Reverse Design

The Reverse Design series looks at all of the design decisions that went into classic video games. This is the first installment in the Reverse Design series, looking at Final Fantasy VI. Written in a readable format, it is broken down into six sections examining some of the most important topics to the game:

How narrative elements, specifically the design of the fourteen player-characters, was the critical constraint which shaped the game’s production

How the game broke with numerous RPG traditions in order to focus on plot and characterization, while still maintaining mechanical depth

How the systems were designed to allow the player to use any combination of characters with equal levels of success

Key FeaturesComprehensive definitions of key concepts and terms, introducing the reader to the basic knowledge about the study of RPG designSummary of historical context of Final Fantasy VI how it came to be, how it diverges sharply from the class-based design ideas of older RPGs, and what systems in uses to replace those old ideasExtensive collections of data and data visualizations explaining how Final Fantasy VI’s systems work, how those systems evolve across the course of the game, and how the overall game systems were designed to be balanced easily