Final Fantasy Dimensions[lower-alpha 1] is a role-playing video game developed by Matrix Software and published by Square Enix for mobile devices. Similar to Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, it was initially released as an episodic game, with the first two installments released in September 2010 on the Japanese i-mode distribution service, and in December 2010 for the EZweb distribution service. The game was remade for the iOS and Android platforms and released internationally in August 2012.
Final Fantasy Dimensions features 2D graphics and a Job Change System similar to that of Final Fantasy V. Its battle system is a variation of the Final Fantasy series's Active Time Battle system. The game follows two parties, the Warriors of Light and the Warriors of Darkness, with players controlling up to five party members at a time in battle, on their quest to reform their shattered world and foil the dark plans of the Avalon Empire. In 2015, a sequel was released, titled Final Fantasy Dimensions II.
Gameplay
A Fusion Ability being unlocked mid-battle.
Final Fantasy Dimensions is a role-playing video game, developed in the style of previous 16-bit Final Fantasy games. The game uses the Active Time Battle system in which a character's turn are determined by a gauge that fills over time during battle. Once the gauge fills completely from one character, players can choose a command from that specific character. After choosing a command, the gauge fills over again to execute the command. Once the gauge fills again and the command is executed, the gauge empties and repeats the cycle.[1] Similar to Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, the game was released in an episodic format, but players must play through each episode in sequence.[2] Players command a party of five with the party members changing in each episode.[3]
The game uses a Job System similar to Final Fantasy V as a base of its battles. The game allows players to change job while still retaining skills that have already been acquired. Job-specific abilities can be learned after crossing a certain amount of AP for the current job given. That learned ability can be set even if the player changes to a different job. Players are limited in how many abilities they can set at a given time. This limit rises as the job's level rises. The game also has "Fusion Abilities" which players can form by setting combinations of certain abilities.[4]
Long ago, there was a great world war ended by the efforts of the Avalon Empire, which became the dominant power in the land. The story begins with Sol, Diana, Glaive and Aigis being sent by the King of Lux to investigate a powerful crystal linked to the balance of the world. Simultaneously, Nacht, Alba, Dusk and Sarah are sent by the Avalon Empire to break their treaty with Lux by stealing the same crystal. On the way to the crystal's shrine, Sol's party aids a mysterious man called Elgo, who agrees to accompany them to the temple. When the two groups meet within the crystal shrine, the crystal's guardian spirit attacks them. Upon its guardian's defeat, the crystal shatters and splits the world into two halves: the "World of Light", ever in daylight, and the "World of Darkness" in which day never rises. Sol, Aigis, Dusk, and Sarah remain in the first half of the world and become the "Warriors of Light", with Elgo accompanying them. Nacht, Alba, Diana and Glaive find themselves in the other half and become the "Warriors of Darkness". Both groups of Warriors travel the split world in search of each other. As they travel, they retrieve the fragments of the crystal, which grant them new abilities and gradually cause the world to reform. They also encounter the Avalon Empire and their four Generals: Vata, Baugauven, Asmodai, and Styx. All four generals are defeated except for Vata, who decides to aid the Warriors for reasons unknown. In the battle between the Warriors of Light and Baugauven aboard an Avalon ship, Elgo seemingly sacrifices himself to save the Warriors of Light.
As the two worlds begin to merge, Dusk and Alba reveal their plans to go to the ancient floating city known as Mysidia. Once the Warriors of Light arrive and meet the Elder of Mysidia, Sophia, the Avalon Empire attempt to strike Mysidia with their airship superweapon Heliogabalus. The warriors destroy the ship with the aid of Dr. Lugae, the living doll Argy, and Barbara and her dragons. Sophia then helps the warriors gain the last remaining crystal in the World of Light within the caves of Mysidia. After gaining the crystal's ability, Mysidia falls to the ground while simultaneously the Warriors of Darkness are aided by a mysterious man known as The Mask in gaining the last crystal fragment remaining in the World of Darkness. They succeed in gaining the fragment, but The Mask dies. Before his death, he reveals himself to be Elgo's other half that formed when the world split in two and asks the Warriors of Darkness to take care of his other Half as he dies. After both parties gain the fragments, the split world merges and both parties are reunited, but most of the people in the world have disappeared. Attempting to make a frontal attack to the Avalon Empire, the warriors discover a barrier protecting Avalon and eight gates across the world, linking to a realm called the Rift. Upon entering one of the gates, the warriors encounter a dark sphere in which Sophia explains it is a substance found only in the Rift known as Dark Matter, and that Avalon's goal is to harvest it for their evil purposes. Vata explains the Avalon Empire is guarding the dark matter across the world with their generals, who have been revived in undead forms. After collecting all eight pieces of the dark matter and defeating the undead generals, the dark matter fuses together, creating a new crystal and revealing that the crystal split the world to protect itself from the Empire's plans. The crystal then breaks the barrier that was protecting Avalon, allowing the warriors to enter.
Upon entering Avalon, they defeat all of the Divine Generals. Once the Warriors attack the Emperor, it is revealed that they were battling with his armor, and that he was never there. After this revelation, a new gate to the Rift opens within Avalon. When the warriors enter the Rift, they encounter Vata, who explains that they are in the void and warns them that, in order for them to proceed, someone must make a sacrifice. As they traverse the void, they encounter the armies of Nil, having to fight the four magical blades of Nil. After defeating the four blades, another gate appears in the Void. Dr. Lugae reports to the warriors that the gates are what is known as "Dark Flow", and that it is draining the life of the world into Nil, a dark dimension of shadows. Vata attempts to aid the warriors in destroying the Dark Flow by being engulfed by it and attempting to control it. As he is being engulfed by Dark Flow, he reveals he originally was part of a village that Avalon destroyed. He trained to be in the ranks of the generals of Avalon, but when he discovered he could never be a match for them, he gave up on his plans until he discovered the Warriors. Vata fails at the cost of his life, and the Dark Flow remains. The Warriors then enter Dark Flow, leading them to the World of Nil.
Coming to the palace at the center of Nil, they encounter the Emperor himself, who is revealed to be Elgo. Elgo explains to the party that he wished to use the crystals to achieve immortality, and predicted that the crystals, sensing his purpose, would split the world hoping to halt his plans. Elgo then utilized the power of Nil to move between the worlds and ensured that the Warriors collect the crystals in effort to restore the world so that he could achieve his goals. The Warriors and Elgo battle, with Elgo using the power of Nil against them. When he is defeated, Elgo loses control of Nil and it mutates him into a dark monster. The Warriors, seeing that Nil will ravage their world unchecked, fight the transformed Elgo and win. As Nil reverses its flow and life is returned to the world, all the Warriors flee, apart from Dusk and Alba, who are presumed dead. Soon however, they are revealed to be alive, saved by the spirits of Vata and the Mask. The game ends with the Warriors reunited, and the world and its crystal restored.
Development
The game was developed by the same internal Square Enix team that made Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, which was also initially a game for Japanese cell phones. The game was directed by Toshio Akiyama and produced by Takashi Tokita. Character designs were provided by Akira Oguro while the in-game 2D dot versions were created by Kazuko Shibuya. Takashi Tokita explained the game was meant to transcend the expectations of RPGs in cellphones.[5] The team set the theme of a scenario of creating another game for the SNES. The team also added several references to previous games such as Sarah and Matoya being references to the original Final Fantasy game and Dusk and Alba being reminiscent of Palom and Porom from Final Fantasy IV. When asked about the high pricing for the game, the team explained their reasons: "This title offers about 50 hours of gameplay, and we feel that our community can enjoy the contents of this game as much as they would a console title. Also, we have set the price where it is because this title was developed specifically for the mobile platform, as opposed to just being a port of an older console or handheld game".[6] When developing the smartphone version, Takashi Tokita changed the structure of selling a group of episodes rather than individually.[7] Tokita noted that the episodic format of the game allowed them to focus on different origins to protagonist and tell two stories that intertwine together. Player feedback between episodes was vital factor in the story progress, as the fate of the characters was undetermined.[8]
Music
Naoshi Mizuta composed the music of Final Fantasy Dimensions with the exception of a number of songs previously composed by Nobuo Uematsu. Naoshi intended to compose the music closer to previous Final Fantasy games such as a solid melody that can be hummed or whistled. Naoshi also made it so that the Light chapters would have different music from the Dark chapters in order to have variation of music between them.[9] A soundtrack for the game titled Final Fantasy Legends: Hikari to Yami no Senshi Original Soundtrack[lower-alpha 2] was released digitally in Japan on August 8, 2011 to celebrate the completion of the game.[10] An EP soundtrack titled Sekai no yukue from Final Fantasy Legends[lower-alpha 3] was also released digitally in Japan on iTunes and mora music store on August 31, 2012. The EP contains the arranged ending song with added lyrics featured in the iOS/Android version and being renamed using Katakana. The song was arranged by Hajime Kikuchi with added lyrics performed by Riya of Eufonius.[11]
Final Fantasy Legends: Hikari to Yami no Senshi Original Soundtrack
"Sekai no yukue (instrumental)" (セカイノユクエ (instrumental))
4:52
3.
"Hikari no tabiji" (光の旅路)
3:19
4.
"Yami o saku ken" (闇を裂く剣)
1:45
5.
"Teikoku shitennō" (帝国四天王)
2:36
Release history
The game was initially hinted when Square Enix trademarked Hikari to Yami no Senshi which was initially believed to be related to Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together.[12] The game was revealed in Japan as Final Fantasy Legends: Hikari to Yami no Senshi in July 2010.[13] The first chapters of the game were first released for iMode phones on September 6, and for EZweb phones on December 9 the same year.[14] The rest of the chapters were released approximately once a month since then till August 8, 2011 for iMode and November 10 for EZweb. An iOS and Android versions, with improved graphics and sound, and support for slide-pad controls over the feature phone version, were later announced[15] and iOS version was released internationally as Final Fantasy Dimensions on August 31, 2012.[16][17] Due to technical difficulties, only "Prologue" was released first for the iOS version. All other chapters were purchasable at the in-app shop after upgrading from 1.0.0 to 1.0.1 which was available later in the same day.[18] The Android version was released on December 21 in its complete form.[19]
Tome of Darkness, the Dark Knight's Tale: The Knight Wandering in Darkness Yami no Shō Ankokukishi Hen "Samayō Ankoku no Kishi" (闇の章 暗黒騎士編 『さまよう暗黒の騎士』)
The game had received mainly positive reviews. Final Fantasy Dimensions received an aggregated score of 78 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 10 critics and 74% on GameRankings based on 7 reviews.[34][33]Slide to Play praised the game and commented: "Square Enix has made a truly masterful game here. The story is huge, the characters enjoyable and fun to play, and other than the iffy controls, the game works fantastically well on the touchscreen. The menus in particular are elegantly designed. The music and graphics are even great in creating a world that reminds us that the old and new can coexist, and do so with aplomb".[41] Justin Davis of IGN criticized the episodic structure of the game, saying that the "players can't fully explore the game world until they're almost at the end – over 30 hours in!", but also praised the gameplay stating: "What Dimensions lacks in scenario & story flexibility it makes up for with sheer depth and flexibility in its job system. Players can assign any party member to any available job on-the-fly, with more opening up as the story progresses".[37] Joe Juba of Game Informer praised the gameplay but criticized the lack of fanfare: "Despite the fun job system and classic vibe to the combat, Dimensions seems like it was set up to fail. It released to little fanfare at a prohibitive price point for mobile games".[35] Tof Eklund of TouchArcade praised the games features: "There's an epic, high fantasy plot with lots of twists, a large cast of characters whose appearance and abilities vary wildly, tons of random combat, lots of leveling-up and abilities to unlock, a gradual opening up of the world, secret items, bonus dungeons, and a lot of looking inside pots and barrels in order to pilfer the worldly goods of the townspeople you run across".[40]GamesTM praised the game for resembling previous Final Fantasy games.[36]
Derek Heemsbergen of RPGFan gave it a mixed review: "I'm grateful that the game was released in English, and while it isn't everything I hoped it would be, Final Fantasy: Dimensions does enough right to be worth playing".[39] Nathan Mustafa of Touchgen however, criticized the dialogue structure, the lack of animation, and sound of the game: "In the end, I cannot reconcile these cheapened portions of the game. I understand it is a port of a 'mobile' game from Japan, but the quality of the port could have been much better. Had my three key issues with how the game presents itself not been present, I would probably have walked away feeling quite positive about Final Fantasy Dimensions. In its current form, though, I can only give it a middling score".[42]
Related Research Articles
Final Fantasy III is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Family Computer. The third installment in the Final Fantasy series, it is the first numbered Final Fantasy game to feature the job-change system. The story revolves around four orphaned youths drawn to a crystal of light. The crystal grants them some of its power, and instructs them to go forth and restore balance to the world. Not knowing what to make of the crystal's pronouncements, but nonetheless recognizing the importance of its words, the four inform their adoptive families of their mission and set out to explore and bring back balance to the world.
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is an action role-playing video game developed by The Game Designers Studio and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. It was released in 2003 in Japan and 2004 in North America, Europe and Australia. A remastered version for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Android, and iOS was released in August 2020. A spin-off of the Final Fantasy series and beginning of the series of the same name, Crystal Chronicles was the first title in the franchise to be released for a Nintendo home console since Final Fantasy VI in 1994.
Akitoshi Kawazu is a Japanese game designer, director, producer and writer. After joining Square in 1985, he went on to become a central developer for the first two Final Fantasy titles, then acted as creator and lead developer for the SaGa series.
Final Fantasy Type-0 is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation Portable (PSP). Released in Japan on October 27, 2011, Type-0 is part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis subseries, a set of games sharing a common mythos which includes Final Fantasy XIII and XV. The gameplay, similar to Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, has the player taking control of characters in real-time combat during missions across Orience. The player also engages in large-scale strategy-based battles on the world map, and has access to a multiplayer option during story missions and side quests.
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates is an action role-playing game for the Nintendo DS, developed and published by Square Enix. It is a prequel to Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles for the GameCube. The game takes advantage of both the local wireless and Wi-Fi capabilities of the system and features voice acting.
Dissidia Final Fantasy is a fighting game with action RPG elements developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation Portable as part of the campaign for the Final Fantasy series' 20th anniversary. It was released in Japan on December 18, 2008, in North America on August 25, 2009, and in Australia and Europe in September. It was then re-released in Japan, based on the North American version, as Dissidia Final Fantasy: Universal Tuning, on November 1, 2009.
Final Fantasy IV: The After Years is an episodic role-playing video game co-developed by Matrix Software and Square Enix, as the sequel to the 1991 title Final Fantasy IV. Set 17 years after Final Fantasy IV, The After Years follows the original cast and their descendants in episodic tales as a new villain appears, setting into action a mysterious chain of events that threatens the fate of the Blue Planet. Largely utilizing assets, locations, and mechanics from its predecessor, the title incorporates higher quality character graphics and several new gameplay systems.
Crystal Defenders is a set of two tower defense video games developed and published by Square Enix. The games use the setting of Ivalice and design elements from Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift, forming part of the wider Final Fantasy franchise. The games feature a selection of characters sporting Final Fantasy-based character classes, and play out tower defense scenarios against recurring series of monsters. The first game in the series is Crystal Guardians, which was released in three parts for Japanese mobile phones in 2008. It was adapted for iOS later that year as Square Enix's first game for the platform, and renamed Crystal Defenders. Under that name, the game was also released between 2009 and 2011 for Android, Xbox Live Arcade, WiiWare, and PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable via the PlayStation Store. It was re-released with graphical improvements for iOS as Crystal Defenders Plus in 2013. A sequel, Crystal Defenders: Vanguard Storm, was released for iOS in 2009.
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Darklord is a 2009 tower defense video game developed and published by Square Enix for the Wii and distributed through the WiiWare download service. The game is an entry in the Final Fantasy franchise, forming part of the Crystal Chronicles subseries. Taking place after Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King, the game follows the titular Darklord as she defends her mobile tower from waves of attacks as it travels across the kingdom.
Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light, known in Japan as Hikari no 4 Senshi -Final Fantasy Gaiden-, is a role-playing video game developed by Matrix Software and published by Square Enix for the Nintendo DS. It is a spin-off of the Final Fantasy series and was released by Square Enix in Japan in 2009. The game was released in North America and Europe in October 2010.
Final Fantasy is a fantasy role-playing video game developed and published by Square in 1987. It is the first game in Square's Final Fantasy series, created by Hironobu Sakaguchi. Originally released for the NES, Final Fantasy was remade for several video game consoles and is frequently packaged with Final Fantasy II in video game collections. The first Final Fantasy story follows four youths called the Warriors of Light, who each carry one of their world's four elemental crystals which have been darkened by the four Elemental Fiends. Together, they quest to defeat these evil forces, restore light to the crystals, and save their world.
Final Fantasy Agito was a role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for mobile devices. The game's story was set in the universe of Final Fantasy Type-0, and was an entry in the Fabula Nova Crystallis subseries. A downloadable episodic game similar to Final Fantasy Dimensions, it featured a turn-based combat system encouraging both single-player exploration and multiplayer combat. There was a day-night cycle tied to the real-world time of day, and it featured a social element whereby talking with and befriending certain characters advanced the player's ranking in the game.
Final Fantasy Type-0, an action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix in 2011, revolves around a war between four nations in the world of Orience. An episodic companion game, Final Fantasy Agito, was released in 2014. Type-0 was re-released internationally in 2015 as a high-definition remaster for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The main protagonists are Class Zero, a group of students at the magical academy in Rubrum. The story is told through two new members of Class Zero: Machina Kunagiri and Rem Tokimiya. The main character of Agito is a player-created cadet at the Rubrum magical academy. The world and characters were designed by Yusuke Naora, Yusaku Nakaaki and Tetsuya Nomura. Their stories were created by Hajime Tabata, Hiroki Chiba and Sarah Obake.
Mobius Final Fantasy was an episodic role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for iOS, Android, and Microsoft Windows. It was released in Japan in June 2015, and internationally in August 2016. The players could control Warrior of Light (Wol), a man who wakes with amnesia in the world of Palamecia, and must help conquer the dark forces attacking its people. The game featured gameplay elements from previous Final Fantasy titles, including leveling, exploration via standard navigation and fast-travel systems, and turn-based combat tied to a job system. Common themes were also drawn from the original Final Fantasy title, such as "warriors of light" and their fight against chaos and darkness.
Noctis Lucis Caelum, "Noct" for short, is a character from Square Enix's Final Fantasy video game series. Noctis is a playable character and the main protagonist of Final Fantasy XV, which was originally a spin-off titled Final Fantasy Versus XIII. The crown prince and protector of Lucis, Noctis must reclaim his country's Crystal from the empire of Niflheim, going on a journey to become the True King of legend and save his world from darkness. Noctis has also appeared in the game's expanded media, Final Fantasy crossover titles and other games, including Puzzle & Dragons and the fighting game Tekken 7.
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is a series of video games within the Final Fantasy franchise developed by Square Enix. Beginning in 2003 with the game for the GameCube, the series has predominantly been released on Nintendo gaming hardware and covers multiple genres, including action role-playing. The Crystal Chronicles series takes place in an unnamed world inhabited by four tribes. Recurring themes include creating objects from memory and the importance of family. The gameplay, which has always been aimed at as wide an audience as possible within a genre, generally involves either multiple players or a large group working together.
Brave Father Online: Our Story of Final Fantasy XIV is a 2019 Japanese comedy drama film based on a Japanese television drama miniseries Final Fantasy XIV: Dad of Light, which is based on blog post Dad of Light written by Maidy. The film stars Kentaro Sakaguchi, Kōtarō Yoshida, Maika Yamamoto and Naomi Zaizen.
References
Notes
↑ Known in Japan as Final Fantasy Legends: Hikari to Yami no Senshi (Japanese: ファイナルファンタジー レジェンズ 光と闇の戦士, Hepburn: Fainaru Fantajī Rejenzu: Hikari to Yami no Senshi, lit. "Final Fantasy Legends: Warriors of Light and Darkness")
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
