One fan goes back to their roots with Final Fantasy 15, creating a YouTube video that reimagines what the game would look like if it were made for the PS1 instead.
Sometimes, it can be easy to forget the legacy of Final Fantasy 15 can be traced all the way back to some of the earliest successful video game consoles. It's hard to imagine a game that can look as gorgeous as Final Fantasy 15's Omen trailer is also a direct descendant of games like Final Fantasy 7, where most characters were lucky just to be rendered with hands, let alone working fingers.
Still, there's something about the nostalgia of an early Final Fantasy game that can be hard to re-capture, at least in appearance, with games that look as good as Final Fantasy 15 does. Perhaps that's why YouTuber C4DNerd ended up creating a 1990s version of Final Fantasy 15, complete with the loud blue turn-based battle menus and awkward walking motions that characterized a number of the series' early 3D efforts.
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The video, shown above, details Noctis and his band of brothers' journey into the heart of the Niflheim Empire, and it is an incredibly well-made tribute to PS1 classics like Final Fantasy 7. There's a very Sector 7-esque vibe to the way the city the party explores is laid out and rendered, and the random battles with Niflheim soldiers look like they could have been ripped straight out of Final Fantasy 7's introductory mission. The video ends with a boss battle and a summoning sequence that looks perfect for the PS1 before finally closing out with the camera panning up to the tower in the middle of the city - right before the screen fades to black and asks the viewer to "Please insert Disc 2".
Although Final Fantasy 15's development time makes it feel as though the title actually could have been released for the PS1, the last Final Fantasy title with that honor was Final Fantasy 9, which was released 16 years ago. C4DNerd's video illustrates just how far the series has come since its early days, whether it be the incredible difference in graphics or even the pace of combat that C4DNerd's video accurately simulates and Final Fantasy 15 has actively tried to change.
While C4DNerd's video is both expertly crafted and a wonderful callback to where the Final Fantasy series has been, those eager to see the future of Square Enix's beloved franchise don't need to wait long. Final Fantasy 15 has officially gone gold, and will be available to gamers worldwide in under a month after a decade of waiting.
Final Fantasy 15 will release worldwide for PS4 and Xbox One on November 29, 2016.