Untold Saga: The story of one of the first Final Fantasy's unsung creators

The story of how Final Fantasy came to be is as famous as any of the tales spun by the series itself. Of how one Hironobu Sakaguchi, working at a Square that was down on its luck, gave his fledgling RPG a little flourish in its title, and how it created an irony that stalks the series to this day. Sakaguchi thought it'd be his last game, while others in the company thought it'd be Square's swansong too, so close to bankruptcy was the entire operation.
There are some sides of that story which aren't told so often, and some people whose role perhaps isn't given the spotlight it deserves. Akitoshi Kawazu was one of eight people in Sakaguchi's team that, over the course of five short months some 30 years ago, created a series that went on to not only save Square but become a phenomenon in its own right.
Kawazu's role has always fascinated me; indeed, looking at his career post-Final Fantasy, at the Square where he still works to this day, he's one of the more fascinating creators in the industry period. A man who makes wilfully obscure games, and delights in their idiosyncrasies, whether they're grasped by players or not. And a man who left an indelible mark on one of the medium's greatest series.
Read more…