Decoding Square Enix Rpgs:

A Deeper Look.

By: Kyle McGrath

Square Enix, previously Squaresoft, has been revolutionizing the rpg, role playing

game, genre on a multitude of systems for well over 20 years. There are more games in

the Final Fantasy series than on a restaurant menu. Such a library of games could get

tiring to examine every individual game; therefore, for the sake of the reader, only Final

Fantasy VII, VIII, XI, and X will be examined and decoded. When tackling something as

complex and groundbreaking as the Final Fantasy series, one must remember two

primary ideas.

The first primary idea to remember is that every single nuance was intentionally

put into the games by Square developers. This means nothing is ever simply a mistake or

can be pushed to the side as unimportant. This characteristic of the Final Fantasy series,

from hereon referred to as the FF series, applies from the basic foundations of the games

to the most specific of character or item details present in them all. Every successful

heroic story from the beginnings of human literacy through the present have had a

foundation of the hero’s journey archetype. In its most basic form, the hero’s journey

represents a single unknowing hero or heroin requiring aid of allies to overcome a fear or

enemy on the road to a greater understanding or development. One can easily see this

basic archetype in any rpg game one plays. However, what some miss is the evolution

and creation of differences in the hero’s journey throughout human time. These

differences will be summed up into two categories for future reference, the old hero’s

journey and new hero’s journey.

The old hero’s journey always opens up with the potential hero or heroine in
question in a foreign land or situation. They have no prior knowledge or connection with

the enemy or fear. This is best seen in the tale of Beowulf, where Beowulf is a foreigner

that comes to a land completely unknown to him prior to fight his enemy and undergo the

hero’s journey. The FF games that follow the old hero’s journey archetype are Final

Fantasy VIII and Final Fantasy X. FF VIII begins with the introduction of military

trainees and students who are completely removed from the heated situations presented

to them on their journey. These teenagers have no prior motive to aid the world against

the time-traveling ploys of Ultimecia or the love of carnage of Seifer and his gang. The

same can be said about FF X, where the potential hero, Tidus, is thrust from his own

world in the completely foreign world of Spira by Sin, much like in Beowulf, where

Grendel, the monster, ultimately draws Beowulf to the foreign land. Tidus is in a land

void of many of the customs and practices he is familiar with. He, much like Squall from

FF VIII, are cast into a foreign land for a mission that ultimately becomes bigger than

initially expected. Again, this holds true for Beowulf, who even after slaying Grendel and

assuming victory over what no other man could do, the journey gets even more difficult

when it evolves into a quest to kill Grendel’s mother and even later, a massive fire

breathing dragon. Tidus’ initial goal is to find a way to get home. This goal gets

completely erased when he meets Yuna, the summoner, and finds out he now guards the

priestess in training that decides the fate of all of Spira. Similarly, Squall’s initial goal is

to complete his military training faster and more efficient than any other trainee.

However, he is thrown into a situation spanning across time ages that also determines the

fate of worlds, much grander than any goal initially imagined by the potential hero.

However, the aforementioned characteristic of the old hero’s journey is one of

archetype, the potential hero is confronted with one or more complete antithesis character

reoccurring obstacles . In FF VII, Seifer represents Squall’s antithesis as a reoccurring

obstacle throughout every stage of the hero’s journey. During the military SEED testing,

he is in Squall’s way. During the greater quest to defeat Ultimecia, he is in Squall’s way.

This character serves not only as a source of conflict for the hero, but also as a guide for

the values the hero holds true over the opposition that keeps the hero from ever crossing

into the villain mentality. In FF X, the antithesis to Tidus’ character is Seymour, a High

Summoner of Spira. Tidus understands little of the path of the summoner, Seymour

manipulates the summoner path at every possible opportunity. Tidus wants to break

tradition to save Yuna, Seymour wants to use her as a means of destruction of Spira. The

connection back to the historical tale lies with Beowulf as well. All the soldiers that fall

to Grendel and its mother represent the physical and mental weaknesses Beowulf can

have none of. The king, Hrothgar, represents the same lack of effort that Beowulf

despises in his heroic account. These are but a few of the similarities mentioned, there are

both more obvious and more subdued ones waiting for the player to uncover.

Previously used in this piece was the phrase “potential” when referring to the old

hero’s journey and those games modeling after it. This phrase was used to signify yet

another difference between the old and new hero’s journeys. When the main characters

are first met with the long road of challenge ahead, they are not in the least heroic or

worthy of being deemed heroes by their societies. Squall is a mere rookie-student-soldier-

imitator. There is no underlying or obvious potential for greatness in him. Our “hero” has

no qualities or desires resembling a hero when the story begins. The main character often
has selfish goals ahead of goals of the society. This does not change for Squall until he

meets and comes to love and learn from Rinoa, a mysterious girl he meets by dancing

with. She later serves as a guide to unlocking the hero within Squall during his journey.

Tidus is the same way with his own situation. His desire to get home outweighs any

obvious problem Spira might be facing. This is of course until he meets and begins to fall

in love with the summoner, Yuna., who is on her own journey. Tidus’ goal to get home

quickly becomes second to helping Yuna finish her journey. She, too, is the guide to

unlocking the true hero in the main character of a story or game. Without these enablers,

the hero’s would be nothing and could not unlock their inner strengths and abilities.

The old hero’s journey serves to slowly evolve the character into a true hero

through the use of enabler characters, often females. The hero comes to terms that society

is more important than self interest and understands what must be done over a long

period of time. The same can not be stated for the new hero’s journey which will be

explored next.

Part Two: The New Hero’s Journey

Video game designers, in general, have come to realize after the Playstation RPG

craze of the late 90s - early 2000s that the repetition of the old hero’s journey would need

to be revised to avoid some of the largest clichés of the gaming industry(and story telling

in general). In the new hero’s journey, as I have called it, the hero does not require as

much time to develop and come to learn the error of a group or individual’s way as with

prior stories. This is because the hero is not from a far away place, does not hold a

stubborn, selfish view, or is lacking intellectual development. Rather, the hero has either

descended from or lived in the threatened society for a lengthy period of time prior to the
evil. One example being that of Zidane from FF9. Zidane grew up in region in conflict.

Not only is he from the region, but he honestly understands the area because of his

humble background as a lower class citizen. Also, the fact that he is a sky pirate type

character further adds to his interaction with other everyday people in his surroundings.

He is not wealthy or descended from nobility; consequently, he has none of the barriers

and distance that aristocratic families preach to their offspring to maintain a certain

degree of segregation from the common man. Zidane has a first hand awareness of the

military conflict between regions in his nation on a day to day basis.

While it may be true that without Garnet he would not have known (or cared)

about Kuja or the black mages, Zidane still champions the idea of a quick learner, as one

can see throughout the game. Early on, the main villains and dastardly deeds are

championed to the player. This quick knowledge was obtained because of both Zidane’s

background and profession. Unlike a Cloud Stryfe for example, Zidane is not an ex-

military figure or anyone previously employed by the primary villain. Where Cloud has a

doubt that Shinra could be so corrupt and evil, Zidane has none. Where Cloud sometimes

becomes blinded with his past with Sephiroth, Zidane does not. Zidane is an open minded

generous hero figure with very little bias, thus allowing him to adapt and develop thought

quicker than heroes of the old hero’s journey.

Another difference between the old and new hero’s journeys is the need for a

female enabler. New heroes, such as Zidane, do not require a female heroine to persuade

or enable them to help. They are naturally out to help those in need, especially if they

look good. Some may argue that Garnet is very necessary because she gets Zidane close

to the working of the upper class and monarchy. However, this writer would disagree by
offering the idea that both Vivi and Steiner had ties to nobility or had experience in the

workings of the aristocracy. Steiner could just as easily develop the characters of Queen

Brahne and Kuja. Garnet serves as a character that develops a romantic side to both the

story and Zidane. However, this actually impedes the hero’s journey because their love is

always tested by a “her or the world” decision by the primary villain. From FF13, the

player is also introduced to a similar story with Lightning. Lightning has been involved in

the conflicts and actions of everyday cocoon from birth. Her connection with the

Sanctum is well-established shortly after beginning the game. She is an ex-military

heroine that left due to the corruption that same military was performing on her society.

She already had her mind set on her goal of destroying such an evil institution. Any other

character is merely traveling down her same path, rather than forging the path Lightning

is traveling on. This gives her to same quick learning ability as Zidane from FF9.

Looking now at the opposite type, a Cloud or Tidus, a very different picture is

painted. Cloud is completely happy with his money after blowing the reactor at the

beginning of FF7. It is Tifa that ends up persuading him to stay on and fight his past evils.

Tifa enables the entire story to take place after the reactor. The same can be said with

Tidus. Tidus is merely looking for a way home off of Spira, quite a different goal than

saving Spira that the game develops. The main story of Sin and the connections are all

weaved together through Yuna. All the other characters are fillers, different from FF9

where any and all of the other characters fuel the storyline equally in their own unique

ways. When Tidus meets Yuna, that is when he decides to open up and help Yuna and

Spira. Also, it is through Yuna that Tidus’ past is found out with his father‘s relationship

with Yuna‘s father. The player finds out that Yuna’s father, the best known summoner of
Spira, was protected by Tidus’ father, Jecht, until the bitter end when Jecht became Sin.

As one can easily see, Yuna drives the entire storyline of FFX through both her past and

present actions to a point where the line between the person on the journey is blurred

between two separate heroes, Yuna and Tidus. In tales of old, there has always been one

solidly defined hero with side characters that guide, not dictate. This difference between

guiding and dictating is where the line is drawn between the old and the new hero’s

journeys.

However, one can not overlook the differences in villains between the old and

new hero’s journeys. The villain influences the entire story by being the antithesis, that is

polar opposite to the hero. In the old hero’s journey, the evil being or group of beings

were not the outsiders. Sin has been causing Spira pain since the first group of

summoners had been fighting it. This evil would never have gone away due to any other

reason aside from the hero. Sephiroth, too, would not be halted or persuaded to stop by

anyone aside from Cloud. Sephrioth was a military man as well and saw the destruction

that fueled his soul to rid his world of what he felt were weak and arrogant people. Both

scenarios show a vested interest by the primary villain in their world. They are not the

outsiders, the heroes are, relatively speaking. The new hero’s journey presents the exact

opposite. Kuja is not a major player in the conflicts and issues of the world he comes to

seek to conquer and destroy. He also does not possess any powers at first, such as an

eidolon. He steals and connives everything he attains because he is the outsider and not

Zidane. Another example is the Playstation rpg titled Beyond the Beyond. While not a

widely known game, it still follows the same format as other rpgs before and after it. The

main villains are two powerful and skilled magicians from a civilization cast out eons ago
from the one they seek to invade and punish. Their ancestors had been banished for so

long that they have become detached from the world in jeopardy. The main hero,

however, is the son of a military officer and is encouraged to walk his own path very

early in the game. He knows the struggles between nations and sees this as it develops

into the darker conquest by the outside sorcerers. The villains must also be examined to

find the subtle differences between stories that have driven generations of gamers, and a

much greater number of listeners throughout mankind’s existence.

The literary work that explores the new hero’s journey best is The Road by

Cormack McCarthy. The father, the hero, is a survivor of the event that tore apart the

world and created the opposing characters and factor that he must overcome to give his

son a decent future. The father was involved with every aspect of the situation, thus

giving him a full range of view on the situation. The outsiders are the newly seen

cannibals and murderers that roam the once peaceful world in search of what little food is

around and shelter is left standing. There is no female enabler of any kind present in the

work. Quite contrarily, however, the mother committed suicide shortly after the incident

to escape the hardships the father wanted to survive together. In a vivid scene, McCarthy

has the parents discussing ways to escape the tragedy and a gun is present on the table

with three bullets, one for each of them. However, the father forges his own different road

by not shooting him or his son. Instead, the tread on through a world they once loved and

cherished in order to build a better future. All the precautions and actions made by the

father are for the son’s best interest. Thus, the father is never a selfish or self motivated

character, another difference from the old hero’s journey. While taking a look into the

darker side of humanity, McCarthy also characterizes the new hero’s journey as it has
been previously described in this piece.

Part Three: The Subtle Symbols of the Series.

It has been said that man is “nothing more than a miserable pile of secrets”. Secret

symbols have been worked into stories, architecture, and just about every other aspect of

human existence. Human beings crave secrecy and a means of proving a higher

intellectual level than one another. As a result of this desire, storytellers and video game

designers have created symbolic ideas, characters, and objects that dwell in their work

and have higher meanings that what is right there in front of the reader/player.

Below is a section of various symbols used in the Final Fantasy series that can

also be found in almost any rpg.

The Pure Maiden: Always a kind and noble character, the maiden emits rays of

moral and physical purity and correctness. Often combined with flowers or the colors of

white and pink, the Springtime colors as they have been called, these characters show the

complete opposite of the villain or villains. If one of these maidens is killed off, it

typically symbolizes the villain has achieved a level of evilness previously thought

impossible. Aerith, Garnet, and Sara are example of this.

The Ghost Ship: How many different rpgs have you played where a ghost ship

attacks a group of innocent sailors and they need help? If your answer is not over 95%

then you probably need to play more video games! This is one of the largest reoccurring

symbols present in games. The ghost ship symbolizes the hero’s conquering over a fear

just about any other character can not even dream of defeating. The hero is developing

quickly as a savior at this time by conquering death and the afterlife head on in the form
of ghosts, spirits, and skeletons. The ghost ship also serves to symbolize just how intense

the hero’s journey truly is since it appears that even death itself can not stop the hero

from completing their quest.

The One-handed Sword: This is the weapon of choice by most hero’s in video

games and the past alike. All battles were romantically accounted for by battles between

men with swords. Swords bring up thoughts of valiant knights and massive armies. By

giving a sword to the hero, the player is reminded of such glorious battles of the past

while they are playing. This creates a higher sense of involvement in the epic journey.

Every Cloud, no matter how different the play style, is still a valiant sword wielding hero

fighting to protect what he has come to cherish.

The Ranged Weapon: These vary in size and shape, but they have the same

meaning--reliance. While these weapons can still impact a battle, they rely on the short

ranged short to take hits while they prepare and fire from a distance. If there is no sword

as a foundation on the battlefield, then the ranged weapon will fall very easily. Likewise,

if the true hero is not present in a boss fight, then the ranged characters tend to fall first

when targeted. Also, since these ranged characters rely so heavily on the melee hero, they

often come with helpful buff magic or healing capabilities to help out when following the

hero. Look for these characters to look to the melee hero for advice when the situation

looks grim.

The Puzzle: Everyone has come across an invisible floor, a maze, objects needing

to be pushed, etc. Most gamers do not wish to get bogged down by these things, but

realize they are necessary in creating a hero. A hero is not merely physically strong, but

also mentally strong. The puzzle is the ultimate challenge of a human hero’s intellect and
mental state. If a hero fails a puzzle by falling down a trapdoor, then it typically is

symbolic of a lack of preparedness for the true tests that lie ahead. Thus, the hero needs

additional practice to strengthen the mind and body, hence more puzzle for the player!

The Mentor: The mentor, more often than not, becomes either a playable character

or deeply involved in a part of the plot of the game in order to show how the hero was

prior to molding himself in he likeness of his mentor. The mentor is a teacher-like figure

with both a high intellect and a strong background in martial arts. These qualities imply a

dedicated, wise, and strong character that the hero chose to become. Without the mentor,

the hero’s past seems less dynamic in his/her change to become the person he/she is in the

present. This entire idea of the mentor is symbolic of the old feudal Japanese society.

While men were expected to be dedicated fighters in the art of the samurai, they were

also expected to be literate and possess wisdom. This class of men provided the

instruction for the children of the various regions to be imparted with all the qualities of a

genuine hero.

The Cave: Often regarded as the darkest and most frightful of places, the cave

represents two major ideas, the bravery necessary in conquering such a daunting place

and a revelation by the hero upon reaching the end or other side(which often has a light

source of some kind). The light source symbolizes the conquering of the darkness and of

fear the hero and other characters journeying with the hero may have. The cave is a place

of despair, darkness, and evil, and by making it through such a place, the hero has cast all

of these aforementioned characteristics off and is further down the path toward a hero’s

enlightenment.
 The Flashback: The flashback has been used by Square most effectively when

portraying the difficult choices and evolutions the hero has made in his past. They often

show the hero giving up a value, object, or loved one very close to them at the time. By

using these flashbacks, the task of becoming a hero seems more strenuous and less

possible for an average person to fathom. This further separates the hero into a league of

his/her own, creating for the mentality of the hero being the only one who can save

mankind and the world from the villain’s retribution. However, while this separation is

occurring, the pain the hero feels in giving such things up portray him/her as human. The

hero is no god or mythical beast, but rather, a human; consequently, this draws the player

in as the player walks with the hero on the journey to save mankind. This is the

foundation of the role-playing game genre, that is, the ability to imagine oneself

following in the footsteps of a great hero in both success and failure on that long road

toward victory.

The Different Hair Color of the Hero: While many characters in the same party of

the hero have normal hair colors (black, brown, etc), the hero has a very distinct hair

color that represents his important and distinct role in the story of the game being played.

Bright gold hair, like Tidus or Cloud, symbolizes a semi-angelic or morally responsible

hero. This hero comes to realize that by protecting those he/she cares about, strength and

enlightenment are achieved. The hero feeds off the energy of the party and thus, desires

to keep them safe and on a righteous path. A hero with blue hair symbolizes two things:

love of the adventure and a strong tie to the sea. For example, in Chrono Trigger, the

main character was given blue hair by Square to tie him closely to the events that

occurred at Odessa Beach, which is where “everything started, and now…everything

and his fate in each respective realm. Other, more rare colors like purple, also have

meanings. They convey a mix of emotions constantly badgering the hero on his journey.

These emotions almost always lead the hero to question his path and choices more than a

blonde haired hero.

Excalibur and Yggdrasil References: Any of the numerous references to Excalibur

and the Knights of the Round is an obvious homage to the very famous knights’ tale of

the knights of the round. The symbolism, however, is what the knights stood for- bravery,

chivalry, courage, and a strong moral compass. The hero combines a tangible weapon,

item, or skill with the values of what has become the most honorable group of men in the

western world, the knights. Not only does the hero possess these qualities, but he/she

possesses enough to where they can exert the qualities of knighthood on command many

times a battle. This is important in adding to the moral aptitude of the hero and his

choices on the path toward whatever goal may be at the end of the road.

The reference to the Yggdrasil, however, is less known by gamers. The term

means Odin’s horse, with Odin being the chief Norse god. It was fabled that Odin rode

his majestic steed to his most formidable tasks and battles. The hero, or chief character,

rides on the airship or other form of fast transportation deemed the Yggdrasil toward his

most important battle, the final battle with the primary villain. Much like Odin, the fate of

such a battle determined everything for the world and heavens; therefore, a vehicle

modeling as Yggdrasil would be more than fitting for the hero to ride into battle and

conflict.

While these are not all the symbols, as there are countless numbers of intricate
symbols hidden in Square games such as the Final Fantasy series, this is a start that the

reader can add to and build on with his own experiences and connections with a hero and

a game. The magic idea behind why Square has been so successful in the gaming industry

is that each player reacts extremely differently to the same events of the story. For

example, Aeris’ death in FF7, where the reactions have been countless. Some players cry,

some exert anger and despise for Sephiroth, some do a combination of the two, etc, etc,

etc. The same occurs with the ballroom dance scene in the early part of FF8. Personally,

this scene captivated the moment and personified everything I enjoyed about the game.

For others, however, the scene could be construed as “cheesy” or fake. Such a differing of

emotions captures the element of individuality of the role-playing game genre, thus

leading to a deeper player-game connection and a stronger feeling toward the game, good

or bad.

These feelings of love and hate, different from like and dislike, create the talk and

hype for future games of the series, ultimately boosting sales. Both hardcore and casual

gamers alike can feel as if they are the hero on their own journey toward immortality in

legends after saving the world or ones they come to care for. Any product that captivates

such a wide audience is bound to succeed, as Square has shown the gaming world for

over two decades. It was once said that no publicity is bad publicity, and for Square, this

has proven true numerous times with every new release they create.