How can monsters use magic?

[Guernsey]

I just have a question for the FFVI game but I don't if there is already thread like this if so post here. If magic had been a lost art since the time the game began then how is it then that the monsters in the game are able to use magic?

 

[Saki Kasukabe]

If you had asked this question in the early 90s, a lot of people would've laughed nervously and looked down at their feet.

The videogaming industry was still young in 1994, there were a lot of loose ends left behind in the storylines, as it was the gameplay that was 100% priortised back then.

 

[Silver Shadow]

i'm going to guess it's because the monsters are descendants of espers. that's the closest i can get to a good guess.

 

[V_Translanka]

Or maybe they're the bastard offspring of failed Magitek experiments...? I think that makes about as much sense as bastard Esper offspring, right? Either way: EXPLAINED'D

 

[ZKnight7]

So the monsters like did the nasty with espers how exactly does that work.

 

[Dionysos]

So the monsters like did the nasty with espers how exactly does that work.

Well... One day Mr.Monster and Miss Esper decided that they liked each other very very much. And...


Errrmm. Few months later monster is born with the magical abilities of an Esper. Sorted.

 

[Red_Mage]

That's easy.

Square never thought of it. >.>

 

[Bambi]

That's easy.

Square never thought of it. >.>

That's exactly what I think.

You could say the same about FFVIII, how are these monsters using magic? There's no way on eartyh they all have GF's junctioned. It's just one of those things we have to accept I guess

And VII the monsters have weapons armour equipped and mateia?!

I guess being animals or whatever they have their own special little moves, like skunks can make you stink

Oh and snakes have poison...and....stuff

 

[Kei]

I don't know I think they just didn't care after all it's a video game so gamers shouldn't dig every simple thing mistakes happens after all I think I once I saw many mistakes in one game in 2 mins >.>

 

[The_Oathkeeper]

The fact is, there probably isn't a real reason for this. As stated, back in the ye olde days of Console RPGs, a game's story line wasn't heavily scrutinized like it would be today, even if it did receive a great deal of focus when compared to gameplay (as RPGs always have). For whatever reason, fans seem to be more willing to search tirelessly for plot holes such as this one now than they were way back when. As Nachlader said, if you walked up to one of FFVI's developers and asked them point-blank "Why can the monsters use Magic when you said that only Espers and humans empowered by Magicite can do that?", they'd probably stare at you for a moment and stutter, or just stare down at their shoes. That's not to say that they hadn't thought through the game's storyline, it's just that there wasn't really so much attention to detail as far as tiny inconsistencies like monsters using magic. It's really just how things worked back then, I suppose. Hell, maybe, as far as the game's canon is concerned, the monsters really can't use magic, and it's nothing more than a gameplay element.

It's sort of like how, in classic RPGs, you'd have parties consisting primarily of regular humans defeating gods. A game developer wouldn't stop to think "Wait, could a bunch of normal humans with swords and spears really pull off something like that?" Though, in most Final Fantasy games, this isn't really a problem, I must admit. Final Fantasies VI, VII, and VIII are unique in that they list magic as something that very few living entities can cast due to the way those universes work. You had to collect very rare artifacts/enhancements (Espers, Materia, or GFs, respectively) in order to use it, whereas, in most Final Fantasy games, you just had to train yourself in the magical arts or simply apprentice under a powerful sorcerer. It wasn't really exclusive to a select group of people, it's just that you essentially had to choose between specializing in physical combat or magic. In these games, however, it's stated quite clearly "You cannot use magic unless certain requirements are met."

So, yeah, I am a bit confused. Then again, monsters are never directly referred to when it's said "We can't use magic under normal circumstances". However, it is stated that specific circumstances need to be fulfilled. I doubt, for example, that monsters come across Magicite, given that the only people who have been known to harness it are those who go through the Empire's Magicite experiments and the Playable Characters. It's also stated in Final Fantasy VII that the ability to perform Magic comes from gaining the knowledge of the Ancients. I really don't think that the monsters in that game could've learned something so advanced. The only time I suppose it's excusable would be in FFVIII. We're never told much about magic in that game, so I suppose it's not too much of a stretch to assume that the "We have to use GFs" rule only applies to humans, but still...That game is riddled with plot holes, so I wouldn't be surprised if it was just another thing the developers overlooked. *sigh*

 

[xcaliber]

aaaaah because they found the lost art?