To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Final Fantasy VI, Square Enix interviewed Tetsuya Nomura, best known for his work on Final Fantasy VII and more recently, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. He shared his memories and insights on his major contributions to FFVI's development.
Nomura was responsible for designing the monsters and the visual elements of battles. His ideas helped shape the game’s world, including the blend of machinery and magic, famously depicted in the Magitek armor scene. He also developed the backgrounds for the characters Shadow and Setzer, who are among his personal favorites.
"The idea of machinery and magic coexisting—best represented by the intro scene where the Magitek armors are walking through the snow—was taken from a document I wrote with another employee"
His design process was very detailed, often starting with sketches. The Statue of the Gods and Kefka, key elements in the final battle, hold special significance for Nomura. The design for the Statue of the Gods was a notable achievement, created by scanning and manually adjusting sketches due to color limitations.
Nomura fondly recalled the collaborative environment of FFVI's development. The small team size allowed for a fluid exchange of ideas, leading to innovative contributions from all members. One of his memorable contributions was the inn scene with Shadow. "The whole inn scene with Shadow was my idea," he stated, emphasizing the creative freedom within the team.
Despite his extensive efforts, Nomura expressed a unique sentiment of incompleteness about FFVI.
"There are still parts I feel I could’ve done a better job on. I don’t really feel that way about many other games; it’s just something about FFVI specifically:"
Nomura acknowledged FFVI and FFVII as pivotal points in the Final Fantasy series. He noted that FFVI represented the culmination of the pixel-art style, stating.
"I’m incredibly glad I was able to work on it as a pixel artist, and I definitely feel the love for FFVI even today."
The transition from FFVI to the polygonal style of FFVII marked a significant evolution in the series, influencing future game developments.
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