Today, Square Enix has pulled a fast one on us. The company’s game lineup at E3 is full of expected games and iphone fodder, devoid of even the highly talked about Final Fantasy: Versus XIII. In a bold move, though, Square Enix showcased a brand new trailer for what is called as a “Final Fantasy real-time tech demo.” We all know how Square Enix’s profile has been as of late- games stuck in development hell for years, accumulating hype like a snowball that couldn’t possibly be met.
However, even knowing this, the new trailer for Final Fantasy: Agni’s Philosophy is very stunning, and takes the ‘Final Fantasy’ brand to new heights. In the trailer, you may notice some very realistic aspects- the game looks to be set in a place that resembles a fantasy version of a middle-eastern country. There are rebels with guns set in a very realistic city that is sprawled over hills, making the city architecture look very worldly. Despite the realism, there is a very clear fantasy element: cloaked characters that resemble mages summon lightning attacks that sparkle in the scene. The music that fills the action sequence brings Nobuo Uematsu‘s melodies to mind, which is a very good thing. At the end of the demo, Agni mounts a dragon and the scene pans out over some vast architecture that is reminiscent of a certain scene of Midgar from Final Fantasy VII.
Take some time to study the footage and understand the direction of Final Fantasy for the future. Even if people disagree on the quality of Square Enix’s latest offerings, everyone can agree that the developers need to find a new direction that works.
Take a look for yourself:
The domain name has also been registered for Agni’s Philosophy and it directs you to the video. While it is unclear whether this will turn into an actual game or if this is merely a test bed for the new engine, we do know that this project is aimed at ‘next generation systems.’ Is there hope for Final Fantasy on WiiU? We’ll find out eventually.
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Agni’s Philosophy website
