|
|
You give the game your all...you stay up latenights...you've hunted around on the web...and still
you just can't get past that point in the game. Not all is lost!
|
Journey to the Promised Land Warning: include(inc-ffwNav.php) [function.include]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /web/sites/hustler/tipstricks.com/features-FFW-Interview1.php on line 43 Warning: include() [function.include]: Failed opening 'inc-ffwNav.php' for inclusion (include_path='.:/usr/local/lib/php') in /web/sites/hustler/tipstricks.com/features-FFW-Interview1.php on line 43 Final Fantasy XII: Revenant WingsInterviewees: Eisuke Yokoyama (Producer), Motomu Toriyama (Writer & Director)
Electronic Gaming Monthly: Are you planning any changes for the US version of Revenant Wings over the Japanese version? A: The Japanese release was geared more towards beginners because the Japanese market was not too used to real-time strategy games yet. Since the North American players are more used to it, we’ve decided to balance the game a bit more, and also added some gameplay features.
Tips & Tricks: The word revenant can mean “ghost” or “spirit” in English. I was wondering if that’s relevant to the game itself, such as there being something in it about spiritual beings. I also noticed on the official site you listed Ba’Gamnan as a character. During a Final Fantasy XII Elite Mark hunt, I thought I killed him. I was wondering if he is a spirit in Revenant Wings, or if I was mistaken about my assumptions about what happened to him in Final Fantasy XII. A: Regarding the “revenant” part of it, we wanted it to mean more in the way of having gone and come back. The game focuses on returning and also has a double meaning relating to bringing players back, and also returning to the Nintendo system. It’s not so much in a ghost sense. As for Ba’Gamnan, Final Fantasy XII was designed so it would look as if he died, but he will be back in full force in this game, so look forward to it.
GamePro: The spin-offs for Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy X all kept the look of the originals, while this one seems to have a younger skew to the characters than the original Final Fantasy XII. What influenced that decision? A: It has a lot to do with the hardware and basically the expressions you can create with polygons. The characters are the same, they haven’t changed, they just look warmer and more fun.
EGM: The overall tone seems more light-hearted and carefree than Final Fantasy XII. Is that a decision they made because of the audience? Are you worried that fans of Final Fantasy XII will think the game is too happy? A: One of the key issues is that the world of Final Fantasy XII took place during a war. Revenant Wings takes place post-war, during peacetime. The fact that it centers on Vaan also calls for certain light-heartedness, so it is true to the Final Fantasy XII series in that way.
T&T: I noticed in some of the cutscenes that the art style resembles the Kingdom Hearts series; especially in the way Vaan’s character was designed. Are there plans to include Ivalice as a world in a future Kingdom Hearts title? Even if you can’t confirm that, is that something you would like to see? A: Obviously we can’t give a direct answer to that, but the 20th anniversary celebration of Final Fantasy is going on right now. So there is a chance that characters or places like Ivalice will appear elsewhere. Just a chance. [After prompting from a PR person.] But probably not Kingdom Hearts. [Evil laugh.]
GP: You are directing both a full-fledged Final Fantasy game with Final Fantasy XIII and you’re also working on this title and have worked on Final Fantasy X-2. What’s the difference between working on a full-fledged game and one that’s a spin-off from a previous Final Fantasy? Motomu Toriyama: The main differences between the two I’m working on now, Final Fantasy XIII and Revenant Wings, are obviously the hardware specs and the play style of a console versus a portable. As for working on one of the titles in the main series versus a spin-off game, even in Revenant Wings, there are new elements. I still have the freedom to create a battle system and a new world, so in that way it doesn’t differ that much.
T&T: In the Jump Festa trailer they showed a winged character named Llyud. Can you describe this other race of beings and how he joins up with Vaan and Penelo in the story? A: The story picks up with Vaan chasing treasure. They gain access to an airship and head to Lemurés, where they encounter the Eigle, who were originally on Ivalice. How they ended up on Lemurés is part of the story, so look forward to that in the game.
GP: Even though this is a game with real-time battles, the game seems to share a look and style similar to games like Final Fantasy Tactics A2. Are you worried about the two competing? A: [Laughter] We don’t think of them as rivals except for the fact of being next door to them during this interview. [Each interview room has an open roof, and we can hear loud voices and laughter in the next room.] Each game in The Ivalice Alliance has its own particular style. The differences in play as well as scenario will become clear to people as they play the games.
EGM: The RTS genre has never been that popular for consoles, so I’m curious what RTS games the team played that were inspirational. Also, are you excited about the announcement for StarCraft 2 next week? A: We’ve always enjoyed simulation games and RTS’s. The decision to make Revenant Wings an RTS came mostly from the ideas we wanted to include, such as the three-on-three battles in Final Fantasy XII, armies, utilizing the stylus and implementing the game system ideas the team had. It just came up that an RTS would be the most natural way to integrate those features. [Laughter] And yes, we are looking forward to StarCraft 2.
GP: Did your work with Final Fantasy X-2, which was pretty much a light-hearted take on Final Fantasy X, influence your decision to make this one also light-hearted? MT: I do prefer a light-hearted story. Also, I wanted to bring back the sense of adventure the older Final Fantasy games had. |
Strangely enough, even though Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings was already available by the time Square Enix Party 2007 began, people were still lined up to play this sequel to the popular PS2 game. FFXII: RW is an RTS that is controlled with the stylus in a way similar to how you control an RTS using the mouse on a PC. Obviously, there are some shortcuts needed on the keyboard-less Nintendo DS, but from a brief hands-on session it was easy enough to tap characters and action icons to make them walk, cast spells and attack. During the first day of the show, Tips & Tricks and several other game publications sat down for a round-table interview with writer and director Motomu Toriyama and producer Eisuke Yokoyama.
