(All pictures from Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary Site unless otherwise noted)
2017 marks the 30th anniversary of the Final Fantasy series! 30 years is pretty solid since the original title was supposed to be a swan song for a struggling company, but here we are! We’ve just received Final Fantasy XV, a couple of remakes/remasters are in the works, Final Fantasy XIV continues to be successful in a market that many fail to break in to, and a plethora of mobile titles have launched in recent years as well. I’d say the brand is alive and well, despite a few stumbling points along the way. That said, with Square-Enix gearing up for 30th anniversary shenanigans, let’s take a look at their first round of announcements!
Shall I give you DIS PEAR!?!?
(Silly meme from KnowYourMeme.com)
If I have to explain the above to you, you may not be terribly interest in the Final Fantasy VII Remake that fans have been clamoring for since the days of the PS3. 20 years after its original release, we may see the first episode of the promised remake. Square-Enix released new key art as part of the 30th anniversary celebration. The image (shown below) depicts Cloud doing what he does best (looking emo) and the good ol’ One-Winged Angel looking rather emo himself, all framed by the Midgar skyline. You can almost smell the mako!
No other details were given. Tetsuya Nomura, who is currently working on the remake AND Kingdom Hearts III, released a statement expressing to fans that he needs us to hold on a bit longer for the teams to deliver the promises made for both of these games. When so much nostalgia is on the line, they should take every precaution necessary. Whether the statement was meant to hint that the first episode of the remake will miss 2017 remains to be seen.
The Ivalice Alliance Returns!
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age was given a release date of July 11th, 2017 during the first set of announcements. This remaster brings the Final Fantasy XII International: Zodiac Job System version of the game to the states for the first time. One of many “director’s cuts” for the series that the US never received, the Zodiac Job System version of the game offered just that, a job system with each job having its own license board, to allow for more party variety in the game. With trophy support, hunts, and all those license boards to fill out, I’m sure this will keep players coming back for a good while (or at least letting the game run while the Gambit system does the work). I look forward to stepping back into the shoes of Balthier…. I mean, Vaan, when Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age releases in a few months.
#Chocobros Receive New Content!
The fantastic foursome of Final Fantasy XV are receiving a solid amount of new content in the coming months. Starting with Power Rangers! Wait, that’s not right… Magitek Exosuits! Easily mistaken for the rangers of our youths, the squad is getting some mighty powerful armor that they can morph into once daily. While in the exosuits, the quartet will be invulnerable. Additionally, we’ll see the first episode focusing on a solo bro: Gladiolus. The content of the DLC was not revealed other than you’ll get to pal around with Cor and Gilgamesh since no bro should go it alone!
Mobile Fantasies
The final announcement in what I assume is just the first wave was the Mobius Final Fantasy will be headed to Steam in just a few days. On top of that, a crossover promotional event will take place in the game, offering players a variety of in-game bonuses.
Hopefully, in the coming months there will be more announcements celebrating the Final Fantasy series. Rumors had previously stated there would a compilation of the main series Final Fantasy titles, along with a fancy collector’s edition called the Crystal Edition. When more news breaks regarding the Final Fantasy festivities, I’ll be sure to have a new write-up!