“In terms of the Final Fantasy that I think is the ‘most complete’; I believe Final Fantasy 6 comes close, and does stand out above the other Final Fantasies, especially because it was the last Final Fantasy to use pixel art in all of its visual expression,” Sakaguchi said.
No surprise it’s FF VI. Absolutely peak final fantasy. Classic Uematsu soundtrack, great story with an iconic villain and a lovable cast. Active Time Battles and a phenomenal Esper system for customization. Square at the height of their pixel art powers with some beautiful sprites. Ultros, the opera scene, train suplexing…
It’s a shame they kind of butchered the pixel remaster. I’d try playing a romhack version on an emulator if you’re interested, preferably something based on Woolsey’s wonderful translation (son of a submariner!).
I enjoyed the remaster, although I’ve only played the original once or twice. What about it did you find “kind of butchered”?
Kefka. That’s why. He is the only villain to win by losing. He got what he wanted and drove everyone into his hand. He is by far the most cerebral villain in the franchise. So many stories leave out that having a phenomenal big bad is what makes a hero a better hero.
Between this and weighing in on what defines Final Fantasy (in the original interview), Sakaguchi sure didn’t shy away from the controversial topics in the fandom.
“I understand and know that this is a very widely debated topic, but I really think it has turned into something that has a different meaning for everyone,” says Sakaguchi. “If I had to give some kind of core ingredient, I would say it’s the story and world. These two are a must for any Final Fantasy and the common denominator across all of them. The world setting needs to contain some kind of thematic element that is loosely tied to current events. I think the world itself needs to have some kind of thematic backbone or message that gives a different perspective, or a thought-provoking prompt for players.”
For anyone that’s curious but doesn’t want to click on an ad-riddled IGN link - it’s FF 6. No they really don’t elaborate why, the best idea of ‘why’ you get is that it was the last game with pixel art.
They basically made a synopsis of this article like the vultures they are. RIP journalism. Anywho this is worth a read but doesn’t expound much on the ‘why’, aside from him explaining that the core of a good game is the general congruency between the events in the story and the world in which the story occurs
The only thing I can think of to make 6 even better is if it used 5’s job system. 5 single handedly killed having static classes for the characters for me. I want to be able to make anyone anything if they’re not going to straight up let me make my own character.
I totally agreed when I was younger but over the years I’ve grown to appreciate when the game makes me play a “suboptimal” class/job. I learn to love some of the quirky characters because they make me try them.
When I’m given all the jobs I compulsively try to level them all because I’m broken that way.
Final Fantasy 6 had always been the best one. 4 is awesome too. 7 is fine.
