

But, for example, going back to mini-games from Final Fantasy VII - Cloud also shot some hoops. There would've been a lot of different ideas, and I'm sure there might be opportunities for ( Final Fantasy) mini-games to be realised as individual games in the future.

We thought long and hard, and wound up going with the G-Bike idea. So, Cloud would be in full 3D graphics, with his shoulder pads and his armour, on a snowboard going down a slope. I actually preferred the snowboarding game (also from Final Fantasy VII) - but if you think about it, we'd be creating a game where we have realistic 3D graphics. I'm sorry - this is the first time I've got this question, so I'm answering it honestly. In terms of the concept of utilising the G-Bike mini-game, that was an idea from our partner CyberConnect2. Since there are a lot of popular mini-games and mini-game sections in various Final Fantasy titles, what made you pick this one? How did you decide on the idea for G-Bike? I can't say that it was designed for Western users specifically, but I wanted to make sure as many people as possible could enjoy its gameplay system. But think about it: you'll probably hold your phone in a portrait orientation if you're playing with one hand.īut with G-Bike, it'll usually be in a landscape position, so you won't be able to easily hold it and play it in one hand in this orientation. Ichiro Hazama: You're right that a lot of Japanese players prefer the one-handed style. Was G-Bike designed with a Japanese audience in mind, or was it made for more global gaming? Pocket Gamer: One thing we've noticed in looking at Japanese and Western games is that Japanese smartphone gamers tend to play with one hand (or one finger). Thankfully, we had the opportunity to interview producer Ichiro Hazama about this game while 'grilling' him about Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call. With Square Enix taking the familiar biking mini-game from Final Fantasy VII's Golden Saucer and mixing it with realistic 3D graphics reminiscent of Advent Children, it'd be an understatement to say that we were interested in learning more about this one. As part of the PG team navigated the crowded halls of E3 last week, we learnt about an intriguing free-to-play mobile game called Final Fantasy VII G-Bike.
