Final Fantasy X

Did You Know?

• The Japanese version included an additional disc titled 'The Other Side of Final Fantasy' with interviews, storyboards, and trailers.
• An international version released in Japan as Final Fantasy X International added battles with 'Dark' versions of aeons and a superboss named Penance.
• The minigame blitzball has appeared in other games, including Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn.

Plot

Final Fantasy X is set in the fictional world of Spira, which consists of one large landmass divided into three subcontinents surrounded by small tropical islands. Spira is modeled on Southeast Asia in its vegetation, topography, architecture, and names, and features diverse climates from tropical to frigid. The world is populated by humans and other races such as the Al Bhed, Guado, Ronso, and Hypello. The dead who are not sent to the Farplane by a summoner become fiends, but unsent with strong attachments may retain human form. The story follows Tidus, a star blitzball athlete, who arrives in Spira after his home city Zanarkand is destroyed by the monster Sin. He joins summoner Yuna on a quest to defeat Sin, learning that Sin's true identity is his missing father, Jecht.

Development

Development of Final Fantasy X began in 1999 with a budget of approximately ¥4 billion and a crew of over 100 people, most of whom had worked on previous games in the series. Executive producer Hironobu Sakaguchi expressed concerns about the transition from 2D to 3D backgrounds, voice acting, and real-time storytelling, but attributed the series' success to constantly challenging the team. Producer Yoshinori Kitase also served as chief director, while direction of events, maps, and battles was split among Motomu Toriyama, Takayoshi Nakazato, and Toshiro Tsuchida. The script took three to four months to develop, with a similar period for voice recording. Tetsuya Nomura and Kazushige Nojima collaborated with Daisuke Watanabe, Toriyama, and Kitase on the scenario. Nojima wrote the story so that the player's progress mirrors Tidus's own understanding. An early temporary title was 17 SEVEN TEEN, whose story involved a protagonist seeking a cure for a pandemic that killed people at age seventeen; this motif was later carried over to Yuna's fate. Nomura identified the South Pacific, Thailand, and Okinawa as major influences on Spira's design, and the protagonists' names derive from Okinawan words for sun and moon.

Reception

Critics widely praised Final Fantasy X. Famitsu and Famitsu PS2 gave it a near-perfect 39 out of 40, while The Play Station scored it 29 out of 30, highlighting the story, visuals, and cutscenes. Its Metacritic score stands at 92 out of 100. IGN commended the voice work, gameplay innovations like the updated battle and summon systems, and the graphics, calling it the series' best-looking and arguably best-playing entry. GameSpot found the story surprisingly deep and its conclusion satisfying, also praising the diverse, scene-fitting music. GamePro called the character progression and combat systems two of the series' finest innovations. GameSpy described the visuals as top-notch, noting the character models, backgrounds, and animations. Game Revolution rated the voice acting above average and the music rich.