• The original FFX concept: Everyone dies at age 17

    by
    Lone Wolf Leonhart
    Published on 11-10-2013 10:30 AM
    10 Comments Comments


    Recently in an interview with Siliconera, Final Fantasy X|X-2 producer Yoshinori Kitase shared some of the original concepts discussed during the games development in preparation for the Final Fantasy X|X-2 HD Remaster set to release this winter.

    The early ideas started with a concept entitled "Seventeen," and the theme of that story was that "a person would reach the end of life at 17 years of age." That theme of "inevitable death" was carried over to become Yuna's fate in Final Fantasy X​.
    It would be interesting to see where that concept could have gone. In that Spira, what would it mean to be a parent? What would your personal or societal goals be when you're a child for most of your existence? One thing's for sure, this definitely drives the point home that Square Enix loves having a younger cast and this concept would have brought that to a whole new level.

    The concept of Final Fantasy X-2 hasn't changed much since its inception. Kitase added "It didn't have the heaviness of the previous installment, but more of a cool and pop feel like Charlie's Angels."

    He also went on to talk about the origins of Final Fantasys X's mini-games, stating that they were created to broaden the activities that players could enjoy through their linear journey from Besaid to Zanarkand.



    The idea of blitzball was incorporated as a fictional sport "sort of like the pod race in Star Wars Episode I." The idea of soccer being the basis of this game was a result of the World Cup championship between Japan and South Korea being a very popular event at the time.

    What are your thoughts on the origins of this game? Do you like the "everyone dies at 17" concept or are you ultimately glad they went with the summoner's death as their polished idea? Did the mini-games make up for the lack of open world exploration? Regardless of how you feel, I hope we can all enjoy the Final Fantasy X HD Remaster when it's released.

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    This article was originally published in forum thread: The original FFX concept: Everyone dies at age 17 started by Lone Wolf Leonhart View original post
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    Comments 10 Comments
    1. Jinx's Avatar
      Jinx - 11-10-2013, 11:56 AM
      I actually think that's a really interesting concept and would like to see/have seen it done! As for the young cast issue--in the context of that world, it'd be perfectly fine.
    1. noxious.sunshine's Avatar
      noxious.sunshine - 11-10-2013, 03:41 PM
      I'm not sure how I feel about the "dying at 17" concept. I mean, it's a little unrealistic, tbh.

      People would have to get pregnant & have babies as young as 13 in order to procreate and that would only give them 4 years with their child... Meaning the world would pretty much be full of babies. But that's just looking at it from a "real world" standpoint.
    1. Vyk's Avatar
      Vyk - 11-10-2013, 04:17 PM
      Yeah, nobody would be allowed to adopt the idea of being a parent. An entire village would have to hold the responsibility for every child since nobody would be around very long. I like the concept, but loathe the age. It's way too young to work properly. Something like 25 would be alright if you want to off someone near their prime and still have time to live a little, or parent a little. Still extremely young by today's standards. But what really bothers me is that I know they chose 17 because Japan considers that to be the prime of your life. Freaking High School. As always. I get more and more irritated by this concept the older I get. And its not just because I'm old and the cast is young. I was tired of it when I was in my late teens as well. I was late to get to FFVI, but when I did it was SUCH a breath of fresh air, continued with FFVII. Adult and mature themes and protagonists. Cloud, Tifa, and Aeris were just BARELY out of their teens, and it worked fine. And one of them did die. And to a lot of people it was powerful. You don't have to kill off high schoolers to bring that home. It's not just Square, but most of Japan that believes there is no life after your teenage years. This is just another example of that trope
    1. Jessweeee♪'s Avatar
      Jessweeee♪ - 11-10-2013, 06:29 PM
      They believe most of their fans are in their teenage years and would prefer to play characters their own age. You know what game I really liked? Catherine. I hope Atlus makes more games with mature themes like Catherine.
    1. Freya's Avatar
      Freya - 11-11-2013, 03:59 AM
      It would be an interesting concept I guess story wise. Yeah though, the older i get the less I like this whole teenagers saving the world thing. Seventeen, ick.
    1. Quindiana Jones's Avatar
      Quindiana Jones - 11-11-2013, 04:10 PM
      I imagine a 9 year old wouldn't act like a typical 9 year old in a world in which being a 9 year old makes one middle-aged.
    1. Vyk's Avatar
      Vyk - 11-11-2013, 08:39 PM
      Point goes to Quin, though it's only mildly relevant since that makes it nearly impossible to relate to. Unless you're Ethiopian or something, where you have to try to take care of your family at 9. And they're not playing video games
    1. Elskidor's Avatar
      Elskidor - 11-12-2013, 01:23 AM
      Quote Originally Posted by Freya View Post
      Yeah though, the older i get the less I like this whole teenagers saving the world thing. Seventeen, ick.
      Yep. It use to not bother me, but damn teenagers are irresponsible brats. For many I know the early to mid 20's is still teenage years. Though, yeah, I figure if they were to die at 17 they would probably be much more mature at that age in this world.
    1. Shlup's Avatar
      Shlup - 11-13-2013, 12:24 AM
      Quote Originally Posted by Freya View Post
      It would be an interesting concept I guess story wise. Yeah though, the older i get the less I like this whole teenagers saving the world thing. Seventeen, ick.
      That was my first thought too. A world ruled by teenagers...
    1. Quindiana Jones's Avatar
      Quindiana Jones - 11-13-2013, 06:01 AM
      I doubt SE would be able to pull off such a concept in any believeable or non-bollockly-melodramatic fashion, however.

      He said, in reference to his own comment.

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