Genre: RPG
Year: 2001
Developed by: Square Product Development Division 1
Published by: Square
Platforms: PS2
#32
Feeling Like: X marks the spot
Final Fantasy 10 was the last great classic Final Fantasy. The 11th and 14th editions were MMORPGs, 12 had superb gameplay but generic characters, 13 is about as divisive as it gets. 15 does away entirely with turn based combat, and 16 all but abandons the formula for an action-oriented spin.
In a seven year span from 1994 to 2001, Square produced five Final Fantasies, most of which were landmarks for the franchise. It is rare to find a fan whose favorite (mine included) don’t occur within that timeframe. And while Square always used the next generation hardware to push their storytelling prowess to the console’s limits, Final Fantasy 10 was in a league of its own. The themes, the setting, the tone, the combat, the soundtrack and the ending are all world class.
Final Fantasy 7 was a paradigm shift in the industry and was revolutionary in every sense of the word, but the blocky polygons and lengthy load times still reminded players that developers were still getting the hang of 3D. Final Fantasy 10 is such a large leap, it’s hard to measure the distance. The introduction of voice acting was massive, for better or worse. If you found any of the characters speech grating, you were in for a long drive. If, like me, you had a high tolerance for cheese, you relished it. This was the first time we knew what our characters sounded like, and while there is something to be said for using your imagination, it’s a hell of a lot easier to evoke emotion with associated voices.
I was into the story, right away. If your penchant for wacky costume design is low, you’ll probably be turned off right away. There are buckles and belts where there shouldn’t be and I don’t think anybody would be able to dress like Tidus without being committed, but that sort of thing rarely bothers me. I liked that I was thrown into a wacky alternate civilization, and then to another wacky alternate civilization right alongside with Tidus. Who was this badass samurai dude clad in red? What the hell was attacking the town?
…Why am I suddenly 1,000 years into the future?
It’s a fish out of water story for a guy who spends a lot of time in the water. It’s a smart idea, usually the main character in a Final Fantasy game is of the world you’re inhabiting. Not so here, and the exposition NPCs give makes sense in context. I thought narratively it was one of Final Fantasy’s strongest and despite a few glaring lines that could have used another go translation-wise, I craved to see every cut scene. I had to know the group’s next course of action.
I’ll never tire of the trope of several colorful personalities teaming up to save the world. It’s tried and tested to death, but it’s also the easiest way to show evolving relationships. Shared hardship is one hell of a bonding tool and part of the charm of Final Fantasy 10 is seeing how the main character ingratiates himself with Lulu, Wakka and Kimarhi. Seeing the romance blossom with Tidus and Yuna felt about as good as you could expect a video game developer to produce in 2001.
The world of Spira really is one of the more inspired choices in gaming. We’d seen a ton of medieval and steampunk styles, even futuristic ones, but Final Fantasy 10’s influences of the South Pacific, Thailand and Japan itself was a welcomed change of pace. You’re nearly always by some form of water, and there’s something immensely peaceful about running alongside the ocean while listening to the Besaid Island’s theme. Aside from Chrono Cross, I don’t have too many games like this on the 500 and while I’m not a fan of beaches in general (too much sunscreen required), in video game form it’s delightful. The sunny skies, the lush jungles and the bamboo villages made me want to visit. Dip my toes in the river and breathe in the salty air while sipping a mai tai. Bliss.
The soundtrack is another highlight, and provides most of the psychological punch.
Everybody knows “To Zanarkand” as one of gaming’s best songs. Still true to this day.
The fanfare is delightful.
“Wandering Flames” makes me want to meditate, and shut the world out.
“Scenery of Spira“. Can’t you just picture yourself on a dock, watching the world go by?
“People of the North Pole” is probably my favorite. I’ll never forget the snowy landscape, and the primal feel I got climbing Mount Gagazet. The OcRemix “White Skies” by bLiNd may be my favorite on that site, and that is really saying something.
The somber tone that clashes with the (mostly) beautiful backdrops really resonated with me. Tidus talked about getting home, but it’s not entirely obvious if he’s going to make it. When he’s narrating, it’s like he’s reading a eulogy. Yuna’s pilgrimage has a fate that everybody knows, but nobody wants to discuss openly. The characters are a little older than previous casts, and you can tell they’ve seen some things. They’re not unrealistically optimistic, or shouting encouragement every second. Lulu and Auron, in particular, are like an aunt and uncle of a family member that has a terminal illness. The above screenshot above fills me with a sense of nostalgia and ennui that very few games have come close to replicating.
I mean, look – it’s not Shakespeare. There are tons of wacky characters that don’t talk like real people. The cut scene animations aren’t realistic, you’re not going to be fooled into thinking they got real actors to motion-capture Rikku’s face or anything. You have to buy into this method of storytelling, and the genre as a whole. I recognize that RPGs ask so much of a player – it’s akin to reading a fantasy novel with various challenges to overcome before you can turn a page. But for those like me who are endlessly doomed to fall for fantastical worlds and magical adventures to escape to, Final Fantasy 10 is among the best at that.
The optimal word to describe the combat is “snappy.” Everything feels fast. Gone are the 15 second load times from Final Fantasy 9, or the lengthy GF clips from Final Fantasy 8. If you’re attacking an enemy, the instant you hit the confirm button, Tidus is off like a bat out of hell, swiping his water sword. Magic looks terrific. There are tons of items to use, and strategies to employ. The icing on the cake is the ability to switch characters in and out MID COMBAT. I don’t know why every single RPG doesn’t do this – no more regulating characters to the bench, no more worrying about them catching up experience-wise. You don’t like using Wakka that much? Fine, get him to throw a single blitzball and then replace him with the flick of two button presses. This may be the single greatest quality of life addition I’ve see in a Final Fantasy, much needed when you’re only permitted three party members. Also, you can see the specific turn order of your party members and enemies. I guess other games are afraid to do this for balancing issues, but if I’m playing a modern turn-based RPG (and I probably am, at this very moment) I want all the bells and whistles the developer can throw at me.
Since Tidus is a man out of time, or at least Square couldn’t figure out the way around characters saying a name that a player can customize, nobody in the game ever says his name. Not once. It’s something I didn’t notice until about 75% of the way through, although I could have sworn I just wasn’t paying attention. Nope, that was by design and it’s a brilliant choice. It skirts any technological inadequacies of 2001 hardware, and it makes the main character feel more ethereal. Sometimes it does lead to awkward dialogue, I mean how often can you hang out with somebody without mentioning them by name, once? But it was a fascinating choice that I still admire to this day.
But the real reason Final Fantasy 10 is this high on the 500, and we’re getting pretty high up, is the ending.
You win, naturally. You defeat the giant ocean monster Sin and send the Aeons to the farplane and yes, I absolutely did just look that up on Wikipedia. Despite Tidus’ longing to stay, despite his love for Yuna and friendship with the rest, he starts to disappear. Everybody knows what’s happening, but nobody can stop it. Yuna shakes her head, she cries. Tidus holds her one last time. Yuna runs in for an embrace, but he’s already a ghost and she tragically falls right through him. On his way out, he sees the ghosts of Auron and his father. I’ve never chuckled at a high-five before.
And he doesn’t come back.
There’s no cop out here, Tidus is gone. Was he ever really here? It adds to the dramatic weight of the finale, it gives the story the perfect book end. You feel Yuna’s sadness, compounded by the fact that the game is now over. When it comes to my enjoyment of RPGs, a good ending can overshadow a lot of shortcomings.
I’m not going to dignify how they retconned the ending in Final Fantasy 10-2. Why can’t they just leave things be? Why do developers always seemingly have to cave to fan’s desires? Not just developers, movies and TV shows do this all the time too, it drives me nuts. You can’t have your cake and eat it too – either follow through with your devastating plot point or don’t do it at all. Somebody died? Oh, that’s so sad. Just kidding, they’re back! What the hell, Kingdom Hearts 2?
No, no it won’t do at all. In my head, Tidus is gone and Final Fantasy 10 remains near the top of the JRPG genre. Borrowing Steve’s PS2 during spring break of 2003 meant I could bull rush the entire game in a week, with Jeff and Fuzz by my side. It’s the kind of single player experience that could stop passer-byes in their tracks, sometimes for dozens of hours.
Also, I have no idea why content creators fixate on the dumb laughing scene. It’s all of a few minutes in a 60 hour experience. Yes it’s silly, no it doesn’t render the rest of the game’s high qualities inert. People fixate on the weirdest stuff (like undoing a great ending!)
The 500 