The sixth episode of the the incredible story of Final Fantasy VI! In this book, you'll find everything you need to know about FFVI. You'll dive into its development, its story, its characters, and you will go further with in-depth analysis of its themes, its soundtrack, its game design choices, and its impact on the J-RPG genre. A complete analysis of the famous saga in the world of video game! EXTRACT 1991: Hironobu Sakaguchi was elevated to vice-president at Squaresoft. The position was in addition to his role as the creative director of Final 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 of FF 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 and Xenoblade) 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 for Jeuxvideo.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.

Terra the magical half-human. Shadow the mysterious assassin. Celes the tough, tender general. Kefka the fool who would be god. Each of the many unforgettable characters in Final Fantasy VI has made a huge impression on a generation of players, but why do we feel such affection for these 16-bit heroes and villains as so many others fade? The credit goes to the game’s score, composed by the legendary Nobuo Uematsu. Armed with newly translated interviews and an expert ear for sound, writer and musician Sebastian Deken conducts a critical analysis of the musical structures of FF6, the game that pushed the Super Nintendo’s sound capabilities to their absolute limits and launched Uematsu’s reputation as the “Beethoven of video game music.” Deken ventures deep into the game’s lush soundscape—from its expertly crafted leitmotifs to its unforgettable opera sequence—exploring the soundtrack’s lasting influence and how it helped clear space for game music on classical stages around the world.

Explore the art and adventure of the quintessential entries in the Final Fantasy saga with this gorgeous 300-plus-page hardcover. Collecting concept art, design notes, creator retrospectives, and more from Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII, and Final Fantasy IX, Dark Horse's journey through the creation of the groundbreaking role-playing masterpiece continues! Dark Horse and Square Enix are thrilled to present the second of three volumes that officially translate Square Enix's detailed history chronicling the creation of the Final Fantasy franchise's seventh, eighth, and ninth games. Filled with captivating art and creator commentary, Final Fantasy Ultimania Archive Volume 2 remains completely authentic to its Japanese source material with unrivaled access for a Western audience. This prestige compendium is a must-have addition for any Final Fantasy enthusiast's collection.

An astonishing journey through the creation of the seminal role playing epic, officially available in English for the first time ever! This holy grail of Final Fantasy fandom is packed full of original concept art, process pieces, and notes from the original artists and designers chronicling the creation of these timeless games. Dark Horse and Square Enix are thrilled to offer the first of three volumes celebrating the entrancing lore and exciting development of the initial six entries into the Final Fantasy saga. Totaling over three-hundred pages and collected in a high-quality hard-cover binding, Final Fantasy Ultimania Archive Volume 1 remains faithful to its original Japanese source material while simultaneously offering unparalleled accessibility for Western readers. No Final Fantasy collection is complete without this beautiful tome of art, lore, and history.

When Final Fantasy V was released for the Japanese Super Famicom in 1992, the game was an instant hit, selling two million copies in the first two months alone. With a groundbreaking job system that combined the usual character classes like knights, thieves, and mages with offbeat classes such as chemists, dancers, and bards, the game appeared to be a shoo-in for North American distribution. But the game was dubbed "too hardcore" for a Western audience and was swapped out with Final Fantasy Mystic Quest, a simplistic new game tailor-made for Americans. That didn't stop a teenage Chris Kohler from tracking down Final Fantasy V. The young RPG fan got a Japanese copy of the game, used it to teach himself Japanese, and with the help of some internet companions created the first-ever comprehensive English-language FAQ of the game. As the internet narrowed the cultural gap between the East and West more each year, the game was eventually translated into English for the PlayStation, Game Boy Advance, and iOS. Fans in the West finally got to learn what all the fuss was about. Now the acclaimed author of Power-Up and an editor at Kotaku, Kohler is revisiting the game that started his career in games journalism. Based on new, original interviews with Final Fantasy V's director, Hironobu Sakaguchi, as well as previously untranslated interviews with the rest of the development team, Kohler's book weaves history and criticism to examine one of the Final Fantasy series's greatest and most overlooked titles.

Final Fantasy VII altered the course of video game history when it was released in 1997 on Sony's PlayStation system. It converted the Japanese role-playing game into an international gaming standard with enhanced gameplay, spectacular cutscenes and a vast narrative involving an iconic cast. In the decades after its release, the Final Fantasy VII franchise has grown to encompass a number of video game sequels, prequels, a feature-length film, a novel and a multi-volume remake series. This volume, the first edited collection of essays devoted only to the world of Final Fantasy VII, blends scholarly rigor with fan passion in order to identify the elements that keep Final Fantasy VII current and exciting for players. Some essays specifically address the game's perennially relevant themes and scenarios, ranging from environmental consciousness to economic inequity and posthumanism. Others examine the mechanisms used to immerse the player or to improve the narrative. Finally, there are several essays devoted specifically to the game's legacy, from its influence on later games to its characters' many crossovers and cameos.

This lavish boxed set holds three separate hardcover books (The Sky 1, 2, and 3) containing Yoshitaka Amano's visionary illustrations of the heroes, monsters, and worldscapes of the first ten games in the groundbreaking Final Fantasy series. But that's far from all--also included in the boxed set is the bonus softcover book All About Yoshitaka Amano, containing an interview, a bibliography, thumbnail guides to The Sky, and dozens of photographs of Amano, his New York and Tokyo studios, and what inspires him as an artist! A further bonus is a mini The Sky Premium Flipbook, containing two different Final Fantasy animations made by Amano. Completing the boxed set are two souvenir items--a silver ink Final Fantasy print on clear acetate, and two oversize Final Fantasy postcards. The box itself is clothbound with a hinged lid and silver ribbon inside to lift out the interior contents. The Sky is truly a treasure chest for all fans of Final Fantasy and the artist who created its unforgettable imagery, Yoshitaka Amano!

A hardcover volume that showcases the intriguing evolution of pixel art from the Final Fantasy series! Containing detailed sprite sheets that showcase the pixel composition of Final Fantasy's beloved characters, maps of Final Fantasy's most popular highlighting tools used by the developers, and a special interview with Kazuko Shibuya, the character pixel artist for the Final Fantasy series, FF Dot is a one of a kind product that immerses readers into an iconic aspect of the Final Fantasy experience. Dark Horse Books is proud to collaborate with Square Enix to bring fans FF Dot: The Pixel Art of Final Fantasy, translated into English for the first time. This localization of the original Japanese publication holds nearly 300 pages of colorful pixel art, and is an invaluable addition to any Final Fantasy fan's collection.