Description

The definitive book on Final Fantasy VI, one of the greatest RPGs of all time.

Released in 1994, Final Fantasy VI remains a cornerstone of the JRPG genre. With its unforgettable cast of characters, revolutionary storytelling and Nobuo Uematsu’s legendary soundtrack, this game defined an era and still captivates players around the world.

The Legend of Final Fantasy VI offers a complete exploration of this cult title:

-The creation and development of the game at Squaresoft -In-depth analysis of its scenario, themes and characters -The influence of Yoshitaka Amano’s art and Uematsu’s music -The impact of Final Fantasy VI on the JRPG genre and video game history -Exclusive insights on the designers: Hironobu Sakaguchi, Yoshinori Kitase, Hiroyuki Ito and Tetsuya Nomura

Written by Pierre Maugein (aka Killy), video game journalist and RPG specialist, this book is part of the acclaimed Third Editions collection dedicated to major gaming sagas.

An essential read for fans of Final Fantasy, JRPG lovers and all those interested in the history of video games.

EXTRACT

1991: Hironobu Sakaguchi was elevated to vice-president at Squaresoft. The position was in addition to his role as the creative director ofFinal Fantasy. The dual role made him aware that he could not indefinitely keep the same position nor continue to be a full-time game designer. He would have to delegate. Following the release of Final Fantasy V in December 1992, the sixth installment was placed on the drawing board. Sakaguchi chose to retain the positions of producer and overall supervisor, and entrust the reigns of the project to Yoshinori Kitase and Hiroyuki Ito. Kitase had been involved in the writing and field planning ofFF V; for this new game, he was put in charge of the story-telling. Meanwhile, Ito would supervise the game and battle systems. With this configuration, Sakaguchi hoped to bring the franchise to new heights. The artist Yoshitaka Amano and the composer Nobuo Uematsu, mainstays since the beginning of the series, were brought back in for this project. Many rising stars were also attached to the development, such as art director Hideo Minaba (who would take charge of the FF IX

world), the graphic designers Tetsuya Takahashi (one of the creators of Xenogears,Xenosaga andXenoblade) and Yusuke Naora (future art director of FF VII). There was also a certain very promising game designer by the name of Tetsuya Nomura, who needs no introduction.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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