How did this just occur to me?

If you know me at all, you know I love Final Fantasy X. Love may be a bit of an understatement, but we don't need to go there.

I was bored the other day and decided to look at the Wikipedia page for the game. While reading the "Setting" section, it hit me! One reason I love this game so much is because of the setting. I feel so dumb for not realizing it sooner. FFX is one of the first
games in the long running series to move away from European influenced worlds and into Southeast Asia.

Look at previous games. In FFVII you travel with Cloud all over the planet from industrial towns to lush forests (Side note: I adore FFVII for this reason. It is such an
interesting dichotomy between the technological world and the natural environment. It is done so well and is obviously heavily tied to the plot itself).

I am currently playing FFIII on my DS and all I can think of is medieval Europe and mythical adventures on the high seas. It is my impression that FFIX also pulls from medieval themes (Yeah, I know, I haven't played it yet. Go ahead and initiate the mockery now).

For the sake of boring you to death, I won't give any more examples. Back to my point. I am obsessed with Asian culture. I am determined to plan a fantastic trip to both China and Japan once I finish school. Playing Final Fantasy X takes me to all of those beautiful ocean villages and ancient structures (Forbidden City, anyone?) without the expensive plane ticket! Can I go to Besaid on my honeymoon, please?

Hands down it is the most beautiful Final Fantasy game and I think it was an excellent choice to pull inspiration from the region. It's surprising that it wasn't done sooner since Japanese developers create the games. It's my guess that developers wanted to stray away from what was already familiar. In the same way, I enjoyed the game that was most unfamiliar to my own travels. Hopefully my highly intellectual epiphany makes sense :P

One thing you can't deny about all of the games is that they are all fantasy-oriented (duhhh). Really though, that's what makes them video games! I appreciate the series so much, because each installment displays similar themes while producing a creative and unique environment.

Alright, I think I got everything off my chest! Sorry for the long post. I need to get better at being more precise. Until then... I appreciate any feedback and comments!

Love,
The Girl Informer

PS
I'm going to write a short follow-up post in the next couple of days covering Cocoon (FFXIII). Make sure to check for it! I don't have the room to talk about it here.

(Images from Google - top to bottom: Tidus in FFX, Yuna in FFX, Cloud in FFVII, Besaid in FFX, Airship in FFIX)