Final Fantasy

Heimdall’s horn has sounded for all mythology fans!

Norse Myths That Inspired Final Fantasy VII is the latest book by award-winning Final Fantasy community author M. J. Gallagher. This ambitious, well-researched work examines how Norse lore and Viking culture manifests in the locations, characters and themes of the Final Fantasy VII Compilation.

The book has launched today on Amazon, and you can buy it by clicking here.

In E3 of 2006, Square Enix announced Final Fantasies XIII and Versus XIII. For the next fourteen years there have been no announcements of a brand new offline mainline title with a wholly original setting and cast of characters. Over eleven years if you include the original Final Fantasy XIV. That has finally changed when in the latest Sony PlayStation 5 Showcase event, Final Fantasy XVI is finally revealed, and helmed by Creative Division III, with the revered Yoshi-P (Naoki Yoshida) serving as producer in this brand new project.

Hades, Greek mythology’s god of the Underworld, regularly emerges in modern popular culture. Often he is depicted as a hellish villain (consider Disney’s Hercules for a memorable example) yet, in antiquity, Hades was not necessarily evil; he just served a vital, albeit unsavoury, duty.

Although debuting as a summon in Final Fantasy VII, most frequently Hades’ Final Fantasy appearances range from fightable enemies to fleshed out major villains. Square Enix depicts Hades as either skeletal or human, depending on how prominent he is in a particular game’s story. Let’s open the gates and descend deeply into discussion.

I'm sorry, but did you honestly think FFVII Remake was the most important Final Fantasy release this year? Move aside, Cloud, and let your Clavat masters take centre stage this time, because the delayed Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition is on track for a late summer release this year - the 27th August. Please note that the western release for PS4, Switch and mobile platforms will be digital only.

[WARNING: There be spoilers for the FFVII Remake's narrative, as well as discussion of what may follow in upcoming followup installments.]

For many players, the dust has largely settled and you've experienced at least one full playthrough of Square's latest critically and commercially lauded release. With everyone's eyes now trained to look at the future of the Remake project and where the protagonists' long road ahead will next take them, Square Enix released The Ultimania for Final Fantasy VII Remake approximately a fortnight ago. This compendium of juicy trivia, details and interviews with key senior members of the development staff sheds considerable light into a lot of the designs that went into building the world, character biographies and of course, insight information on the development process of the game and what the team aspires to accomplish on upcoming titles.

The Sirens are amongst Greek mythology's most characteristic monsters. Usually envisioned as half-bird, half-woman, Sirens lure distracted sailors with sweet music causing them to ruin their ships on the rocks. They embody the treacherous zone where sea meets land and signify anxieties surrounding temptation.

In the Final Fantasy franchise the recurring character known as ‘Siren' is sometimes friend, sometimes foe. As a musician capable of silencing her prey, Siren is typically characterised by Square Enix as a humanoid with varying degrees of feather coverage. As we shall see, the particular uses harmonise with the source myths. So strap yourselves to your seats and soak in the knowledge of the Sirens.

What better way to start the week than with a bit of casual eco-terrorism and destructive vandalism of private corporate assets? Without much fanfare (or any fanfare at all), Square Enix have decided to stealth drop the awaited demo for the Final Fantasy VII Remake on the digital PlayStation Store.

It's time for another trailer! This one is eventful, offering us a glimpse of the voice acting for a plethora of characters from Red XIII to the Shinra upper management. Prepare to buckle down and let Scarlet use you as a chair and a foot rest, because series veteran composer Nobuo Uematsu is back to work his wonders with a brand new theme song for the FFVII Remake named "Hollow".

Hey, have you people heard of this bloke called 'Cloud Strife'? Apparently he's this mercenary chap who's also a tad ambivalent about the Planet literally dying. This amateur group of environmental terrorists decided to recruit him into their cause, for crying out loud! I wonder how much they're paying him, because it doesn't even look like they can afford to pay the annual property tax on their headquarters.

Hey, did you know that we're reaching ten full years since Final Fantasy XIII was released? Doesn't time fly? Well now that I've thrown you into a state of existential despair, let me remind you that the date of 3rd March 2020 draws ever inexorably near. This means in just over three months' time, you will be able to hand over actual money to the retailer of your choice to get your hands on (part 1 at least of) the Final Fantasy VII Remake. Perhaps not so coincidentally, many of Square Enix's most recognisable senior names and figures from the Lightning trilogy are back for this remake.

Videogames have played a strangely significant role in my life. By now I'm at the age where it's a little embarrassing to admit, but I firmly believe there's no shame in saying so. Something about the kind of stories videogames are apt to tell has resonated with me on more than one occasion in such a way that shapes my personal journey. Some provide a microcosm for learning new life lessons and skills, while others somehow encapsulate a particular era or phase of personal development, assisting in some much-needed introspection. Maybe they're not even the best of games, but they're the ones that, for whatever reason, manage to stick with me years later.

SeeD: The Beginning is a fan written Final Fantasy VIII novel authored by Micah Rodney with M. J. Gallagher. With interior art by Kayley Henderson, cover art by Fiveonthe and the cover design produced by Alex Maine (lead organiser of KupoCon) this collaborative effort chronicles the earliest part of the game.

Presented by KupoCon, attendees of Pomex (London, September 21st 2019) were the first to be able to obtain paperback copies of the book (which remain exclusive to KupoCon events). With the release of the Remastered edition in September, KupoCon’s endorsement of this project couldn’t have come at a better time for Final Fantasy VIII fans.

Today the digital eBook version has launched for everybody to enjoy!

You can...

Glory to mankind! Four months following the release of Final Fantasy XIV's critically acclaimed Shadowbringers expansion comes Patch 5.1: Vows of Virtue, Deeds of Cruelty, the long-awaited collaboration with NieR Automata. For players of the game who wish to revel in NieR creator Yoko Taro's brand of madness, or desire to knock heads with Alexander Ultimate (the next in the series of hyper-challenging fights for hardcore raiders), there are plenty of machines to pick a fight with come the 29th October.

With six months to go until (this first volume?) of the Final Fantasy VII Remake hits physical and digital store shelves for the PlayStation 4, Square Enix opens this year's Tokyo Games Show with a new trailer for their coveted next big release.

FFF Mythology Manual - Brothers: Beastly Brethren.

Sometimes siblings can seem oddly matched. Proximity means they may often have beef with each other, yet during both their lows and their prime they remain tethered by tight familial ties.

This is apparent in what is arguably one of the most unusual, yet charming, summons in the Final Fantasy franchise: ‘Brothers’ from Final Fantasy VIII. These comical, purple-furred humanoid bulls, individually named Minotaur and Sacred, are first fought as bosses and, once tamed, you can take your cattle into battle as they become summonable Guardian Forces.

Final Fantasy VII Remake may currently only be announced for the PlayStation 4 with an expected release date of 3 March 2020, but Square Enix have more or less confirmed that it will not remain on a single console. Company president and CEO Yosuke Matsuda candidly spoke that the remake is expressly developed to support both the current generation of consoles and the generation to follow, which invariably includes the PlayStation 5.

Someone dragged Yoshinori Kitase and Tetsuya Nomura from bed and flew them over to Los Angeles, as both senior figures clamoured onto the stage at Square Enix's E3 conference to lift the lid on the anticipated Final Fantasy VII Remake. The most notable pieces of news concern the confirmation that the remake will indeed be split into multiple parts; the story and content of Midgar will be expanded to such an extent that the first installment of the remake will be entirely comprised of Midgar, filling up two Blu-Ray discs worth of content. Part 1 will release on 3rd March 2020 in what already looks like a packed first quarter for games.

Having avoided the public light since 2015 like the world's deftest ninja, the spotlight is about to shine on Final Fantasy VII Remake this year. Kicking off is a short teaser trailer for the game broadcasted in Sony's State of Play stream. We have a more thorough look at Barret, Biggs, Wedge, Cloud and of course, we welcome Aerith to the team. The teaser trailer ends with the words: "more to come in June".

The Paris Fanfest for Final Fantasy XIV is in town and with it another keynote to outline the content that can be expected for the MMORPG's third expansion, Shadowbringers, not to be confused with Stormblood when abbreviated, because...wait, why have they done that? That just adds unnecessary confusion...

The first key point is the expansion will be available on the 2nd July this year. If you pre-order from the 6th February, you can participate in the expansion's early access period from the 28th June, providing the servers do not buckle the moment everyone attempts to queue in.

The Final Fantasy XIV Fanfest is back in town - in Las Vegas at least - and naturally it's time for Yoshi-P to face an adoring crowd to announce that Final Fantasy XIV Immortal will be released for mobile devi [checks script] no, that didn't happen. They announced the MMO's third expansion, FFXIV 5.0 Shadowbringers. This expansion will follow the usual two-year rule set by the previous two expansions, so expect an approximate release window of June 2019.