Characters from classic and modern installments of the Square Enix series show up in both charming pixel art and amazing hand-drawn forms.
There are video game series with great art, and video game series with a lot of art, but very few can boast having so much great art as Final Fantasy. With 37 years and 16 numbered main installments since the franchise began, Final Fantasy is bursting with emotionally evocative characters, creatures, and motifs, many of which are represented three times over in illustrated, in-game graphics, and CG cutscene forms.
That gives collaborative partners an almost never-ending supply of material to take inspiration from, and so Uniqlo is back with another set of awesome Final Fantasy T-shirts.
This time, the spotlight is shining on the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster touched-up bundle of the first six games in the Square-Enix’s RPG series, plus Final Fantasy XIV, the ongoing online game that’s about to get a new expansion, and Final Fantasy XVI, the latest numbered sequel.
Starting at the very beginning, this shirt features the imp, the very first enemy players are likely to encounter when traveling from the original Final Fantasy’s starter town to its first dungeon. Despite quickly being overshadowed in terms of threat level by more dangerous monsters, Square wanted to make a strong visual impression right from the start, and the concept art illustration shows they really went all out with even the weakest monster. And on the back of the shirt is a reminder that back in the day, RPG difficulty was set so that even the most basic monsters could wipe your party out if you weren’t using proper combat strategy.
Jumping ahead to Final Fantasy VI, amnesiac, mysterious mage Tina/Terra costars on this shirt with a Moogle. Here we see an example of just how deep the Final Fantasy visual portfolio is, with the characters appearing as their in-game pixel art sprites on the front, and character designer Yoshitaka Amano’s intricate portrait of Tina (with a different hair color) on the back.
If you prefer a more focused Moogle motif, this shirt, with no pattern on the back, has one sitting and sipping a glass of wine.
▼ The “Y. Amano ’93” signature suggests this was drawn during pre-production work for Final Fantasy VI.
Moving on to the more modern games represented in the collection, the Final Fantasy XIV T-shirt has an updated take on the original Warrior of Light armor.
Meanwhile, Final Fantasy XIV’s lighter side is shown in this design saluting three of the game’s possible pets: a Chocobo, a Moogle, and Fat Cat.
Rounding things out are two Final Fantasy XVI shirts, one commemorating the promise made between protagonist Clive and his childhood friend Jill, with a guest appearance by their canine companion Torgal.
And last, a design featuring eight Eikons, as Final Fantasy XVI calls the series’ pantheon of summon beasts, who play a particular prominent role in this installment.
▼ A Blessing of the Pheonix emblem appears just above the chest pocket.
Each shirt is priced at 1,500 yen (US$9.90), and the whole lineup will be available in late June through the Uniqlo online shop here.
Source: Uniqlo
Top image: Uniqlo
Insert images: Uniqlo (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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