is a
role-playing video game
A role-playing video game (commonly referred to as simply a role-playing game or RPG, as well as a computer role-playing game or CRPG) is a video game genre where the player controls the actions of a character (or several party members) immers ...
developed and published by
Square
In Euclidean geometry, a square is a regular quadrilateral, which means that it has four equal sides and four equal angles (90- degree angles, π/2 radian angles, or right angles). It can also be defined as a rectangle with two equal-length a ...
as the tenth main entry in the ''
Final Fantasy
is a Japanese science fantasy anthology media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi and developed and owned by Square Enix (formerly Square). The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science fantasy role-playing video games. The ...
'' series. Originally released in 2001 for
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on ...
, the game was re-released as ''
Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster
is a high-definition remaster of the role-playing video games ''Final Fantasy X'' and '' Final Fantasy X-2'', originally developed by Square (now Square Enix) on the PlayStation 2 in the early 2000s. It also features story content previously o ...
'' for
PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...
and
PlayStation Vita
The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita, or Vita) is a handheld video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, and in North America, Europe, and other international terri ...
in 2013, for
PlayStation 4
The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 i ...
in 2015,
Microsoft Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for ...
in 2016, and for
Nintendo Switch
The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a tablet that can either be docked for use as a home console or used as a portable device, making it a ...
and
Xbox One
The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
in 2019. The game marks the ''Final Fantasy'' series transition from entirely
pre-rendered
Pre-rendering is the process in which video footage is not rendered in real-time by the hardware that is outputting or playing back the video. Instead, the video is a recording of footage that was previously rendered on different equipment (typic ...
backdrops to fully
three-dimensional
Three-dimensional space (also: 3D space, 3-space or, rarely, tri-dimensional space) is a geometric setting in which three values (called '' parameters'') are required to determine the position of an element (i.e., point). This is the inform ...
areas (though some areas were still pre-rendered), and is also the first in the series to feature
voice acting
Voice acting is the art of performing voice-overs to present a character or provide information to an audience. Performers are called voice actors/actresses, voice artists, dubbing artists, voice talent, voice-over artists, or voice-over talen ...
. ''Final Fantasy X'' replaces the
Active Time Battle (ATB) system with the "Conditional Turn-Based Battle" (CTB) system, and uses a new leveling system called the "Sphere Grid".
Set in the fantasy world of
Spira, a setting influenced by the
South Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
,
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
and
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
,
the game's story revolves around a group of adventurers and their quest to defeat a rampaging monster known as Sin. The
player character
A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not control ...
is
Tidus
is a fictional character in Square Enix's '' Final Fantasy'' series and the main protagonist of the 2001 role-playing video game ''Final Fantasy X''. Tidus is a 17-year-old from the city of Zanarkand who is transported to the world of Spira ...
, a star athlete in the fictional sport of blitzball, who finds himself in Spira after Sin destroyed his home city of Zanarkand. Shortly after arriving to Spira, Tidus becomes a guardian to
summoner Yuna to destroy Sin upon learning its true identity is that of his missing father,
Jecht
The tenth game of the ''Final Fantasy'' series, Square's 2001 best-selling role-playing video game ''Final Fantasy X'' features several fictional characters designed by Tetsuya Nomura who wanted the main characters' designs and names to be conn ...
.
Development of ''Final Fantasy X'' began in 1999, with a budget of more than ( in dollars) and a team of more than 100 people. The game was the first in the main series not entirely scored by
Nobuo Uematsu
is a Japanese composer and keyboardist best known for his contributions to the '' Final Fantasy'' video game series by Square Enix. A self-taught musician, he began playing the piano at the age of twelve, with English singer-songwriter Elton ...
;
Masashi Hamauzu and
Junya Nakano
is a Japanese video game composer. After working for Konami in the early 1990s, he was employed by Squaresoft and then Square Enix from 1995 to 2009. He is best known for scoring '' Threads of Fate'' and co-composing ''Final Fantasy X'' for Sq ...
were signed as Uematsu's fellow composers. ''Final Fantasy X'' was both a critical and commercial success, shipping over 8.5 million units worldwide on PlayStation 2. It is considered to be one of
the greatest video games of all time. On March 13, 2003, it was followed by ''
Final Fantasy X-2
is a 2003 role-playing video game developed and published by Square (video game company), Square for the PlayStation 2. Unlike most ''Final Fantasy'' games, which use self-contained stories and characters, ''X-2'' continues the story of ''Fin ...
'', making it the first ''Final Fantasy'' game to have a direct game sequel. As of September 2021, the ''Final Fantasy X'' series had sold over 20.8 million units worldwide,
and at the end of March 2022 had surpassed 21.1 million.
Gameplay
Like previous games in the series, ''Final Fantasy X'' is presented in a third-person perspective, with players directly navigating the main character, Tidus, around the world to interact with objects and people. Unlike previous games, however, the world and town maps have been fully integrated, with terrain outside of cities rendered to scale. As Tidus explores the world, he randomly encounters enemies. When an enemy is encountered, the environment switches to a
turn-based
In video and other games, the passage of time must be handled in a way that players find fair and easy to understand. This is usually done in one of the two ways: real-time and turn-based.
Real-time
Real-time games have game time progress cont ...
battle area where characters and enemies await their turn to attack.
The gameplay of ''Final Fantasy X'' differs from that of previous ''Final Fantasy'' games in its lack of a
top-down perspective
A variety of computer graphic techniques have been used to display video game content throughout the history of video games. The predominance of individual techniques have evolved over time, primarily due to hardware advances and restrictions ...
world map
A world map is a map of most or all of the surface of Earth. World maps, because of their scale, must deal with the problem of projection. Maps rendered in two dimensions by necessity distort the display of the three-dimensional surface of ...
. Earlier games featured a miniature representation of the expansive areas between towns and other distinct locations, used for long-distance traveling. In ''Final Fantasy X'', almost all the locations are essentially continuous and never fade out to a world map. Regional connections are mostly linear, forming a single path through the game's locations, though an
airship
An airship or dirigible balloon is a type of aerostat or lighter-than-air aircraft that can navigate through the air under its own power. Aerostats gain their lift from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding air.
In early ...
becomes available late in the game, giving the player the ability to navigate Spira faster. Like previous games in the series, ''Final Fantasy X'' features numerous
minigame
A minigame (also spelled mini game and mini-game, sometimes called a subgame or microgame) is a short game often contained within another video game. A minigame contains different gameplay elements, and is often smaller or more simplistic, than t ...
s, most notably the fictional underwater sport "blitzball".
Combat
''Final Fantasy X'' introduces the ''Conditional Turn-Based Battle'' system in place of the series' traditional ''Active Time Battle'' system first used in ''
Final Fantasy IV
known as ''Final Fantasy II'' for its initial North American release, is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix) for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Released in 1991, it is the fourth main insta ...
''. Whereas the ATB concept features real-time elements, the CTB system is a turn-based format that pauses the battle during each of the player's turns. Thus, the CTB design allows the player to select an action without time pressure.
A graphical timeline along the upper-right side of the screen details who will be receiving turns next, and how various actions taken will affect the subsequent order of turns. The ordering of turns can be affected by a number of spells, items, and abilities that inflict status effects upon the controlled characters or the enemies.
The player can control up to three characters in battle, though a swapping system allows the player to replace them with a character outside the active party at any time. "
Limit Break
''Final Fantasy'' is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and developed and owned by Square Enix (formerly Square). The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science fantasy role-playing video games (RPGs). The eponymous fi ...
s", highly damaging special attacks, reappear in ''Final Fantasy X'' as "Overdrives". In this new incarnation of the feature, most of the techniques are interactive, requiring button inputs to increase their effectiveness. While initially the Overdrives can be used when the character receives a significant amount of damage, the player is able to modify the requirements to unlock them.
''Final Fantasy X'' introduces an overhaul of the summoning system employed in previous games of the series. Whereas in previous titles a summoned creature would arrive, perform one action, and then depart, the "Aeons" of ''Final Fantasy X'' arrive and entirely replace the battle party, fighting in their place until either the aeon wins the battle, is defeated itself, or is dismissed by the player. Aeons have their own
statistics
Statistics (from German: '' Statistik'', "description of a state, a country") is the discipline that concerns the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of data. In applying statistics to a scientific, indust ...
, commands, special attacks, spells, and Overdrives. The player acquires five aeons over the course of the game through the completion of Cloister of Trials puzzles, but three additional aeons can be obtained by completing various
side-quests
A quest, or mission, is a task in video games that a player-controlled character, party, or group of characters may complete in order to gain a reward. Quests are most commonly seen in role-playing games and massively multiplayer online game ...
.
Sphere Grid
As with previous titles in the series, players have the opportunity to develop and improve their characters by defeating enemies and acquiring items, though the traditional
experience point
An experience point (often abbreviated as exp or XP) is a unit of measurement used in some tabletop role-playing games (RPGs) and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's life experience and progression through the game. Experien ...
system is replaced by a new system called the "Sphere Grid". Instead of characters gaining pre-determined statistic bonuses for their attributes after
leveling up, each character gains "Sphere Levels" after collecting enough Ability Points (AP). Sphere Levels allow players to move around the Sphere Grid, a pre-determined grid of interconnected nodes consisting of various statistic and ability bonuses. "Spheres" are applied to these nodes, unlocking its function for the selected character.
The Sphere Grid system also allows players to fully customize characters in contrast to their intended battle roles, such as turning the
White Mage-roled Yuna into a physical powerhouse and the
swordsman
Swordsmanship or sword fighting refers to the skills and techniques used in combat and training with any type of sword. The term is modern, and as such was mainly used to refer to smallsword fencing, but by extension it can also be applied to an ...
Auron into a healer. The ''International'' and
PAL
Phase Alternating Line (PAL) is a colour encoding system for analogue television. It was one of three major analogue colour television standards, the others being NTSC and SECAM. In most countries it was broadcast at 625 lines, 50 fields (25 ...
versions of the game include an optional "Expert" version of the Sphere Grid; in these versions, all of the characters start in the middle of the grid and may follow whichever path the player chooses. As a trade-off, the Expert grid has fewer nodes in total, thus decreasing the total statistic upgrades available during the game.
Blitzball
Blitzball is a minigame that requires strategy and tactics. The underwater sport is played in a large, hovering sphere of water surrounded by a larger audience of onlookers.
The player controls one character at a time as they swim through the sphere performing passes, tackles, and attempts to score. The gameplay is similar to that of the main game in the way that the controlled character moves through the area until they encounter an enemy. In this case, the enemy is a member of the opposing team. Status effects are also implemented in the minigame as each player can learn techniques that are equivalent to abilities in the main game.
Blitzball is first introduced in the beginning of the game during one of the early cinematic sequences in which Tidus, the main character who is described as a star blitzball player, is part of an intense game. It is the only minigame that plays a role in the overall plot line as it is not only a main part of Tidus's character, but it's also in the first scene where the game's main antagonist, Sin is shown.
Unlike with the other minigames, playing blitzball is mandatory near the beginning of the game, but it is later optional.
Plot
Setting and characters
''Final Fantasy X'' is set in the fictional world of Spira, consisting of one large landmass divided into three subcontinents, surrounded by small tropical islands. It features diverse climates, ranging from the tropical Besaid and Kilika islands, to the temperate Mi'ihen region, to the frigid Macalania and Mt. Gagazet areas. Spira is very different from the mainly European-style worlds found in previous ''Final Fantasy'' games, being much more closely modeled on
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...
, most notably with respect to vegetation, topography, architecture, and names.
Although predominantly populated by
human
Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, cultu ...
s, Spira features a variety of races. Among them are the Al Bhed, a technologically advanced but disenfranchised sub-group of humans with distinctive green eyes and unique language.
The Guado, which are less human in appearance, with elongated fingers and other
arboreal
Arboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally, but others are exclusively arboreal. The habitats pose nu ...
features. Still less human are the
lion
The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large cat of the genus '' Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; adu ...
-like Ronso and the
frog
A frog is any member of a diverse and largely Carnivore, carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order (biology), order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-f ...
-like Hypello. A subset of Spira's sentient races are the "unsent", the strong-willed spirits of the dead that remain in corporeal form. In Spira, the dead who are not sent to the Farplane by a summoner come to envy the living and transform into "
fiends", the monsters that are encountered throughout the game;
however, unsent with strong attachments to the world of the living may retain their human form. Other fauna in Spira, aside from those drawn from real animals, such as cats, dogs, birds, and butterflies, include the gigantic, amphibious shoopufs (which are similar to
elephant
Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantida ...
s); and the
emu-like
chocobo
The is a fictional species created for the ''Final Fantasy'' franchise by Square Enix (originally Square). A galliform bird commonly having yellow feathers, they were first introduced in ''Final Fantasy II'' (1988), and have since featured in ...
, which appears in most ''Final Fantasy'' games.
There are seven main
playable characters
A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not contro ...
in ''Final Fantasy X'', starting with
Tidus
is a fictional character in Square Enix's '' Final Fantasy'' series and the main protagonist of the 2001 role-playing video game ''Final Fantasy X''. Tidus is a 17-year-old from the city of Zanarkand who is transported to the world of Spira ...
(
James Arnold Taylor
James Arnold Taylor (born July 22, 1969), also known by his initials JAT, is an American voice actor, writer, producer and podcaster. He is known for portraying Ratchet in the '' Ratchet & Clank'' franchise, the main character Tidus in '' Final ...
/
Masakazu Morita
is a Japanese actor, voice actor and singer. He previously worked for Aoni Production. He is also the host of the radio show ''Bleach B-Station''. He played Ichigo Kurosaki in ''Bleach'', Maeda Keiji in '' Sengoku Basara'', Marco the Phoenix ...
), a cheerful young teenager and a star blitzball player from Zanarkand, who seeks a way home after an encounter with Sin transported him to Spira.
To do so, he joins
Yuna (
Hedy Burress
Heather E. "Hedy" Burress (born October 3, 1973) is an American actress. She had a starring role in the film ''Foxfire'' as Maddy, and later landed roles in television shows ''Boston Common'' and '' E.R.'' In the video game world, she is best kn ...
/
Mayuko Aoki
is a Japanese actress and voice actress who has worked on several anime and video game productions.
Filmography Anime
*'' Aquarian Age - Sign for Revolution'' – Yoriko Sannou
*'' Last Order -Final Fantasy VII-'' – Turk (shotgun)
Video Game ...
), a summoner on a journey to obtain the Final Aeon and defeat the enormous whale-like "Sin".
Journeying with them are:
Kimahri Ronso
The tenth game of the ''Final Fantasy'' series, Square's 2001 best-selling role-playing video game ''Final Fantasy X'' features several fictional characters designed by Tetsuya Nomura who wanted the main characters' designs and names to be conn ...
(
John DiMaggio
John William DiMaggio (; born September 4, 1968) is an American actor. His various voice roles include Bender on ''Futurama'', Jake the Dog on ''Adventure Time'', Marcus Fenix in the ''Gears of War'' series, Dr. Drakken on ''Kim Possible'', H ...
/
Katsumi Chō
is a Japanese voice actor from Gunma Prefecture affiliated with the Seinenza Theater Company.
Filmography
Television animation
*'' Cowboy Bebop'' (1998) (Bartender)
*''One Piece'' (2014) (Elizabello II)
*'' Subete ga F ni Naru'' (2015) (Suwano) ...
), a young warrior of the Ronso tribe who watched over Yuna during her childhood;
Wakka (also DiMaggio/
Kazuya Nakai
is a Japanese voice actor and narrator who was born in Kobe, Japan. He is affiliated with Aoni Production. His most notable role is Roronoa Zoro from ''One Piece''. Other major voice roles include Toshiro Hijikata from '' Gintama'', Date Masam ...
), a blitzball player whose younger brother was killed by Sin;
and
Lulu
Lulu may refer to:
Companies
* LuLu, an early automobile manufacturer
* Lulu.com, an online e-books and print self-publishing platform, distributor, and retailer
* Lulu Hypermarket, a retail chain in Asia
* Lululemon Athletica or simply Lulu, ...
(
Paula Tiso/
Rio Natsuki
is a Japanese voice actress and singer.
Notable voice roles
Anime
*'' Angelic Layer'' (Tsubasa McEnzie)
*''Battle Athletes series'' (Akari Kanzaki)
*''Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040'' ( Linna Yamazaki)
*'' Carnival Phantasm'' (Sion Eltnam Atlasi ...
), a
stoic
Stoic may refer to:
* An adherent of Stoicism; one whose moral quality is associated with that school of philosophy
* STOIC, a programming language
* ''Stoic'' (film), a 2009 film by Uwe Boll
* ''Stoic'' (mixtape), a 2012 mixtape by rapper T-Pain
* ...
black mage
''Final Fantasy'' is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and developed and owned by Square Enix (formerly Square). The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science fantasy role-playing video games (RPGs). The eponymous fi ...
close to Yuna and Wakka.
During the journey, they are joined by
Auron (
Matt McKenzie
Matt McKenzie is an actor best known for his voicework in games and movies. He is the voice of Auron in the RPG games ''Final Fantasy X'', ''Final Fantasy X-2'', and ''Kingdom Hearts II''. He also provided the English voice of Borgoff in the mo ...
/
Hideo Ishikawa
is a Japanese voice actor and narrator from Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. He is currently affiliated with Aoni Production.
He is most known for being voices for Kicchō Fukuda in '' Slam Dunk'', Auron in ''Final Fantasy X'', Itachi Uchiha in ''N ...
), a former warrior monk, who worked with both Tidus' and Yuna's fathers to defeat Sin 10 years prior;
and
Rikku
Rikku is a fictional character in the '' Final Fantasy'' series, created by Tetsuya Nomura. Rikku first appears in ''Final Fantasy X'' as one of its protagonists, where she accompanies her cousin Yuna and others on a journey to defeat the monst ...
(
Tara Strong
Tara Lyn Strong (née Charendoff; born February 12, 1973) is a Canadian-American actress. She is known for her voice work in animation, websites, and video games. Strong's voice roles include animated series such as '' The New Batman Adventure ...
/
Marika Matsumoto
is a Japanese actress. From 2001 and 2003, she was known as "Mini Stop-chan", acting as the mascot for the Ministop convenience store chain commercials in Japan. She is the owner of a unique voice and has held a recital with upcoming star Satos ...
), Yuna's cousin, a perky Al Bhed girl and the first friendly person Tidus meets upon arriving in Spira.
Story
Tidus waits with his allies outside the ruins of an ancient city. He narrates the events that led to the present, spanning most of the game's storyline.
It begins in his home city, the high-tech metropolis of
Zanarkand, where he is a renowned blitzball player and son of the famous blitzball star,
Jecht
The tenth game of the ''Final Fantasy'' series, Square's 2001 best-selling role-playing video game ''Final Fantasy X'' features several fictional characters designed by Tetsuya Nomura who wanted the main characters' designs and names to be conn ...
, an abusive father who disappeared 10 years prior.
During a blitzball tournament, the city is attacked by an immense creature that Auron, a man not originally from Zanarkand, calls "Sin".
Sin destroys Zanarkand and takes Tidus and Auron to the world of Spira.
Upon arriving in Spira, Tidus is rescued by Al Bhed salvagers, with the young Rikku says Sin destroyed Zanarkand 1,000 years ago.
After Sin attacks again, Tidus is separated from the divers and drifts to the tropical island of Besaid, where he meets Wakka, captain of the local blitzball team.
Wakka introduces Tidus to Yuna, a young summoner about to go on a pilgrimage to obtain the Final Aeon and defeat Sin
with her guardians Lulu, a mage of black magic, and Kimahri, a member of the Ronso tribe. The party travels across Spira to gather aeons, defending against attacks by Sin and its "offspring" called Sinspawn.
Tidus meets Auron again, who convinces Tidus to become Yuna's guardian upon revealing that Jecht is Sin's true identity.
Ten years ago, Auron and Jecht bodyguarded Yuna's late father
Braska to defeat Sin but Jecht became a new Sin.
As Yuna's party continues their pilgrimage, Tidus reunites with Rikku, who the party learns is Yuna's cousin.
When the party arrives in the city of Guadosalam, the leader of the Guado and major clergy member
Seymour Guado
The tenth game of the ''Final Fantasy'' series, Square's 2001 best-selling role-playing video game ''Final Fantasy X'' features several fictional characters designed by Tetsuya Nomura who wanted the main characters' designs and names to be conn ...
, proposes to Yuna, saying that it will ease Spira's sorrow.
At Macalania Temple, the group discovers a message from the spirit of Seymour's father, Lord Jyscal; he declares that he was killed by his own son, who now aims to destroy Spira.
The group reunites with Yuna and kills Seymour in battle;
soon afterward, Sin attacks, separating Yuna and sending the others to the arid Bikanel Island.
While searching for Yuna at the island's Al Bhed settlement,
Tidus has an emotional breakdown when he learns that summoners die after summoning the Final Aeon, leading to his desire to find a way to defeat Sin while keeping Yuna alive.
The group finds Yuna in Bevelle, the center of the clergy’s power, where she is being forced to marry the unsent Seymour.
They crash the wedding, after which Seymour reveals his plan to become Sin with Yuna's help.
The party defeats him a second time and escapes with Yuna.
The group heads toward the ruins of Zanarkand, seen in the introduction of the game.
Shortly before arriving, Tidus learns that he, Jecht, and the Zanarkand they hail from are summoned entities akin to aeons based on the original Zanarkand and its people.
Long ago, the original Zanarkand battled Bevelle in a machina war, in which the former was defeated.
Zanarkand's survivors became "
fayth" so that they could use their memories of Zanarkand to create a new city in their image, removed from the reality of Spira.
Once they reach Zanarkand,
Yunalesca—the first summoner to defeat Sin and unsent ever since
—tells the group that the Final Aeon is created from the fayth of one close to the summoner. After defeating Sin, the Final Aeon kills the summoner and transforms into a new Sin, which has caused its cycle of rebirth to continue.
The group decides against using the Final Aeon, due to the futile sacrifices it carries and the fact that Sin would still be reborn.
Yunalesca tries to kill Tidus' group, but she is defeated and vanishes, ending hope of ever attaining the Final Aeon.
After the fight, the group learns that
Yu Yevon — the deity of the
Yevon religion who was a summoner from Zanarkand before losing his humanity and mind — is behind Sin's cycle of rebirth.
This leads the group to infiltrate Sin's body in order to find Yu Yevon. Inside Sin, the party finds the unsent Seymour, who had been absorbed by Sin and intends to control it from within. Yuna defeats him for the final time before sending him to the Farplane.
Shortly after, the group reaches the core of Sin and finds Jecht's imprisoned spirit.
Tidus and Jecht finally come to terms with the latter’s abuse. Jecht transforms into his Final Aeon form, asking the party to defeat him and end the cycle; they do so. With Sin's host defeated, Yuna summons and the group defeats each aeon after Yu Yevon possesses each one until finally they vanquish Yu Yevon himself.
Sin's cycle of rebirth ends when Yuna sends Sin and the Aeons to the farplane, and the spirits of Spira's fayth are freed from their imprisonment. Auron, who had been revealed to be unsent, is sent to the Farplane.
Dream Zanarkand and Tidus disappear, now that the freed fayth stopped the summoning.
Afterward, in a speech to the citizens of Spira, Yuna resolves to help rebuild their world now that it is free of Sin.
In a post-credits scene, Tidus awakens under water and swims towards the ocean surface.
Development
''Final Fantasy X''s development began in 1999, costing approximately
¥4 billion (approximately , or in dollars) with a crew of over 100 people, most of whom worked on previous games in the series. Executive producer
Hironobu Sakaguchi
is a Japanese game designer, director, producer, and writer. Originally working for Square (later Square Enix) from 1983 to 2003, he departed the company and founded independent studio Mistwalker in 2004. He is known as the creator of the ''Fin ...
has stated that although he had concerns about the transition from 2D to 3D backgrounds, the voice acting, and the transition to real-time story-telling, the success of the ''Final Fantasy'' series can be attributed to constantly challenging the development team to try new things.
Producer
Yoshinori Kitase
is a Japanese game director and producer working for Square Enix. He is known as the director of ''Final Fantasy VI'', ''Chrono Trigger'', ''Final Fantasy VII'', ''Final Fantasy VIII'' and ''Final Fantasy X'', and the producer of the ''Final Fa ...
was also the chief director of ''Final Fantasy X'', while the direction of events, maps and battles was split up between
Motomu Toriyama
is a Japanese game director and scenario writer who has been working for Square Enix since 1994. He initially worked on cutscenes in ''Bahamut Lagoon'' and ''Final Fantasy VII'' before serving as one of the 3 directors on ''Final Fantasy X'' u ...
, Takayoshi Nakazato and
Toshiro Tsuchida
(born 1964) is a Japanese game director and game producer who currently works for Japanese Social Game company GREE. He formerly worked for Square Enix, Square Enix Co., Ltd. (formerly Square (video game company), Square Co., Ltd.). He is most not ...
, respectively.
The development of the script for the game took three to four months, with the same amount of time dedicated to the voice recording afterwards.
Tetsuya Nomura
is a Japanese video game artist, designer and director working for Square Enix (formerly Square). He designed characters for the ''Final Fantasy'' series, debuting with ''Final Fantasy VI'' and continuing with various later installments. Addi ...
and
Kazushige Nojima
is a Japanese video game writer. He is best known for writing several installments of Square Enix's ''Final Fantasy'' franchise—namely ''Final Fantasy VII'' and its spin-offs '' Advent Children'' and '' Crisis Core'', ''Final Fantasy VIII'', an ...
collaborated with
Daisuke Watanabe
is a Japanese video game writer employed by Square Enix. He is mostly known for his work on the role-playing video game series ''Final Fantasy'' and the action RPG series '' Kingdom Hearts''.
Career
Watanabe first became interested in writ ...
, Toriyama and Kitase on writing the scenario for ''Final Fantasy X''.
Nojima was particularly concerned with establishing a connection in the relationship between player and main character. Thus, he penned the story such that the player's progress through the world and growing knowledge about it is reflected in Tidus' own understanding and narration.
According to the
Square Enix companion book ''Final Fantasy Ultimania Archive Volume III'', ''17 SEVEN TEEN'' was a temporary title early in ''Final Fantasy X's'' production. ''17 SEVEN TEEN's'' story differed from the final version: the protagonist, who looked strikingly similar to Tidus, traveled the world seeking a cure for a pandemic that killed people when they reached the age of seventeen.
Influences
![Okinawa Emerald Beach](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/Okinawa_Emerald_Beach.JPG)
Character designer
Tetsuya Nomura
is a Japanese video game artist, designer and director working for Square Enix (formerly Square). He designed characters for the ''Final Fantasy'' series, debuting with ''Final Fantasy VI'' and continuing with various later installments. Addi ...
has identified the
South Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
,
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
and Japan as major influences on the cultural and geographic design of Spira, particularly concerning the geographic location of the southern Besaid and Kilika islands. He has also said that Spira deviates from the worlds of past ''Final Fantasy'' games in the level of detail incorporated, something he has expressed to have made a conscious effort to maintain during the design process.
Kitase felt that if the setting went back to a medieval European fantasy, it would not seem to help the development team advance. While he was thinking of different world environments, Nojima suggested a fantasy world that incorporated Asian elements.
Sub-character chief designer Fumi Nakashima's focus was to ensure that characters from different regions and cultures bore distinctive characteristics in their clothing styles, so that they could be quickly and easily identified as members of their respective sub-groups. For example, she has said that the masks and goggles of the Al Bhed give the group a "strange and eccentric" appearance, while the attire of the Ronso lend to them being able to easily engage in battle.
Tidus was originally envisioned to be a
plumber
A plumber is a tradesperson who specializes in installing and maintaining systems used for potable (drinking) water, and for sewage and drainage in plumbing systems. as to connect to the underwater elements used in the game, according to Nojima, but they later made him into a Blitzball athlete, helping to distinguish his character from prior ''Final Fantasy'' protagonists; Tidus' final outfit still incorporated elements of the original plumber outfit they had designed for him.
Tidus' relationship with his father Jecht was based on "stories throughout the ages, such as the ancient Greek legends." This would eventually reveal the key of Sin's weakness and eventual defeat. Auron was intended to be silent throughout the game but became a voiced character as they developed out the Guardian storyline between Tidus and Yuna.
Although ''Final Fantasy X'' was originally centered on the relationship between Tidus and Yuna, the addition of Jecht's character and his feud with his son was added later in the making of the game to provide more focus on how the father and son produce a bigger impact in Spira's history rather than the romantic couple. Kitase found the story between Tidus and Jecht to be more moving than the story between Tidus and Yuna.
Design
![Motion Capture with Chad Phantom](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/Motion_Capture_with_Chad_Phantom.png)
''Final Fantasy X'' features innovations in the rendering of characters' facial expressions, achieved through
motion capture and
skeletal animation
Skeletal animation or rigging is a technique in computer animation in which a character (or other articulated object) is represented in two parts: a surface representation used to draw the character (called the ''mesh'' or ''skin'') and a hierarc ...
technology.
This technology allowed animators to create realistic lip movements, which were then programmed to match the speech of the game's voice actors.
The cutscene of Tidus and Yuna kissing was developed by
Visual Works
(formerly Visual Works and Image Arts), is a Japan-based CGI animation studio dedicated towards creating video game cut scenes and full-length feature films for Square Enix. Square Enix Image Studio Division was founded as Visual Works as the C ...
, a subsidiary of Square Enix. Many of the animators were not experienced with romance scenes - Visual Works director Kazuyuki Ikumori stated that the animators sought feedback from younger staff at Square Enix, as well as female members of staff. The scene was remade multiple times after receiving responses that earlier drafts were "unnatural" and "not believable."
Nojima has revealed that the inclusion of voice acting enabled him to express emotion more powerfully than before, and he was therefore able to keep the storyline simple. He also said that the presence of voice actors led him to make various changes to the script, in order to match the voice actors' personalities with the characters they were portraying. The inclusion of voice, however, led to difficulties. With the game's cutscenes already programmed around the Japanese voice work, the English
localization
Localization or localisation may refer to:
Biology
* Localization of function, locating psychological functions in the brain or nervous system; see Linguistic intelligence
* Localization of sensation, ability to tell what part of the body is a ...
team faced the difficulty of establishing English-oriented dialogue and the obstacle of incorporating this modified wording with the rhythm and timing of the characters' lip movements. Localization specialist
Alexander O. Smith
Alexander O. Smith is a professional Japanese to English translator and author. While his output covers many areas such as adaptation of Japanese novels, manga, song lyrics, anime scripts, and various academic works, he is best known for his sof ...
noted that they had to keep the localized sound file within the duration of the original Japanese, as longer files would cause the game to crash.
He described the process of fitting natural-sounding English speech into the game as "something akin to writing four or five movies' worth of dialogue entirely in
haiku
is a type of short form poetry originally from Japan. Traditional Japanese haiku consist of three phrases that contain a ''kireji'', or "cutting word", 17 '' on'' (phonetic units similar to syllables) in a 5, 7, 5 pattern, and a ''kigo'', or s ...
form
ndof course the actors had to act, and act well, within those restraints."
The game was initially going to feature online elements, offered through Square's
PlayOnline
PlayOnline is an online gaming service owned by Square Enix as the launcher application and Internet service for many of the online PC, PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360 games the company publishes. Launched on June 6, 2000, the service hosted games ...
service. The features, however, were dropped during production, and online gaming would not become part of the ''Final Fantasy'' series until ''
Final Fantasy XI
also known as ''Final Fantasy XI Online'', is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), originally developed and published by Squaresoft and then published by Square Enix as the eleventh main installment of the ''Final Fantas ...
''. Map director Nakazato wanted to implement a world map concept with a more realistic approach than that of the traditional ''Final Fantasy'' game, in line with the realism of the game's 3D backgrounds, as opposed to pre-rendered backgrounds. Battle art director Shintaro Takai has explained that it was his intention that battles in ''Final Fantasy X'' come across as a natural part of the story and not an independent element.
Features would have included wandering enemies visible on the field map, seamless transitions into battles, and the option for players to move around the landscape during enemy encounters.
However, hardware limitations resulted in these ideas not being used. Instead, a compromise was made, whereby some transitions from the field map to the battle map were made relatively seamless with the implementation of a motion blur effect that would happen at the end of an
event scene.
The desire for seamless transitions also led to the implementation of the new summoning system seen in the game.
As a player of the games in the ''Final Fantasy'' series, battle director Tsuchida wanted to recreate elements he found interesting or entertaining, which eventually led to the removal of the ''Active Time Battle'' system, and instead, incorporated the strategy-focused ''Conditional Turn-Based Battle'' system.
Kitase has explained that the purpose behind the Sphere Grid is to give players an interactive means of increasing their characters' attributes, such that they will be able to observe the development of those attributes firsthand. At the time of the game's development, Nojiima had been reading about
cryptography
Cryptography, or cryptology (from grc, , translit=kryptós "hidden, secret"; and ''graphein'', "to write", or ''-logia'', "study", respectively), is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of adver ...
, and thus created the means to decode the Al Bhed language within the game, albeit simpler than initially planned.
Music
''Final Fantasy X'' marks the first time regular series composer Nobuo Uematsu has had any assistance in composing the score for a game in the main series. His fellow composers for ''Final Fantasy X'' were Masashi Hamauzu and Junya Nakano.
They were chosen for the soundtrack based on their ability to create music that was different from Uematsu's style while still being able to work together. PlayOnline.com first revealed that the game's theme song was completed in November 2000. As Square still had not revealed who would sing the song,
GameSpot
''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
personally asked Uematsu, who jokingly answered "It's going to be
Rod Stewart."
The game features three songs with vocalized elements, including the
J-pop
J-pop ( ja, ジェイポップ, ''jeipoppu''; often stylized as J-POP; an abbreviated form of "Japanese popular music"), natively also known simply as , is the name for a form of popular music that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the ...
ballad "
Suteki da ne", which translates to "Isn't it Wonderful?". The lyrics were written by Kazushige Nojima, and the music was written by Uematsu. The song is performed by Japanese folk singer
Rikki Rikki is a given name of feminine and masculine usage. It is of European, East Asian, and South Asian origins. Notable people with the name include:
Rikki(born 1990), Jewish-American pop princess
* Rikki (Japanese singer) (born 1975), Japanese fo ...
, whom the music team contacted while searching for a singer whose music reflected an
Okinawan atmosphere.
"Suteki da ne" is also sung in Japanese in the English version of ''Final Fantasy X''. Like "
Eyes on Me" from ''
Final Fantasy VIII'' and "
Melodies of Life" from ''
Final Fantasy IX
is a 2000 role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation video game console. It is the ninth game in the main '' Final Fantasy'' series. The plot focuses on a war between nations in a medieval fantasy world cal ...
'', an orchestrated version of "Suteki da ne" is used as part of the ending theme. The other songs with lyrics are the heavy metal opening theme, "Otherworld", sung in English by Bill Muir; and "Hymn of the Fayth", a recurring piece sung using Japanese syllabary.
The original soundtrack spanned 91 tracks on four discs. It was first released in Japan on August 1, 2001, by DigiCube, and was re-released on May 10, 2004, by Square Enix.
In 2002, Tokyopop released a version of ''Final Fantasy X Original Soundtrack'' in North America entitled ''Final Fantasy X Official Soundtrack'', which contained 17 tracks from the original album on a single disc.
Other related CDs include ''feel/Go dream: Yuna & Tidus'' which, released in Japan by DigiCube on October 11, 2001, featured tracks based on Tidus' and Yuna's characters.
''Piano Collections Final Fantasy X'', another collection of music from the game,
and ''Final Fantasy X Vocal Collection'', a compilations of exclusive character dialogues and songs were both released in Japan in 2002.
The Black Mages
The Black Mages were a Japanese instrumental rock band formed in 2002 by Nobuo Uematsu, Kenichiro Fukui and Tsuyoshi Sekito, who were three video game composers for Square and Square Enix. The band arranged Uematsu's ''Final Fantasy'' video game ...
, a band led by Nobuo Uematsu that arranges music from ''Final Fantasy'' video games into a
rock music
Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States an ...
style, have arranged three pieces from ''Final Fantasy X''. These are "Fight With Seymour" from their
self-titled album, published in 2003,
[(February 19, 2003). ''The Black Mages''. DigiCube. SSCX-10080] and "Otherworld" and "The Skies Above", both of which can be found on the album ''
The Skies Above'', published in 2004.
[(December 22, 2004). ''The Black Mages II: The Skies Above''. Universal Music. UPCH-1377] Uematsu continues to perform certain pieces in his ''Dear Friends: Music from Final Fantasy'' concert series.
The music of ''Final Fantasy X'' has also appeared in various official concerts and live albums, such as ''
20020220 Music from Final Fantasy
''Final Fantasy'' is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi and owned by Square Enix that includes video games, motion pictures, and other merchandise. There have been a number of compilation albums of ''Final Fantasy'' music produced b ...
'', a live recording of an orchestra performing music from the series including several pieces from the game.
An odd note; the unreleased/promo CD-R (Instrumental) version of Madonna's "What It Feels Like For A Girl" done by Tracy Young was used in the blitzball sequences. Additionally, "Swing de Chocobo" was performed by the
Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra
The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra ( sv, Kungliga Filharmonikerna or , literal translations, "Royal Philharmonic" or "Royal Philharmonic Orchestra") is a Swedish orchestra based in Stockholm. Its principal venue is the Konserthuset.
His ...
for the ''Distant Worlds – Music from Final Fantasy'' concert tour,
while "Zanarkand" was performed by the
New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra
The is a symphony orchestra based in Tokyo, Japan. It was founded in 1972 with Seiji Ozawa as honorary conductor laureate. The Philharmonic's primary concert venue is the Sumida Triphony Hall. From 2003 to 2013 its music director was Chr ...
in the ''
Tour de Japon: Music from Final Fantasy'' concert series.
Independent but officially licensed releases of ''Final Fantasy X'' music have been composed by such groups as Project Majestic Mix, which focuses on arranging video game music.
Selections also appear on Japanese remix albums, called ''
dojin music
, also called in Japan, is a sub-category of '' doujin'' activity. ''Doujin'' are non-official self-published Japanese works which can be based on official products or completely original creations. Such products are sold online on specialized ...
'', and on English remixing websites.
Versions and merchandise
The Japanese version of ''Final Fantasy X'' included an additional disc entitled "The Other Side of Final Fantasy", which featured interviews, storyboards, and trailers for ''
Blue Wing Blitz
is a Japanese-exclusive tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square (video game company), Square on July 5, 2001 for the WonderSwan Color and compatible with the WonderSwan.
Unlike standard tactical video games, ''Blue Wing Blit ...
'', ''
Kingdom Hearts'', and ''
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within'', as well as the first footage of ''
Final Fantasy XI Online''. An international version of the game was released in Japan as ''Final Fantasy X International'' in January 2002, and in PAL regions under its original title. It features content not available in the original
NTSC
The first American standard for analog television broadcast was developed by National Television System Committee (NTSC)National Television System Committee (1951–1953), Report and Reports of Panel No. 11, 11-A, 12–19, with Some supplement ...
releases, including battles with "Dark" versions of the game's aeons and an airship fight with the superboss "Penance".
On September 2, 2003, Final Fantasy X was released as Greatest Hits in North America. The Japanese release of ''Final Fantasy X International'' also includes "Eternal Calm", a 14-minute video clip bridging the story of ''Final Fantasy X'' with that of its sequel, ''
Final Fantasy X-2
is a 2003 role-playing video game developed and published by Square (video game company), Square for the PlayStation 2. Unlike most ''Final Fantasy'' games, which use self-contained stories and characters, ''X-2'' continues the story of ''Fin ...
''.
The video clip was included in a bonus DVD for ''
Unlimited Saga Collector's Edition'' under the name ''Eternal Calm, Final Fantasy X-2: Prologue''. It was first released in Europe on October 31, 2003, and featured English voice-overs.
The international and PAL versions include a bonus DVD called ''Beyond Final Fantasy'', a disc including interviews with the game's developers, and two of the game's English voice actors,
James Arnold Taylor
James Arnold Taylor (born July 22, 1969), also known by his initials JAT, is an American voice actor, writer, producer and podcaster. He is known for portraying Ratchet in the '' Ratchet & Clank'' franchise, the main character Tidus in '' Final ...
(Tidus) and
Hedy Burress
Heather E. "Hedy" Burress (born October 3, 1973) is an American actress. She had a starring role in the film ''Foxfire'' as Maddy, and later landed roles in television shows ''Boston Common'' and '' E.R.'' In the video game world, she is best kn ...
(Yuna). Also included are trailers for ''Final Fantasy X'' and ''Kingdom Hearts'', a concept and promotional art gallery for the game, and a music video of "Suteki da ne" performed by Rikki. In 2005, a compilation featuring ''Final Fantasy X'' and ''Final Fantasy X-2'' was released in Japan as ''Final Fantasy X/X-2 Ultimate Box''.
Square also produced various types of merchandise and several books, including ''The Art of Final Fantasy X'' and three ''
Ultimania'' guides, a series of artbooks/
strategy guides published by
DigiCube
DigiCube Co., Ltd. (株式会社デジキューブ; ''Kabushiki-gaisha Dejikyūbu'') was a Japanese company established as a subsidiary of software developer Square on February 6, 1996 and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The primary purpose of Digi ...
in Japan. They feature original artwork from ''Final Fantasy X'', offer gameplay walkthroughs, expand upon many aspects of the game's storyline and feature several interviews with the game's designers. There are three books in the series: ''Final Fantasy X Scenario Ultimania'', ''Final Fantasy X Battle Ultimania'', and ''Final Fantasy X Ultimania Ω''. On December 18, 2012 the game was re-released as part of the ''Final Fantasy 25th Anniversary Ultimate Box'' release.
''HD Remaster''
On September 13, 2011, Square Enix announced that ''Final Fantasy X'' would be re-released in
high-definition for the
PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...
and
PlayStation Vita
The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita, or Vita) is a handheld video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, and in North America, Europe, and other international terri ...
, in celebration of the game's 10-year anniversary.
In January 2012, production of the remaster had started. Producer Yoshinori Kitase was once again involved in the production, wishing to work on its quality.
On February 18, 2013 the first footage of the PlayStation Vita version of ''Final Fantasy X HD'' was released, showing off HD models of Tidus, Yuna, Bahamut and Yojimbo.
On March 19, it was confirmed that the PS3 version of the game would also include its sequel ''X-2'', and that it would be remastered in HD. The two HD remastered games for the PS3 were released under the title ''Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster'' on a single
Blu-ray Disc game,
and was sold separately on game cartridges on Vita in Japan and sold together in North America, Europe and Australia as a set, with ''FFX'' being on a cartridge and ''FFX-2'' being included as a download voucher.
Downloadable versions are available for both systems. Square Enix launched an official website for the two HD remastered titles in March 2013.
The games contain all the content found in the ''International'' version, including ''Eternal Calm'' and ''Last Mission''.
During the PlayStation China press conference that took place in
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...
on December 11, 2014, Square Enix confirmed ''Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster'' would be released for the
PlayStation 4
The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 i ...
in Spring 2015.
It was released in North America on May 12, Australia and Japan on May 14, and Europe on May 15, 2015.
It included enhanced graphics in full HD (
1080p
1080p (1920×1080 progressively displayed pixels; also known as Full HD or FHD, and BT.709) is a set of HDTV high-definition video modes characterized by 1,920 pixels displayed across the screen horizontally and 1,080 pixels down the screen ve ...
), the option to switch to the original soundtrack and the ability to transfer
save files from the PS3 and PS Vita versions. One year later on May 12, 2016, it was released for
Microsoft Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for ...
via
Steam. It includes an auto-save feature, 5 game boosters, 3 parameter changes, the option to skip
FMVs/cinematics,
4K resolution support, audio settings and graphic options. A version for the
Nintendo Switch
The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a tablet that can either be docked for use as a home console or used as a portable device, making it a ...
and the
Xbox One
The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
was released on April 16, 2019.
Reception
''Final Fantasy X'' received critical acclaim by video game critics. The Japanese video game magazine ''
Famitsu
formerly ''Famicom Tsūshin'', is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly formats as well as in the f ...
'' and ''Famitsu PS2'' awarded the game a near-perfect 39/40 score.
Another Japanese gaming magazine, ''The Play Station'', gave the game a score of 29/30. ''Famitsu'', ''Famitsu PS2'', and ''The Play Station'' expressed particularly favorable responses toward the game's storyline, graphics, and movies.
The game maintains a 92 out of 100 on
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
.
Producer
Shinji Hashimoto stated that the overall reception to the game was "excellent", having received praise and awards from critics.
''
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
''s David Smith offered praise for the voice actors and the innovations in gameplay, particularly with the revised battle and summon systems, the option to change party members during battle, and the character development and inventory management systems. He also felt that the game's graphics had improved on its predecessors in every way possible, and that the game as a whole was "the best-looking game of the series
ndarguably the best-playing as well".
Greg Kasavin
Gregory A. Kasavin (; born August 21, 1977) is an American writer and designer for Supergiant Games, and the former site director and executive editor at the gaming website ''GameSpot'' for over 10 years.
Early life and education
Kasavin atten ...
of ''
GameSpot
''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
'' praised the game's storyline, calling it surprisingly complex, its ending satisfying, and its avoidance of role-playing game clichés commendable with Tidus viewed as an appealing protagonist. He also lauded the music, feeling it was "diverse and well suited to the various scenes in the game".
Similarly, ''
GamePro'' described its character building system and battle system as "two of the best innovations in the series".
The visuals of the game were commended by
GameSpy's Raymond Padilla, who referred to them as "top-notch", as well as giving praise to the character models, backgrounds, cutscenes, and animations.
The voice casting was praised by
Game Revolution who noted most of them were "above average" and called the music "rich".
''
Edge
Edge or EDGE may refer to:
Technology Computing
* Edge computing, a network load-balancing system
* Edge device, an entry point to a computer network
* Adobe Edge, a graphical development application
* Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed ...
'' rated the game considerably lower, criticizing many aspects of the game for being tedious and uninnovative and describing the dialogue as "nauseating", particularly panning Tidus.
Andrew Reiner of ''Game Informer'' criticized the game's linearity and that players were no longer able to travel the world by chocobo or control the airship.
''
Eurogamer
''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 and owned by alongside formed company Gamer Network. Its editor-in-chief is Martin Robinson.
Since 2008, it is known for the formerly eponymous games trade fair EG ...
''s Tom Bramwell noted that the game's puzzle segments were "depressing" and "superfluous", and that although the Sphere Grid was "a nice touch", it took up too much of the game.
The linearity of the game was positively commented on by ''GamePro'' who stated that a player would not be required to participate in side-quests or the mini-game to reach the game's conclusion, finding some of them unappealing.
Game Revolution complained that cutscenes could not be skipped, some even being too long.
Sales
Square initially expected the game to sell at least two million copies worldwide owing to the reduced PlayStation 2's fanbase, making it smaller than the last three released titles. However, within its first day of its release in Japan, more than units were shipped, including 1.4 to 1.5 million
pre-orders
A pre-order is an order placed for an item that has not yet been released. The idea for pre-orders came because people found it hard to get popular items in stores because of their popularity. Companies then had the idea to allow customers to r ...
.
A million units were sold within hours, and first-day shipments were expected to generate or in sales revenue.
These figures exceeded the performances of ''
Final Fantasy VII'' and ''IX'' in a comparable period, and ''Final Fantasy X'' became the first PlayStation 2 game to reach two million and four million sold copies. In October 2007, the game was listed as the 8th best-selling game for the PlayStation 2. ''Final Fantasy X'' sold over copies in Japan alone in 2001.
By June 2002, it had sold units worldwide, including in the
Asia-Pacific region, in North America, and 840,000 in Europe. By March 2003, the game had sold units worldwide, including in Japan and abroad. It sold 6.6 million copies worldwide by January 2004. By July 2006, it had sold 2.3 million copies and earned $95 million in the United States ( in ). ''
Next Generation'' ranked it as the 11th highest-selling game launched for the PlayStation 2, Xbox or GameCube between January 2000 and July 2006 in that country.
As of March 2013, the game had shipped over 8.5 million copies worldwide on PS2.
As of 2017, the PS2 version of the game has sold over 8 million copies worldwide.
(PS2: 8M+) IGN Japan
The "Ultimate Hits" bargain reissue of the game in September 2005 sold over 131,000 copies in Japan by the end of 2006.
In October 2013, Square Enix announced ''Final Fantasy X'' and its sequel ''Final Fantasy X-2'' have together sold over 14 million copies worldwide on PlayStation 2.
Awards
''Final Fantasy X'' received the Best Game Award from the
Japan Game Awards
The Japan Game Awards is the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's awards ceremony, which was created in 1996 as the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association, CESA Awards. While it repres ...
for 2001–2002.
In ''GameSpot''
's "Best and Worst Awards" from 2001, it came seventh in the category "Top 10 Video Games of the Year", and won the "Best Story" and "Best Role-Playing Game" awards.
The game also received a PlayStation 2 Game of the Year award nomination at the
2002 Golden Joystick Awards, but lost to ''
Grand Theft Auto III''. Readers of ''Famitsu'' magazine voted it the best game of all time in early 2006.
''Final Fantasy X'' came in fifth on ''IGN''
's "Top 25 PS2 Games of All Time" list in 2007 and sixth in "The Top 10 Best Looking PS2 Games of All Time". In a similar list by GameSpy, the game took the 21st place. ''
1UP.com
''1Up.com'' was an American entertainment website that focused on video games. Launched in 2003, ''1Up.com'' provided its own original features, news stories, game reviews, and video interviews, and also featured comprehensive PC-focused conten ...
'' listed its revelation during the ending as the third-biggest video game spoiler, while ''IGN'' ranked the ending as the fifth best pre-rendered cutscene. In a Reader's Choice made in 2006 by ''IGN'', it ranked as the 60th-best video game. It was also named one of the 20 essential Japanese role-playing games by
Gamasutra
''Game Developer'', known as ''Gamasutra'' until 2021, is a website founded in 1997 that focuses on aspects of video game development. It is owned and operated by Informa and acts as the online sister publication to the print magazine '' Gam ...
. It also placed 43rd in ''
Game Informer
''Game Informer'' (''GI'', most often stylized ''gameinformer'' from the 2010s onward) is an American monthly video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and associated consoles. It debuted in August 1991 w ...
''s list of "The Top 200 Games of All Time".
In 2004, ''Final Fantasy X'' was listed as one of the best games ever made by
GameFAQs, while in November 2005 it was voted as the 12th "Best Game Ever". In a general overview of the series, both ''
GamesRadar'' and ''IGN'' listed ''Final Fantasy X'' as the fourth best game. At the sixth annual
Interactive Achievement Awards in 2003, it was nominated for "Outstanding Achievement in Animation" and "Console Role-Playing Game of the Year". Readers from GameFaqs also voted it as
Game of the Year
Game of the Year (GotY) is an award given by various award events and media publications to a video game that they feel represented the pinnacle of gaming that year.
Events and ceremonies
British Academy Games Awards (BAFTA Games Awards)
...
during 2001.
In 2008, readers of ''
Dengeki'' magazine voted it the second best game ever made.
It was voted first place in ''Famitsu''s and ''Dengeki''s polls of most tear-inducing games of all time.
Both Tidus and Yuna have been popular characters in games in general due to their personalities and their romantic relationship.
Legacy
![Tidus and Luna FFX Cosplay - MCM Comic Con 2016 (27398643405)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Tidus_and_Luna_FFX_Cosplay_-_MCM_Comic_Con_2016_%2827398643405%29.jpg)
Due to its commercial and critical success, Square Enix released a direct sequel to ''Final Fantasy X'' in 2003, titled ''
Final Fantasy X-2
is a 2003 role-playing video game developed and published by Square (video game company), Square for the PlayStation 2. Unlike most ''Final Fantasy'' games, which use self-contained stories and characters, ''X-2'' continues the story of ''Fin ...
''.
The sequel is set two years after the conclusion of ''Final Fantasy X'', establishing new conflicts and dilemmas and resolving loose ends left by the original game. Although the sequel did not sell as well as the original, 5.4 million units versus over 8 million units, it can still be considered a commercial success.
As a result of the title's popularity, Yoshinori Kitase and Kazushige Nojima decided to establish a plot-related connection between ''Final Fantasy X'' and ''
Final Fantasy VII'', another well-received'' Final Fantasy'' game. In 2013, after the release of the HD Remaster, Nojima stated that he would like to see a second sequel to ''X'', and if there were demand for it, it could happen.
The minigame of blitzball has made it into other games, such as ''
Final Fantasy X-2
is a 2003 role-playing video game developed and published by Square (video game company), Square for the PlayStation 2. Unlike most ''Final Fantasy'' games, which use self-contained stories and characters, ''X-2'' continues the story of ''Fin ...
'', and was mentioned as a possibility for ''
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn''.
The advancements in portraying realistic emotions achieved with ''Final Fantasy X'' through voice-overs and detailed facial expressions have since become a staple of the series, with ''Final Fantasy X-2'' and other subsequent titles (such as ''
Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII'', ''
Final Fantasy XII
is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix. The twelfth main installment of the '' Final Fantasy'' series, it was first released for the PlayStation 2 in 2006. It introduced several innovations to the series: an open ...
'', ''
XIII
XIII may refer to:
* 13 (number) or XIII in Roman numerals
* 13th century in Roman numerals
* XIII (comics), ''XIII'' (comics), a Belgian comic book series by Jean Van Hamme and William Vance
** XIII (2003 video game), ''XIII'' (2003 video game), a ...
'' and its sequels, and ''
XV'') also featuring this development. Traversing real-time 3D environments instead of an overworld map has also become a standard of the series. ''Final Fantasy X'' can be considered a pioneer in 3-D RPG maps.
The Sphere Grid system of ''Final Fantasy X'' had an influence on the action role-playing game ''
Path of Exile
''Path of Exile'' is a free-to-play action role-playing video game developed and published by Grinding Gear Games. Following an open beta phase, the game was released for Microsoft Windows in October 2013. A version for Xbox One was released i ...
'' (2013), along with the
Materia system of ''Final Fantasy VII''.
According to Square Enix producer
Shinji Hashimoto, cosplays of the characters have been popular.
Takeo Kujiraoka, director from ''
Dissidia Final Fantasy NT
is a fighting game with action role-playing elements developed by Koei Tecmo's Team Ninja and published by Square Enix for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 4.
The game is a follow-up to ''Dissidia Final Fantasy'' and ''Dissidia 012 Final Fan ...
'', regarded ''Final Fantasy X'' as his favorite game from the franchise based on its emotional impact on the players as well as the multiple amount of playable content that surpasses 100 hours.
Kujiraoka noted that the staff received multiple requests by fans to include Tidus' and Yuna's ''Will'' look as an alternative design but Nomura said it was not possible as the company would first need to develop ''Final Fantasy X-3''.
Further reading
*
See also
*
List of Square Enix video game franchises
This is a list of video game franchises by Square Enix, a Japanese video game development and publishing company formed from the merger of Enix and Square on April 1, 2003. Square Enix acquired Taito in September 2005, which continues to publish ...
Notes
References
External links
Official ''Final Fantasy X'' website (European)
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Final Fantasy 10
2001 video games
Criticism of religion
Fiction about death
Discrimination in fiction
Fiction about monsters
Final Fantasy video games
Fiction about government
Japanese role-playing video games
Martyrdom in fiction
Music in fiction
Patricide in fiction
PlayStation 2 games
Propaganda in fiction
Fiction about rebellions
Role-playing video games
Romance video games
Fiction about sacrifices
Single-player video games
Sony Interactive Entertainment games
Video games developed in Japan
Video games scored by Junya Nakano
Video games scored by Masashi Hamauzu
Video games scored by Nobuo Uematsu
Video games set on fictional planets
Video games with alternative versions
War video games
Japan Game Awards' Game of the Year winners