Final Fantasy (universe): Difference between revisions
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In terms of the scenario of the game itself, ''Final Fantasy VII'' initially focuses on the efforts of an underground group named Avalanche - among whom [[Cloud Strife]] is a member - as they struggle to destroy power plants operated by an electric-power mega-corporation that has become much of the planet's de facto government, [http://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Shinra_Electric_Power_Company Shinra], headquartered at the industrialized metropolis of [[Midgar]]. With the company having since shifted its focus to a spiritual substance called [http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Mako Mako] so as to harvest said substance as modern society's primary source of power and fuel, Cloud and his allies operate under the belief that Shinra is siphoning the life force of the planet itself. But between his encounters with the mysterious flower girl [[Aerith Gainsborough]] and the re-emergence of an incredibly dangerous and disturbed figure from Cloud's past - the former elite soldier [[Sephiroth]] - Cloud and his allies gradually find themselves taking on a more direct and urgent role as protectors of the planet than they could have anticipated, though he must also surmount formidable psychological obstacles ingrained within his own memories. | In terms of the scenario of the game itself, ''Final Fantasy VII'' initially focuses on the efforts of an underground group named Avalanche - among whom [[Cloud Strife]] is a member - as they struggle to destroy power plants operated by an electric-power mega-corporation that has become much of the planet's de facto government, [http://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Shinra_Electric_Power_Company Shinra], headquartered at the industrialized metropolis of [[Midgar]]. With the company having since shifted its focus to a spiritual substance called [http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Mako Mako] so as to harvest said substance as modern society's primary source of power and fuel, Cloud and his allies operate under the belief that Shinra is siphoning the life force of the planet itself. But between his encounters with the mysterious flower girl [[Aerith Gainsborough]] and the re-emergence of an incredibly dangerous and disturbed figure from Cloud's past - the former elite soldier [[Sephiroth]] - Cloud and his allies gradually find themselves taking on a more direct and urgent role as protectors of the planet than they could have anticipated, though he must also surmount formidable psychological obstacles ingrained within his own memories. | ||
''Final Fantasy VII''{{'}}s setting introduced a post-industrial science-fiction element to the formerly medieval fantasy-grounded intellectual property, and the involvement of science fiction in a ''Final Fantasy'' mythos was expanded with 1999's ''{{s|wikipedia|Final Fantasy VIII}}''. After 2000's ''{{s|wikipedia|Final Fantasy IX}}'' deliberately returned to the more traditional fantasy trappings employed in the oldest games, the series' first main-numbered appearance on the PlayStation 2 as ''{{s|wikipedia|Final Fantasy X}}'' aesthetically entrenched the series in a distinctive blend of fantasy and technology. The series had also begun to deviate from its turn-based and Active Time Battle-based roots and gradually adapt action-RPG elements in games such as 2006's ''{{s|wikipedia|Final Fantasy XII}}'', 2010's ''{{s|wikipedia|Final Fantasy XIII}}'', and 2016's ''{{s|wikipedia|Final Fantasy XV}}'', as well as release two of its main-numbered games - 2002's ''{{s|wikipedia|Final Fantasy XI}}'' and another title released in 2010, ''{{s|wikipedia|Final Fantasy XIV}}'' - as MMORPGs. But while every numbered game remains a separate story and setting from the rest, several of them receive their own sequels, spin-offs, and sub-series that utilize their respective settings and casts, namely ''XIII'', ''XII'', ''X'', ''IV'', and most prominently ''VII''. None of this is to mention a veritable deluge of remakes, reissues, offshoots, spiritually-related works, and involvement in crossovers that began after the turn of the millennium, as if spurred in response to the 2003 merger of Square and Enix into a single entity named [[Square Enix]] (which Sakaguchi had resigned from shortly prior). Since 2020, the latest, albeit teased and not released at the moment, installment of the core series is titled ''{{s|wikipedia|Final Fantasy XVI}}'', as it was announced during Sony's PlayStation 5 Showcase livestream for the then to be released {{s|wikipedia|PlayStation 5}}, on September 16, 2020. | ''Final Fantasy VII''{{'}}s setting introduced a post-industrial science-fiction element to the formerly medieval fantasy-grounded intellectual property, and the involvement of science fiction in a ''Final Fantasy'' mythos was expanded with 1999's ''{{s|wikipedia|Final Fantasy VIII}}''. After 2000's ''{{s|wikipedia|Final Fantasy IX}}'' deliberately returned to the more traditional fantasy trappings employed in the oldest games, the series' first main-numbered appearance on the PlayStation 2 as ''{{s|wikipedia|Final Fantasy X}}'' aesthetically entrenched the series in a distinctive blend of fantasy and technology. The series had also begun to deviate from its turn-based and Active Time Battle-based roots and gradually adapt action-RPG elements in games such as 2006's ''{{s|wikipedia|Final Fantasy XII}}'', 2010's ''{{s|wikipedia|Final Fantasy XIII}}'', and 2016's ''{{s|wikipedia|Final Fantasy XV}}'', as well as release two of its main-numbered games - 2002's ''{{s|wikipedia|Final Fantasy XI}}'' and another title released in 2010, ''{{s|wikipedia|Final Fantasy XIV}}'' - as MMORPGs. But while every numbered game remains a separate story and setting from the rest, several of them receive their own sequels, spin-offs, and sub-series that utilize their respective settings and casts, namely ''XIII'', ''XII'', ''X'', ''IV'', and most prominently ''VII''. None of this is to mention a veritable deluge of remakes, reissues, offshoots, spiritually-related works, and involvement in crossovers that began after the turn of the millennium, as if spurred in response to the 2003 merger of Square and Enix into a single entity named [[Square Enix]] (which Sakaguchi had resigned from shortly prior). Since 2020, the latest, albeit teased and not released at the moment, installment of the core series is titled ''{{s|wikipedia|Final Fantasy XVI}}'', as it was announced during Sony's PlayStation 5 Showcase livestream for the then to be released {{s|wikipedia|PlayStation 5}}, on September 16, 2020. ''Final Fantasy XVI'' is to be released in the summer of 2023. | ||
Several games appeared as third-party works on Nintendo hardware as a result of renewed relations between the two publishers, such as the action RPG ''{{iw|wikipedia|The World Ends With You}}'' - which introduced an unorthodox touch-screen control system and a stylized art direction not previously noted in any other Square Enix release, the {{uvm3|Bravely Default}} series for the [[Nintendo 3DS]] and Nintendo Switch - which constitute a modernized execution of the original turn-based battle system of the earliest ''Final Fantasy'' titles, and {{uvm3|Octopath Traveler}} - a Nintendo Switch game which continued the traditional turn-based combat and job system of the ''Bravely Default'' games and introduced a diorama-like "HD-2D" aesthetic. However, while these titles preserved the spirit of the ''Final Fantasy'' franchise, no new mainline entry was featured on a Nintendo system for over 20 years after ''Final Fantasy VI'' (not counting ports and remakes). This all changed in late 2018 and early 2019 when Square Enix and Nintendo announced that several core entries were being released for the Nintendo Switch, being ''Final Fantasy VII'', ''VIII'', ''IX'', ''X/X-2 HD Remaster'', and ''XII: The Zodiac Age''. Later throughout 2021 and early 2022, the six first ''Final Fantasy'' core games were released for Steam and smartphones in the ''Pixel Remaster'' collection. As per the title say, they were remastered to feature 16-bit graphics for the three first games and notable changes for the other three, quality of life upgrade, high quality music, and updated dialogues. Of all the six remastered games, ''Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster'' features 2.5D graphics and voice actors in multiple languages, reserved exclusively for the iconic opera sequence. | Several games appeared as third-party works on Nintendo hardware as a result of renewed relations between the two publishers, such as the action RPG ''{{iw|wikipedia|The World Ends With You}}'' - which introduced an unorthodox touch-screen control system and a stylized art direction not previously noted in any other Square Enix release, the {{uvm3|Bravely Default}} series for the [[Nintendo 3DS]] and Nintendo Switch - which constitute a modernized execution of the original turn-based battle system of the earliest ''Final Fantasy'' titles, and {{uvm3|Octopath Traveler}} - a Nintendo Switch game which continued the traditional turn-based combat and job system of the ''Bravely Default'' games and introduced a diorama-like "HD-2D" aesthetic. However, while these titles preserved the spirit of the ''Final Fantasy'' franchise, no new mainline entry was featured on a Nintendo system for over 20 years after ''Final Fantasy VI'' (not counting ports and remakes). This all changed in late 2018 and early 2019 when Square Enix and Nintendo announced that several core entries were being released for the Nintendo Switch, being ''Final Fantasy VII'', ''VIII'', ''IX'', ''X/X-2 HD Remaster'', and ''XII: The Zodiac Age''. Later throughout 2021 and early 2022, the six first ''Final Fantasy'' core games were released for Steam and smartphones in the ''Pixel Remaster'' collection. As per the title say, they were remastered to feature 16-bit graphics for the three first games and notable changes for the other three, quality of life upgrade, high quality music, and updated dialogues. Of all the six remastered games, ''Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster'' features 2.5D graphics and voice actors in multiple languages, reserved exclusively for the iconic opera sequence. | ||