Final Fantasy - framed in battle

[Torzelbaum]

When Final Fantasy was first released most other turn-based RPGs on the Nintendo console did not show your party in action in the battles. But Final Fantasy changed that and has progressed from those few simple frames of sprite animation to an in-battle visual spectacle that can rival cutscenes. So what are some of your favorite battle animations from Final Fantasy games?

 

[Kazin]

FF6 Ultima, as simple as it is and as many times as I've seen it, never gets old.

 

[Mogri]

FF4: Jump
FF6: Suplex
FF8: Devour

 

[Peklo]

Most things Lightning does, but particularly any time she has cause (or doesn't, but still does) to flip in combat, whether it's the evasive repositioning out of a combo string, the final attack of her 5-bar attack sequence (which includes a shot with her gunblade mid-flip), or as part of her Army of One choreography.

 

[Lokii]

Great idea for a topic

Everything in FFXV

 

[JBear]

Love Edge's flip-off no jutsu.

Runner-up goes to sleeping Geomancer from FF3 Famicom.

 

[jpfriction]

Only FF adjacent but I always got a kick out of Magus adjusting his gloves as he was casting a spell in Chrono Trigger.

 

[Torzelbaum]

FF6: Suplex

Also one of my favorites.

Runner-up goes to sleeping Geomancer from FF3 Famicom.

One I really like is when anyone is confused in Final Fantasy Tactics.

 

[Peklo]

I think there's been only one instance in which FF has matched the sheer kinetic spectacle of SaGa's martial arts and pro wrestling animations, and it was with Tifa in FFVII. Being the transitional game that it was, it still operated with the previously held two-dimensional sensibilities in mind as far as depictions of weight and scale, so there were no attempts to frame the maneuvers as anything remotely "realistic" as far as the related physics or to elaborately rig them--Tifa is simply free to pick up any kind of polygonal model she wants with ease and fling around or brainbuster them at will.

 

[ozacrot]

I was a relatively wee lad when it came out and I have to own up to that, but Omnislash is just simply one of the cooler things I have been able to tell a videogame character to do.

 

[Falselogic]

Kaine's Jump is just fantastic.

I love all the changes that happen to the bosses in FFMQ as you slowly beat them up. You don't get a life bar but their slow degradation as shown in the spritework was a great alternative and gave you some sense of how you were doing.

 

[Purple]

I was recently reminded by I wanna say Kishi that this spell effect exists and I mean... HOW?

I'm assuming just a big pile of raw math.

 

[Torzelbaum]

One that just popped into my head is the shuriken animation from Final Fantasy 4 - consume one shuriken and the enemy gets hits by like a dozen of them.

Odin - Zantetsuken is a really cool attack which usually provides a unique death animation for enemies.

I was a relatively wee lad when it came out and I have to own up to that, but Omnislash is just simply one of the cooler things I have been able to tell a videogame character to do.

I agree. Squall's Renzokuken is also pretty damn cool but I am (rough) divided on which of its finishers I like more - Blasting Zone or Lion Heart.

Speaking of Renzokuken in FF8 - did you know that it has unique animations when used against some of the bosses?

I love all the changes that happen to the bosses in FFMQ as you slowly beat them up. You don't get a life bar but their slow degradation as shown in the spritework was a great alternative and gave you some sense of how you were doing.

Those are pretty good and some of the "injured" graphics can be amusing. (Those sprite changes also occur for regular enemies.)

Great idea for a topic

I'm glad you are enjoying these threads ( or at the very least this one) because I have quite a few more that I'm planning on creating.

 

[Torzelbaum]

And another one that I just remembered - when Umaro does the ole FastSnowball Special with another party member or just flings himself at an enemy.

And this one as well:

Golem - A big stone monster or mech that protects your party. I think I mostly like it for the animation of its hand blocking attacks like a big old "nope".

 

[Exposition Owl]

I love all the changes that happen to the bosses in FFMQ as you slowly beat them up. You don't get a life bar but their slow degradation as shown in the spritework was a great alternative and gave you some sense of how you were doing.

This is deeply true.

Also, I know now that they aren’t great options in terms of actual battle strategy, but I always loved Cyan’s Sword Tech animations in FFVI. When a character’s special power is “hit an enemy with a weapon,” something that literally everyone else on your team can also do, the animations do a lot (in my experience) to sell the fact that Cyan is a master swordsman in a way that the others aren’t.

 

[gogglebob]

I think there's been only one instance in which FF has matched the sheer kinetic spectacle of SaGa's martial arts and pro wrestling animations, and it was with Tifa in FFVII. Being the transitional game that it was, it still operated with the previously held two-dimensional sensibilities in mind as far as depictions of weight and scale, so there were no attempts to frame the maneuvers as anything remotely "realistic" as far as the related physics or to elaborately rig them--Tifa is simply free to pick up any kind of polygonal model she wants with ease and fling around or brainbuster them at will.

I love all the changes that happen to the bosses in FFMQ as you slowly beat them up. You don't get a life bar but their slow degradation as shown in the spritework was a great alternative and gave you some sense of how you were doing.

 

[jpfriction]

You got a grudge with some ice, there Gogglebob?

 

[gogglebob]

YES.

 

[Paul le Fou]

FF7's Bahamut summons always stick in my head for how over-the-top they were, especially the last one. I was old enough to ponder the realistic implications of orbital bombardment and such, and always found it amusing (see also the final boss's supernova spell).

FF6's Ultima will forever remain in my mind, I think partially because Chrono Trigger's Luminaire was so similar. My two favorite games as a kid/ever ingrained deeply in me that the ultimate attack creates a growing dome of light. I've only now realized that only Luminaire opens from the top, though, and feel deeply shaken by this realization.