Yoshitaka Amano, to any respectable Final Fantasy fan, is immediately recognizable as the artist responsible for the logos of each numbered installment in the main series-the exception being the logo of Final Fantasy IX, a logo that nobody wants to take credit for. Nothing about the box feels cheap, but rather silky and ethereal as the artwork it contains. This “slip cover,” by the way, is more like a protective casing with an animated felt exterior. I hate throwing that word around because of how devalued it has become as a result of the über-hype media machine that’s been built by my generation, but nothing else so perfectly describes the heft and weight of three respectable art books kept within a high quality slip cover.

Where to begin, then, with THE SKY: THE ART OF FINAL FANTASY? Firstly, this box set is epic. It shames the guide books for the games and derisively snorts at the art book that came with the collector’s edition of FINAL FANTASY XII. It outdoes, by sheer weight alone, the other contenders that come to mind. As far as quality goes, I’ve owned a lot of “collector’s edition” memorabilia when it comes to the Final Fantasy series but this set of art books is the most stunning and impressive that I’ve ever owned. After a particularly grueling week at work, I came to the conclusion that I deserved a treat for a job well done and this elaborate, beautifully slipcased edition was mine as soon as I found it on Amazon. It’s only fitting in an ironically cruel sort of way, then, that I discovered THE SKY: THE ART OF FINAL FANTASY almost a month after it was published. As the swan-song Final Fantasy for the Playstation 1 era, it goes unrivaled even thirteen years after its release. As far as translation quality, art direction, and musical execution go, FINAL FANTASY IX is superbly unmatched.

Most people name-drop VII (with Cloud and Sephiroth and Meteor) as their favorite Final Fantasy, and while that’s fair, it’s simply not the best Final Fantasy. If I had to name a favorite then, easily, I would choose FINAL FANTASY IX. Currently encompassing fourteen main entries ( FINAL FANTASY I-XIV) and dozens of spin offs, remakes, and-in certain instances-pure cash cows (I’m looking at you, FINAL FANTASY: ALL THE BRAVEST), the name FINAL FANTASY is synonymous with the highest quality story, music and art that can be found throughout the medium.įor some people it’s Mario. In 1987, a nearly bankrupt game company by the name of the Squaresoft released what it thought would be it’s last game and, in what proved to be an ironic twist of fate, FINAL FANTASY became the first entry in Square’s wildly successful RPG franchise. Regardless of your opinion of the current state of the franchise, there’s no denying that a series with over 25 years of history is a force to be contended with. There are few things that I adore as fervently as the Final Fantasy series.

Yoshitaka amano the sky