Welcome to my Media Specialist Project website - you can read about the objectives and aims of the project on the sidebar to your right.

Navigation can be found above or to the side.



Recommended first page: Lockus

Objective: To modernise and update FINAL FANTASY I (1987) as if it were to be released in 2015. Bearing in mind:

• The contemporary gaming audience
• The tropes and trends introduced by the franchise
• The previously existing audience for the franchise
• Current RPG trends and developments

Why?

 I have chosen to redesign the first Final Fantasy for a number of reasons. Firstly, because of the incredible impact that the franchise has had on the role playing game genre. Square Enix has often launched reboots of older games, (such as FFI for IOS) however, the story, gameplay and mechanics remain unchanged and it is simply a graphics update - hence why I thought this would be an interesting project.

Where to begin?

 Whilst FF1 was monumental at its time of release, the critical and cult darling of the 90s player still remains Final Fantasy VII. I, as well as many critics and players alike, assert that this success and impact was due to the characters and story. Whilst the franchise had began to develop characters prior to this, FFVII introduced characters with tragic backstories, amnesia, and motivations that were revealed and changed following the plot, as well as one of the most shocking character deaths. This created an overarching story of epic proportions with a complex villain.

 

 We can look at FFI in comparison: you give your 4 chosen classes names and they are your 'character'. Their sole motivation is to fight the evil, and most of the bosses and obstacles are unrelated and are simply put there to hinder your progress in moving onto the next dungeon. This is an incredibly linear and reward-based-progression model with no character development and little emotional engagement on the audiences' behalf.

Characters

 Therefore, I will be developing the four heroes so they all have personalities, backstories and motivations, as well as elevating the boss to be an overarching villain who is the cause of all obstacles - causing more incentive for the player to defeat him. The characters will ideally be interesting and likable and engage the audience emotionally.

Story

 Changing the characters will naturally affect the story. Every plot point should either affect or be affected by a character which will cause a smoother flow and help to create an engaging story that the user will feel incensed to complete. Like the rest of the series, there will be a plethora to cutscenes to help move the story along and for dramatic effect.

Gameplay

 

 I will look the how the previous games have developed their (turn based) battle, class and level systems to track their changes and explore how they developed their improvements from one game to the next. I will use these to suggest my own reiterations and developments that I will feel come next in the series.

Aesthetics

 Lastly, all of the previous should give a good feel of how the game will look. However, I will aim to create several sketches showing the change from birds eye view sprite to third person. The genre and trend change from world maps to seamlessly blended environments will be the biggest change here and I will build on FFX-FFXIII's visuals to develop these further.

Garland will be the villain (as he is in Final Fantasy I) However, he will have a lot more power and will control all other bosses and mini-bosses, giving the characters and users incentive to beat him.

Final Design

Unlike the other characters, Garland was an exception for my need to design, as a pre-existing character within the series. He is the featured character on the game box art (and the banner of my website,) and as such, I decided to keep his original design for the fans of the original game. He also features as a boss in Final Fantasy Dissidia, a mash up game including characters from all games and as such, has been introduced with newer graphic capabilities, and therefore will already be a known character to Final Fantasy fans. Thus, I had to keep the original design to keep up the consistency of this existing character.

Backstory
Garland was born over 400 years ago to the start of the game. He was a prodigy as a child, excelling in the art of magic from a young age. However, he came to crave the attention, respect and power magic brought to him and continued growing his powers. He eventually reached the limit of what could be achieved at the time through normal means and sought to further his magical power by turning to the darkness. He learned through trickery and intimidation of the orbs and enlisted the help of the fiends. However, the orbs contained so much magical power that they would take a long time to destroy, and therefore, it would take a long time for Garland to reach his full power.

The fiends helped him to create a time portal in which he could travel 400 years into the future, where his power would be reaching maximum. Unluckily for him, Rudd, one of the original keepers of the orbs foresaw this and also sealed himself in time with his orb - and with the help of Rudd and luck, the descendants of the other guardians found themselves in possession of the orbs.


Beginning of Game
Garland starts out as a Knight in Coneria Castle. After building up a following of other Knights and soldiers, he orders a search for the orbs without the king's knowledge. Authorising arrests for possession of the orb, he manages to catch Storme as his soldiers spot her stealing the orb. His soldiers also manage to track down Myrren, whilst Rudd "accidentally" gets caught. Lockus is last, and attempts to deliver the orb to Garland, who arrests him immediately.

After the warriors break out of jail and reclaim their orbs, he orders his soldiers to fight them, barricading himself in Princess Sara's room in an attempt to hold her hostage. The party break in and rescue Sara, and he is imprisoned and sentenced for treason: execution.

Garland spends the next few chapters of the game lying dormant, having his followers and the fiends do most of his work - as most of them think he has been executed. He only appears again after Kraken has been defeated, as two of the fiends have died. He is amused by the warriors, surprised they have done so well - but of course, recognises Rudd and realises why.

He has confidence that they will not be able to defeat Tiamat, but is prepared to fight them nonetheless.



Previous: Rudd | Next: Story

Aesthetics

Hopefully the other pages of the website have given you an idea of what Final Fantasy I reboot would potentially look like if it was to be made to be released this year on a third gen console. The main features aesthetically would be:

• The move from Sprites to full models. This also reflects the switch to a third person view when navigating with the party leader.
• The use of seamless blending 
• Upgraded graphics

Hopefully through the character profiles and systems, it should be apparent how some of the game is going to look. However, there are a few key elements regarding the aesthetics of role playing games that should be addressed.

World Map vs Seamless Blending

The biggest difference in aesthetics between the games will be in the games' environment. Earlier RPG games (including Final Fantasy games up until Final Fantasy X) used to use a world map, towns, and dungeons as the three main ways of navigation:

World Map View, Final Fantasy I

World Map View - Character by a town, Final Fantasy VII

Town view, Final Fantasy VII

The World Map view was essentially a way of getting the party to other locations without them having to travel realistically, saving the makers from having to create pathways between locations. The World Map is usually a large, sparse green area with the ocean serving as a barrier, and sometimes feature deserts. Upon leaving a "town," the character usually scales up to be the same size as the town, and can make their way to the next town.

In Final Fantasy, random encounters can happen on the World Map. The user can also only save and perform certain functions on the World Map.

The town is a safe place for the party, (unless it is a narrative-induced attack,) and is the main source of gathering information, buying new weapons and supplies. In the older Final Fantasy games, your party can also rest in an inn. Most towns serve as goal locations for the user to move towards in order to progress the story.

Dungeons are a place where any monsters can attack; you are also unable to save and use certain healing items (such as Tents, which heal your whole team) in dungeons. 

Seamless Blending

From Final Fantasy X, the first game on the Playstation, Square Enix used the upgraded graphics capacities to introduce seamless blending: third person point of view was now available throughout the game, and the player would simply navigate the character throughout the environments and move to different locations in this manner. 

Final Fantasy XIII used seamless blending, allowing the player to explore the whole map in third person.

A demonstration of how the game would look - with Lockus as the main party leader. The player would be able to explore using third person, whilst the other party characters move at their own free will, following the party leader. This allows the player to feel more immersed in the game, through its believability and freedom to move as they please.

Previous: Class System 

Class System

The class system will inherently be tied in with the characters due to the original nature of Final Fantasy I - where you pick your classes as the first thing you do in the game, and they become your characters. Although this project aims to eliminate the "class as characters," the game still wants to offer the user an element of choice.

The original Final Fantasy I classes to choose from were:
Fighter - physical, can wield most weapons, heavy armor
Black Belt - needs no weapons nor armor, physical
Thief - Able to steal and run away easily from enemies
Red Mage - Capable of both black and white magic
White Mage - healer, defensive healing magic
Black Mage - offensive attack magic

The original classes and their "promotion" counterparts


 I will base the class system here on the latest game, Final Fantasy XIII. Each character has several classes they can switch between (see battle for more information on how the classes are used in battle.)

Each character will be able to switch between four classes, which are pre-determined by the game based on their personalities, backstories and attributes. The game will follow on from the previous game with the same classes, as they predominantly make up the main classes of the role playing game:

Medic - Healer, Healing Magic
Commando - Offensive, Physical Attacker
Ravager - Offensive, magical attacker
Saboteur - Defensive, sabotage magic on enemy
Synergist - Defensive, boosts party's attributes
Sentinel - Defensive, tank, built to take damage and distract.

As there are only four main characters, allowing each character four classes will allow the player plenty of choice and allow them to strategise fully, without making it too easy by not allowing full access to all classes. Final Fantasy XIII allowed each character three initially with the option to open up other classes with complex leveling, however, given the four characters, four classes each allows the user plenty of choice. This project initially aimed to use three, but found the lack of choice frustrating and difficult.

Storme

Due to her backstory, Storme will also be able to play as a Rogue as her default class, and can only use three other classes (in her case, "saboteur" and "sentinel" roles,) Whilst this is unconventional for Final Fantasy XIII, who does not have any deviations from the other classes, it is similar to Yuna's role as a Summoner in Final Fantasy X. This again, ties the class system to the narrative and makes her a unique character.

The character's classes are as follows:
Lockus: Commando, Ravager, Sentinel, Synergist
Lockus is a well-rounded character, as he is the default party leader. Thus, he is able to attack offensively and defensively. His other class roles are that of protection and support, reflecting his character. Although Rudd leads the journey, Lockus' role as the first, default party leader make him the archetypal "hero," and thus, he has the most "heroic" set of classes.

Storme: Rogue, Saboteur, Sentinel, Commando
Storme's default class is of course, the rogue. With higher physical strength and defense, she is built as an excellent physical attacker, and defensive tank. Her other two roles reflect her nature and backstory - the rogue (the thief,) and the saboteur (playing dirty.)

Myrren: Medic, Synergist, Ravager, Saboteur
Myrren is in training to be a doctor so it makes sense that two of her classes are healing/improvement magic. With weak physical abilities, Myrren rounds off with sabotage magic and offensive magic. Myrren's ravager abilities greatly improve in Chapter III  and she gains offensive Outrage moves at this point, allowing the systems to reflect the narrative, making the whole game feel more cohesive.

Rudd: Commando, Ravager, Sentinel, Medic
Rudd, as mentioned on his character page, is very physically strong - simply due to his longevity and background as one of the Leifenish. As the oldest character and unofficially quest leader, he is also able to perform as a medic. Although Rudd's magic is initially weak, if the player chooses to pursue his magic in leveling up, Rudd's magic will far exceed the other characters, at a high obtaining difficulty.

Previous: Leveling System | Next: Aesthetics

Leveling System

Leveling is again, an integral part of any game. In the role playing game, reaching a goal is not defined by reaching the end of a level as with a puzzle game or platformer, but levels are used to further the user's chances of reaching the next goal area and beating the next boss, thus, beating the game.

Square has, like the battle system, developed and refined the leveling system over the course of their games. The earlier games used a linear leveling system, having the characters level up when they have gained enough experience points (EXP), based on their base stats. Certain characters will naturally have a higher base attribute, and will level up easier on, say, attack.

Final Fantasy X introduced a "point spending system" that allowed the user to customise their characters. The game removed the numerical level on all characters. Characters are awarded "spheres" in place of EXP, and the user can go into the Sphere Grid and upgrade their characters by spending spheres. The grids themselves are relatively linear with a few split off points for certain abilities. For example, you could pay four spheres to have Tidus' health expand by 150pts. This system had it so all the characters were interlinked on one large grid - you can see a full map of the grid here.

Final Fantasy XII brought back the numerical figure, but also kept a sphere grid like system by using a "license board," where characters had to obtain licenses in order to user certain abilities. This system was criticised for being overly complicated, and it was laborious to level up characters this way.

Final Fantasy XIII returned to the sphere grid, renaming it the Crystarium and replacing Sphere Grid with Crystogen Points. Each character has separate grids for each of their roles, and the abilities the character can gain in this grid depends on the role. I.E. Healing magic is only available in the "Medic" part of the grid.

Proposal
This project will further the development of a point spending system, as they allow for more customisation than a linear base-attack style levelling system. By allowing more customisation, the user will be able to feel more engaged with their characters and similarly, the characters' potential for certain abilities will be affected by their personalities and stories, tying the system to the story.

However, in order to expand on it, Final Fantasy I reboot will aim to move away from the linear grid and allow the user more choice in leveling up certain abilities. Instead of the user being able to max out an area, unable to progress any further until they have reached a narrative point in the game, the game aims to have almost unlimited abilities to allow the user to develop their characters in their most ideal way.

Previous: Battle System | Next: Class System

Battle System

Given that Final Fantasy I is a role-playing game, the battle system is vital to the games' success. The system for Final Fantasy I (original) is outlined below:

Final Design

Development Process

I based a lot of the battle system on the previous games and did my research into what was successful with the games and what wasn't.


Whilst Square kept up this template for their earlier games, the later games see them experimenting and moving to a range of other systems:

• Final Fantasy VII had a "time-based" system, where instead of the characters taking turns, the characters would move based on when their time bars had fully loaded. Whilst this was still, in effect, turn-based, moves such as haste or slow would directly affect how slowly the bar loaded.

• Final Fantasy X returned to the original turn-based system but with a new element: as X allowed the user to choose between more than four characters, characters could be swapped in in the middle of a battle (previously something the user could only do at a save point/world map)

• Final Fantasy XII attempted a more "real-time" based system, where the user was still able to control the characters movements in battle. The user could run the character up to the monster and attack, then run around to try and dodge. This game also brought into automated battling for the other party members - the user can set "gambits" that determine how an inactive party member (you can switch any time in battle) acts.

• Final Fantasy XIII introduced the "paradigm" system that the franchise is still using as of the latest game. In battle, the three active characters can have their classes altered in order to create combinations. I.E. you could have "combat clinic" which is MEDIC, MEDIC, SENTINEL (tank) when health is running low. Similarly to Final Fantasy XII, the other, inactive party members act automatically based on their class. The party's health also heals immediately after battle.

Proposal
For the Final Fantasy I reboot, this project aims to combine several of the best elements from the battle systems to further the paradigm system that Square is currently working with. This will predominantly be a mixture of Final Fantasy XIII's system and Final Fantasy X's. The main elements will be:

• Ability to switch characters in battle - as there are only four main playable characters, there are less party options and thus, it makes more sense and is less frustrating/effort for the player to switch characters in with ease. It also allows for more strategising.
• Each character will have three classes (more on classes here) and the user will be able to pull up the Paradigm menu to change the current classes active. 
• Like Final Fantasy XIII, and to a degree, Final Fantasy XII, the user will be able to use an "auto battle" command to execute a simple attack, or has the option to choose a more complex sequence of movements. This reflects the same system as Final Fantasy XIII, and also places more emphasis on the use of paradigm shifts and classes as being the primary way of strategy - most boss battles will require a good knowledge of the classes and shifts.

Setting Paradigms in Final Fantasy XIII

Limit Breaks/Overdrives/"Special Abilities"

 The previous games have always allowed the characters a "special ability" or "special move" that does extra damage to an enemy. This was called a 'Limit Break' in VII, an 'Overdrive' in X, and 'Mist' in XII. This was eliminated in XIII in place of the stagger system. The stagger system provides all enemies with a stagger bar, which when reached, makes them vulnerable allows all characters attacking to do extra damage to an enemy. Whilst it is clear why this was chosen over characters' individual moves, this reboot will return to the original system.

Applying Vincent, Final Fantasy VII's limit break


By having each individual character have their own unique set of moves, it further adds to the user's engagement with them and prompts them to further develop their abilities, and thus to continue the game. Whilst the stagger system was effective, it did not help with characterisation as it removed the chance for characters to be able to have their own unique moves.

Thus, Final Fantasy I will return to the "limit" bar growing as the character takes damage. Whilst the characters reach their limits in Final Fantasy VII, they will reach Outrage in Final Fantasy I reboot, which will allow them to execute a powerful move.

Summons
Summons are used in all Final Fantasy games. Whilst some (Final Fantasy VII, VIII,) allow all characters to use summons, Final Fantasy X had only the summoner character, and Final Fantasy XIII had each character assigned an "eidolon". Final Fantasy I reboot will continue on with this system, as the main aim is to create a character-driven game and narrative. By providing set summons to each character, it allows for further characterisation and development.

Previous: Gameplay Menu | Next: Level System