Behold Dave Rapoza’s breathtaking Final Fantasy VI artwork

Ask anyone what the best Final Fantasy game is, and the ensuing devastation from that opinionated brouhaha will be devastating. While there are many Final Fantasy games available and even more reasons why any single one of them can be considered the best of the best, one thing is for certain: Final Fantasy VI deserves a whole lot more love.

The swansong of the 16-bit era, Square’s love letter to their franchise is a work of art. It is grand and intimate, a sweeping odyssey of adventure that was years ahead of its time and still stands as a triumph of game design. Without Final Fantasy VI, the template for what would be the gold standard of future games in the franchise would never come to be.

And if you needed a reminder as to just how much the world needs to see Final Fantasy VI in remastered glory, then artist Dave Rapoza has you covered. Over the last couple of weeks, the talented hands of Rapoza have been churning out individual sketches of the FF VI cast, starting with classic roughs and then having each intricate line gently added to create a series of pin-ups. Each image on their own is well worth the price of admission, but combined together to form a swords ‘n sorcery Voltron for the ages?

Now that’s what I call art:

That right there, is the only evidence you need when an armchair critic says that video games don’t count as art. You can see more of Rapoza’s magnificent masterpieces on his Instagram or his official website.

Last Updated: May 11, 2020