Final Fantasy

Final Fantasy VIII was published in 1999, and was the first to consistently use realistically proportioned characters and feature a vocal piece as its theme music.

[18][19] The first massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) in the series, Final Fantasy XI, was released on the PS2 and PC in 2002, and later on the Xbox 360.

[25][26] It is the flagship installment of the Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy series[27] and became the first mainline game to spawn two sub-sequels (XIII-2 and Lightning Returns).

[45] Final Fantasy XIII was originally intended to stand on its own, but the team wanted to explore the world, characters and mythos more, resulting in the development and release of two sequels in 2011 and 2013 respectively, creating the series' first official trilogy.

Multiple anime and computer-generated imagery (CGI) films have been produced that are based either on individual Final Fantasy games or on the series as a whole.

[57] The Spirits Within was the first animated feature to seriously attempt to portray photorealistic CGI humans, but was considered a box office bomb and garnered mixed reviews.

Last Order sold out quickly[66] and was positively received by Western critics,[67][68] though fan reaction was mixed over changes to established story scenes.

[85][86] Most games contain elements of fantasy and science fiction and feature recycled names often inspired from various cultures' history, languages and mythology, including Asian, European, and Middle-Eastern.

[86][87] Beginning with Final Fantasy IV, the main series adopted its current logo style that features the same typeface and an emblem designed by Japanese artist Yoshitaka Amano.

[87] Stories in the series frequently emphasize the internal struggles, passions, and tragedies of the characters, and the main plot often recedes into the background as the focus shifts to their personal lives.

Designed by Hiroyuki Ito, it injected urgency and excitement into combat by requiring the player to act before an enemy attacks, and was used until Final Fantasy X, which implemented the "Conditional Turn-Based" (CTB) system.

[19][97] Final Fantasy XI adopted a real-time battle system where characters continuously act depending on the issued command.

This approach has continued throughout the series; each major Final Fantasy game features a new setting, a new cast of characters, and an upgraded battle system.

This switch was to mimic the development cycles of Western games in the Call of Duty, Assassin's Creed and Battlefield series, as well as maintain fan-interest.

Game locations are conceptualized early in development and design details like building parts are fleshed out as a base for entire structures.

Kazushige Nojima became the series' primary scenario writer from Final Fantasy VII until his resignation in October 2003; he has since formed his own company, Stellavista.

Amano also handled title logo designs for all of the main series and the image illustrations from Final Fantasy VII onward.

[43][127] Because of graphical limitations, the first games on the NES feature small sprite representations of the leading party members on the main world screen.

The SNES installments use updated graphics and effects, as well as higher quality audio than in previous games, but are otherwise similar to their predecessors in basic design.

[129][130] The switch was due to a dispute with Nintendo over its use of faster but more expensive cartridges, as opposed to the slower and cheaper, but much higher capacity compact discs used on rival systems.

[146] Once a game's major scenarios were completed, Uematsu would begin writing the music based on the story, characters, and accompanying artwork.

[154] Within two days of Final Fantasy VIII's North American release on September 9, 1999, it became the top-selling video game in the United States, a position it held for more than three weeks.

[161] Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, in comparison to its predecessor, was a runaway success, originally suffering from servers being overcrowded,[162] and eventually gaining over one million unique subscribers within two months of its launch.

Final Fantasy IV is considered a milestone for the genre, introducing a dramatic storyline with a strong emphasis on character development and personal relationships.

Final Fantasy IV's "Theme of Love" was integrated into the curriculum of Japanese school children and has been performed live by orchestras and metal bands.

[233] In 2003, Uematsu co-founded The Black Mages, an instrumental rock group independent of Square that has released albums of arranged Final Fantasy tunes.

[234][235] Bronze medalists Alison Bartosik and Anna Kozlova performed their synchronized swimming routine at the 2004 Summer Olympics to music from Final Fantasy VIII.

[241] BioWare senior product manager David Silverman cited Final Fantasy XII's gambit system as an influence on the gameplay of Dragon Age: Origins.

In 2023, Final Fantasy Union collaborated with British indie publisher Lost in Cult on the sixth volume of the imprint's art journal, Lock-On, which focused on the art of Final Fantasy and Legend of Zelda and featured an exclusive cover illustration of Terra Branford by Yoshitaka Amano alongside interviews with Hironobu Sakaguchi, Nobuo Uematsu, and Matt Mercer.

[246] In October 2007, a fan-made web series of CG action films called Dead Fantasy was created by late web-based animator and writer, Monty Oum.

Final Fantasy V is similar to the earlier games in the series, in that the heroes must attempt to retrieve crystals to save the world from an ancient evil.
A man sitting in a chair and speaking in a microphone.
Hironobu Sakaguchi , creator of the Final Fantasy series
Final Fantasy VI artwork by Yoshitaka Amano , who provided designs for much of the series.
Final Fantasy VIII , along with VII and IX , used pre-rendered backgrounds.
Nobuo Uematsu , primary composer for the series