coinkidenk

[Palindrome]

I am sure that many people have noticed a lot of parallels in the Final Fantasy series such as a character named Cid that is somehow related to the airship. I don't think a single FF game has gone without an air ship. The prelude is in every game as well. What are some reoccuring themes you have noticed in the games?

[eestlinc]

Tactics doesn't have an airship, although it does have an airship graveyard for some reason.

[sephiroth JR]

yeah but alot of things in the ff series are the same. names weapons etc

[RedCydranth]

In many FF games the word Crescent appears as a town, enemy, item or character last name. I picked up on this a while back.

[Masamune·1600]

It's worth noting that the Prelude doesn't occur in every game (FFVIII for example). However, it's still a series constant, so to speak.

Some recurring motifs, beyond airships and Cids, include:

-chocobos
-moogles
-characters named Biggs and Wedge (starting with FFVI)
-certain weapon, armor, and accessory names (Masamune, Ragnarok, Ribbon [which was first headgear, then an accessory], etc.)
-Bahamut (summon starting in FFIII plus a role in FFI) and certain other summons, notably Ifrit and Shiva
-a number of spells (Flare, for example)
-various enemies (for example, Bombs)
-starting with FFV, and continuing in VII, VIII, IX, X, and X-2, the idea of superbosses

Then there are more limited motifs. For example, graveyards. FFV had a ship graveyard, FFVII had a train graveyard, and FFT had the Graveyard of Airships.

[TheSpoonyBard]

FFIX is full of them. Check the FFIX forum, I posted a whole list of references to other FF games in a thread not so long ago, so it should still be on the first page.

[rubah]

-starting with FFV, and continuing in VII, VIII, IX, X, and X-2, the idea of superbosses

There was some monster in ff2j that was awful strong that you didn't have to fight. I think it was the one guarding the bolt javelin?

[Masamune·1600]

The enemy Fallen Emperor (or the Shade, if you prefer) guarded the Bolt Javelin and was optional. However, with 3000 HP, he hardly qualifies as a superboss, even in FFII terms. There are a number of treasure chests guarded by monsters, actually. Astaroth is arguably the most challenging of these, but is still nowhere near being interpreted as a superboss.

Some people like to call Warmech in FFI a superboss, but it's not really that difficult. A superboss, as I interpret it, should be significantly more powerful and more challenging than the final boss. While Emerald and Ruby, for example really aren't that difficult if you know what you're doing, they're both much more powerful than Safer Sephiroth.

One could interpret Omega and Shinryuu in the Lifestream Grotto in FFI-II DoS to be superbosses, especially since their counterparts in FFV actually are. However, I didn't include them in my definition since the whole DoS version is a massive departure from the original FFI, and is notably easier.

Returning to the original point, however, the concept of treasure chests being guarded by monsters has been fairly prevalent throughout the series. That, I suppose, would be another FF motif.

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

Optional bosses have been around since FFII, but super bosses--bosses that are incredibly hard to beat and award you basically nothing but bragging rights and maybe a useless emblem item afterwards--started with FFV.

[Martyr]

The main hero or first character dude is usually carrying a sword (Of some kind).

The strongest weapons are generally, if not always, some kind of sword.

And nobody likes maces too much. And I've never seen a flail, probably because of all this floating mace-hatred.

[eestlinc]

you've never seen a flail in an FF game? You must not have looked that hard.

[DocFrance]

Or, he only plays them past FFVII. Considering that there were flails up until FFVI, I think that's the case.

[DJZen]

The enemy Fallen Emperor (or the Shade, if you prefer) guarded the Bolt Javelin and was optional. However, with 3000 HP, he hardly qualifies as a superboss, even in FFII terms. There are a number of treasure chests guarded by monsters, actually. Astaroth is arguably the most challenging of these, but is still nowhere near being interpreted as a superboss.

Iron Giant is way worse than those 2 pump chumps. Astaroth can be taken down in one hit. That's right. ONE HIT. Some superboss...

The amount of reccurent themes in FF games could take up an entire book. From monsters to weapons to spells to items to EVERYTHING.

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

I could write it. Embarrassing.

[Masamune·1600]

Iron Giant is way worse than those 2 pump chumps. Astaroth can be taken down in one hit. That's right. ONE HIT. Some superboss...

That's my point. FFII had nothing even resembling a superboss. I listed Astaroth simply because it has more HP than the other monsters guarding the rare equipment.

[DJZen]

Well.... I guess they could be considered the superbosses of their day. After all, the REAL challenge is making it to them and beating them before you run out of elixirs (which happens FAST in that game). They're not harder than the emperor or anything, but Beelzebub can actually give you a run for your money.... Sort of...

[eestlinc]

FFIV has some tough bosses guarding the equipment in the final dungeon.

[Masamune·1600]

True, but they're not on the same level of difficulty as superbosses. They (Plague, Wyvern, etc.) seemed to me to be similar in difficulty to, say, Necrophobe in FFV. I'll grant that they're arguably harder, but the idea of making an FFV reference was to imply the difference in difficulty between Necrophobe and Omega/Shinryuu.

They are part of the motif and tradition of bosses/powerful monsters guarding treasure chests; of that there's no doubt. I apologize if I misinterpreted your comment.

[eestlinc]

yea that's what I meant. They are tough optional bosses but not superbosses. For that matter, you could consider Bahamut and Odin tough optional bosses as well.

[Palindrome]

FF1: Warmech
first "superboss"

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

Death Machine ("Warmech") is a regular enemy, not a boss. Even when they went back and put boss music in the remakes, they chose to keep the normal battle music for Death Machine. Sure, it's rare to encounter, but so is Tyrannosaurus.

[DJZen]

Super Enemy would be a better name. Or "Super Random Encounter", that's just fun to say.

[MJN SEIFER]

FFIV to FVII first enemys you can't attack without them doing something (Welk, Scorpion etc)

FFV - FVIII have Bad Guys that keep figting you and just refuse to die (Gilgamesh for example)

Edit: ok that one did die...but it wasn't in a fight with you!

[rubah]

FFIV to FVII first enemys you can't attack without them doing something (Welk, Scorpion etc)

You mean like first attack or something? Because that can happen randomly before ff4X.x;;;

Super random!

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

He's talking about the first bosses in FFIV-VII.
FFIV: Mist Dragon: Don't attack when it dissipates into mist.
FFV: Wing Raptor: Don't attack when it closes its wings.
FFVI: Ymir: Don't attack when it recedes into its shell.
FFVII: Guard Scorpion: Don't attack when it raises its tail.
http://norbert-x.com/rock/userfiles/Kishi/ff4-mistfight.gif

[Martyr]

you've never seen a flail in an FF game? You must not have looked that hard.

What? When is there a flail?

Was there one in FFIV? I sure as heck don't remember any of them.

[Masamune·1600]

FFV had two flails: Flail and Morning Star. FFVI had two flails, which had the same names as the FFV versions. FFT had four weapons which I will categorize as flails: Flail, Flame Whip, Morning Star, and Scorpion Tail. Other games have had whips, which are not flails, but here Flame Whip qualifies as the same type of weapon.

[Martyr]

Oh yeah!

The FFV Morning star! That thing was cool. And there was a flail of some sort.

I don't remember it in FFVI, but, well, I guess I've been proven wrong.

I still don't think that I deserve to be called somebody who hasn't looked very hard. Considering that a flail isn't the strongest weapon by far (The morning star only lasts through that sunken ship level and then we basically forget about it) and considering that, including whips (Which don't really count, since I remember things like the firebute and monster catcher weapons), there's about, what, 8 flails? And how many other weapons which take more predominant space in my memory? 2000?

[MJN SEIFER]

Ddidn't Kefka use a flail? (If you don't know who he is then you might as well stop posting here!)