To say that the crew behind Magic: The Gathering’s upcoming Closing Fantasy collaboration set is happy to launch can be an understatement.
“As we drove as much as the conference middle, there’s this large hotel-sized display that claims ‘Magic: The Gathering – Closing Fantasy on it,” principal designer and set design lead Gavin Verhey stated throughout a press preview occasion for the upcoming set. “All of us simply checked out one another and stated, ‘That is it, that is what we have been ready for. It is lastly taking place.'”
Moments like this are what Verhey, govt producer Zakeel Gordon, principal recreation designer Dillon Deveney, and senior recreation designer Daniel Holt have dreamed of all through the four-year historical past of the set’s improvement. Because the crew reminisces about their time engaged on the growth, each in Sq. Enix’s places of work in Japan and the Wizards of the Coast headquarters in Renton, Washington, our Zoom name lights up with smiles and laughter on the easy point out of playing cards like Summon: Bahamut, names like Yoshitaka Amano, and numerous different references.
For these 4 individuals, the discharge of Magic: The Gathering – Closing Fantasy is a end result of onerous work, a celebration of each Magic and Closing Fantasy, and in the end, a declaration of victory. GameSpot sat down with the panel for a prolonged chat about Closing Fantasy’s foray into Magic: The Gathering, which begins on June 13.
The design course of
“I used to be designing playing cards at 2 AM” is a standard phrase out of Verhey’s mouth. On this specific case, he is speaking about Absolute Advantage, the highly effective boss from Closing Fantasy XI, and the cardboard that appeared in the course of the panel. Gordon, Deveney, and Holt knowingly nod alongside, anticipating the place the story goes.
“I used to be attempting to design Absolute Advantage, and I couldn’t determine what to do,” Verhey says, “and I fell asleep at my desk–like an grownup. Instantly, I awoke and thought, ‘Ah! Safety from every little thing! It actually popped in my head as I used to be waking up from sleeping. I typed it into the file and thought, ‘Properly, that is in all probability not going to stay,’ however then I confirmed it to everybody, they usually simply beloved it. They thought it was wonderful.”
That is to not say each dialog went so swimmingly; Deveney used the phrase “spirited” to explain among the conversations between himself and Holt. “We solely have so many design slots within the [pre-constructed Commander] deck for brand new playing cards,” Deveney describes. “Who will get that? Who makes the reduce?”
Deveney particularly remembers a dialogue across the Closing Fantasy XIV pre-constructed deck, which in itself was a Herculean job to create. “Fact be informed, this can be a recreation that is been working for 10-plus years, with 14 years of content material; we may in all probability make a complete set of simply that one recreation,” Deveney says. “I have been taking part in the sport since launch, and Daniel stated he was taking part in it, so our views had been totally different.”
Deveney says that distinction in perspective helped the 2 of them positive tune the FF14 Commander deck to be as genuine to the sport as potential. Typically Deveney would desire a character that Holt did not assume was all that necessary; different occasions Deveney would not take no for a solution. “One character specifically, I needed to say ‘Daniel, if they do not make it in, I will likely be very upset, as a result of somebody will get very upset with me if they do not make it in.”
A deal with Commander
With a lot historical past to parse via, and solely a lot area to go round in an growth set, selecting what merchandise acquired which playing cards or designs led to some extra “spirited” dialogue. “We take a look at the entire product as one expertise, however then we’ve to have a look at every particular person piece–main set, Commander, and many others,” Deveney says. “Typically I ask myself ‘If that is the one factor a fan buys, what do they count on to see?'”
For Commander particularly, which Daniel Holt was primarily targeted on, it permits him to discover the 4 video games receiving pre-constructed decks–FF6, FF7, FF10, and FF14–as their very own distinctive tales. As Holt places it, “within the Commander decks we acquired to go tremendous deep.”
“The Commander decks had been virtually every their very own Universes Past product in the best way we approached them,” Holt continued. “Closing Fantasy VI is its personal world, FFVII’s its personal world. They do not cross. Every permits us so as to add various things; for instance, elves solely seem in sure video games however not in others, so we did some elf reprints within the deck for the sport the place they’re discovered.
“With Closing Fantasy VI, we had a graveyard recursion theme, however it’s not from demise, it is ‘lifting your allies up.’ We twisted among the reprints to be a bit of extra themed that means. There have been a whole lot of inventive restrictions, but in addition we had been in a position to create actually cool issues due to it.”
Artistic endeavors
One attention-grabbing reality talked about in the course of the press preview was in regard to among the artists who contributed to the cardboard’s artwork: 9 of them, well-known for drawing Closing Fantasy artwork all through historical past, got the choice to attract whoever or no matter they wished. This opened up some attention-grabbing alternatives; regardless that Amano has drawn Kefka earlier than, he’d by no means drawn Kefka’s ultimate type in his complete career–until now.
This led to what Verhey describes as one of many coolest moments of his life. “We’re in Japan, and we occurred to be on the Sq. Enix workplace when Amano’s Kefka piece arrived. Nobody had seen it but, and it got here on this black artwork briefcase supplied by Amano himself.”
“They set it on the desk, and all of us simply went silent, looking at an authentic Amano work…however at a distance, as a result of none of us wished to get too shut and threat messing it up in some way,” Verhey continues. “No person sneeze, nobody do something that might put a mark on this.”
Deveney says that many of the artists drew characters they’d been aware of, however a couple of took the chance to department out and take a look at one thing new. “There have been a couple of artists that had been identical to, ‘Oh, I’d love a chance to play with this different recreation’s toy, as a result of I did not work on it and that sounds actually enjoyable,'” Deveney explains. “They had been like, ‘Oh, I’ve at all times wished to attract this character!'”
As iconic as Closing Fantasy paintings is, the soundtracks to every of those video games is simply as well-known. Implementing music right into a bodily card recreation, in fact, could be very onerous to do, however the crew did attempt to make it work. As Deveney places it, “these discussions completely occurred.”
“I am going to say that there are two or three playing cards that you just could be glad to see have ‘wink, wink, nudge, nudge’ references to well-known music titles–or moments the place you possibly can hear these songs playing–that we had been in a position to get into the set,” Deveney says. “There is a bigger dialogue about music rights and the way it’s a bit of bit totally different with each trade, however sure, we had been in a position to get a couple of issues in there which might be very deliberately referential.”
Selecting a Headliner
Latest Magic units have included a Headliner–one particular card that acts as a “chase” card, with a restricted variety of printings and every one individually numbered. The final set, Tarkir: Dragonstorm, used Mox Jasper–the dragon-focused Mox gem–as the Headliner, with particular artwork from authentic Mox artist Dan Frazier.
For Closing Fantasy, the crew knew it wished to select one thing each FF fan is aware of. Positive, they might have made the Headliner a personality like Cloud or Sephiroth, however followers of FF7 would admire it to the fullest; followers of different video games may not take pleasure in it as a lot. That is why, for Zakeel Gordon, the selection was easy: a chocobo, particularly Touring Chocobo.
“The Chocobo was the flagship character that we wished to push to the forefront, as a result of it is represented within the overwhelming majority of video games,” Gordon stated. “In case you are a fan of the franchise, however you solely have a connection to sure video games, you’ll acknowledge a Chocobo it doesn’t matter what.” The crew did pull from a selected recreation for the card–multiple variants depict a number of coloured Chocobos from Closing Fantasy VII–but even when a participant is not aware of chocobo racing, they will know what the chicken is.
What’s odd about this serialized Chocobo, nevertheless, is the variety of printings–where earlier Headliners noticed 500 copies made, the golden Touring Chocobo will solely see 77 printings. This was intentional, because the crew wished the cardboard to really feel much more particular. “77 is, I feel, the right medium for the place we have been doing serialization lately, Gordon explains, “the place it is a bit of bit much less uncommon than the “one-of-One Ring,” however it’s a bit of bit extra uncommon than an “X of 500.” And, within the spirit of Closing Fantasy 7, two sevens simply felt like the suitable quantity.”
By way of The Ages
One ultimate large function on this new growth is Closing Fantasy: By way of The Ages, a bonus sheet of 64 cards–four playing cards for every of the 16 mainline FF video games. All 64 playing cards are reprints of previously-released Magic playing cards, however the artwork depicted on every card comes from the genuine Sq. Enix archives. It is a historical past lesson in cardboard type, and Dillon Deveney says they’d a whole lot of materials to parse through–over 5,000 items of artwork, to be exact.
“We would ask all types of questions,” Deveney stated, “What do we expect is essentially the most bespoke factor that somebody would wish to see about this recreation? What’s the perfect model of this artwork? What’s the perfect model of this character? Ought to we go along with a sketchy idea or totally completed illustration? Would this be a great land or an enchantment or an artifact? We went via every little thing.”
A number of playing cards from the bonus sheet had been proven in the course of the PAX East panel, together with FF9’s Zidane Tribal as Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer and FF2’s Firion, Swordmaster as Sram, Senior Edificer. Beforehand, FF7’s Yuffie Kisaragi was unveiled as a reskin of Yuriko, the Tiger’s Shadow.
“The bonus sheet was a spot the place we may steadiness every recreation completely,” Gordon stated. “We allotted a ‘finances’ to every recreation: There will likely be 4 playing cards, we will have a protagonist and an antagonist, after which we’ll discover two moments; one perhaps is extra story-driven, and the opposite could also be a bit of bit extra mechanically pushed.”
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Because the panel signed off on the preview, host and former MTG broadcaster Richard Hagon stated that regardless that that is nonetheless Magic: The Gathering, there’s one thing in regards to the Closing Fantasy set that feels totally different. “You possibly can completely play great video games of Magic with this set, the playing cards are there, the designs are there. However, the emotions are distinctive and particular, and that’s what individuals are going to recollect for a really very long time.” Because the panel enthusiastically nodded, that feeling positively got here via from the minds behind the set. Now, all that is left is for the gamers to select up and play.
Magic: The Gathering – Closing Fantasy will likely be out there June 13 at native recreation shops and massive field retailers.
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