Over the past 30 years, the Final Fantasy franchise has brought players on amazing journeys to dozens of worlds, from Gaia to Spira to Eos. But perhaps even more remarkable is the way which the franchise revolutionized video game music, making it an integral part of every adventure. In advance of Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy, the Houston Symphony’s multimedia concert on July 7 in Jones Hall, here are five surprising facts about the game and its music.
#1 – The “Prelude” Melody Was Composed in Less Than 10 Minutes
The iconic theme that recurs throughout the J-RPG series was actually a last-minute project. Requested from the video game’s creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, composer Nobuo Uematsu completed The Prelude, also called The Crystal Theme, in just under 10 minutes. The theme has since appeared in every major title of the series thus far, often as a part of the main menu or start screen for each respective title. It has been rearranged into various versions for each game, gaining a new name in Final Fantasy Type-0 as Crystals Guide Us and even serving as the backing accompaniment in Florence + the Machine’s cover of “Stand By Me” for Final Fantasy XV.
#2 – Final Fantasy’s original working title was Fighting Fantasy
Video game company Square was on the verge of bankruptcy when Sakaguchi convinced his bosses to let him create an RPG after seeing the success of competing game company Enix’s Dragon Quest. He liked the way the “FF” abbreviation sounded and used that as a starting point in the naming process. Sakaguchi changed the working title from Fighting Fantasy, which was also the name of a successful board game and book series, to Final Fantasy because he saw this project as his “final,” last-ditch effort to become a successful game developer and designer. Final Fantasy went on to sell more than 400,000 copies in Japan, saving Square from extinction. Square later merged with Enix to form SquareEnix, the company that publishes Final Fantasy to this day.
#3 – “One-Winged Angel” Was Inspired by a Rock Classic
Possibly the most widely-known song of the Final Fantasy series, “One-Winged Angel,” the rock anthem of Final Fantasy VII, was influenced by an actual Rock N’ Roll anthem. Nobuo Uematsu has stated that “One-Winged Angel” is directly inspired by Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze,” and that he wanted something with the same impact as rock music from the ‘60s and ‘70s. This song compliments the dark image of the long silver-haired antagonist that it was created for, Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII. Known for his mysterious persona, cold one-liners, and a sword twice as long as his body, the theme is a perfect tribute to Sephiroth.
#4 – Final Fantasy’s Lore Has Deep Roots
Many of the game’s stories and characters are based on classic literature. For example, Golbez’s Four Fiends from Final Fantasy IV are based on demons called Malebranche from Dante’s Inferno. Many of the game summons are derived from deities and monsters from various cultures, religions and mythologies. Examples include fire elemental summon Ifrit, the queen of ice Shiva with her signature “Diamond Dust” attack, and even the lord of the waters, Leviathan.
#5 – “Liberi Fatali” Medaled at the Olympics
The opening theme of Final Fantasy VIII “Liberi Fatali” and a later track from the game, “Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec,” are Olympic medal winning songs. At the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics, United States synchronized swimmers Ana Koslova and Alison Bartosik performed to these Final Fantasy classics and brought home a bronze medal. The songs were composed by Nobuo Uematsu and were the composer’s first experiment with a combination of chorus and orchestra for music.
Don’t miss Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY at Jones Hall on July 7, 2018! Get tickets and more information here: Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY.
