We have put a lot of “new things” in Final Fantasy X. It was the first game in the Final Fantasy series to be entirely built in 3D, we introduced new types of presentation, a new combat system… it even came out. on new hardware. It also spawned the first direct sequel in the series’ history – Final Fantasy X-2.
This game was just as fresh and had a very different style, tone, and structure from the rest of the series.
I worked as a producer on Final Fantasy X and its sequel. With both available on PlayStation Now in Final Fantasy X | X-2 HD Remaster, I thought I would share some memories of working on these very special games.
Final fantasy x
Final Fantasy X was the first game in the series to be developed for the PS2. There are always challenges and decisions to be made when working with new material, and that was certainly the case with Final Fantasy X.
The PlayStation 2 effect
A key decision we faced was about the visuals. Even though the PS2 offered a big boost in power over the original PlayStation, there was still a limit to the hardware specs, so to represent the new graphics style we had to choose whether to prioritize resolution or number of colors.
Initially, we thought it would be beneficial to use more colors – we thought it would help us really represent the world of Spira in a vibrant way. However, when we looked at the trends for games from other companies released while we were working on development, it became increasingly clear that fans were hoping for next-gen games with higher resolution.
As a result, we’ve gone from focusing on the number of colors to as high a resolution as possible of the game – and we did that about six months before the main deadline!
That meant we had to make some major changes to the game we’ve been making so far, which was a big risk in terms of the schedule. Luckily our great programmers and designers did a great job.
Ultimately, a “high-res” Final Fantasy X was born, and we were able to get the kind of high-end visuals you’d expect from a next-gen console.
An inspiring world
The new visual style also added other challenges. For example, Final Fantasy X was the first game in the series that didn’t include a world map – that’s because the game was built in 3D, and it’s expensive!
As game makers we sometimes have to make decisions that balance game design with inflated production costs. In this case, dropping the world map was the most realistic solution we had.
Our previous games, Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII, were set in steampunk and sci-fi inspired worlds, respectively, so we wanted to do something different.
Perhaps this is also the reason why art director Yusuke Naora came up with the concept of a world with an Asian touch, and it became the inspiration for Spira.
New battle plans
It wasn’t the only break with lore introduced in Final Fantasy X, either – we also reinvented the combat system.
The previous few games used the Active Time Battle (ATB) system, in which players could perform actions whenever a bar filled in real time. For the new game, we wanted to create battles with greater strategic depth than ever before.
The designer who worked on the combat system had also worked on Front Mission, and he was very good at creating strategy games, so we moved to a turn-based system.
We’ve also changed how character progression works by introducing the sphere grid. This allows players to manually upgrade their characters by choosing upgrades from a grid. I’ve been a huge fan of board games for a long time and wanted to recreate that analog feel of moving pieces around and filling the board with them.
Make our voices heard
One new feature that I was personally excited about was the introduction of voice acting. I wrote about this in my last blog, but felt a little unsatisfied that Final Fantasy VIII wasn’t voiced.
We got more realistic visuals and sounds, but when I think of the scenes in this game, I think they would have been even more moving if there had been voice acting. That was the driving force to make it happen for Final Fantasy X.
Of course, this was our first time recording vocal lines, so it was a lot of work to make it happen. These days, it’s the norm to have each cast member enter the recording booth one at a time, and then record all of their lines separately. However, at the time, we had multiple cast members come into the studio at a time and record the conversation scenes together.
Because of this, I think we were able to bring out some natural performance, even though it was the first time we were doing it.
Final thoughts (fantastic)
Ultimately I’m proud of what we’ve achieved with Final Fantasy X. I think it’s a historic game – in terms of storyline, graphics, camera work, sound, voice, and capture. of movement, it achieved the ideal cinematic quality that the Final Fantasy Series had been aimed at.
I think the styling perfected here helped establish the look of future Final Fantasy games. One of them was Final Fantasy X-2.
F inal Fantasy X-2
After Final Fantasy X, we started to feel that we didn’t want the world of Spira and her characters to end in a chapter, and we wanted to let them take center stage and flesh them out even more.
That’s why we started production on Final Fantasy X-2, the first direct sequel in the series’ history. We decided to explore a world that had become peaceful after the events of the previous game and tell a different kind of story.
Rather than the theme of the previous story which explores particular relationships, like between a man and a woman or a parent and a child, we wanted a bright and light narrative that would give the game a cheerful tone.
The Gullwings Assemble
This optimistic attitude was reflected in the playable characters of the game. Unlike previous games in the series, Final Fantasy X-2 has an all-female party: Yuna, Rikku, and a new character, Paine.
A lot of games back then, not just Final Fantasy, had male protagonists and I wanted to tell a story with Yuna as a strong female character. I thought it would strike a chord with even more players.
The tone is further reinforced by the structure of the game. Unlike Final Fantasy X, where you follow the drama in a linear fashion, the quests in Final Fantasy X-2 can be accessed in any order. To further increase the variety, we’ve increased the number of mini-games available in the game.
I remember the hardest thing to do was Sphere Break – a strategically deep coin game. A single game designer working on the whole game, including programming, all by himself!
Dress to impress
When it comes to combat, Final Fantasy X-2 has moved on to a new version of the ATB system, which allows players to program their attacks for more effective combos and attacks. You might be wondering: why the change from the systems of the previous game? This is because the designer of battles has changed!
Final Fantasy X’s assistant game designer took charge of his sequel, and he wanted to use a different system.
An important part of the new system were dressspheres, which allowed the group to seamlessly switch between different roles in combat. For example, Yuna could go from a damage-dealing gunner to a healing white mage, a thief, or many other options in the heat of the moment, each accompanied by a flashy outfit change.
This system was born in part from the story of the original Final Fantasy X. In this game, the summons eventually disappeared from the world, so the transformations were a way to work into the dramatic visual effects that players had come to expect.
For the animations themselves, we turned to a genre of children’s TV shows in Japan, where the heroes transform or take on a new form. The best part about every episode is when the character transforms with a dynamic performance, and we took inspiration from that.
What’s in a name?
It might sound strange, but one of the biggest challenges we faced when creating Final Fantasy X-2 was what to call it. Having a sequel to a main game was unheard of, and when we suggested “X-2,” the company was initially concerned that it might be mistaken for Final Fantasy XII and turned it down. Since then, of course, they have become fond of it.
In the end, the game turned out to be more confrontational than other Final Fantasy games – I guess this is in part because its light and pop direction gives it a very different flavor from other entries in the series.
But I think the way Final Fantasy games try to break away from preconceptions is something really wonderful about the series – and Final Fantasy X-2 is a perfect example of that.
Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2 are both available for stream and download with PlayStation Now.
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