We examine the core games' cryptic artwork for their true meaning, plus bonus images from the spin-offs
How often do you examine videogame logos? Not regularly, we’d suspect, as there’s not a lot to look at beyond letters and possibly an emblem. But in the case of Final Fantasy, each logo has a distinct message to convey, and with XIII fresh in our minds and XIV on the horizon, we figured it was time to go through all the info tucked away in each game’s logo.
Some contain key plot points, so be prepared for minor-to-major spoilers.
FINAL FANTASY
The original NES logo was a no-frills affair. Square assumed this would be the only game, not the start of a phenomenon.
Years later it was remade for the original PlayStation, bundled together with FFII as Final Fantasy Origins. It was then given a modern logo depicting the Warrior of Light. That’d be the faceless, nameless, personality-less hero of the first game, perhaps best recognized in his red-haired 8-bit guise.
Yep, remade again. This time for PSP to celebrate the series’ 20th anniversary. Still the Warrior of Light and still from artist Yoshitaka Amano, whose art drapes just about every single logo in this article.
FINAL FANTASY II
The first sequel wasn’t released in America until 2003, 15 years after its Japanese launch. When it finally arrived as part of Final Fantasy Origins (bundled with the original), it came complete with an updated logo that stars the game’s major villain, creatively dubbed “The Emperor.” Hey, that’s all we needed back then.
Just like the first game, part two was reborn on PSP with a slightly touched-up logo. Once again, The Emperor takes center stage. Not much else to report.
FINAL FANTASY III
The second sequel didn’t officially make the leap to US audiences until the 2006 DS remake, which featured bland-o hero Luneth brandishing two swords. Don’t get this confused with the US Final Fantasy III, which was actually Final Fantasy VI. If you didn’t already know that, I’m amazed you’re still reading this article. But thanks all the same!
FINAL FANTASY IV
Like we said, Square didn’t release Final Fantasy II or III in the US, so when it decided to bring part IV to the Super NES, it did so with a bare-bones text logo that read “Final Fantasy II.” Oh, there’s a sword standing in for the “T.” Very cute.
Meanwhile, Japan used the true logo, seen here with one of the game’s coolest characters, Kain Highwind. His actions move a great deal of the story along, easily earning his top-billing status on the front of the package.
The 2008 DS remake opted to showcase the villainous Golbez instead, a worthwhile swap as he was responsible for most of Kain’s misdeeds. Y’see, Golbez brainwashed Kain into performing various nefarious acts against Cecil, the main protagonist. You later find out Golbez was in turn being manipulated by Zeromus, the game’s true villain who lives on the Red Moon, one of the planet’s two orbiting satellites. And thus the complex Final Fantasy story is born.
Golbez is ultimately redeemed, and revealed to be of lunar descent as well as Cecil’s long-lost brother, but has done too much evil to remain on planet. Once Zeromus is offed, Golbez leaves with the rest of the Lunarians aboard the Red Moon, which exits orbit and takes off into the space sunset. Sort of like a Death Star without the lasers.
The After Years is a direct sequel that hit WiiWare in 2009, released as episodic DLC. It begins with the return of the Red Moon (the one that left at the end of FFIV), and ends deep inside the True Moon, which is revealed to house The Creator, who plans to eliminate all life on the FFIV homeworld. So, that’s why the logo features two spherical objects – they’re the Red and True moons, two immensely important pieces of FFIV lore that turn out not to be moons at all.
FINAL FANTASY V
A fair bit easier to explain than FFIV, that’s for sure. This is simply a wind drake, which you’re able to ride around the planet for quick and easy travel. They’re sort of an endangered species in the FFV world, and carry the main cast to and from a few key plot points. They’re not exactly the backbone of the story, but are important to several of the main characters, namely the two princesses Lenna and Krile.
FINAL FANTASY VI
As we alluded to earlier, FFVI first launched in the US as Final Fantasy III. The logo once again did not match with Final Fantasy standards, but did gel with the US Final Fantasy II – meaning it was just a logo with a swordy “T.” But look: this time we got a moogle and a spooky shadow!
The actual FFVI logo features Terra, arguably the star of the game’s ensemble cast, riding atop a hulking Magitek Armor. The game’s memorable opening sees Terra trudging through the snow in said armor, though shortly after her inherent magical powers begin to cut loose and her true nature is exposed.
Further explanations could spoil some interesting aspects of the game, and since the logo’s all tied up at this point, let’s just move on. But if you haven’t played this one yet, we’ve called it the best of the series as well as one of the best game stories of all time. So get on it.
FINAL FANTASY VII
This one’s way easy – that’s Meteor, the world-ending spell Sephiroth summons to smash into the planet. But why do that? That’s a bit meatier.
Sephiroth incorrectly believes he is the last of the Cetra, an ancient race that gained access to the all-powerful spell Meteor. As a form of misguided revenge, he plans on bringing Meteor down, injuring the planet so badly that its regenerative powers (called the Lifestream) seep through the crust and attempt to repair the damage. Once it’s exposed, Sephiroth will plunge into the Lifestream and attempt to absorb the energy, basically becoming a new god in the process. So yeah, Meteor is a big part of the story.
FFVII’s undying popularity led to Advent Children, the full-length CG movie that picks up two years after the game’s conclusion. At first pass the logo looks the same, but that’s not actually Meteor – it’s Midgar, one of the key cities of Final Fantasy VII. If you look closely you can see its distinct shape, complete with the pillars and tubes that made it such a memorable location.
The first major FFVII spin-off starred Vincent Valentine, one of the game’s minor supporting characters. Vincent favored guns, one of which he named Cerberus, the three-headed dog that guards the gates of Greek and Roman hell. And would you look at that – there’s three canine-looking heads surrounding the logo.
Apparently Square never had any meetings about the Crisis Core logo, as it’s as plain as can be. On par with the very first one, actually.
FINAL FANTASY VIII
Extremely simple – it’s hero Squall Leonhart holding heroine Rinoa Heartilly. Square made it clear early on that FFVIII was going to be a love story, and even though it’s one of the most divisive games in the franchise (for various reasons, from gameplay choices to the actual cast) there’s no denying that Squall and Rinoa are at the heart of it all. Pun assuredly not intended.
This isn’t taken from one specific scene, as the two embrace more than once. However, the ending closely mimics the logo, as well as a moment the two share on the space-faring Ragnarok.
FINAL FANTASY IX
Part IX was advertised with the phrase “The Crystal Comes Back,” a knowing acknowledgement that parts VII and VIII had strayed from the high-fantasy days of the original games. In them, crystals always played an important role in the story, usually saving the day with magical powers or acting as MacGuffins for the cast to track down before the villains could put them to ill use.
In IX, all life comes from the crystals. The entire lifecycle of the planet Gaia and its inhabitants revolves around the health of the crystals – people are born from them, and when they die their memories and essence transport back to the crystal, refreshing and regenerating it for another batch of spirits. The problem is that another world’s crystal is withering away, and the people of that planet (Terra) found a way to move its fading crystal’s souls into Gaia’s. Cue the grand battle for the crystals, as well as the last “fantasy” Final Fantasy.
FINAL FANTASY X
By far the most ornate logo up to this point, FFX depicts heroine Yuna fulfilling her destined duties to cast wayward spirits into the Farplane, essentially the FFX afterlife. The process is discussed quite a bit, adorns the back of the game’s packaging and is the focus of the one of the game’s most famous cutscenes. In fact, the logo mirrors that scene quite closely, as Yuna is rising on a pillar of water just as she does in that memorable video.
But why does Yuna need to send them away at all? Why don’t people just… die? Black Mage Lulu explains:
“The dead need guidance. Filled with grief over their own death, they refuse to face their fate. They yearn to live on, and resent those still alive. You see, they envy the living. And in time, that envy turns to anger, even hate. Should these souls remain in Spira, they become fiends that pray on the living. Sad, isn't it? The sending takes them to the Farplane, where they may rest in peace”
The first direct sequel in the Final Fantasy series, X-2 (that’s ten two, not X two) shows the three starring ladies going all Charlie’s Angels on the logo. Yuna’s diving along the bottom, Rikku’s hanging on the left and newcomer Paine stands tall with her sword high in the air. Together they go around the world looking for new dresses and clues that’ll help them find Yuna’s boyfriend. I’m simplifying, but yeah, that’s really what happens.
FINAL FANTASY XI
A big ol’ collection of soldiers, representing the dozens of people who still play Final Fantasy XI. OK, fine – the front five are the five playable races in the game (Hume, Tarutaru, Galka, Mithra and Elvaan), while the horde of people in the background are all the MMO slaves who haven’t moved on to WoW or Lord of the Rings Online.
FINAL FANTASY XII
Square and artist Amano had the balls to make a vertical logo for FFXII, perhaps solely to accurately convey the commanding presence of Judge Gabranth. His imposing stature makes him one of the main villains of the game, though he’s not exactly the crux of the game’s events. He does end up coming around near the end, only after repeated defeats.
Judges were a major aspect of Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, which like FFXII takes place in the world of Ivalice. The Judges would oversee most of your battles and set rules that had to be obeyed… or else. If you used arrows during a battle that a Judge declared “No arrows,” oh man, you’re in for it. Not quite the same as in FFXII, but they definitely look the part.
Two vertical logos! A DS-only sequel, Revenant Wings also reached for the sky with this crescent-shaped visage of the airship Galbana, which Vaan and Panelo use to explore the floating continent Lemures. The Galbana was created long ago by Feolthanos, who also threw up a barrier around Lemures to keep his people safe and separated from the rest of Ivalice. Now that the barrier is gone, he plans on… destroying the world. Of course he does.
This is actually a pretty huge spoiler, so if you’re about to finish the game stop reading after this sentence. So, that huge mess of stuff happening up there, all around what looks like a globe? That’s Vanille and Fang up top, just as they transform into Ragnarok, the beast that was dreaded throughout the entire game as the one who could bring Cocoon crashing down onto the larger world of Gran Pulse.
It’s tough to summarize it beyond that without diving into the history of the fal’Cie, I’Cie and all that nonsense. But the gist could go like this – Vanille and Fang were chosen by demigods 500 years ago to destroy Cocoon, the world floating high above Gran Pulse. They only half-succeeded, and were put into stasis by the demigods to finish the job later. Awakened during the events of FFXIII, Vanille and Fang have to choose between finally destroying Cocoon or being turned into mindless demons for eternity as punishment for failing again.
After the climactic final battle, Cocoon begins to slip out of the sky, dooming the millions inside to an instant death. Fang and Vanille merge as Ragnarok, dive into the planet to send up a pillar of earth, lava and rock that envelops Cocoon. And now that their centuries-old task of bringing down Cocoon is complete, they transform into crystals, which spreads all around them and solidifies their impromptu tower of dirt and rock into a permanent brace, holding Cocoon miles off the ground. Deep inside the crystal formation, Fang and Vanille are seen frozen into therough shape of the game’s logo, which also shows Cocoon and the pillar of crystal that holds it aloft.
Hm, that’s not really a gist at all, is it? And still barely scratches the surface of what’s really going on. Far less important fact: this is the first time the logo has an outline color that matches the art. Notice how all the others are outlined in white – not this time!
FINAL FANTASY XIV
Bringing up the rear is FFXIV, Square’s return to the MMO realm last seen in FFXI. It’s set to release this fall. The logo shows, by my count, 14 people flying into battle. Because it’s Final Fantasy 14. Really wish they’d shown something of FFXV, so this article could end with something a bit cooler. Oh, guess there’s this:
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Dissidia is all about the forces of good and evil pulling champions from across time to do battle. Good here is Cosmos, who makes her first appearance in Dissidia. Opposite her is Chaos, the main villain of the very first Final Fantasy, who has turned reality upside down with his crystal-nabbing, time-altering ways.
And with that callback to the first game, that’s as good a time as any to bow out. We could go into Tactics, Crystal Chronicles and all the other spin-off stuff, but c’mon, three pages of logos is surely enough for today.
