures of Aht Urhgan today on PC, if they can survive wrestling with the PlayOnline launcher.
Around the Union
This week’s video is a very special one, as you, our community, helped us in “Ranking Every Single Major Final Fantasy Game!” A while back we conducted a survey, asking you to rank 50+ games; now the data is collated, and we can present this definitive fan ranking! How did your favourites rank in the grand scheme of things? Let us know, and be sure to share to keep the conversation going!
And meanwhile, in the latest Kupo Chronicle, we unearth some secrets from Final Fantasy XII’s art team, like some evidence that helps contextualize a stubborn debate about the game’s protagonist role, and the team’s unusual initial goal.
Kupo Chronicle #31 - Illustrating Ivalice
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 break down some insights on
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!
Join the discussion on our Discord!
Or, find Final Fantasy Union on social media: Facebook | Instagram | Bluesky |
Until next time, kupo!
