Spira (Final Fantasy) - Concept and Creation

Concept and Creation

In speaking about the inspiration behind Spira, producer Yoshinori Kitase recounted that players had found fault with the sci-fi atmosphere of Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII, instead desiring a "simple fantasy world". To Kitase, the word "fantasy" did not indicate a purely medieval-European setting, so he intentionally set out with the objective of redefining the stereotype held in players' minds. Conveniently, character designer Tetsuya Nomura had expressed an interest in designing a world with a dominantly Asian theme, and thus, the world of Spira was born in the minds of its creators.

For his part, Nomura identified the South Pacific, Thailand, and Japan as major influences on the cultural and geographic design of Spira, particularly in regard to the geographic locations of Besaid and Kilika. He has also said that Spira deviates from the worlds of past Final Fantasy games most notably in the level of detail incorporated, something he has expressed to have made a conscious effort to maintain during the design process.