Q: Final Fantasy XIII’s construction seemed to go hand in hand with the development of the Crystal Tools engine. Because of the time necessary to build and perfect the engine, was Final Fantasy’s typically grandiose design intentionally reworked for a tighter, more focused and linear experience? If so, would you expect further entries in the series to have more diverse gameplay?
The main challenge was that it took us a while to reach the point where adequate testing could be conducted on the high-def consoles, but otherwise, because the Crystal Tools engine is such a fundamental technology to FINAL FANTASY XIII, we consider its construction as part of the overall development process. From a scheduling perspective, we did our best to design the game within conventional specifications, but I think that the completion of the basic technology has now opened up new possibilities to pursue more unorthodox specs when designing for future projects.
Q: It seemed like portions of Final Fantasy XIII’s story went deliberately against standard Japanese RPG tropes, meaning the characters rarely submitted to hyperbole and often acted rationally. Was the choice to create more realistic and relatable characters a conscious decision for Final Fantasy XIII?
We put a lot of effort into conveying the characters’ emotions through subtle facial expressions, and I think that’s what really made them come alive. Human drama is universal, and realistic expressions can evoke an emotional response from audiences worldwide. We looked to the voice actors’ expressions as reference for the characters’ facial expressions, and each and every component was crafted manually by some of the top animators in Japan. The reality of the characters was established not only through the storytelling, but through all the meticulous, hard work that the creators devoted to the project.
Q: How did the Datalog find its way into the game? Did the development team have it mind from the outset, or was it worked in as a means to further develop certain parts of the world and its characters?
We started putting together the text for the data log towards the end of development, but had planned to incorporate it from the start. The main characters of FINAL FANTASY XIII are citizens of Cocoon, who are accustomed to the way of life there. Their level of knowledge is very different from the players, so in order to fill that gap we decided to supplement information in the form of a data log. And because the story was of such massive volume we wanted to make sure summaries were plentiful, so that players could recall occurrences from various scenes while establishing a deeper understanding of the story.
Q: Was the battle system an evolution of what was started with Final Fantasy X-2? Furthermore, were A.I. controlled party members always part of the plan?
The battle system in FINAL FANTASY XIII, based on the familiar Active Time Battle system, is different from any other in the FINAL FANTASY series. The main concept behind it was “speedy and tactical.” The ability to input multiple commands at once has significantly increased battle speed, making it much more fast-paced than that of FINAL FANTASY X-2. The AI controlled party members were confirmed early in development in order to realize the “speed” aspect of the system. The Paradigm system, used to switch characters’ roles, adds the tactical element to the system. Players can change roles as many times as they want to adapt to any given situation in battle, which makes for a very active and tense combat experience.
Q: The art direction is gorgeous. Where did the team find inspiration?
There is a new concept called the “Crystal Mythology” at the core of FINAL FANTAYS XIII, and we focused on two gods from this mythos — Pulse and Lindzei — for this project. Their characteristics were translated into two opposing art concepts such as “primitive nature, rugged and straight-edged” versus “streamlined and refined future technology,” and from there we designed Pulse and Cocoon. By creating a completely original mythology, we were able to envision a “never-before-seen” world for FINAL FANTASY XIII.
Q: The natural environments like Gapra Whitewood or the Sunleth Waterscape are beautifully designed, and also contain significant back story via the game’s datalog. Were these environments designed with that back story in mind, or were they simply from a set of concepts from which a few were chosen and then fully developed? Were there many assets (stages) that were developed and didn’t get used?
First we compile the background information for each location, then based on that, the art team creates image boards. Once the image boards are in place, an even larger amount of art work is created, and finally the 3D fields start to come together. New back stories can begin to surface during this creation process; the story and art are related in such a way that they continuously add depth to each other as they are finalized. With this type of process, often times we are left with art that isn’t used in the final product. But all of these ideas, even those that don’t make it in, are what add depth to the game.
Q: Does the development team read press reviews? Now that the game is available in Japanese and Western markets, does the team observe any distinct differences in the way the two markets received the game?
We were very pleasantly surprised that the detailed visuals and characters were received so well overseas, even more so than in Japan. I was genuinely touched seeing how passionate and excited fans were in both Europe and North America during the launch events. I was looking through twitter for FINAL FANTASY XIII related tweets after the release, and I really felt that all of the development team’s hard work was truly worth it, seeing so many people from around the world commenting and tweeting their impressions of the game. Western RPGs are of course amazing, but this experience reassured me that FINAL FANTASY should continue to pursue its own unique path.
