User:Deckiller/World of Final Fantasy VIII
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Most of Square Co., Ltd.'s 1999 bestselling console role-playing game Final Fantasy VIII is set on a large, unnamed fantasy world with one moon. Thirteen weeks after its release, Final Fantasy VIII had earned more than US$50 million in sales,[1][2] making it the fastest selling Final Fantasy title. Additionally, Final Fantasy VIII was voted the 22nd-best game of all time by readers of the Japanese magazine Famitsu.[3] Final Fantasy VIII is also the second game in the series to use pre-rendered backgrounds.
The planet comprises five major landmasses, with the largest (Esthar) covering most of the eastern portion of the map.[4] The second largest continent (Galbadia) lies to the west,[4] and contains many of the game's locations. The northernmost landmass is Trabia, an arctic region. Positioned roughly in the middle of the world map lies the smallest continent (Balamb),[4] the island on which the game begins. The remaining two landmasses are smaller and mostly desolate, riddled with rough, rocky terrain caused by the impact of a "Lunar Cry", an event where monsters from the moon fall to the planet.[5][6] The southernmost landmass is long and thin, and also includes an archipelago of broken sections of land that have drifted apart. Islands and marine structures flesh out the rest of the game world, and a smattering of off-world locations round out the game's playable areas.
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[edit] Concept and creation
As part of a theme desired by director Yoshinori Kitase to give the game a foreign atmosphere, various designs were given to its locations using the style of internationally familiar places, while also maintaining a fantasy atmosphere. Inspiration ranged from ancient Egyptian and Greek architecture, to the city of Paris, France, to an idealized futuristic European society. Flags were also given to some factions, their designs based on the group's history and culture.[7]
In an interview with Famitsu, art director Yusuke Naora described that the game was generally designed to be a "bright, fresh Final Fantasy".[8] The designers felt a need to invert the atmosphere of previous games in the series, which had a feeling of "images of light emerging from darkness".[8] This decision was easy for the developers to make, because most of the had worked on Final Fantasy VII and felt that a new direction was acceptable.[9] The world designs were also developed with the knoweldge that most of the staff were now used to computer graphics, which was not the case with Final Fantasy VII.[8] The developers also noted that with Final Fantasy VIII, they attempted to "mix future, real life and fantasy".[8] Thus, the game includes rental cars, restrooms, and other real-life elements, while still containing the traditional fantasy aspects of the series.
Although the designers geared for foreign elements, the inclusion of the card game Triple Triad as a major aspect of the world of Final Fantasy came about in a different way. In an interview with the Official UK Playstation Magazine, Kitase stated that Triple Triad was added to the game because cards were a popular hobby in Japan.[9]
[edit] Backstory and mythology
A mythological legend in Final Fantasy VIII attributes mankind's creation to Hyne. Certain women were given a fragment of Hyne's power, making each woman a "Sorceress."[10] These powers are transfered between people by embodiment, but only to those with the capacity to hold them.[11] (Sorceresses, Hyne, Odine and his discoveries, Centra and lunar cry, events 17 years ago, Sorceress war, etc. that FlareGamer source has info on how the GFs were designed, so that'll definitely go good here)
[edit] Factions and locations
[edit] Reception and criticism
The pre-rendered backgrounds — the locations the characters interact with — were generally considered an improvement over Final Fantasy VII, the first in the series to use them. The Gaming Age review felt that "Square has beefed up the engine and created a plethora of beautiful prerendered backgrounds - even prettier than FFVII's if you can imagine".[12]
[edit] References
- ^ Sato, Yukiyoshi Ike (1999). FFVIII Sells Six Million Copies Worldwide. GameSpot. Retrieved on March 16, 2006.
- ^ IGN staff (1999). FF8 Breaks Sales Records. IGN.com. Retrieved on March 16, 2006.
- ^ Campbell, Colin (2006). Japan Votes on All Time Top 100. Next Generation. Retrieved on March 11, 2006.
- ^ a b c Final Fantasy VIII - World. Square Enix.com. Retrieved on 2007-03-24.
- ^ Centra Civilization
A civilization in Centra 4000 years ago. These Centra people immigrated to other continents and founded the Dollet Empire to the west and Esthar to the east. Centra was destroyed 80 years ago by the Lunar Cry. Square Co.. Final Fantasy VIII. Square EA. PlayStation. (in English). 1999-09-09. - ^ (1999) in Studio BentStuff: Final Fantasy VIII Ultimania (in Japanese). DigiCube/Square Enix, 40. ISBN 4-925075-49-7.
- ^ Khosla, Sheila (2003). Tetsuya Nomura's 20s. FLAREgamer.
- ^ a b c d Coxon, Sachi (1998). Interview with Final Fantasy VIII developers. PlayStation Japan. Retrieved on July 15, 2006.
- ^ a b Final Fantasy Shrine site staff. Final Fantasy VIII Kitase, Nojima, Naora and Nomura Interview. Final Fantasy Shrine. Retrieved on July 15, 2006.
- ^ Sorceress
The legend goes that the Great Hyne created people. The sorceresses were given a fragment of Hyne's own power. It's hard to determine how many sorceresses exist today, for many keep their powers concealed. However, it is believed that they avoid spreading their power too thin. Square Co.. Final Fantasy VIII. Square EA. PlayStation. (in English). 1999-09-09. - ^ Sorceress Power & Embodiment
Sorceress power has been passed throughout history by the process of embodiment. Any person who has the capacity to embody the great sorceress power is a candidate. Square Co.. Final Fantasy VIII. Square EA. PlayStation. (in English). 1999-09-09. - ^ McTague, Bob (1999). Gaming Age Review - Final Fantasy VIII. Gaming Age. Retrieved on March 15, 2007.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Final Fantasy VIII locations database at the Final Fantasy Wikia, incorporating information originally found on Wikipedia
