Posted in: Final Fantasy, Games, Square Enix, Video Games | Tagged: Final Fantast XI, Final Fantasy, Square Enix

Square Enix Published Interview With Original Final Fantasy Devs

Published Thu, 20 Jan 2022 23:42:09 -0600

Square Enix has posted the first part of an extensive interview with two of the developers behind the Final Fantasy series over the years. This will be the first part of a two-part conversation for the "We Discuss Vana'Diel" for Final Fantasy XI with the original director of FFXI Koichi Ishii, and the illustrator behind several logos, illustrations, and characters for the Final Fantasy series, Yoshitaka Amano. This first part, however, doesn't so much discuss FFXi as it discusses the original game and concepts that went into the artwork. It's a fascinating read for people who love the series and want to learn more about the style that went into it with those who were there to make it. We have a snippet of the interview below, but you can read all of Part 1 here.

Square Enix Published Interview With Original Final Fantasy XI Devs — Credit: Square Enix

SE: It's true that the monsters in Final Fantasy I have a distinct Amano-style look to them, even though they're depicted in pixel art. I wonder how that's possible.

Ishii: I think it's because the monsters have distinctive silhouettes. The NES had various limitations like resolution and the number of colors, so even if the original illustrations drew the eyes and mouths in great detail, you couldn't fully express everything. Because of that, silhouettes and poses are crucial in pixel art. Pixel art designed with those concepts in mind will resemble the original illustration, even if it's on the NES.

Credit: Square Enix

Credit: Square Enix

Amano: That's where my background in animation came in handy. When it comes to animation, it's important to design characters with silhouettes that can be recognized even from a distance. I had that in mind when designing the monsters for FFI, and it turned out to be suitable for pixel art too.

Ishii: Typically when designing dozens of monsters, the artist's preferences and tendencies tend to influence the silhouettes to be somewhat similar overall. But every monster Mr. Amano designed for FFI is distinct, which I find amazing. However, I did have some hesitations when Mr. Amano drew monsters in frontal view. FFI's battles were displayed in profile view, so it felt odd to have monsters in frontal view, even if their illustrations and silhouettes looked good. That being said, changing the perspective of the monsters would ruin their silhouettes, so I sometimes approved them anyway.