Square Enix Releases First Final Fantasy VI Mobile Screens

[StewShearerOld]

Square Enix Releases First Final Fantasy VI Mobile Screens

Square Enix has released a pair of screenshots to demonstrate the visual changes being made to Final Fantasy VI.

Back in October Square Enix revealed that it had plans <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/128580-Square-Enix-Final-Fantasy-VI-Mobile-Port-Like-a-Remake>to "remake" Final Fantasy VI for iOS and Android. While the new version would essentially be the same game in terms of story and mechanics, the company promised that it would be tweaking the difficulty to reduce level grinding while also investing in new visuals similar to what it did with the mobile edition of <a href=https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/final-fantasy-v/id609577016>Final Fantasy V.

Well, Square Enix has finally released some sample screens from the new game and I don't quite know how I feel about them. Being an enormous fan of the original SNES game (we're talking favorite game territory) I expected to loathe the new visuals, especially since I didn't like the looks of the Final Fantasy V mobile game. That said, I'm looking at the new images and not hating everything. The environments, for instance, actually look kind nice, almost like the developers just took the SNES versions, smoothed them out and changed the proportions a bit.

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Where we get into the hazier territory for me, is the character sprites. While I wouldn't say the new sprites look terrible, there's just something not right about them. They're a bit too smooth in my opinion, almost to the point of looking flat. Terra's hair especially bothers me for some reason. Of course, I have long been one of those people who thinks Final Fantasy VI is perfect in its original form, so maybe it just comes to down my inability to fully accept any changes to a game I hold very dearly. What do you guys think? Does it look to you like Square Enix is improving Final Fantasy VI, or is it stomping on a classic with these new visuals?

Source: Siliconera


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[Antitonic]

I actually agree: the environments look fine, the sprites aren't good like that. I can understand wanting to improve things, but sometimes you don't need to.

Is it just me that's concerned over the story being "essentially" the same? That means it's not the same, right? What's changed? Is Strago now a golden-haired bishonen in order to cater for the modern crowd?

 

[Clive Howlitzer]

Oh boy, a new mobile port!? I'll try to hide my overwhelming excitement.

 

[StewShearerOld]

I actually agree: the environments look fine, the sprites aren't good like that. I can understand wanting to improve things, but sometimes you don't need to.

Is it just me that's concerned over the story being "essentially" the same? That means it's not the same, right? What's changed? Is Strago now a golden-haired bishonen in order to cater for the modern crowd?

I wouldn't read too much into my "essentially." Square Enix has, thus far, made no indication that it will be altering the plot. It has indicated that it might be making some changes to gameplay to make it more accessible, but that's about it.

I mean, you never know, of course. Maybe we'll start the new version up and discover Kefka's the hero this time around, but I doubt the company will touch the story.

 

[Wuvlycuddles]

Kinda sad that they decided not to bother doing the 3d remakes any more, 3 & 4 looked gorgeous.

 

[infinity_turtles]

Agree on the sprites, but to me it's her eye(s) that stand out as not right.

I mean, you never know, of course. Maybe we'll start the new version up and discover Kefka's the hero this time around, but I doubt the company will touch the story.

Or maybe when it starts you just get Kefka laughing. Forever.

 

[StewShearerOld]

Agree on the sprites, but to me it's her eye(s) that stand out as not right.

I mean, you never know, of course. Maybe we'll start the new version up and discover Kefka's the hero this time around, but I doubt the company will touch the story.

Or maybe when it starts you just get Kefka laughing. Forever.

Yeah the eyes too! It sucks because the eyes in FFVI on SNES were actually impressively expressive. These look...less so...

 

[Trishbot]

Silly Square Enix, trying to mess with perfection again...

 

[tehroc]

I'm ok with them adding anti-aliasing to FF6. Jagged diagonal lines need to die in a hideous fire never to plague us again.

 

[Dr.Awkward]

It's two things that seem to be a problem. One is a style mismatch sprite-wise - The backgrounds, both in the original and in this version, are designed in an a sort of style that imitates an impressionist oil painting, yet as the new version makes clearly visible the sprites look drawn and inked in a simplistic detail, not using that extra resolution to an advantage. Secondly, the brighter color and apparent lighting makes the sprites appear worse as they don't have any depth to them. It could be "fixed" with a shadow, but that's only a cheap and sometimes ineffective option. It's better to go with darker, bolder colors and greater detail to match the environment given FF6's artistic direction...

 

[Baresark]

It's about time they did this to my favorite FF of all time. I mean, I have been using an emulator and playing it that way, but it's rather annnoying to play it like that. Something that scales to my screen would be far better. I know how I'm going to be spending 24 hours of my time in the near future.

 

[tangoprime]

The sprites look nowhere near as good as the originals on SNES, and even emulated, I haven't found it looking nearly as good as on the original cartridge I still possess on an intact SNES- but if it exposes more people to the best FF there was, I'm all for it.

 

[Covarr]

Oh goody, cleanly traced sprites by people who don't understand what the original art was aiming for. It didn't look good in FFV on mobile, and it doesn't look good here.

P.S. Thanks

 

[brutus90]

I think if they weren't going to go all out and do a 3D version (like they did awesomely with FF IV), then they should have just left it alone. I've played through FF VI countless times, but have NO urge to spend the money ($15 to $20 I'm guessing) to get a slightly tweaked version of FF VI. I think Square Enix is reboxing the game for relatively easy money.

For those who are eagerly awaiting it's release, I say "To each their own". For me, I think a non-3D FF VI remake is an epic fail, and I won't be spending money on something that really isn't any different. I think hard core fans will be much more likely to purchase this game rather than people that are new to the series. I'm very disappointed.

 

[Dr.Awkward]

Oh goody, cleanly traced sprites by people who don't understand what the original art was aiming for. It didn't look good in FFV on mobile, and it doesn't look good here.

P.S. Thanks

Yeah, I agree that whoever is the art director didn't fully understand the intentions behind certain pieces of concept art. While Amano did the concept character art to determine appearances in great detail, another artist (Nomura? I want to say no, that it was someone else) did alternative character designs designed to not have as much detail and be both space- and color-efficient for the digital artists who have to work within the SNES's limits.

 

[yellowmage]

I've still yet to play FFVI Advance, so I think I'll stick with that. Plus, we still don't know how the "improved" soundtrack will sound.

 

[Foolery]

I'm surprised they never did a version of V or VI for PSP, like they did with I or II. I guess the rampant piracy on the system might have deterred them. If a remake was on the PS Vita, it would definitely give me more of a reason to pick one up.

 

[mxfox408]

I think if they weren't going to go all out and do a 3D version (like they did awesomely with FF IV), then they should have just left it alone. I've played through FF VI countless times, but have NO urge to spend the money ($15 to $20 I'm guessing) to get a slightly tweaked version of FF VI. I think Square Enix is reboxing the game for relatively easy money.

For those who are eagerly awaiting it's release, I say "To each their own". For me, I think a non-3D FF VI remake is an epic fail, and I won't be spending money on something that really isn't any different. I think hard core fans will be much more likely to purchase this game rather than people that are new to the series. I'm very disappointed.

I agree, Seriously are developers getting lazy now that all they care to attempt is not so major changes for a quick buck? no more risk taking? wow I was hoping for a 3D remake like III and IV, to which they did an awesome job. Square needs to take bigger risks with their franchise, for example a full remake of VII that millions have been asking for since IDK the PS3 tech demo.

 

['Record Stops.']

Wait, a sec, didn't they try to do this on the GBA? I still own my Cartridge and I mean to dust it off again when I'm done with Four and Five. I also was the good little drone and I paid for a perfect SNES port on my Wii when it was offered instead of being a filthy pirate and romming that game. And didn't the GBA port cause all manner of controversy just because they translated it differently and took out Kefka's oneliners that made us love the bastard so much? So basically... they're porting an already controversial mobile port of a perfect game, onto a "console" that no one with the slightest bit of sentient thought would ever consider playing a serious RPG on? How well did that IOS port of the already perfect DS classic TWEWY do? Last I checked I don't think ANYONE played it. Like, at all.

Also holy hell, you guys...LIKED the DS remakes of III and IV? I thought those games were the bane of all life and anyone who liked them weren't "true" Final Fantasy fans? At least that's the common consensus I got from lurking around. I loved III personally, but never got IV because I already owned the GBA port.

 

[DrOswald]

I actually like the look. I would rather them not do a 3d remake, those never really work out well in my opinion, and I would rather them do something new instead of just re releasing the same game again.