To further add to Fantasian's classic JRPG feel, Sakaguchi enlisted longtime friend and collaborator Nobuo Uematsu, the legendary composer of Final Fantasy, as well as such Mistwalker titles as Lost Odyssey, The Last Story and Terra Battle.
Uematsu Sakaguchi All told, the two have been collaborating for around 35 years, but it almost didn't happen with Fantasian. "Before we approached him to work on Fantasian, he was going through some health issues, and there were concerns if he was going to be able to compose everything or if was it even possible for him to work on this," said Sakaguchi. But ultimately, Uematsu pulled through to compose the game's entire 60-piece orchestrated soundtrack.
It's an especially important collaboration for them, says Sakaguchi, as the work required to compose and orchestrate entire soundtracks might prove too difficult for Uematsu going forward. "I think he kind of hinted that Fantasian is maybe the last game that he does from end to end in terms of scoring an entire soundtrack," recalls Sakaguchi. While he notes that Uematsu will likely continue to do individual compositions for games — like last year's Final Fantasy VII Remake, for which he wrote the main theme "Hollow" — Fantasian "might be his last record."
If Fantasian is to be their last full collaboration, though, Sakaguchi says he's more than happy with the end result. "On a positive note, he poured his heart and soul into it. For me, when I heard it, it almost made me tear up a little bit, because it was a very big moment in both of our careers." Fantasian is "coming soon" to Apple Arcade. The subscription service costs $5.99/month in Canada.
