Final Fantasy Trading Cards Games
Producer's blog 2020-05-07 12:57:45

From the Producer Special Vol. 5: Telling the story of the original title through the cards


2020 04/producerblog vol1 desktop

Greetings, everyone. FF-TCG Producer Tarou Kageyama here. I started this series in hopes to help keep you even briefly occupied during our times of staying home, and now we are in our fifth installment. It goes to show just how prolonged this difficult situation has become, but I would like to continue doing what I can do, believing for a way out of this soon. Let’s jump right in, then.

Recreating the video game character through the cards

It probably goes without saying, but FF-TCG is a card game that features characters from across the FINAL FANTASY series games on consumer platforms (or in arcades), in the form of cards. In other words, almost all cards have an original source material. Because of that, when we think about the card abilities for these characters in FF-TCG, oftentimes we take inspiration from the skills and abilities from its source material and try to recreate them in the card game.

I would like to highlight a few of my favorite examples of these recreations, along with their source material. If any of these pique your interest in not just FF-TCG, but the original title which the card is based on, I would encourage you to give it a shot.

Example 1: The Emperor [1-185H]

I think “what’s your favorite FF-TCG card?” is the question most frequently asked by the players. And every time, I answer “The Emperor [1-185H].” It costs 5 CP, with a power of 9000. His ability reads: “When The Emperor is put from the field into the Break Zone, you may search for 1 [Card Name (The Emperor)] and play it onto the field dull.” This ability references the scene from the original game in which the once felled Emperor is resurrected from the depths of Hell and stands before Firion and company. In the TCG, this ability is highly effective when you use it in conjunction with cards like The Emperor [2-147L]. Cards like Yuna [1-176H] might be something The Emperor [1-185H] may be weak against, but it’s quite an interesting card especially if you use it with those like Famfrit [9-113H] and Kefka [10-135S].

A Forward with 9000 power, who can be resurrected multiple times – Who knows? It might be more powerful than you think.

Example 2: Sin [7-130L]

Another Dark element character, I would like to talk about the main antagonist in FINAL FANTASY X – Sin. Sin emerges periodically and brings destruction to Spira, the realm of FFX, and it is summoner Yuna and her guardians’ objective to defeat it. You encounter Sin a few times throughout the story, but there’s an event in which you confront it directly. The skill that Sin uses here is “Giga-Graviton,” and that is what we’ve incorporated into the Sin [7-130L] card as its special ability. This is an ultimate ability that is unleashed when the gauge is filled; an intense light is released at the player characters, and it is an automatic game-over. Players will have to defeat Sin before this happens.

The Giga-Graviton in FF-TCG works in the same way as its source material: the “gauge” is filled after your opponent’s turn and your next turn is complete, and if Sin is not removed from the field at that point, your opponent loses the game. Compared to a more standard way of coming to a conclusion in a match, like taking damage or not being able to draw more cards, for example, this card is very rare in that it grants you victory in such an unusual way. Due to the fact that it would bring victory with no questions asked, the condition to activate the ability is rather tough; as such, if you are able to successfully execute it, there’s no doubt you’d be the talk of the town at that day’s tournament.

Example 3: Leo [6-084L]

My next card, Leo [6-084L], recreates its source material in a slightly different way than the previous two cards. In the original title, FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: My Life as a King, Leo generally does not engage in battle. People who have not played the game may be perplexed, since this description seems far removed from Leo [6-084L]’s ability. The Leo in FF-TCG becomes more powerful with the presence of other characters, making him a combat-oriented character that can achieve high power with a low cost.

It’s true that if you look at only this, you’d think it isn’t recreating the source material, but instead doing the complete opposite. However, in the original title, Leo gathers residents to develop his kingdom and defeat the Dark Lord with the help of his citizens. In other words, the concept of this card is to recruit your residents, which is the other characters, as you strengthen your kingdom, or your power. I would love for you to give it a try and strengthen Leo [6-084L] with your power.

As a side note, the original FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: My Life as a King is a really fun game in which you can think about your townscape, or develop areas that you like, but it was on the WiiWare platform, so it might be a bit difficult to get your hands on it anew. If you ever have an opportunity to play it, though, I would highly recommend it.

Example 4: Angeal [3-098R], Zack [3-012L]

The Buster Sword is an iconic weapon in FINAL FANTASY VII. In CRISIS CORE FINAL FANTASY VII, this great sword was passed down from Angeal, to Zack, then to Cloud. Now, the Buster Sword was not just a mere weapon, but it also signified their hopes and dreams being passed down as well. With this in mind, review what Angeal [3-098R] and Zack [3-012L]’s abilities say. I’m sure you’ll see that it starts with Angeal, and connects to Cloud at the end.

With FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE being released this year, this has definitely become the year of FFVII. Perhaps enjoying some of the spin-off titles such as CRISIS CORE FINAL FANTASY VII might add to that immersion into the world of FFVII.

There you have it, I highlighted four different examples above. Of course, there are many other ways we’ve recreated source materials in FF-TCG. There are examples that are more clear cut, versus those with a bit of a twist, and then there are times when we deliberately keep it discreet; so I encourage you to seek these out. Well, that’s it for this blog. I’ll see you next time.