owlmoose | In which having played FFV pays off

Back when I first acquired the FFXII soundtrack, I noticed that one of the songs was called "Clash on the Big Bridge". The title was somewhat familiar, the song itself even more so, but it took some cross-checking with my Black Mages albums to discover that it was based on a battle of the same name in FFV. I hadn't remembered hearing it anywhere in the game, so I chalked it up to poor memory and moved along.

Then today, a hunt called "Battle on the Big Bridge" showed up in my queue, so of course I had to check it out.

I followed the breadcrumbs to the Lhusu Mines, went to the bridge where I knew the mark had to be, and what to my wondering eyes should appear but a multi-armed man in red. Whom I recognized right away as a recurring FFV boss, the one and only...

Gilgamesh!

I had to laugh. And I laughed even more when he declared himself to be in possession of the greatest swords in the world, and guess what he whips out? Yes indeedy, it was the Buster Sword. The gunblade was next, of course, and then a curvy blade with a sunflower on the hilt which I didn't recognize -- anyone know what that one is off-hand? I kept waiting for Brotherhood, or maybe one of Auron's swords, but the sunflower blade was the last one before I beat him. This time, anyway. It's a multipart battle, in finest Gilgamesh tradition; you can't *really* expect to beat him the first time around.

I approve. It's a fun little nod to fans of the series, and I love that it takes one of the less-played games as its jumping off point.

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Brotherhood pops out if you keep fighting Gilgamesh.
The wavy blade with the sunflower is apparently some weapon of Zidane's.
Obscure trivia: the kanji on the Buster Sword that Gilgamesh whips out says "fake" on it.

I do love obscure references. (Especially obscure: in Luca, a guy is grumbling that a warrior monk rebuffed his advances by calling him a "spooy bard").

Gilgamesh is so awesome that he couldn't be kept to his own game. I love knowing that he originated in V, even though he's had lots of other appearances throughout the series (he's a summon in VIII, and the alias of a character in IX as well).

The blade with the sunflower is actually the Tournesol, one of the ultimate swords in XII (French for sunflower, ergo the sunflower design on the hilt. It's a pain and a half to earn stuff through the bazaar to get it).

Excerpt on Gilgamesh's swords in XII: courtesy of the FF Wiki:

Throughout the battles with Gilgamesh, he wields various famous swords used by the protagonists of other Square Enix games. When he first appears he only uses unnamed katanas, but as the fight progresses he draws his other swords. These swords are:

* Cloud Strife's Buster Sword: The blade has the kanji for "fake" / "imitation" painted on blade, and four holes instead of the usual two.
* Squall Leonhart's Revolver: Instead of Griever, the blade has an image of a Chocobo and Chocobo footprints present on blade. It also has no keychain or trigger.
* Tidus' Brotherhood: The blade has two hooks protruding from the tip instead of one, and is more transparent. The guard has a slightly different design.
* Odin's Zantetsuken: The blade edge is curved, as opposed to "lightning-shaped", and features a skull near the guard.
* Zidane's Orichalcum: This is Zidane's left hand dagger. It is much longer then the original.
* The Wyrmhero Blade, Loto's sword from Dragon Quest III.
* The Tournesol, one of the strongest swords in the game.

I remember his appearance in IX, now that you mention it. My first time through, it didn't mean anything to me, but I definitely noticed with a smile the second time around.

I really enjoy how FF puts references like that through their games; they're usually subtle enough that they aren't annoying if you don't get them, but if you do get them, it's a treat.

I enjoy the references, too, especially when they're that subtle. One of my favorites is one that T noticed rather than me (because I hadn't played FFVII yet at the time), in FFIX. There's a weapons shop a Buster Sword on the wall, and if you press "X" while Zidane is standing in the right place, he comments on it: "I used to know a spiky-haired kid with a sword like that." Amused him quite greatly, and me in retrospect.

I don't remember the Luca one; that's funny. I'll have to look for it if I ever replay.

BTW, if you like that kind of thing, there's a fun video series on YouTube called "The Evolution of Final Fantasy" that shows the music and themes developing throughout the series. Here's the chocobo one, for example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRJoI6PgERU

In which having played FFV pays off

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