Tetsuya Nomura looks back on Final Fantasy VI as a turning point for the series, shares regrets
The end of an era
The time from Final Fantasy VI’s start of development and the release of Final Fantasy VII is a very interesting one in Final Fantasy history. Final Fantasy VI marked the end of the “old way” of making Final Fantasy games, and Final Fantasy VII ushered in a whole new era. It’s no doubt one of the most important times in all of Final Fantasy, and from numerous standpoints.
In a new feature from Square Enix themselves, we get to hear from Final Fantasy’s Tetsuya Nomura all about his work on Final Fantasy VI. There’s all kinds of insight into how the game came to be, development struggles and approach, cut ideas and so on. We also get to hear Nomura wax poetic about his time on the game, what it meant for Final Fantasy in general, and feeling a bit regretful with some areas of the experience.
FFVI was the last mainline pixel-art FF, and I think we’d gone as far as we could with that style. I’m incredibly glad I was able to work on it as a pixel artist, and I definitely feel the love for FFVI even today.
That said, while I tried to do everything I could during the project, there are still parts I feel I could’ve done a better job on. I don’t really feel that way about many other games; it’s just something about FFVI specifically.
Obviously FINAL FANTASY changed drastically from VII onward, so I think it’s natural that VI is viewed as the culmination of all that came before it. There are all kinds of players out there: those whose first FF was VII, those who stopped playing after VI, and those who have been along for the ride from the very beginning until now. Whatever your perspective, VI and VII mark a big turning point for the series, and in that sense, I think I have a strong attachment to VI just like its fans from back when it released.
Nomura has a lot more to say about Final Fantasy VI, making this interview a can’t-miss feature for FF diehards. If that happens to be you, you can find the complete interview here.
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hawk
2M agoThere really was a fundamental shift in Final Fantasy after 6. Afterward it went further and further in directions I didn't like (with the exception of 9, which I enjoyed). I wish Square Enix would go back and tap into their old philosophies for a game or two, but it's not going to happen. Bravely Default is probably as close as they'll ever get to that.
But that's "progress", I suppose. Time and the games industry move onward and people want new things.
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