I’d like to close my journal by trumpeting the most influential game, or rather game series, that has provided a significant part of my motivation for pursuing a career in the games industry. The Final Fantasy series is renowned across all demographics and geographical regions for the sheer brilliance of its games.

Final Fantasy games are narrative-driven, with marvellously realised characters whose actions match their motivations. They deal with a vast array of themes without the prevalent sense of ignorance seen in Hollywood film productions. All games are visually breathtaking, with attention to detail in settings and character costumes becoming much more obvious as Square Enix moves on to more powerful platforms. The seamless integration of wonderful FMVs are a trademark of the series that no other game or series can begin to compete with.

Visual candy isn’t the only offering by any means. The soundtracks for these games are a major effort, with the recent instalments being accompanied by four-disc soundtrack albums. Moods range from the upbeat Chocobo renditions to those expressing the panic of warfare and the shock of defeat. Sound effects are employed to enhance the battle experience, and also in the field to add to the authenticity of character actions, or even as cartoon-like shorts that add to the comic value of some scenes. At no point are the sound effects over-bearing, and the music and effects combine harmoniously.

Beneath the surface of these games lies a compelling narrative, heavily grounded in a meticulously balanced and conceived battle system that features a fantastic selection of arms, armour, magic and items that supports complete player customisability; deals with all kinds of wonderful beastlike enemies; and relies heavily on the player responding to the situation at hand and acting in response.

The grand battle systems are revised with each instalment, and are facilitated by what I believe to be the best interface designs in the entire industry. At all points throughout the games, players have complete control through the excellent field navigation, battle command and general menu interfaces, all of which are laid out clearly and intuitive to use.

I can see that I won’t be able to write all I want about this series without hurting your (or even my) eyes. But if there’s one thing I must get across, it’s this: the Final Fantasy series is one that should be experienced by all budding game developers. Not just ones interested in developing for consoles, or ones interested in making role-playing games, but for every person interested in designing games. Square Enix have plenty of money to throw around, and they are intent on using it to develop games like those I have described here. They’re not content to re-release the same game and pretend it’s any different than its predecessor, nor do they rely on gimmicky, repetitive game mechanics that are limited in nature.

Despite what some game ‘reviewers’ and ‘industry experts’ may say, there’s no denying that Final Fantasy games are brilliant pieces of software from both a game designer’s and software designer’s point of view, and, more importantly, brilliant examples of games that produce fun and engaging experiences for their players. Games don’t need to be grand, nor do they need to span four discs to be fun and engaging, but those who pass off the series as ‘games for fangirls’ are missing out on one of the most valuable examples of game design in history. After all, good design inspires good design.

Many thanks to my design team-mates Dave and Jeremy for their efforts this semester, and for partaking in civil conversations about the games we like (and dislike).