Boss Fight Books is closing the door on their fifth “Season” of titles with today’s release of Final Fantasy VI from Sebastian Deken.
With its novel fusion of magic and technology, Square’s Final Fantasy VI (which was originally released in the US in 1994 as Final Fantasy III) helped usher in a new era for the RPG genre and turned Terra, Locke, and Kefka into household names. The epic grandeur of the story was further enhanced by the rousing character themes and operatic flourishes found in Nobuo Uematsu’s score.
Deken, who is also a musician by trade, looked at how the RPG’s world intertwined with its soundtrack, as well as how Uematsu inspired other game composers to dream a bit bigger:
Terra the magical half-human. Shadow the mysterious assassin. Celes the tough, tender general. Kefka the fool who would be god. Each of the many unforgettable characters in Final Fantasy VI has made a huge impression on a generation of players, but why do we feel such affection for these 16-bit heroes and villains as so many others fade? The credit goes to the game’s score, composed by the legendary Nobuo Uematsu.
Armed with newly translated interviews and an expert ear for sound, writer and musician Sebastian Deken conducts a critical analysis of the musical structures of FF6, the game that pushed the Super Nintendo’s sound capabilities to their absolute limits and launched Uematsu’s reputation as the “Beethoven of video game music.”
Deken ventures deep into the game’s lush soundscape—from its expertly crafted leitmotifs to its unforgettable opera sequence—exploring the soundtrack’s lasting influence and how it helped clear space for game music on classical stages around the world.
Final Fantasy VI is now available in print and as an ebook through your favorite online bookseller.