Final Fantasy 6 pixel remaster opera scene will have real singing
UPDATE: Uematsu explains why singing was added.
UPDATE 25/02/22: Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu has explained why real singing was added to the opera scene in Final Fantasy 6 pixel remaster.
In a new video to promote the game, he speaks with director Yoshinori Kitase on the creation of the scene (translated below by RPGSite).
"In the original version it didn't have vocals, so I thought it would be nice if we could actually put vocals in there," he said. “I thought it would be impossible or difficult.
"So I tried asking Square Enix: How about we actually have someone sing here? With several languages on top of that: Korean, Spanish, American (English), German, Italian, so everyone could enjoy it. I said that half-jokingly, I just thought it would be nice if that could be implemented, but when I checked it again, they actually implemented all of those languages."
Some fans aren't happy with the changes, in particular why the singers in English and Japanese don't sound operatic compared with those in the other languages. It turns out, this was intentional.
"The Draco opera song was supposed to be sung by an opera singer, but Celes would suddenly appear on the stage," said Uematsu in reference to Celes accidentally being caught up in the performance.
"If [Celes] could actually sing real opera, that would be a lie," he continues. "So we had the fixation to intentionally choose someone whose vocals didn't seem like an opera singer, but more like a musical singer."
You can hear the different versions in the video below.
In another change, Square Enix missed out the credits in the opening. While this was likely intentional to focus on the newly remastered music, it's certainly a bit odd for longtime fans.
ORIGINAL STORY 21/02/22: Final Fantasy 6 pixel remaster will add actual singing to its famous opera scene.
Part way through the SNES classic is a scene that takes place in an opera house where players need to direct the performance. It's a scene that truly shows off Nobuo Uematsu's beautiful score.
Now though, according to Famitsu, the scene will have actual singing instead of MIDI vocal sounds.
That singing will be available in seven languages depending on the language setting during gameplay: Japanese, English, French, Italian, German, Spanish and Korean.
What's more, it appears this scene has been visually overhauled too with 3D scenes of the opera stage. It's a similar style to Octopath Traveller, with some fans suggesting the whole game should have been remade in this style.
Yet Square Enix is somewhat playing with fire with such a beloved game. Just recently eagle-eyed fans spotted that an animation of a character suplexing a train (yes, a thing in the game) was incorrect.
Previous re-releases of the game have also been criticised for changing up the artwork and text font from the original.
It remains to be seen whether this new opera scene will fit amongst the rest of the game.
The Final Fantasy 6 pixel remaster is due out on mobile and Steam on 23rd February, bringing updated art, a rearranged score, and quality of life improvements.