Interviews// SPOnG Interview: Square Enix's Senior VP Hiromichi Tanaka
At this point, something strange happens
SPOnG: Some reviews in the US have criticised the game due to exactly this use of a single screen. Is this fair?
Hiromichi Tanaka: As a DS title it would be fair to criticise it, to say that it should make more use of the two screens. Yes, we understand that point of view. But by using one screen we got better graphics for what we wanted to do with the remake. So, from the point of view of a remade game, we still feel it was the best decision to use mainly one screen…. Also, when you are playing the game, you are not really seeing the two screens at the same time anyway… You have to concentrate heavily on the one screen - especially in the battle scenes.
SPOnG: Maybe future iterations of the DS hardware will boast graphics of this quality on both screens?
Hiromichi Tanaka: In future, yes, we hope the graphical capability of the hardware and the games will just get better and better!
SPOnG: What further plans do you have to bring Final Fantasy to Wii?
Hiromichi Tanaka: Yes, there’s the already announced Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Series for Wii [announced back at E3 2006]. Plus there are possibilities that we will make other games for Wii as well; original games, not necessarily remakes as with this game. It really all depends on what kind of game we are looking to make. For example, Final Fantasy XIII is coming on PS3. So, it really depends on what kind of game we are trying to create. And then we’ll choose the platform - PS3, Wii or 360.
SPOnG: Going back to Final Fantasy III DS can you tell us more about the four different characters in the game and what their different personalities are?
Hiromichi Tanaka:The first and main character you start playing a boy called Luneth. He’s a really heroic, energetic type character.
Then you have the boy called Arc. Arc’s a pretty shy boy, but as he progresses through all the adventures he gets stronger and more confident. [i](note: at this point, something strange happens… I realise - and, for what it’s worth, am massively impressed and moved by - the depths of feeling this game still evokes in its original designer as he talks to us about his characters).[/i]
And also, we have the one girl here, called Refia, who’s from a different town to the boys. All the characters are orphans, they have no parents. This is a key point of the story, which you find out as you progress.
Finally we have the third boy with the hat - a guardsman (or knight perhaps) called Ingus. He takes care of the party as they go through their adventures.
Hiromichi Tanaka: As a DS title it would be fair to criticise it, to say that it should make more use of the two screens. Yes, we understand that point of view. But by using one screen we got better graphics for what we wanted to do with the remake. So, from the point of view of a remade game, we still feel it was the best decision to use mainly one screen…. Also, when you are playing the game, you are not really seeing the two screens at the same time anyway… You have to concentrate heavily on the one screen - especially in the battle scenes.
SPOnG: Maybe future iterations of the DS hardware will boast graphics of this quality on both screens?
SPOnG: What further plans do you have to bring Final Fantasy to Wii?
Hiromichi Tanaka: Yes, there’s the already announced Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Series for Wii [announced back at E3 2006]. Plus there are possibilities that we will make other games for Wii as well; original games, not necessarily remakes as with this game. It really all depends on what kind of game we are looking to make. For example, Final Fantasy XIII is coming on PS3. So, it really depends on what kind of game we are trying to create. And then we’ll choose the platform - PS3, Wii or 360.
SPOnG: Going back to Final Fantasy III DS can you tell us more about the four different characters in the game and what their different personalities are?
Hiromichi Tanaka:The first and main character you start playing a boy called Luneth. He’s a really heroic, energetic type character.
Then you have the boy called Arc. Arc’s a pretty shy boy, but as he progresses through all the adventures he gets stronger and more confident. [i](note: at this point, something strange happens… I realise - and, for what it’s worth, am massively impressed and moved by - the depths of feeling this game still evokes in its original designer as he talks to us about his characters).[/i]
Finally we have the third boy with the hat - a guardsman (or knight perhaps) called Ingus. He takes care of the party as they go through their adventures.