Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster finally launches on PC and mobile on February 23, delivering a new version of the legendary SNES RPG, and the most iconic scene from that iconic game is the opera scene. For the uninitiated, the scene is exactly what it sounds like — an opera held at an opera house, with sweeping compositions by Nobuo Uematsu, and it was a marvel of artistry and imagination on SNES. So today, Square Enix announced that the Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster opera scene will include actual singing with support for seven different languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Korean. That’s certainly one way to squeeze new juice out of a beloved scene.
And as we have previously reported, the upgrades don’t end there. In addition to singing in seven languages, the Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster opera scene uses “HD-2D” to add new dimensionality and dynamism. HD-2D is a proprietary visual style Square Enix created for Octopath Traveler that it is now using for Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake and Live A Live. Many fans had hoped that Square Enix would remake Final Fantasy VI entirely using the HD-2D style, but this is better than nothing for sure.
When the curtains rise on Final Fantasy VI pixel remaster you’ll be able to experience the iconic opera scene with vocals in 7 languages including English, French, Italian, German & Spanish.
There’s still time to join the audience; pre-purchase now: https://t.co/MOlhSpOOwb pic.twitter.com/5MIL7Gxz0O
— FINAL FANTASY (@FinalFantasy) February 21, 2022
Between HD-2D and singing in seven languages, Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster should deliver the most high-tech version of the opera scene we have ever seen. Whether that will actually enrich the audiovisual experience remains to be seen though. The original version of the scene used its technical limitations to brilliant effect, and the warbling sounds it used to imitate the human voice were charming and thoughtful. Hearing an actual human voice come out of Celes decades later might feel disconcerting.
In other Square Enix news, Final Fantasy XIV has rolled out a 10-year roadmap for future updates.
