Final Fantasy X

Final Fantasy X is the tenth installment in the Final Fantasy series. It follows the story of Tidus and Yuna. It was the first Final Fantasy to appear on a 6th generation console (i.e. the PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube).

Due to Final Fantasy X's success and popularity, it spawned the first ever direct game sequel to a Final Fantasy game: Final Fantasy X-2, released in 2003-04 and continuing the events of Spira 2 years later through the eyes of Yuna. This came about as the result of an initial concept of spinning off Yuna and Rikku into individual titles of their own, which was later combined into one game.

It is also the first in the series to use voice-overs instead of the previous method of scrolling subtitles. The implementation of voice-overs limited the player's ability to change the name of the characters, however. Tidus is the only playable character whose name you, as the player, are able to change. This leads to a strange predicament, since nobody ever pronounces Tidus' name (during a sphere that Yuna records, she refers to him as 'star player of the Zanarkand Abes'), and thus, there have been many discussions how his name is really pronounced. However, an official press release by Square Co., Ltd. stated that it is pronounced Tee-dus. (In contrast to this, Kingdom Hearts II pronounces Tidus' name as Tie-dus, bring anew the constant debate of what pronunciation is correct.) Aeons can also be renamed. It is the first installment in a long time in which most of the main characters do not have last names.

Minigames

 * Blitzball - The feature minigame of Final Fantasy X is Blitzball, a cross between soccer and water polo, played entirely underwater in a giant sphere pool at Luca.
 * Chocobo Racing  - Featuring less predominantly than previous games in the series is a Chocobo training and racing game. Situated at the Calm Lands, the player can participate in several challenges to train a Chocobo, and then use those skills to race another chocobo at Remiem Temple.
 * Monster Arena - When fiends from all over Spira are captured using special weapons, they appear in the Monster Arena, also located at the Calm Lands. These fiends can be fought at any time (for a fee), and certain combinations can be bred into much tougher enemies.
 * Celestial Weapons - Each playable character in the game has their own distinctive Ultimate Weapon, which require some hard work and traveling to acquire.
 * Most locations also have their own smaller minigames, such as the Butterfly Hunt in Macalania, and the Valley of the Cactuars in the Bikanel Desert. See each location page for more details.

The Sphere Grid
Character growth in the game is undertaken by use of the Sphere Grid. By gaining AP from battles and collecting different types of spheres allow the characters to move through the grid, raise stats and learn abilities. An extra grid was included with the International Version (see below) which had 45 fewer nodes and undefined paths for each character.

Story
Final Fantasy X begins in medias res, starting with the party sitting around a campfire in still silence. Just beyond the horizon is a ruined city, covered in flashing lights. Tidus, the central hero of the game, then begins to retell his story of how he reached this place in his life. He gives background narration for much of the game.

To Spira


His story begins in Zanarkand, an advanced futuristic city filled with high technology. Tidus begins what he thinks is a normal day as the star player for his Blitzball team, the Zanarkand Abes. During his match, a mysterious flow of water enters the city, leading to massive destruction. Tidus meets up with Auron, a mentor-like character to him since his father, Jecht's disappearance. Auron, who always seems to know more than he dares say, reveals that the force destroying the city is called "Sin". Tidus and Auron, join together to fight the invading monsters on a city highway, and succeed in slaying a tentacles monster. While fighting, Tidus is shocked to see time seem to stop, as a small boy in purple robes appears to him speaking enigmatic words he does not understand. Once time restarts, the boy is gone and Tidus continues on his charge forward with Auron. However, by the time they reach the mouth of Sin itself, they are sucked up into its maw. Tidus looses consciousness, but sees a brief vision of his father.

When Tidus awakes, he is floating in an unknown underwater ruin. Swimming forward, he comes upon an abandoned temple. After making a fire to ward off the frigid air, Tidus finds a group of strange foreigner people speaking a language alien to him. They capture him and bring him upon their ship. Still completely confused, Tidus demands to know what is going on. A friendly girl, Rikku, reveals that these people are Al Bhed, a faction of people who use the forbidden technology called Machina. But for Tidus to earn his keep, he has to accompany Rikku down to an underwater salvage operation. Once the dangerous mission is completed, Sin once again appears, knocking Tidus off the ship.

He finds himself once again on an unknown shore, but this time its a sunny beach. After so much that is alien to him, Tidus is glad to see something familiar: a group of islanders playing his sport, Blitzball. After showing off his impressive skills, the islanders flock around him. The leader of this group, Wakka, is especially helpful, telling Tidus the island's name, Besaid, an island in the land of Spira. He is unnerved when Tidus mentions his home city's name, Zanarkand. Wakka chalks up Tidus's behavior to his recent encounters with Sin. He explains that Sin is a monster created by Yu Yevon, the God of Spira, to destroy all those who use Machina, which is considered profane.

Wakka leads Tidus to the town center, hoping to have him join his Blitzball team, the Besaid Aurochs. The team has not had many wins in the Blitzball tournaments, and could use Tidus's help; even more so now that Wakka is planning to leave the team to become a Guardian. Tidus is ignorant of many things in Spira, and so does not understand what a Guardian is. After wandering around the town and speaking to the townsfolk, Wakka takes Tidus into the Temple, a branch of the Spiran religion, Yevon. While in there, Tidus learns that the Summoner who has begun her trial in the Temple has taken usually long. Despite Wakka's orders to stay behind, Tidus follows him through the Temple's Cloister of Trials. Meeting up with the Summoner's Guardians, the lion-like Ronso, Kimahri, the mage Lulu, and Wakka, Tidus makes it in time to see the Summoner, Yuna exit the Chamber of the Fayth. Immediatly, Tidus is struck by her beauty. Yuna is the daughter of Braska, the Summoner who destroyed Sin last with the help of Auron and Tidus's father, Jecht.



Outside the Temple, Yuna Summons her first Aeon, Valefor. She shows interest in Tidus's story of coming from Zanarkand, and wishes to hear more of his town. After this first conversation, Tidus retires to bed. That night he overhears Lulu argue with Wakka over his interest in the visitor. She believes that Wakka is only protecting Tidus out of memories for his dead brother, Chappu. Her thoughts may not be misplaced, as Wakka gives Tidus Chappu's former sword, Brotherhood.

The Pilgrimage
The Guardians head out with Yuna on her Pilgrimage, a sacred journey across Spira to attain the Final Aeon, the only weapon that can defeat Sin. They take Tidus along out of hopes that somebody will recognize him once they reach the larger cities. They set out on the S.S. Liki to reach the Temple in Kilika. During the journey, Sin appears on a route to destroy the small town. The sailors hail from Kilika and so attempt to attack Sin by shooting an anchor into it. The party fights a battle against Sin, but fail to do any real damage. Sin continues on its attack, and levels Kilika.



When the group reach the town, they find it in ruins. Yuna, performing another role of a Summoner, "Sends" the souls of those killed in the attack. Those who die in Spira leave behind Pyreflies that if left alone will become monsters, called Fiends. Tidus is stunned by the beauty of the Sending dance. Afterwards, the party continues forward to the next Temple to gain the Aeon Ifrit. While at the temple, they meet a rival Summoner to Yuna, the arrogant Dona.

With the first part of the journey complete, the Pilgrimage then moves to the city of Luca, where a massive Blitzball tournament is being held. The Maesters, the high priests of Yevon, Seymour Guado and the elder Grand Maester, Yo Mika personally overlook the tournament. Much to Tidus's dislike, Yuna shows admiration to Seymour, a very young Maester with high popularity. But he puts these thoughts behind in order to take part in the Blitzball matches.

During the first match, Yuna is kidnapped by Al Bhed Psyches in order to force the Aurochs into surrendering the match. While Wakka plays, Tidus goes with the other Guardians to hunt down the Al Bhed who took Yuna. They manage to rescue her just in time for Wakka to win the game. The next Blitzball match is against the Spira Champions, the Luca Goers. After the match, a group of Fiends are unleashed upon the stadium, creating chaos. Tidus and Wakka go off to fight the beasts, but are helped by the surprise aid of Auron. The rest of the Fiends are dispatched by Seymour's Aeon, Anima. Yuna is left in awe of the power of Seymour's Summon.

Auron takes Tidus away to speak to him alone. What he says makes no sense at all: Jecht, Tidus's father, is Sin. Emotionally stunned by this seemingly impossibility, Tidus is left in tears. Taking in his troubles, Tidus speaks with Yuna. She advises him to laugh, and so Tidus gives out a very fake boisterous cackle. Yuna, though disturbed at first joins in, leaving the Guardians around in silence. The Pilgrimage then continues up the Mi'ihen Highroad, but with two new Guardians: Auron and Tidus.

At the tip of the Highroad, the party finds the entire area to be under occupation by the Crusaders, the military arm of Yevon. Under the command of Seymour and his fellow Maester, Auron's former friend, Wen Kinoc, the Crusaders join forces with the Machina of the Al Bhed in an attempt to defeat Sin. Wakka, being very orthodox to the teachings of Yevon and hardly a fan of Al Bhed, is furious over this plan. Auron simply stands back, knowing the plan will fail. Operation Mi'ihen, as its called, turns out to be a complete disaster. Thousands of Crusaders are killed as Yuna and her Guardians watch, trying their best to help in the fight. Sin leaves unharmed. Following the defeat, Yevon covers its defeat by blaming the Crusaders for the defeat, declaring the entire organization to be heretical. The party leaves the battlefield unable to describe their feelings over the fiasco.

Continuing forward, the party enters the temple of Djose to gain the Aeon Ixion. Here they meet Isaaru, another fellow Summoner who seems to be kind-hearted. They also hear of rumors that Summoners are being kidnapped. The party then continues to the Moonflow, a river than flows through Spira. While crossing on Shoopuf, Wakka points down to the sunken ruins of cities below the waters as perfect examples of what happens to those people who use the hubris of Machina. During his story, a Machina robot grabs Yuna off the animal. Tidus and Wakka destroy the mech and save Yuna. Reaching the other side of the river, they run into Rikku, who was the pilot of the machine trying to take Yuna. Rikku turns out to be Yuna's cousin, though Wakka is completely unaware of both Rikku's and Yuna's Al Bhed blood.

The party then moves to Guadosalam, the city of the Guado, a race of humanoids of which Seymour is the leader. He personally greets the party and takes them to his mansion, where he flirts with Yuna and shows them a machina-made vision of Tidus's Zanarkand. Within the vision is the first Summoner to defeat Sin, Lady Yunalesca. Seymour in fact goes one step forward and offers Yuna his hand in marriage, much to Tidus's jealous anger.

Yuna avoids answering, and instead takes her party to visit the Farplane, the land of the dead where pyreflies form to make images from the memories of a mourner of their lost loved one. Rikku believes the entire thing to be but a force of nature, and so refuses to enter. Auron does stays behind as well, though does not give a reason why. Inside, Tidus finds that his father Jecht does not appear, meaning that he may well be Sin. While leaving, Seymour's father, Jyscal Guado leaves the Farplane as an Unsent, a ghost created by a person who dies an unnatural death. Yuna immediatly Sends Jyscal, but the appearance creates questions how Jyscal died, once not favorable to Seymour. During the Sending, Auron falls upon his knees, weakened by the ceremony.

Difficult Truths
The party moves through the Thunder Plains to the temple of Macalania to gain the Aeon Shiva. While there, they are met by Tromell, Seymour's butler who leads Yuna into the Temple. Inside, the party comes upon a Sphere left by Jyscal, which shows that Seymour murdered his father in order to succeed as Maester. The party goes forward to confront Seymour. During the battle, Seymour uses his powerful Aeon Anima, but it is defeated with the help of Yuna's new Aeon, Shiva. Without anything left to protect him, Seymour is killed. However, Tromell appears and takes away Seymour's body. He breaks the Sphere that proves Seymour's crimes. The party then flees the temple with Guado soldiers in pursuit. They are able to escape with the help of Sin, which surprisingly ferries them away to safety. Tidus sees this and is certain that his father is Sin.

Awaking in a desert on the island of Bikanel, Tidus find himself alone. Though he manages to round up his fellow Guardians, he cannot find Yuna. The group moves to the Al Bhed home, the city of Home, which is under siege by Guado forces. Tidus discovered that the completion of a summoner's pilgrimage is death, and that the Al Bhed wants to prevent this sacrifice. Fighting through the invasion, the party finds Dona and Isaaru, both taken by the Al Bhed. Fighting together with the Summoners, the group makes its way to the Al Bhed Airship commanded by Rikku's father, Cid. The ship takes off with most of the Al Bhed people on board, having been forced to abandoned their homeland. While on the Airship, the party learns that Yuna has been taken by the Guado to Seymour. They decide to give chase.



The party finds Yuna at the Yevon capital city of Bevelle, where she is in wedding gown to be joined with an Unsent Seymour. Fighting through the city's defender, the serpent Evrae, Tidus and his group land to break up the party. Though they fight hard against the heavily-armed Yevon soldiers, and manage to fight their way down to the Cloister where they gain the Aeon Bahamut. Yuna and her Guardians are put on trial by the Maesters where they attempt to press their case, claiming that Seymour should be Sent to the Farplane. To their surprise, Grand Maester Yo Mika, too, is an Unsent. It seems that they are completely without allies, except for the Ronso Maester, Kelk Ronso, who leaves Yevon shortly afterwards. The entire party is sentenced to death by the corrupt Temple. Auron reveals to Tidus while together in a cage the hideous truths behind the Pilgrimage. The Summoner must sacrifice himself or herself in order to defeat Sin. But the defeated Sin will always return, leaving Spira in a cycle of death that will continue forever.

Despite seemingly no hope, the party manages to escape. Along the way, Yuna is confronted by Isaaru, who places his loyalty to Yevon above his friendship to Yuna. The two Summoners fight with their Aeons, but Isaaru is soundly defeated. Though his life is spared, his Pilgrimage ends in defeat. Making their way to the exit of Bevelle, the party finds Seymour standing over the corpse of Kinoc. Though Auron feels that his old friend betrayed him, he is still angered by Seymour's action. Using Kinoc's spirit, Seymour transforms into a monster. Kimahri charges forward, and is followed by the party who defeat Seymour once again.



Leaving Bevelle for the Macalania Woods, Tidus goes to see Yuna during the night. The two embrace in the water, and share a moment of affection before they will be torn apart by the sacrifices that must be made to defeat Sin. After their moment of love, they return to the party to continue their journey into the Calm Lands and later to Mt. Gagazet. Tidus makes plans with Rikku to find a way to save Yuna.

Before crossing Gagazet, Kelk and his tribe give Yuna their blessing. While the Pilgrimage continues the Ronso are attacked by Seymour, and many are slaughtered. The party struggles through the frigid mountain before they run into Seymour once again. He reveals his true plan: to save Spira from its cycle of death by becoming Sin, and then completely destroy all the people there. Tidus considers him to be insane, and so attacks with the aid of his entire party. But Seymour's powers have grown, and he has a new form more powerful than before. Even so, Seymour is again defeated.

After the battle, the party finds a strange sight, a fountain of Fayth lost in dreams. Tidus is suddenly struck by a vision within his mind of him returning to his Zanarkand. While there, he sees the little boy in purple from the beginning. The boy reveals himself to be the Fayth of Bahamut. He then tells Tidus more news, perhaps more shocking than anything before. Sin was created to leave Spira forever backward, so that Tidus's Zanarkand could live forever without being threatened. In fact, the Zanarkand Tidus hails from is nothing but a dream created by the Fayth. Tidus, Jecht, and everybody else from that city are all nothing but dreams, who will cease to exist once Sin is defeated. Bahamut's Fayth asks Tidus to defeat Sin, so that the Fayth can be freed of the burden of constantly keeping the "Dream Zanarkand" alive. Tidus, even while knowing that doing so will mean his death, accepts. After he returns to consciousness, Tidus keeps his vision to himself.

After passing through Mt. Gagazet, the party comes to the real Zanarkand, where the Pilgrimage ends. It is here that the story catches up with the beginning, and Tidus's retelling of the events that lead him here ends. The game continues with the party entering the Zanarkand Temple to gain the Final Aeon. The pyreflies are so thick in the Temple that they can see visions of Summoners past who came through to defeat Sin. Oddly, they also see a vision of Seymour, whose mother gives up her life to become Anima.

Meeting with Yunalesca, who is now an Unsent after her battle with Sin, they learn that in order to create the Final Aeon, a Guardian must be sacrificed. They see into the past, in Braska's Pilgrimage, where Jecht decided to give up his life to become the Final Aeon. Then Yunalesca tells them more unsettling truths. The Final Aeon can only defeat Sin for a short time, for after the old Sin is destroyed, Yu Yevon, the evil spirit that controls Sin and the Fayth of Dream Zanarkand, will posess the Final Aeon and use its body to create Sin anew. Thus whoever becomes the Final Aeon will later become Sin, and the cycle of death will continue.

Yuna and her Guardians refuse to take part in this cycle. Yunalesca is furious to see them refuse, and prepares to attack. Just before the battle, the party sees Auron from the past. He was horrified after the death of Braska and tranformation of Jecht and so went to confront Yunalesca. She killed Auron in the past, making him an Unsent in the present time. Auron then rallies his team to attack Yunalesca. Though Yunalesca grows into increasingly grotesque forms, the party prevails and destroys her, forever ending any hope of gaining to Final Aeon.

Defeating Sin
With Yunalesca gone, the party now needs a new way to defeat Sin. Cid and his Airship land to pick them up and so think up a strategy. But before that can be done, Yevon is lost in chaos with the death of so many Maesters. Tidus and his party land in Bevelle during the crisis to meet with Yo Mika. To his dismay, he learns that they have not gained the Final Aeon. Feeling that Spira is doomed to being destroyed by Sin, Mika Sends himself.



The party then comes up with a plan to beat Sin. They will distract Sin by having all of Spira sing Jecht's favorite song, the Hymn of the Fayth. While Sin is stopped, the party will attack on the Airship. The attack begins as planned, with the Airship's laser cannons blowing off both of Sin's fins. After destroying the Core, the monster falls onto the city of Bevelle, seeming to have been beaten. But then the monster grows wings and flies into the air. It blasts out orbs of black energy that tear holes throughout the planet's surface. Then Sin charges straight at the Airship, ready to destroy the party on board. Luckily the party manages to stop Sin in its charge, and the monster opens up its mouth to suck in the Airship. While going inside the monster, they see Seymour inside, laughing over his impending victory.

Inside Sin, the party finds that the monster actually holds an entire dungeon filled with Fiends. Fighting through them, they reach Seymour to battle him one final time. Despite yet another powerful form, Seymour Omnis, Seymour is defeated yet again. Without anywhere to run, Yuna Sends the rogue Maester. Before disappearing, Seymour reveals that he is glad that it was Yuna who finally defeated him, but that even if they defeat Sin, Spira's sorrow will continue.

Moving deeper into Sin, the party finds themselves in a place similar to the Dream Zanarkand. Tidus is then finally reunited with his father. Though Jecht only has a short time left before he is fully absorbed by Sin, he shares a moment with his son. Then Jecht turns into Braska's Final Aeon, the true form of Sin. Once again, the party prevails, thus ending Jecht's life and saving him from the nightmare of being Sin. Jecht says goodbye to Tidus, and even scolds him for crying. However, the battle is not won yet.



Yu Yevon, requiring a body to inhabit, takes over Yuna's Aeons one by one. The party has to destroy each one as Yu Yevon possesses them. Without anywhere left to run, Yu Yevon himself appears. The great scourge of Spira is revealed to be little more than a floating bug-like creature. With the help of the Fayth, the party destroys Yu Yevon, and forever defeats Sin, saving Spira from the cycle of death.

Auron, with his mission complete, requests that Yuna Send him, which she does with a heavy heart. Then, when the battle is finally won, Tidus begins to disappear as well. With the Fayth resting, Tidus fades from existence. Though Yuna tries to embrace him, she falls right through him. Tidus says goodbye and jumps off the edge of the Airship, falling into the clouds where he sees Jecht, Braska, and Auron waiting for him. As he falls, he high-fives Jecht, signifying that he has forgiven his father.



Afterwards, Yuna holds a speech at the Luca Blitzball Stadium about the future of Spira; that finally, Sin is dead, and Spira is theirs again, after 1000 years of terror. The Eternal Calm has begun. The last thing she says, right before the credits roll, is that the people that have been lost, or the dreams that have vanished, should never be forgotten.

After the ending credits, a final cutscene shows Tidus waking up in the depths of the ocean and swimming back to the surface, with a smile on his face.

Music
The main theme of the game, "Suteki Da Ne," is heard often in instrumental form, especially in events related to the main story. A lyrical version is played during the romantic scene between Yuna and Tidus at the lake in Macalania Woods.

Another prominently featured song is "To Zanarkand". This song is heard in multiple forms and has significance to the plot. While at times the events along pilgrimage may be enjoyable, the pilgrimage's final destination is still Zanarkand; no matter where there immediate destination is, the summoner will still have to sacrifice her guardian and herself to defeat Sin.

Development
Development of Final Fantasy X began in 1999. Although Hironobu Sakaguchi showed doubts about the transition from 2D to 3D backrounds, voice acting, and real-time story-telling, he also stated that the sucess of the series was constantly changing development and trying new things. Final Fantasy X was initially going to incorperate online elements, but were later dropped and added into the next title in the series, Final Fantasy XI.

Many features were added, such as the Conditional Turn-Based Battle (CTB), a new battle system replacing the Active-Time Battle (ATB) system. The implemention of the World Map concept was dropped because the developers wanted a more realistic approach, as well as realism of the game's 3D backrounds and the animation of characters.

Final Fantasy X: International
The International Version was released on January 31st 2003 in Japan and later in Europe (the European release was simply titled "Final Fantasy X"). This updated version of the game had different box art for Japan and new features such as an Expert Sphere Grid, which allowed for accessing abilities easier, but less over-all stat-growth; new abilities added to both Standard and Expert Grids; the inclusion of the Dark Aeons and Penance, all powerful superbosses; as well as many minor changes to dialogue, scenes, the Celestial Weapons' key items (Japan Only), characters and armor & weapon customizations such as Ribbon. The release also included a bonus disc with behind the scenes making-of features of Final Fantasy X, and a special movie prologue to Final Fantasy X-2.

The European release had the additions of the Dark Aeons and Penance, as well as the new equipment abilities but didn't change the name of the Celestial Sigils and Crests. The game had noticeable black borders and slower running speed. The black label version also included a bonus DVD with the title "Beyond Final Fantasy" which included various interviews with the game developers as well as two of the English voice actors. Additionally, it included trailers of various Square games, an art gallery, short biographies on Nobuo Uematsu and Rikki, as well as a music video of Rikki performing the song "Suteki Da Ne?".

There is a glitch in this version, whereby if you go to the area where you fight Dark Ifrit after defeating Yunalesca, but before fighting Braska's Final Aeon, it is possible to slip past the two men blocking your way to Home, and thus, be able to return to the story at the events in Home with Yuna in your party. This glitch can be repeated after the first time it is used.