75. Prison Break (VIII)
'Anyone got a plan?'
No, not the Wentworth Miller/Dominic Purcell drama that showed much promise for its first two seasons before falling apart in its final two, rather one of the more gratifying moments from Final Fantasy VIII. Having failed in their attempt to assassinate the seemingly evil Sorceress Edea, three of main character Squall's companions Zell, Selphie and Quistis find themselves in the Galbadian nation's desert prison, relieved of their weapons. Zell, however, is accustomed to using his fists in battle and steps up, beginning a lengthy escape attempt that begins with combat against Biggs and Wedge, two of the game's finest comic relief characters. Knowing that Squall is also held somewhere in the prison, the trio search for him, not knowing that, in one of the game's more touching moments, he is undergoing brutal torture at the hands of his rival Seifer. Though he has been a cold and unlikable protagonist to this point, it's difficult not to feel sympathy for the game's lead character as he is shocked and beaten into hopeless unconsciousness. Rescued by Moombas, strange lion-like creatures that are used for menial labour by the prison, Squall finds himself confused as the beings refer to him as 'Laguna' before reuniting with his allies to successfully fight their way out of captivity.
74. The Sacrifice Of The Black Mages (IX)
'Wh-What cruelty!'
Black mages appear in Final Fantasy IX as a race of beings, rather than as humans proficient in the use black magic as they had in previous entries. One such mage, Vivi, becomes a part of the player's party at the beginning of the game, accompanying Zidane, Garnet and Steiner as they attempt to travel to Zidane's home of Lindblum. Their travels take them to a village named Dali, where Vivi is kidnapped by its inhabitants for reasons unknown. His companions rescue him, discovering in the process that black mages similar to him are being artificially produced for use as weapons in warfare, with Vivi being a misplaced early prototype. Shortly after the party hijacks a cargo ship intent on piloting it to their destination, Vivi begins to question his identity as he attempts to interact with the seemingly insentient mages that staff the vessel. The mages prove to be protective of their own, however, when Black Waltz #3, an advanced prototype dispatched to forcibly return Garnet to her home of Alexandria, boards the ship in mid-flight and is confronted by Vivi. His fellow mages form a barrier, but are cast aside or sent overboard in turn, enraging Vivi as he and his companions battle the malevolent being. The event is a sad one, but serves to motivate Vivi's later decision to continue travelling with Zidane, as he seeks clarity on his purpose in life and attempts to stop atrocities being committed by his puppet-like brethren.
73. Cid Realises His Dream (VII)
'I finally made it...outer space...'
The gruff and foul-mouthed Cid Highwind is introduced to players of Final Fantasy VII when they visit his home of Rocket Town, where he lives as a bitter pilot and aircraft designer following the failure of a mission that would've seen him realise his dream of becoming the first man in space. The cause of the failure was Cid himself, as a flashback sequence reveals that as the launch of his rocket dawned, a last minute safety check by Shera, one of his scientists, led to her being in the hold as the countdown for lift-off loomed. Though she would be burned alive if Cid chose to continue the mission, she encouraged him to proceed and realise his ambitions. In a show of humanity, however, he sacrificed his dreams to save her life, aborting the launch and seeing the costly space program cancelled by its overseers, the Shinra Company, as a result. This renders him hostile towards both the organisation and the insecure Shera, who unquestionably accepts full blame for the incident, for several years. Later in the game, his ambitions are eventually realised when he gets the opportunity to see the stars, his rocket having been recommissioned by Shinra for use as a weapon against Sephiroth's Meteor. He and the party sneak aboard before launch, though once in space it is revealed that one of the items Shera was checking was indeed faulty and the vessel has to be abandoned as a result. This eliminates Cid's hostility towards her and actually results in the two marrying by the time of Dirge of Cerberus, meaning that he is eventually able to live contently with the fact that he finally lived his dream, if only briefly.
72. A Battle Between Brothers (X)
'This time I win, I will win!'
Throughout Final Fantasy X, the character of Kimahri adheres to the definition of a 'strong silent type', having very few spoken lines in comparison to other party members. The character is a member of the Ronso tribe, a group of feline humanoids that take pride in their warrior culture. As a result of his small stature and broken horn, he left the community in shame during his youth and became the protector of Yuna instead at the insistence of the dying Auron, who he found on his departure from the tribe's mountain home of Gagazet. His devotion to the summoner and her pilgrimage results in him having to visit Gagazet once again. This results in a confrontation with Biran (the individual responsible for breaking his horn) and Yenke, two Ronso responsible for mocking Kimahri during earlier encounters in the game. The two refuse to allow his (and by extension the party's) passage, forcing Kimahri to prove himself to them. Squaring up to two of the individuals that he once considered family and refusing assistance despite the fact that he is outnumbered and outsized by his opponents, Kimhari ultimately prevails in battle, proving his worth and earning the respect of his brethren. This is sadly short-lived, however, as Seymour massacres much of the Ronso population, Biran and Yenke included, as they attempt to halt his ascent of the mountain in pursuit of the party soon after.
71. Tidus And Yuna Reunite (X-2)
'You're back!'
In the ending of Final Fantasy X, main character Tidus vanishes from existence (an event we'll cover in due course), leaving his love Yuna alone in the world. Two years later, however, a sphere (a device that can play video expect Apple to come up with a fancy overpriced version any day now) comes into her possession, showing a man remarkably similar in appearance to Tidus in a prison. This begins Final Fantasy X-2, inspiring Yuna to undertake another journey across the world of Spira by joining her cousin Rikku's band of treasure hunters. The game features a 100% completion mechanic, the accomplishment of which requires players to uncover every secret, complete every side quest and make the correct decisions in a number of time-exclusive events, making it extremely difficult. Thankfully, only 75% completion is needed to witness an additional scene at the end of the game. In this cinematic, Yuna, having beaten end bosses Shuyin and Vegnagun to save Spira once again, is reunited with Tidus on the shores of her island home. The two embrace and whilst it is somewhat clichéd (not to mention inexplicable), the sight of the two together again is a just reward for persisting with some of the games less enjoyable moments. Succeeding in obtaining 100% is not completely pointless, however, as players who do achieve such perfection are given the opportunity to witness another scene involving the two.