Wark Digest #47 - Sakaguchi, Stranger, and T-Shirts
Sakaguchi, the Warrior of Light
This week Hironobu Sakaguchi, the godfather of Final Fantasy, spoke to IGN’s Kat Bailey about his experience playing Final Fantasy XIV, as well as his legendary career.
What they’re saying:
On what drew him into FFXIV: “I started seeing bosses like Titan, and when I got a lot further in, I saw goblins drawn in Mr. Amano's style. […] His art has such a two-dimensional feeling to it, so I was moved on even a technical level by their ability to preserve that sense in 3D. Of course, I did wonder why his goblins were by the sea.”
On FFXIV’s use of series conventions & themes: “I'd always thought that it was the developers' job to surprise users with something new, but now I feel like you might actually be able to create a more stable base that's fun over the long term when players can predict somewhere around half or two-thirds of what will come next. It seems like an innovation to me.”
“Thinking back to when we first made Final Fantasy, RPGs back in those days were like [Wizardry and Dungeons & Dragons, where] you play a vocational role within a larger world [and story] really only exists on the level of lore and flavor when heading to a dungeon. I used to think that's what RPGs are” — but in FFXIV “I was playing a game in a genre that conventional wisdom said was incompatible with stories, yet it told me to my face, ‘You are the protagonist.’ It does this for every player.”
“It made me think that they were doing what we'd struggled with from [FF to FFIV …] They've managed to inject story into a system that's downright hostile to stories.”
What we thought:
Sakaguchi’s relationship with the game is fascinatingly unique: he gets to live the legacy of his creation, and the feedback he provides is a big motivation for the development team
He really seems to hold a special reverence for the game, judging by his comments, and it’s redefining the way he thinks of games and narrative design
FFXIV truly has succeeded where other MMORPGs have failed, and its grand storytelling is only going to get more accessible as the Trust system expands
There’s something redeeming about seeing Sakaguchi this involved in the series again, after leaving Square twenty years ago on a somewhat sour note
What’s next: Sakaguchi previously suggested that Mistwalker’s Fantasian could be the last video game he works on, but he alluded to IGN that he’s negotiating conditions for one or two potential projects. However, he wants to soak up as much FFXIV time as he can before then—and finish Horizon: Forbidden West.
Nomura Teases Stranger DLC
As our last issue went out, translations of a Famitsu interview with Tetsuya Nomura hit social media and gave us a hint of what Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin’s DLC chapters will entail. (SPOILER WARNING! And thank you again to Audrey for the translations!)
What they’re saying:
The three packs (Trials of the Dragon King, Wanderer of the Rift, and Different Future) will be released individually (although no time frame was given)
They will include “various weapon missions”, which will likely be the Trials expansion; Wanderer of the Rift sounds like it will involve Gilgamesh, but Nomura gave no hints here
[SPOILER WARNING!] He did mention, however, that “
there will be a battle that continues where the ending left off with the Warriors of Light entering through the door”He teased a connection to Dissidia and Dissidia NT, but added “I think the boss of this mission is something no one can imagine”
What we thought:
The pack names have always seemed like big hints, so these comments don’t tell us much that we haven’t already guessed (but confirmation is always nice)
The “Dragon King” suggests Bahamut, who was absent from the core game—but hopefully, if he does appear, it will be more than "weapon missions"
As for the story-based expansion, it does seem like a no-brainer given the way the game ends, and our minds are abuzz with the possibilities for its mystery final boss
What's next: The game itself is almost a month old (already?) so hopefully this interview is just a prelude to more details and announcements.
Thundaga Round! Rapid-Fire Updates
Kingdom Hearts IV has been announced, though it will probably be years before it actually arrives; there is no indication if Final Fantasy characters will be involved or not, but speculation is already flying about where the game will go (with some fans suggesting...Star Wars?)
Speaking of FFXIV, patch 6.1 has officially arrived; there are new Main Story Quests, a host of changes to classes, new housing plots in the Empyreum district at last, profile cards, and a host of other updates as we've mentioned in recent issues—but my favourite change is probably the fact that you can now be revived after being pushed off the stage in certain notorious boss fights! (Read the full patch notes here)
Also in FFXIV, the annual Hatching-tide event is here for Easter, running until April 27, so don't forget to grab your event-exclusive rewards!
Stranger of Paradise also received a patch, bringing bug fixes, rebalancing, and some additions like Auto-Dismantling
Japanese clothing company Uniqlo (who you may recognize from their recent collaboration with Pokémon Go) accidentally spilled the beans on a line of Final Fantasy T-shirts, with one design for each main series game from I through XVI; the leaked images feature the 35th anniversary logo, but details on international availability will have to wait for the official announcements
Around the Union
The Legacy of the Crystal: An Unofficial Guide to Final Fantasy is progressing nicely! Check out the new post on its Kickstarter page for details on its progress, but in short, the copy has been written and edited for all 135 games, creator excerpts have been finalized, and the first draft design is nearly complete—meaning we're pretty well on schedule! Stay tuned for updates as we approach our first test print.
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Until next time, kupo!