The Games That Made Us: Yoshinori Kitase | Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

I remember thinking it was King's Knights. I was very surprised to find it was actually a shooting game disguised as an RPG.

It was Seiken Densetsu on the Game Boy. At that time, it was a small team of about ten people. In that sense, my scope of responsibility was large for creating one title, and when I look back now, it was a very fulfilling project.

In the early days, we were making games on very small ROMs. Instead of allocating memory with programs like today, we had to allocate it manually. Figuring out how to distribute memory within that limited capacity was a real struggle. It was a matter of just pushing through with sheer willpower.

I've been involved with Final Fantasy for a long time, so the origin is probably Final Fantasy I. I played FF1 as a user before I even joined Square. At that time, games were just simple action or pure entertainment. FF1 was my first experience with a game that had a story and dramatic elements, so that was very special.

In FF10, there was a minigame called Blitzball. I was heavily involved in creating that part, so it's a very memorable part for me. Since FF10 was our first title for the PlayStation 2, the quality of each asset increased, and so did the volume. We knew we couldn't continue just extending our old methods, so we had to make choices and focus. It was a good opportunity to cut the excess fat and extend the strengths, which resulted in a Final Fantasy that was different from what came before.

My first FF project was FF5. While working on FF5, I heard a song by Uematsu-san called 'Man with the Machine Gun' that I really liked. It's a track that plays during the battle scene. For FF6, there's a subtle scene in a desert town where a waiter carries food. The camera follows him in a way that seems unusual. It's actually the scene where Celes and her brother cross paths without recognizing each other, and that really stuck with me.

I was frustrated when I accidentally wrote the password wrong for the Famicom version of Dragon Quest, back when there were no save chips, and I couldn't continue my progress.

The series' appeal has two aspects: the story, which is a dramatic, character-driven narrative, and the gameplay. As an RPG, party-based play is the core. The strategic battle system, whether command-based or action-oriented, has evolved, but the constant is that players can engage with it strategically, which is what I believe is the charm.

Now, for nearly 30 years, I've been involved with FF7. In a sense, it's a long-running IP in my career, so being able to create this game and still be involved with it is a joy.

I learned what's important for FF from Sakaguchi-san, the father of FF at the time, while working with him. I respect him a lot.

First, the opening scene is always memorable. Recreating it in a modern, realistic form—from the fall of the Plate in Midgar to when Cloud becomes playable at the train station—is one key point. The Gold Saucer play scene, where Aerith sings 'Those Who Fight Further' dramatically, turned out very moving. Also, minigames are a major highlight for FF. I'm pleased that the card game Queen's Blood is well-received by fans.