Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XVI is finally available on store shelves, and it has instantly entered the “Game of the Year” conversation, with the early reviews describing a game that takes the franchise in a bold new direction.
But how did the development team navigate the creation of this new path? And what titles rom the franchise’s 35-year history did they look to for inspiration in designing the game?
IGN recently sat down with six members of the development team, including Director Hiroshi Takai and Producer Naoki “Yoshi-P” Yoshida, to tease out their favorite Final Fantasy games.
The most popular pick amongst the development team was 1992’s Final Fantasy V, though Final Fantasy III, Final Fantasy X, and Final Fantasy XII also received multiple selections.
You can find each developer’s list right here, and a video upload of part of the discussion has been embedded above.
Michael-Christopher Koji Fox (Localization Director)
- 1. Final Fantasy V
- 2. Final Fantasy XI
- 3. Final Fantasy XIV
Kazutoyo Maehiro (Creative Director)
- 1. Final Fantasy V
- 2. Final Fantasy Tactics
- 3. Final Fantasy XII
Hiroshi Minagawa (Art Director)
- 1. Final Fantasy III
- 2. Final Fantasy V
- 3. Final Fantasy XII
Ryota Suzuki (Combat Director)
- 1. Final Fantasy III
- 2. Final Fantasy X
- 3. Final Fantasy V
Hiroshi Takai (Director)
- 1. Final Fantasy V
- 2. Final Fantasy VI
- 3. Final Fantasy X
Naoki Yoshida (Producer)
- 1. Final Fantasy
- 2. Final Fantasy III
- 3. Final Fantasy VII