Final Fantasy Record Keeper
A mobile gacha game reliving classic Final Fantasy moments.
Final Fantasy Record Keeper is a free-to-play role-playing gacha game from DeNA for iOS and Android. It blends original characters and stories with figures, settings, and fights from across the Final Fantasy series. Using 2D sprites and Active Time Battles, it surpassed 10 million global downloads. Initially offered in Japanese, English, French, and Spanish, all non-English languages were dropped in 2020. The global version shut down on September 29, 2022, leaving only the Japanese version active.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- DeNA
- Series
- Final Fantasy
- Platforms
- iOS, Android
- Released
- September 24, 2014 (JP); March 26, 2015 (WW)
- Genre
- Role-playing
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
- Producer
- Ichiro Hazama
- Designer
- Tetsuya Nomura
Facts from the source article.
Development
DeNA proposed a social role-playing game centered on the Final Fantasy series to Square Enix, similar to their earlier title Defender of Texel, which used pixel graphics and formation-based battles. Square Enix producer Ichiro Hazama approved development, believing DeNA had the experience for a successful western mobile game. Square Enix oversaw story, setting, and characters, while DeNA handled backend publishing. International release was delayed for modifications to appeal to western audiences. For the global version, artwork from remakes of earlier Final Fantasy games was used, as developers felt American audiences connected more to later titles. Cutscenes were polished, character profiles were added for new players, and the game was designed to be less difficult. Tetsuya Nomura designed the player character Tyro and supporting cast Dr. Mog, Cid, and Elarra. The first world entered is from Final Fantasy VII, followed by Final Fantasy IV and VI. Event characters are chosen by player popularity, and characters are not added from games lacking sufficient worlds or events. Producers felt characters should be winnable through battle, and mithril currency is given generously. Enemy bosses are animated, unlike the older titles referenced. Logging in earns in-game currency, and more free currency opportunities were added internationally. Western and Japanese versions run on separate servers with no player communication. Hazama stated the core experience is reliving the past, with room for original story expansion. A teaser site appeared in July 2014 with a countdown timer.
Reception
Critics generally liked Final Fantasy Record Keeper, though they pointed out several flaws. IGN enjoyed how it played on nostalgia for older Final Fantasy titles and found the combat and customization fun, but noted the shallow story and lack of character interaction made it hard to stay engaged. Kotaku agreed, calling it a pleasant way to pass time while criticizing the unpopular stamina system that pushed players to spend money for extra play. VentureBeat praised the item crafting and combining as genuinely enjoyable and true to the series, yet found the overall gameplay boring because it felt too hands-off. The game saw rapid success: over one million downloads in its first ten days, three million downloads and one billion yen within a month, and five million downloads in Japan after six months, ranking among the top five highest-grossing apps on the Apple App Store.
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