World of Final Fantasy
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''World of Final Fantasy'' 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 by
Tose () (also called Tose Software) is a Japanese video game development company based in Kyoto. It is mostly known for developing Nintendo's Game & Watch ports and remakes#Game & Watch Gallery series, ''Game & Watch Gallery'' series, various ''Drago ...
and published by
Square Enix is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational holding company, production enterprise and entertainment conglomerate, best known for its ''Final Fantasy'', ''Dragon Quest'', ''Star Ocean'' and ''Kingdom Hearts'' role-playing video game ...
. It is a spin-off of the ''
Final Fantasy is a Japanese video game, Japanese science fantasy anthology media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi and developed and owned by Square Enix (formerly Square (video game company), Square). The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and ...
'' franchise, featuring characters from across its mainline and supplementary entries. Initially released for
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and
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in 2016, it was later ported to
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in 2017. An updated version, ''World of Final Fantasy Maxima'', was released as a port for
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and
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in 2018, with the Windows and PS4 receiving the ''Maxima'' update as
downloadable content Downloadable content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can either be added for no extra cost or it can be a form of video game monetization, enablin ...
. The game takes place in Grymoire, a world of coexisting ''Final Fantasy'' locations. The story follows siblings Lann and Reynn, who possess the power to tame monsters called Mirages, and are sent to Grymoire to reclaim their lost memories and thwart the plans of the Bahamutian Army. Returning to a more traditional gameplay style from earlier titles, it revolves around turn-based battles which utilize the series' recurring
Active Time Battle 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 ...
system, augmented with a stacking mechanic where stacking allied characters and monsters affects statistics and abilities. Development started around the concept of a ''Final Fantasy'' title aimed at a wider and younger audience, focusing on a light tone and stylized graphics compared to the mainline entries. It was directed and written by Hiroki Chiba, who had worked as a scenario writer and event planner for the series. The chibi character designs were created by Yasuhisa Izumisawa; the larger characters were designed by
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. Addit ...
. The music was composed primarily by
Masashi Hamauzu is a Japanese composer, pianist, and lyricist. Hamauzu, who was employed at Square Enix from 1996 to 2010, was best known during that time for his work on the ''Final Fantasy'' and ''SaGa'' video game series. Born into a musical family in German ...
, who also included arranged versions of classic themes with Tose's sound team while aiming for the music to be lighter in tone than his previous work. The ''Maxima'' port was created in response to popular demand, though a limited budget meant there was relatively little added content. Both versions of the game run on
Silicon Studio Silicon Studio is a Japanese computer graphics technology company and video game developer based in Tokyo. As a technology company, Silicon Studio has produced several products in the 3D computer graphics field, including middleware 3D computer ...
's
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engine. First announced at the 2015
Electronic Entertainment Expo E3 (short for Electronic Entertainment Expo or Electronic Entertainment Experience in 2021) is a trade event for the video game industry. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) organizes and presents E3, which many developers, publisher ...
, ''World of Final Fantasy'' was intended as a celebratory title to commemorate the series' 30th anniversary. A worldwide release was planned from an early stage, with localization running parallel to the development and Japanese voice recording. In order to keep the characters true to their original appearances, the localization staff who first handled them were brought in to translate their dialogue. Reception of the game was generally positive, with many praising its aesthetics and stacking mechanic, but criticism focusing on its slow pace and storyline. Debuting to strong sales in Japan, the original version sold over 900,000 copies worldwide by 2018.


Gameplay

''World of Final Fantasy'' 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 ...
in which players take control of twin siblings Lann and Reynn as they navigate the world of Grymoire. The world is broken up between safe town environments and dungeons with enemies and puzzles. During their travels, Lann and Reynn befriend various monsters called Mirages that they can utilize both in battle and within the navigable environment: examples of this usage include riding larger Mirages as mounts or using them to navigate environmental puzzles. Another element to both puzzles and combat is the ability of Lann and Reynn to freely change size between normal Jiant forms and chibi-style Lilikin form. A recurring location is Nine Wood Hills, the place where Lann and Reynn start their journey, where they keep and organized unused Mirages, purchase items and access the Coliseum to enter fights and capture unique Mirages. The game's battle system makes use of the
Active Time Battle 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 ...
(ATB) system employed by multiple ''Final Fantasy'' games. In battle, players control a party of Mirages which can be stacked upon each other to grant various boons in battle while decreasing the number of turns that can be taken. The party can attack freely, use items, and perform abilities using Action Points (AP). The types of Mirages used affect the party's available skills and abilities in battle. Mirages are captured in battle after they have been sufficiently weakened or a particular sequence of actions is taken, and once in the party can be freely named. In addition to standard Mirages are special Mirages that can be temporarily summoned into battle using a full pool of AP: the Mirage remains in battle, replacing the main party, until either the summoner's AP is depleted or the Mirage's health drops to zero. Another action accessed from Nine Wood Hills are Intervention Quests, storylines ending in boss fights focusing around character cameos from parts of the ''Final Fantasy'' series. Some Intervention Quests include unique minigames, such as fighting through a dungeon or completing a grid-based puzzle. The expanded release ''World of Final Fantasy Maxima'' includes several additional features including a
New Game+ A New Game Plus, also New Game+ (NG+), is an unlockable video game mode available in some video games that allows the player to start a new game after they finish it at least once, where certain features in NG+ not normally available in a first ...
option, and several alterations to gameplay. A notable addition are Champion Mirajewels, items that allow Lann and Reynn to transform into chibi versions of ''Final Fantasy'' protagonist and gain access to unique abilities.


Synopsis


Setting

''World of Final Fantasy'' opens begins in a town called Nine Wood Hills, though the story's events are set in the world of Grymoire. Grymoire is a land where multiple locations from earlier ''Final Fantasy'' titles, such as Cornelia (''
Final Fantasy is a Japanese video game, Japanese science fantasy anthology media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi and developed and owned by Square Enix (formerly Square (video game company), Square). The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and ...
'') and Saronia (''
Final Fantasy III is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Family Computer. The third installment in the ''Final Fantasy'' series, it is the first numbered ''Final Fantasy'' game to feature the job-change system. The story revolve ...
''), fuse together and where multiple climates exist side-by-side. The main inhabitants of Grymoire are the chibi-like Lilikins, while its monsters are called Mirages. The protagonists and others like them are referred to as "Jiants". The inhabitants of Grymoire are drawn from multiple entries in the ''Final Fantasy'' series. Rather than being characters drawn from their respective worlds, they are versions that have always lived in the world of Grymoire — these characters have dedicated side stories tying into the main narrative.


Characters

The main protagonists are
twin Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of TwinLast Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two em ...
siblings, Lann and Reynn — Lann is an energetic boy who is prone to act idiotically, while his older sister Reynn is cautious and acts as a foil and counterpart. Both hold the power to capture and control Mirages, and can switch freely between Jiant and Lilikin forms. The siblings are guided through Grymoire by Tama, a mysterious creature who acts as their navigator and teacher. Their mother is revealed to be a legendary figure called Lusse Farna, who saved the world a century before. Lann and Reynn are guided into Grymoire from Nine Wood Hills by Enna Kros, a mysterious figure who acts as the god of Grymoire. The twins are helped from Nine Wood Hills by the pixie Mirage Seraphie, who looks after their captured Mirages. They also encounter a mysterious "Masked Woman" with enigmatic aims; and an antagonistic Jiant summoner called Hauyn. The main enemy is the Bahamutian Army, a force of Jiant-like beings who are spreading their influence across the world: they are led by their king Dark Knight Brandelis, his chief tactician Segwarides, and Winged Knight Pellinore. The ''Final Fantasy'' cameo characters, which spans from across the series, include the Warrior of Light and Princess Sarah (''Final Fantasy''); Refia (''Final Fantasy III'');
Rydia is a fictional character in the ''Final Fantasy'' series. She appears in ''Final Fantasy IV'' as one of its protagonists. She is able to summon entities, as can others from her village. She was created by Yoshitaka Amano. Her design in '' Final F ...
(''
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 instal ...
''); Bartz Klauser, Gilgamesh and
Faris Scherwiz Faris Scherwiz is a fictional character in the ''Final Fantasy'' series. She first appears in ''Final Fantasy V'' as an early antagonist and later one of its protagonists. She was born Princess Sarisa Scherwil Tycoon, but was lost at sea and rais ...
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Final Fantasy V is a fantasy role-playing video game developed and published by Square in 1992. It is the fifth main installment of the ''Final Fantasy'' series. The game first appeared only in Japan on Nintendo's Super Famicom (known internationally as the Su ...
'');
Terra Branford Terra Branford, known as in Japanese, is a fictional character in the ''Final Fantasy'' series and the main protagonist of ''Final Fantasy VI''. Yoshitaka Amano and Tetsuya Nomura designed her for the main series installment, with Kazuko Shibuy ...
, Edgar Roni Figaro and
Celes Chere Celes Chere is a fictional character and protagonist in the video game ''Final Fantasy VI''. She was created by Yoshinori Kitase and was his favorite character in the game. She struggles with allegiances between the Empire and the rebel group the ...
(''
Final Fantasy VI also known as ''Final Fantasy III'' from its initial North American release, is a 1994 role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the sixth main entry in the ''Final Fantasy'' s ...
'');
Cloud Strife is a fictional character and the main protagonist of Square's (now Square Enix's) 1997 role-playing video game ''Final Fantasy VII'', its high-definition remake, and several of its sequels and spinoffs. In ''Final Fantasy VII'', Cloud is a m ...
,
Tifa Lockhart is a character (arts), character who debuted in Square (video game company), Square's (now Square Enix) 1997 role-playing video game ''Final Fantasy VII''. She was created as a foil to her teammate Aerith Gainsborough by members of the developmen ...
and Shelke (''
Final Fantasy VII is a 1997 role-playing video game developed by Square for the PlayStation console. It is the seventh main installment in the ''Final Fantasy'' series. Published in Japan by Square, it was released in other regions by Sony Computer Entertai ...
'' and its companion media);
Squall Leonhart is a fictional character and the main protagonist of '' Final Fantasy VIII'', a role-playing video game that was produced by Square (now Square Enix). In ''Final Fantasy VIII'', Squall is an 17-year-old student at Balamb Garden, a prestigious ...
and Quistis Trepe (''
Final Fantasy VIII is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation console. Released in 1999, it is the eighth main installment in the ''Final Fantasy'' series. Set on an unnamed fantasy world with science fiction elements, t ...
'');
Vivi Ornitier is a video game character in the ''Final Fantasy'' series. He appears in the video game ''Final Fantasy IX'', where he serves as one of the game's protagonists. He is a shy character who through ''Final Fantasy IX'' grapples with the trauma of d ...
and Eiko Carol (''
Final Fantasy IX is a 2000 role-playing video game developed and published by Square (video game company), Square for the PlayStation (console), PlayStation video game console. It is the ninth game in the main ''Final Fantasy'' series. The plot focuses on a wa ...
'');
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 (Final Fantasy), Yuna and others on a journey ...
,
Tidus is a character (arts), fictional player character, 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 Spira (Final Fantas ...
and
Yuna Yuna may refer to: Geography *Yuna River, Dominican Republic *Yuna, Western Australia Music * ''Yuna'' (album), a 2012 album by Malaysian singer Yuna * ''Yuna'' (EP), a 2008 album by Malaysian acoustic singer Yuna People Japanese *Yuna Aoi, wr ...
(''
Final Fantasy X is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square as the tenth main entry in the ''Final Fantasy'' series. Originally released in 2001 for PlayStation 2, the game was re-released as ''Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster'' for PlayStat ...
''); Shantotto (''
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 Fantasy ...
''),
Lightning Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electric charge, electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the land, ground, temporarily neutralize themselves, causing the instantaneous ...
and Snow Villiers (''
Final Fantasy XIII is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles and later for the Microsoft Windows operating system. Released in Japan in December 2009 and international in March 2010, it is the ...
''); and Sherlotta ('' Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time''). The ''Maxima'' version includes brief scenarios covering Cecil Harvey (''Final Fantasy IV''),
Zack Fair is a fictional character in the ''Final Fantasy'' role-playing video game series by Square Enix (originally Square), first introduced as a non-player character in ''Final Fantasy VII'' (1997). Zack later appears in the ''Compilation of Final Fan ...
(''Final Fantasy VII''), and Serah Farron (''
Final Fantasy XIII-2 is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It was released in 2011 in Japan and 2012 in North America and PAL regions, and was ported to Microsoft Windows in 2014 and iOS and Androi ...
'').


Plot

In the world of Nine Wood Hills, Lann and Reynn meet Enna Kros, who reveals they are former Mirage Keepers stripped of their mirages and memories. She opens a portal to the world of Grymoire, where the twins begin recovering their mirages. They discover a power dubbed the Bahamutian Federation—led by Brandelis and his subordinates Segwarides and Pellinore—is forcing other nations into servitude from their hidden base. Lann and Reynn are embroiled in Grymoir's conflicts with the Federation. Prompted by Lann, the twins begin following the steps of the Azure Prophecy, which leads them to seek four elemental keys across Grymoire's lands, and learn that their mother Lady Lusse is a legendary figure who saved Grymoire from catastrophe a century before. They also begin awakening champions, individuals across Grymoire who can resonate with the twins' powers. They are also prodded along by the Masked Woman, and confronted by an angered Hauyn. The twins eventually learn the full truth. In an attempt to help their mother with her burdens as a summoner, Lann and Reynn stole her powers and summoned Brandelis through a portal called the Ultima Gate. Brandelis, part of a destructive pantheon dubbed the Exnine Knights, killed Lusse and their father Rorrik and used their bodies as vessels for the Exnine Knights Pellinore and Segwarides respectively. Lusse's last act was to send Lann and Reynn to Nine Wood Hills, separating them from Grymoire and stripping them of their memories. With help from another Exnine Knight using the "Masked Woman" as a puppet, Brandelis manipulated the twins into reopening the Ultima Gate, allowing a parasitic race called Cogna to begin consuming Grymoire. Despite Reynn's fears, Lann leads a single-handed attack on Brandelis' fortress. Lann kills both Segwarides and Pellinore, then sacrifices himself to imprison Brandelis after the latter destroys both Hauyn and the dying Lusse and Rorrik. In despair, Reynn retreats with Tama to Nine Wood Hills, which is eventually also invaded by Cogna. Refusing to accept this ending, Reynn is sent back in time by Tama — in her true form of Tamamohimé — through the sacrifice of her remaining lives. This allows Reynn to alter events, telling Lann and Hauyn about the coming tragedy. Together they form a plan; use the summoners of Grymoire to reverse the Ultima Gate's flow, sending the Cogna and Exnine Knights into the void. The twins continue to help the people of Grymoire, recover their mirages, and revive Tama. Lann, Reynn and Hauyn together with the summoners and their champions then launch a united attack and successfully reverse the Ultima Gate, pulling the Cogna from Grymoire. Lann and Reynn free their parents from the Exnine Knights' control and allow their spirits to pass on, then defeat Brandelis. After he attacks Hauyn, the twins push Brandelis through the Ultima Gate as it closes, giving Hauyn their mirages to safeguard Grymoire. Enna Kros then gives a final "gift", returning versions of Lann and Reynn to Grymoire as champions. A secret ending added in ''Maxima'' has Hauyn fighting a Diabolos mirage from another world, while an older and ragged Lann continues to search for a missing Reynn.


Development

''World of Final Fantasy'' was produced and overseen by Business Division 3 of
Square Enix is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational holding company, production enterprise and entertainment conglomerate, best known for its ''Final Fantasy'', ''Dragon Quest'', ''Star Ocean'' and ''Kingdom Hearts'' role-playing video game ...
, with development handled by
Tose () (also called Tose Software) is a Japanese video game development company based in Kyoto. It is mostly known for developing Nintendo's Game & Watch ports and remakes#Game & Watch Gallery series, ''Game & Watch Gallery'' series, various ''Drago ...
. The initial concept for ''World of Final Fantasy'' was created between series producer Shinji Hashimoto, and Square Enix staff member Hiroki Chiba. Chiba's previous work on the series had been as a scenario writer and event planner for several titles including '' Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII'' and ''
Final Fantasy Type-0 is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation Portable (PSP). Released in Japan on October 27, 2011, ''Type-0'' is part of the ''Fabula Nova Crystallis'' subseries, a set of games sharing a common my ...
'', titles that had been noted for the dark tone and stories. Hashimoto and Chiba noticed that the series age demographic had shifted to adolescents and adults, with few young people coming to the series. ''World of Final Fantasy'' was intended to "lower the threshold" for players so more people could enjoy the series. The original concepts that form part of ''World of Final Fantasy'' were created for a
simulation video game Simulation video games are a diverse super-category of video games, generally designed to closely simulate real world activities. A simulation game attempts to copy various activities from real life in the form of a game for various purposes such ...
. When that project ran into difficulties, it was scrapped and its aesthetic elements reused in the smartphone title ''Pictlogica Final Fantasy''. The gameplay systems deliberately recalled mainline entries prior to ''Final Fantasy X''. The battle system was inspired by the Active Time Battle variants used in the
Super Famicom The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Euro ...
era of the series. Hashimoto was the originator of the monster collection mechanic. The capturing mechanic was included as a parallel to the company's ''
Dragon Quest Monsters ''Dragon Quest Monsters'' is a spin-off series of the ''Dragon Quest'' games. Published by Square Enix (formerly Enix), it sets the player in a medieval/fantasy world filled with magic, monsters and knights. Unlike the original ''Dragon Quest'' ...
'' subseries. The monster stacking design was decided upon during discussions between Chiba and artist Yasuhisa Izumisawa during early development: Izumisawa had created an illustration showing three different Job classes stacked on top of each other while riding Magitek armor as a joke, and Chiba thought that this would be a nice addition to the combat system. The number of monsters included in the game had to be restricted due to hardware limitations. Once the gameplay systems had been decided upon, the team needed to consider what hardware could successfully portray it. The game's original platforms,
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 in ...
and
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, were decided upon by Chiba as he wanted "the power of the former and the portability of the latter". This also enabled use of the two platform's cross-save feature, allowing players to take the game between the two platforms. Despite the varying power of the hardware, the team worked to ensure there were minimal content differences between the two versions. The game used the Orochi 3, which was chosen to help speed development due to its developer-friendly structure.


Scenario and art design

The scenario was written by Chiba, whose main focus was to create a story that would appealed to young players with comic dialogue, while keeping true to the characters drawn from each ''Final Fantasy'' title. The story was written to be similar to early ''Final Fantasy'' titles, with the volume meant to be equivalent to ''Final Fantasy VI'', ''VII'' and ''VIII''. Its main focus was creating a light-hearted experience while still retaining darker narrative elements associated with the series. Alongside the main narrative, Chiba wrote a novel's worth of additional side content found in optional books and leaflets to add context to the game's world. While not essential, he felt it important to lend depth to Grymoire. The scenario team included Mayumi Takita and ''Type-0'' script writer Sara Okabe. In addition to more traditional character inclusions such as Cloud, Squall and Lightning, less prominent characters such as Eiko and Shelk were included. This was because characters were chosen due to situations in the plot rather than either including every character or choosing only the most popular ones. A cited example was a scene which took place at a port, which was a perfect fit for the pirate captain Faris from ''Final Fantasy V''. Chiba was responsible for all the characters introduced into the title, and turned down multiple characters suggested by staff as they did not fit into the story. The "World" title held multiple meanings: it was at once a ''Final Fantasy'' world in its own right, and a world where multiple ''Final Fantasy'' titles merged. The aesthetics were intended to contrast directly with the increasingly realistic graphics of the main series, exemplified by the graphics and character design of ''Final Fantasy XIII''. The characters were redesigned in a super deformed chibi style to better reinforce the series' "cute" aspect. The chibi designs and their contrast with realistic designs, originally created for the cancelled simulation video game, were used at Chiba's insistence. To create these new designs, Chiba and Hashimoto brought in Izumisawa, who had worked on the '' Crystal Chronicles'' subseries and enjoyed creating cute character designs. Many of the chibi designs were drawn from those used in ''Pictlogica Final Fantasy'', a title which Chiba had worked on as scenario writer. The Jiant characters were designed by veteran ''Final Fantasy'' artist
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. Addit ...
. Nomura was brought in so that his designs would draw the attention of established series fans. Numerous guest artists contributed Mirage and character designs including
Yūsuke Kozaki is a Japanese manga artist and character designer. Works Manga artist * (1997, ''Monthly Young Magazine'', Kodansha, one-shot) * (1998, ''Bessatsu Monthly Young Magazine'', Kodansha, one-shot) * (2001, ''Monthly Young Magazine'', Kodansha, we ...
,
Yuji Himukai is a Japanese illustrator and video game artist from Hyūga, Miyazaki. Himukai has contributed as a novel illustrator and as a character design for various video games, including the ''Etrian Odyssey'' and ''Shin Megami Tensei'' series. Works N ...
,
Shirow Miwa is a Japanese manga artist and illustrator. He is best known as the writer and artist for the ''Dogs'' manga series, but has also contributed illustrations to various tribute books, and magazines, including Square Enix's Monthly Shōnen Gangan. M ...
, Yusuke Iwasa, Ryota Murayama and Taiki. The initial idea for the protagonists was for them to share the chibi art design of the rest of the cast, but Chiba felt that this would weaken the game as it did not represent the "sweet and sour" aspects of the series. Nomura's designs were a hybrid of his work on ''Final Fantasy'' and his more cartoon-like character designs for the ''
Kingdom Hearts is a series of action role-playing games developed and published by Square Enix (originally by Square (video game company), Square). It is a collaboration between Square Enix and The Walt Disney Company and is under the leadership of Tetsuya ...
'' series. Many monster designs were based on series artwork created for earlier entries by
Yoshitaka Amano is a Japanese visual artist, character designer, illustrator, a scenic designer for theatre and film, and a costume designer. He first came into prominence in the late 1960s working on the anime adaptation of ''Speed Racer''. Amano later became ...
: Amano also designed the game's logo, using the concept of a large number of monsters fighting alongside the main characters. There were also new monster designs created by both Izumisawa and Nomura. Izumisawa was key to smoothing out the differences in how each monster had been portrayed by different artists across the series, creating images which epitomized their most iconic features. Nomura supervised character modelling, even down to small facial details, and was regularly consulted by Chiba on how each character should move and speak in-game, so as to keep their personalities and presence intact which still serving the narrative. The anime sequences were produced by studio
Creators in Pack is a Japanese animation studio founded in 2013. Works Anime television series *'' Miritari!'' (2015) *'' Danchigai'' (2015) *''Hacka Doll the Animation'' (2015) *''Ojisan and Marshmallow'' (2016) *''Ozmafia!!'' (2016) *''Bloodivores'' (2016) * ...
, with
Yasuhiro Imagawa is a Japanese anime director and screenwriter. Much of his work evokes nostalgia for 1970s super robot mecha anime. Works Anime ;Major works ;Minor works *''Bremen 4: Angels in Hell'' (TV film, assistant director, 1981) *''Yattodetaman'' (TV ...
acting as animation director. The true ending credits movie was created 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 ...
, Square Enix's in-house CGI studio.


Music

The game's soundtrack was primarily composed and arranged by
Masashi Hamauzu is a Japanese composer, pianist, and lyricist. Hamauzu, who was employed at Square Enix from 1996 to 2010, was best known during that time for his work on the ''Final Fantasy'' and ''SaGa'' video game series. Born into a musical family in German ...
, with other contributions from Shingo Kataoka, Hayata Takeda, and Takashi Honda, consisting of nearly one hundred tracks. Hamauzu was assisted by Tose's sound team, including co-composer Kataoka. German pianist Benyamin Nuss, who had performed other Hamauzu and ''Final Fantasy'' pieces on the '' Distant Worlds'' concerts and ''
Symphonic Fantasies ''Symphonic Fantasies: Music from Square Enix'' was an award-winning symphonic tribute concert originally held in Cologne, Germany on September 12, 2009, at the Cologne Philharmonic Hall featuring video game music from Japanese game developer Squ ...
'' tribute album, performed piano on the soundtrack. Vocals for the soundtrack were performed by Mina Sakai, a vocalist who had worked with Hamauzu on ''Final Fantasy XIII'' and formed part of his musical group Imeruat. Chiba wanted a composer who was synonymous with the ''Final Fantasy'' series, and although he initially considered
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 Jo ...
, he settled on Hamauzu due to an earlier positive working relationship between them. Hamuzu created an estimated 10% of the songs before their setting was decided, including the theme for Nine Wood Hills. In contrast to Hamauzu's previous work, which was noted for its darker themes and motifs, the music for ''World of Final Fantasy'' was intended to be lightweight, allowing him to approach it more positively than previous projects. Chiba requested twelve unique battle themes from Hamauzu. Due to space limitations, the battle themes were fairly short. In addition to original music, Hamauzu and the Tose music staff were in charge of doing several new arrangements of classic themes. The keyword for arrangements was "toy box", a version for a younger audience that would retain the original theme's elements. The arrangements covered work by Hamuzu, Uematsu,
Kumi Tanioka is a Japanese composer and pianist. Born in Hiroshima, Japan, she graduated from Kobe University with a degree in musical performance, and began working as a video game composer in 1998. She joined video game developer and publisher Square tha ...
and Mitsuto Suzuki. One of the earliest completed tracks that set the tone for remixes was Kataoka's melody for the opening town Cornelia, a setting from the first ''Final Fantasy''. Many of the challenges came to fitting arrangements to the planned settings, with some themes requiring altered time signatures without changing the melody. One arrangement both Hamauzu and Tose staff were nervous about was the arrangement of "Blinded by Light", a theme created by Hamauzu for ''Final Fantasy XIII''. Hamauzu's work was the subject of constant oversight, with other leading staff making sure his music fitted different scenes, and requesting changes when they did not; this checking was motivated by the wish to pay respect to the original characters. Hamauzu cited ''World of Final Fantasy'' as a refreshing project compared to his earlier darker-themed work. The opening theme, titled "Innocent²", was composed by Ryo Yamazaki and performed by Japanese singer Aoi "Mizuki" Mizu. Chiba brought Yamazaki on board, having worked with him several times. The ending themes were created by members of music company Noisycroak, and supervised by Yamazaki. The bad ending theme, "Silent World", was composed by Ryusuke Fujioka and sung by Tama's voice actress
Ayana Taketatsu is a Japanese voice actress and singer.Doi, Hitoshi"Taketatsu Ayana" ''Seiyuu Database''. January 3, 2011. Retrieved January 12, 2011. Biography She attended Nihon Narration Engi Kenkyujo, a voice actor training school before becoming affili ...
. The true ending theme, titled "World Parade", was composed by Ryo Shirasawa of Noisycroak and performed by Taketatsu,
Kana Hanazawa is a Japanese actress, voice actress and singer. A prolific voice performer in anime, she has amassed several film and television credits since her debut in 1990. She won the Seiyu Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2015, and won the Newtype ...
(Enna Kros) and
Eri Kitamura is a Japanese voice actress and singer. She was previously affiliated with Early Wing, but is now a freelancer. She is known for voicing prominent roles in anime such as and Sayaka Miki in '' Puella Magi Madoka Magica'', Saya Otonashi in ''Bloo ...
(Serafie). Hamauzu originally assumed the songs would be either English for all regions or dubbed into English for the Western release, but due to Western fans liking Japanese lyrics, the songs were kept unchanged between regions. The lyrics, in addition to song titles, were written in simple language so people of all ages could read and understand them.


Release

The game was first revealed to the public at the 2015
Electronic Entertainment Expo E3 (short for Electronic Entertainment Expo or Electronic Entertainment Experience in 2021) is a trade event for the video game industry. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) organizes and presents E3, which many developers, publisher ...
. At the time of its reveal, the game was said to be 30-40% complete. In addition to drawing new fans into the series, its release was intended to be a celebration of the series to commemorate its 30th anniversary. This meant that its ultimate release date was decided early on. The title was released in October 2016 worldwide: on October 25 in North America, on October 27 in Japan, and on October 28 in Europe. It was supplemented in Japan by a guidebook, published by Square Enix on November 26. A port of the game to
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 serv ...
via
Steam Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...
was announced in October 2017, releasing that same year on November 21. The port featured limited graphics options and was locked to thirty frames per second, but came with several cheats including free AP, max money and items, and disabling random encounters. The Western release of the game was planned from an early stage, as the team wanted to deliver the experience to fans across the world. Localization was an arduous task, as the team wanted to preserve as much of the Japanese version's tone and style as possible. As Chiba wanted the guest ''Final Fantasy'' characters to sound consistent with their canon appearances from across the series, the original localization leads were brought in to help translate the dialogue so as to retain each character's recognized nuances. Some terms were difficult for the team to localize, such as "Nosenose" and "falling apart", Japanese terms related to the stacking mechanic. English dubbing ran almost parallel to the Japanese voice recording, which lasted around ten to eleven months. In the West, several editions were created outside the standard original release; all versions featured in-game extras of additional mirages and the Japanese dub. A Day One edition featured only this content. A Limited Edition included unique art book and a 24-page art book. A limited Collector's Edition was released exclusively through the Western Square Enix store; the edition featured the original soundtrack, an 80-page art book, and figurines. ''Final Fantasy VII'' antagonist Sephiroth was included in first print copies in Japan, and as part of the special editions in the West. Sephiroth' summoning video was created by Visual Works. The original game received limited-time
downloadable content Downloadable content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can either be added for no extra cost or it can be a form of video game monetization, enablin ...
(DLC) later that year giving players a Champion Medal summon of Sora, lead protagonist of the ''
Kingdom Hearts is a series of action role-playing games developed and published by Square Enix (originally by Square (video game company), Square). It is a collaboration between Square Enix and The Walt Disney Company and is under the leadership of Tetsuya ...
'' series. Later free DLC in March 2017 provided a Champion Medal of
Balthier is a 25-year-old fictional character in the ''Final Fantasy'' series, and a protagonist in ''Final Fantasy XII''. He was designed by Akihiko Yoshida, was voiced by Gideon Emery and Hiroaki Hirata in the English and Japanese versions respectivel ...
, a protagonist from ''
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 wo ...
''.


''World of Final Fantasy: Meli-Melo''

A mobile spin-off, ''World of Final Fantasy Meli-Melo'', was released in Japan on December 12, 2017 for Android and
iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...
devices. The game is set in Valgallan, one of the worlds created by Enna Kros which is threatened with destruction, and follows the player character as they befriend Mirages and fend off the forces attacking Valgallan. The gameplay is similar to that of the main game, though adapted for a mobile platform, and features multiple characters in Lilikin form. The game was
free-to-play Free-to-play (F2P or FtP) video games are games that give players access to a significant portion of their content without paying or do not require paying to continue playing. Free-to-play is distinct from traditional commercial software, which ...
and monetized itself via a
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mechanic. ''Meli-Melo'' was shut down on December 13, 2018. A mobile title based around ''World of Final Fantasy'' was always planned, but the team decided to finish production on the main game first, then use its assets to create a mobile spin-off to save on budget. Square Enix's partnered with
Drecom is a Japanese software, web, and video game development and video game publishing company. Subsidiaries Drecom Media and DRE Novels publish light novels. History The company was founded in 2001 by Representative Director and President Yuki Na ...
to both develop and run the game. The gameplay and story theme was "casual", aiming it at younger modern audiences. The original game's artists were brought back to design new Mirages. The game's title " méli-mélo" was suggested by Nomura; a French term meaning a "mishmash" or "hodgepodge", it was said to suit the game's premise and tone. For the music, Yamazaki was brought back to create a new version of "Innocent", which Chiba considered the theme tune of the series.


''World of Final Fantasy Maxima''

''World of Final Fantasy Maxima'' is an expanded version of the original game, released worldwide on November 6, 2018 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 computer#Gaming tablet, tablet that can either be docking station, docked for use as a home video ...
,
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 ...
, PS4 and Windows. ''Maxima'' was made available as paid DLC for the PS4 and Windows version. ''Maxima'' includes new narrative elements, gameplay additions, new boss fights, search options for treasure chests and other elements, adjustments to capturing mirages, short narratives featuring new characters, a new ending, and most of the original DLC. In addition to these characters, the Champion Mirajewels included Firion (''
Final Fantasy II * is a fantasy role-playing video game developed and published by Square in 1988 for the Family Computer as the second installment of the ''Final Fantasy'' series. The game has received numerous enhanced remakes for the WonderSwan Color, the P ...
''), and Y'shtola (''
Final Fantasy XIV ''Final Fantasy XIV'' is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed and published by Square Enix. Directed and produced by Naoki Yoshida, it was released worldwide for Windows and PlayStation 3 in August 2013, as a rep ...
''). ''
Final Fantasy XV is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix. The fifteenth main installment of the ''Final Fantasy'' series, it was released for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2016, Microsoft Windows in 2018, and as a launch title ...
'' protagonist
Noctis Lucis Caelum , for short, is a fictional character from Square Enix's ''Final Fantasy'' video game series. Noctis is a playable character and the main protagonist of ''Final Fantasy XV''. Noctis has also appeared in the game's expanded media, including ''Fi ...
appears as part of a fishing minigame and as a Champion Mirajewel. The opening movie of ''Meli-Melo'' was also included in the game's theater mode. Tose returned to develop ''Maxima'' along with Square Enix's Business Division 3, and the game used the latest version of the Orochi engine. Due to the original's success, Chiba wanted to port the game to new systems, and decided to add new content as an incentive. The "''Maxima''" subtitle was suggested by Nomura in reference to it being the greatest version of the game. The new features were decided upon based on feedback from the player base. A Switch port was planned for the original, but internal and technological issues prevented it. The Xbox One version was insisted on by Chiba to reach a wider audience overseas, and used the Windows version as its base. The upgrade was so large that the Vita version received no version due to its size limitations. ''Maxima'' was produced in a fairly limited budget, which presented issues both with the content possible and recording voices for the new character scenarios. The Champion Mirajewels were the result of fan demands to play as ''Final Fantasy'' characters. Noctis's inclusion and minigame was due to Chiba, who got assets from ''Final Fantasy XV'' for Noctis's fishing rods. Chiba considered creating a dedicated scenario, but decided upon a fishing minigame following the release of the spin-off title '' Monster of the Deep: Final Fantasy XV''. New Mirages were both created for the port, and added in from ''Meli-Melo''. Zack and Serah were chosen due to their close respective relationships with Cloud and Snow. Characters wanted by Chiba but ultimately dropped include the character Hilderbrand from ''Final Fantasy XIV'', and supporting character
Aranea Highwind ''Final Fantasy XV'', an action role-playing video game released in November 2016, is the fifteenth main installment in the ''Final Fantasy'' series, and is thematically connected to ''Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy'', a subseries of game ...
from ''Final Fantasy XV''. Other dropped concepts were reworking Lann's dialogue to remove puns, and having commentary from the central cast. The latter was dropped as it made the narrative too metafictional. The secret ending was included to tease a possible sequel; Chiba already had the scenario for a sequel written out, ready to produce it if there was enough demand.


Reception

''World of Final Fantasy'' received "generally favorable" reviews, according to video game
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Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, 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 arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
. Meghan Sullivan of ''
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 ...
'' stated, "''World of Final Fantasy'' is a humorous adventure that is just too cute for words, but its combat and exploration aren’t diverse enough to support a campaign nearly as long as this one. However, I did enjoy it for a long time - more than 30 hours - before it wore out its welcome." While Heidi Kemps 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 ...
stated, "Unfortunately, you have to put up with a fair amount of frustration and filler before you get to enjoy the best of what ''World of Final Fantasy'' has to offer, namely charming writing and Final Fantasy fan service. If you’re willing to put up with some of the game’s mundane sequences, you’ll get some enjoyment out of it, but if you’re not a Final Fantasy fanatic, the magic in these moments may be lost altogether." The PS4 version debuted at number 3 on the Japanese sales charts, with 53,176 copies sold. The Vita version debuted at number 4, with 47,159 copies sold. The total came to over 100,000 units sold during its first week across both versions. By late November, the Vita version was the only version to remain in the top ten. Its total Japanese sales by 2017 totalled over 200,000 units. In the United Kingdom, it charted at #11 after its first week of retail sales. By 2018, the original version of the game had sold 900,000 copies worldwide, which Chiba considered a success.


References


Notes


External links

* {{Authority control 2016 video games Crossover video games Fantasy video games Final Fantasy video games Japanese role-playing video games Video games about magic Nintendo Switch games PlayStation 4 games PlayStation Vita games Role-playing video games Square Enix games Video games developed in Japan Video games scored by Masashi Hamauzu Video games set on fictional planets Windows games Xbox One games Single-player video games Inactive online games