‘Final Fantasy Brave Exvius’ Producer Reveals The Appeal Of ‘FF’ On Mobile

Final Fantasy Brave Exvius is the first original Final Fantasy title on mobile devices. Players will be able to get their hands on the new game this summer. In the meantime, some fans may be leery of original tales in the beloved franchise known for its rich, deep worlds, and memorable characters debuting on the “casual” platform of mobile devices. Brave Exvius’ producer Hiroki Fujimoto graciously took time to share a behind-the-scenes look at the game’s development and reveal some of the reasons why fans should give the debut original Final Fantasy mobile game a chance.

You have so much from Final Fantasy to choose from. How did you decide what was going to be part of this game?

“Since we think of this as more of a classic Final Fantasy title, we will have characters from Final Fantasy I through VI. Not all of the characters from those games, but we started selecting from I through VI. Then, as the game development continues, we will add characters from the later series.

“Because this is a new Final Fantasy title, the basis of this game are the new characters. Even though there are old Final Fantasy characters in the game as well, those old characters will come to help but they are not really part of the storyline.”

What makes the characters in Brave Exvius special? What do you like about them?

“All of these characters, they live in this world. They have different character settings. Like, for instance, one of the characters was a knight from a country. That storyline doesn’t get told in Brave Exvius. Let’s say the game’s storyline goes in a straight line. However, at the same time, are all these things going on around that main storyline. Even though we won’t go into all of that in Brave Exvius, those other events all build up the characters in the game. I feel that richness and that kind of importance we’ve placed on the world is what is really great about this title.”

“The items, magic, abilities — basically, we took from the Final Fantasy lore that we already had. Then, we also added all these new abilities, items, and equipment that previously did not exist in a Final Fantasy world. We really researched what those items might be named if they had previously existed. In that way, we made sure these new elements would fit within that whole entirety of Final Fantasy, while still creating something new.”

Often, some players complain that turn-based games are so slow; but, as I’m playing, I find that this is really fast. Do you think that people who were previously opposed to turn-based gameplay might enjoy this mobile take on this type of gameplay?

“Yes, I think so. Especially, because it’s a mobile title, it’s not one of those games where you sit on your couch in front of your TV and take your time. We really made sure it’s a game you can pick up and play between classes, or maybe like in Japan, on route to work on a train. We’ve designed it in a way that you can pick up and play, or put it down when you have to. There’s also an Auto feature for the battles to make things a lot faster.”

Once you have your ideal battle setup, you can just hit the Auto button and it saves between battles?

“Yeah.”

Okay, cool.

“It is a new Final Fantasy on new platform with a new storyline. Everything’s new about it, so that’s one draw.

“If you’re the kind of fan who wants to sit down on the couch and play Final Fantasy, we have that kind of Final Fantasy. But, we also want Final Fantasy to be accessible to anyone.

“The players who used to play the classic Final Fantasy titles have gotten older now, and they might not have time to sit down on a couch to play for hours and hours. I feel this is a great platform for those players to go back and just play a classical RPG whenever they can.

“Also, it’s a new medium, where players who’ve never played a classic Final Fantasy can pick up, touch, and feel that feeling that the older Final Fantasy titles had. All while still offering the new games, as well.”

The CGI graphics for the summons are really impressive. Which one do you think looks the coolest?

“Shiva. She’s sexy.”

Is there anything else you wanted to share about Final Fantasy Brave Exvius?

“We’ve actually started pre-registration. Additional benefits will be given to those who pre-register, and more benefits will unlock as more people pre-register. So, please, pre-register.”

Thanks to your support, we've reached our 3rd milestone! Pre-register now! https://t.co/brVz9USXi6 pic.twitter.com/JlvPzOLmwT

— FINAL FANTASY BRAVE EXVIUS (@FFBE_EN) May 19, 2016

Final Fantasy Brave Exvius will launch for free (with optional, in-app purchases) on Android and iOS later this summer.

[Illustration by Yoshitaka Amano/Image via Square Enix]