Aidan Moher
Take a journey through the history of Japanese role-playing games—from the creators who built it, the games that defined it, and the stories that transformed pop culture and continue to capture the imaginations of millions of fans to this day.
The Japanese roleplaying game (JRPG) genre is one that is known for bold, unforgettable characters; rich stories, and some of the most iconic and beloved games in the industry. Inspired by early western RPGs and introducing technology and artistic styles that pushed the boundaries of what video games could be, this genre is responsible for creating some of the most complex, bold, and beloved games in history—and it has the fanbase to prove it. In Fight, Magic, Items, Aidan Moher guides readers through the fascinating history of JRPGs, exploring the technical challenges, distinct narrative and artistic visions, and creative rivalries that fueled the creation of countless iconic games and their quest to become the best, not only in Japan, but in North America, too.
Moher starts with the origin stories of two classic Nintendo titles, Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, and immerses readers in the world of JRPGs, following the interconnected history from through the lens of their creators and their stories full of hope, risk, and pixels, from the tiny teams and almost impossible schedules that built the foundations of the Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest franchises; Reiko Kodama pushing the narrative and genre boundaries with Phantasy Star; the unexpected team up between Horii and Sakaguchi to create Chrono Trigger; or the unique mashup of classic Disney with Final Fantasy coolness in Kingdom Hearts. Filled with firsthand interviews and behind-the-scenes looks into the development, reception, and influence of JRPGs, Fight, Magic, Items captures the evolution of the genre and why it continues to grab us, decades after those first iconic pixelated games released.
PUBLICATION DETAILS
LANGUAGE | BINDING | EDITION | ISBN | YEAR | PAGES |
English | Paperback | 9780762479634 | 2022 | 320 | |
English | eBook | N/A | 2022 | 320 |
TAGS
Authors: #AidanMoher
Publishers: #HatchetteBooks (Hatchette Book Group, Inc.) #RunningPress (Running Press)
Languages: #English
Format: #Paperback #eBook
Accessibility: N/A
Year: #Year2022
Genres: #GeneralHistory #Memoir #RPG
Companies:
#Disney (Disney)
#GameFreak (Game Freak)
#Monolith (Monolith Software)
#Nintendo (Nintendo)
#Quintet (Quintet)
#Sega (Sega)
#SquareEnix (Enix, Square, Squaresoft, Square Enix,)
Public Figures:
#AndrewGreenberg (Andrew C. Greenberg)
#HironobuSakaguchi (Hironobu Sakaguchi 坂口 博信)
#KaoriTanaka (Kaori Tanaka 田中 香, Soraya Saga 嵯峨 空哉)
#MinoruArakawa (Minoru Arakawa 荒川 實)
#RichardGarriott (Richard Garriott [Lord British])
#RiekoKodama (Rieko Kodama 小玉 理恵子, Phoenix Rie)
#RobertWoodhead (Robert Woodhead)
#SatoshiTajiri (Satoshi Tajiri 田尻 智)
#ShigesatoItoi (Shigesato Itoi 糸井 重里)
#TetsuyaNomura (Tetsuya Nomura 野村 哲也)
#TetsuyaTakahashi (Tetsuya Takahashi 高橋 哲哉)
#YasumioMatsuno (Yasumio Matsuno 松野 泰己)
#YasunoriMitsuda (Yasunori Mitsuda 光田 康典)
#YoshinoriKitase (Yoshinori Kitase 北瀬 佳範,)
#YujiHorii (Yuji Horii 堀井 雄二)
#YujiNaka (Yuji Naka 中 裕司)
Games:
#BaitenKaitos (Baiten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean)
#BlueDragon (Blue Dragon)
#ChronoTrigger (Chrono Trigger)
#DragonQuest (Dragon Warrior, Dragon Quest II, Dragon Quest III, Dragon Quest IV, Dragon Quest VII)
#FinalFantasy (#FinalFantasyI [Final Fantasy 1, FF1, FFI, Final Fantasy I], #FinalFantasyII [Final Fantasy 2, FF2, FFII, Final Fantasy II], #FinalFantasyIII [Final Fantasy 3, FF3, FFIII, Final Fantasy III], #FinalFantasyIV [Final Fantasy 4, FF4, FFIV, Final Fantasy IV], #FinalFantasyVI [Final Fantasy 6, FF6, FFVI, Final Fantasy VI], #FinalFantasyVII [Final Fantasy 7, FF7, FFVII, Final Fantasy VII] #FinalFantasyVIII [Final Fantasy 8, FF8, FFVIII, Final Fantasy VIII], #FinalFantasyIX [Final Fantasy 9, FF9, FFIX, Final Fantasy IX], #FinalFantasyX [Final Fantasy 10, FF10, FFX, Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy 10-2, FF10-2, FFX-2, Final Fantasy X-2], #FinalFantasyXI [Final Fantasy 11, FF11, FFXI, Final Fantasy XI], #FinalFantasyXII [Final Fantasy 12, FF12, FFXII, Final Fantasy XII], #FinalFantasyXIII [Final Fantasy 13, FF13, FFXIII, Final Fantasy XIII], #FinalFantasyTactics [Final Fantasy Tactics], #FinalFantasyMysticQuest [Final Fantasy Mystic Quest, Final Fantasy USA])
#Grandia (Grandia)
#IllusionOfGaia (Illusion of Gaia)
#KingdomHearts (Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, Kingdom Hearts 2)
#LostOdyssey (Lost Odyssey)
#Lunar (Lunar II)
#Mana (Secret of Mana, Legend of Mana, Trials of Mana)
#Mario (Super Mario RPG, Paper Mario, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door)
#Mother (Mother [#Earthbound: Beginnings], Mother 2 [Earthbound])
#NieR (NieR, NieR Automata) #OgreBattle (Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber)
#PandorasTower (Pandora's Tower)
#PhantasyStar (Phantasy Star, Phantasy Star II, Phantasy Star III, Phantasy Star IV, Phantasy Star Online)
#Pokémon (Pokémon Red, Pokémon Blue)
#SaGa (SaGa Frontier)
#SoulBlazer (Soul Blazer)
#Suikoden (Suikoden)
#Terranigma (Terranigma)
#TheLastStory (The Last Story)
#Ultima (Akalabeth, Ultima)
#Wizardry (Wizardry)
#Xeno (Xenogears)
Misc:
#OperationRainfall (Operation Rainfall)