Square Enix Final Fantasy DS Interview

We sit down with the creators of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates and Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings for an in-depth chat about their new DS games.

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Kikizo: What do you think of the Nintendo DS versus the PSP?

Yokoyama: We chose the DS over the PSP for Revenant Wings because of broader audience it has. The stylus-based gameplay is very intuitive, and provides a fresh experience for both casual/new players and those who have been enjoying Final Fantasy for a long time.

Kikizo: How closely did you work with the original FFXII team when making Revenant Wings? Did you need to submit your ideas to them to get approval?

Yokoyama: Regarding the storyline, we first went over how we wanted to create a story about Vaan's adventures as a Sky Pirate. We needed to get approval for that, as well as use of the setting and existing characters. But other than that, we've pretty much had free reign - though the original team has been constantly looking over our development and giving us their input. It's mostly just the story elements that they've been involved with, though - the battle system's completely our own work.

Kikizo: Some consider the gameplay systems of FFXII to be difficult. Do you think that complex RPG gameplay systems like FFXII are well suited for the DS, or do you think the nature of the console requires things to be a bit simpler?

Toriyama: It's possible to bring such complicated gameplay systems onto the DS, but we're not sure if that's what the average DS user is looking for. That's something we have to consider. We did try to implement elements of FFXII's battle system into Revenant Wings, such as the Gambits, which affect character AI.

Kikizo: Do you think that the Japanese style-RPG genre is starting to grow a bit stagnant? Do you think the Japanese RPG market needs more innovation?

Yokoyama: We definitely feel like RPGs are constantly evolving, and we at Square-Enix are striving to find new ways to expand and realize the genre. The hardware, too, is changing in interesting ways: we have the DS with the touch element, and the Wii's motion controls.

Kikizo: A lot of Japanese players aren't familiar with RTS-style games. Were you ever worried that fans of FFXII - a more traditional RPG - wouldn't get into Revenant Wings due to the changes in the battle system?

Yokoyama: We were definitely a bit worried about how the core fans would react to this title. Still, you have to take the hardware into consideration. If the hardware is different, then the game style might also need to be different. Revenant Wings is an entity of its own, so we don't think it's really fair to judge it against other FF titles.

Kikizo: Do you think Revenant Wings could be the beginning of a new spinoff series, like Final Fantasy Tactics or Crystal Chronicles?

Yokoyama: We certainly hope so! [Laughs] It's a fusion of the RTS and RPG genre, a totally new take on these ideas. We hope it'll represent a new step forward for these genres as a whole. Please give it a try!

Kikizo: So how would you define the genre of Revenant Wings?

Yokoyama: We still think of it as an RPG. [Laughs]

Kikizo: So one last question for the fans: who are your favorite characters?

Toriyama: I like Vaan. He's so energetic and excited, getting his start as a sky pirate. He can be dumb and makes mistakes sometimes, but he's got such a nice future in from of him. [Laughs]

Yokoyama: I like Kusi. She's a new character for the game. She's the team's weapon-smith. I like her because she's cute! [Laughs]

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