Pierre Maugein - The Legend of Final Fantasy VI: Creation - Universe - Decryption

The Legend of Final Fantasy VI
by Pierre Maugein
Published by Third Editions
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Copying or reproducing this work by any means constitutes an infringement subject to the penalties stipulated in copyright protection law no. 57298 of 11 March 1957.

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in France and in other countries.

Edited by: Nicolas Courcier and Mehdi El Kanafi
Editing assitants: Damien Mecheri and Clovis Salvat
Texts by: Pierre Maugein
Chapters V & VII: Damien Mecheri
Layout: Delphine Ribeyre
Cover: Johann Blais
Translated form French by: ITC Traductions

This educational work is Third ditions tribute
to the Final Fantasy video game series.

The authors present an overview of the history of the Final Fantasy VI game in this one-of-a-kind volume
that lays out the inspirations, the context and the content of this title
through original analysis and discussion.

Final Fantasy is a registered trademark of Square Enix Co. Ltd. All rights reserved.
The cover design is inspired by the artwork of Yoshitaka Amano,
the character designer of Final Fantasy VI.

English edition, copyright 2018, Third ditions.
All rights reserved.

ISBN 979-10-94723-97-5

V ideo game series that rely on different gameplay and worlds for every new installment are rare. Sometimes, among this select few, there emerges a particular episode that, though not exactly the masterpiece of the series, marks a new beginning. Final Fantasy VI is such a game. At a time when games were depicted through fixed perspectives and strange expressions conveyed somehow by sprites, Squaresoft, in its final foray on the Super Nintendo, set out on a mission to create a game that would push the boundaries of contemporary Japanese RPGs.

The last game in the series before the advent of 3D, Final Fantasy VI tackled challenging themes, focused on narration and incredibly turned the game design on its head, while not forgetting to break the genres rulebook. It is obviously now quite dated if only for its dungeon stages and torpid exploration. Yet despite its many qualities, it remains largely inaccessible to many of todays players at a time when pixels have made a comeback to the indie scene.

Hence the reason for this book: to serve as a guide and retrace the special characteristics that made Final Fantasy VI a unique game. Choose from among its collective creation that provided it with a hive of ideas and a particular modernism at heart, leaving an indelible mark not only its own series but also a large swathe of Japanese RPGs; its rich, adorable characters who conceal their fears, neuroses and shattered dreams, whose adventures make this one of the most poignant episodes of the series; or its morality, celebrating rebirth, renewed connections and the protection of those holding the key to survival in desperate times.

Sometimes naive and other times astonishingly mature, Final Fantasy VI has been to this day a firm favorite among many players. It is a game on which Hironobu Sakaguchi, Nobuo Uematsu and Yoshinori Kitase produced some of their best work. Despite the major leap in technology that video games have witnessed since its release, a huge following still looks fondly on this old Japanese RPG of 1994, and considers it perhaps the most accomplished game in the genre. Such passion deserves to be examined and explained. Why? Dont leave this book on the shelf to collect dustfind out the profound answers to that very question in the following pages.

PIERRE MAUGEIN

Pierre Maugein, under the pen name Killy, wrote for Jeuxvideo.com from 2003 until 2006. Although he trained to be a graphic designer, he decided to move to video game journalism because of his love for the industry. He worked as a freelance contributor for JeuxActu and then wrote for the Ragemag website on various topics, from art and literature to science, cinema and video games. Since then, he has been a member of the staff at Journal du Gamer. He has written various articles for the Level Up collection which is also published by Third ditions.

A very long time ago, the world was dominated by the magic of three gods. These divinities, called the Warring Triad, had descended onto the world, each one in a quest to conquer it. They declared war on one another in a period of history known as the War of the Magi. The three gods used humans as pawns in their bellicose designs. They transformed some into Espers, creatures endowed with magic and special powers, to fight by their side. Eventually the gods grew aware of the colossal destruction they had wreaked and just before getting too close to the brink of doom, the three gods called a truce and transformed themselves into stone. As statues, they would contemplate one another, keeping themselves in check. Their final wish was simple: the Espers, their magical creations, should no longer be used for evil means. The Espers resolved to create a new realm where they could live safely and in peace. A place, far from humans. These magical creatures collected the statues of the three deities and took them away with them.

Since then, a sealed portal blocked any movement between the two realms and in time, the world of humans and that of Espers forgot about each other. Likewise, humans forgot about magic and began to concentrate on technology, which fed their increasingly belligerent ambitions.