Final Fantasy
XR Ride
Final Fantasy XR Ride was a motion simulator (utilising the existing Space Fantasy ride) that ran at Universal Studios, Osaka from January 19 to June 24, 2018. Announced in September 2017, it allowed visitors to board an airship and experience cinematic material developed by Visual Works. The attraction was part of the "Universal Cool Japan 2018" campaign, with a line up that included Sailor Moon, Detective Conan and Monster Hunter. Series illustrator Yoshitaka Amano created the official logo for the ride. Everything down to the small details like "Main Theme of Final Fantasy" being played on the park's speakers and staff dressed like moogles helps to heighten the experience even further.
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MOG SHIP: MAGITEK OBSERVATION DECK
Visitors are ushered into the first area where they are introduced to Cid, the moogle head engineer of the Magitek Observation Guild, via a video. Cid explains that following the discovery of the Universal Crystal, the guild is embarking on a research expedition in order to better understand its mysterious powers, which allows one to slip between different dimensions, corresponding to different worlds of the Final Fantasy franchise.
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The area is decorated with moogles and various iconic weaponry from the series. Visitors are handed a pair of VR headset, called "Crystal Goggles", before boarding the Mog ship.
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MOG SHIP: JOURNEY THROUGH DIMENSIONS
Visitors are strapped onto an indoor rollercoaster and tasked with navigating their way to Midgar from Final Fantasy VII and back on the airship, piloted by fuzzy moogles. Inside the VR, visitors approach a crystal with a mini picture of Midgar on it, but get sent to various locations in the Final Fantasy series.
The first location visited is the Thunder Plains from Final Fantasy X, where a cactuar is flung onto the windscreen of the cockpit. The next location is a lush forest filled with running chocobo as "The Final Battle" from Final Fantasy IV plays. The airship teleports a rocky mountain area in the middle of a battle between a fleet of airships as they fly towards the Tower of Babil from Final Fantasy IV. "Bombing Mission" from Final Fantasy VII plays and the airship is finally transported to the Midgar Expressway, where visitors follow an epic chase with Cloud on his motorcycle, culminating in an exciting, Advent Children style, duel in the sky with Sephiroth, as the airship soars around them and the city of Midgar crumbles. The ride ends with "Main Theme of Final Fantasy" playing and a group of moogles congratulating visitors with a job well done. The ride itself lasted just under three minutes.
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POPCORN AND CHURRITOS CART
Just outside the ride, visitors can fill their empty HP gauge by visiting a food stand selling special cactuar "thousand needle" churros (¥550) and chocobo popcorn bucket (¥3,450). The churros are covered in green and white sprinkles to resemble a cactuar's needles, topped with a cactuar printed cookie that is apple flavoured. The limited edition chocobo popcorn bucket features a cute chocobo that makes the iconic "Kweh" sound when its beak is opened. Similar to the popcorn buckets sold at Tokyo Disneyland, the popcorn buckets purchased at Universal Studios Osaka can be brought back on future visits and refilled with popcorn.
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MERCHANDISE
A small outdoor stand was available selling Final Fantasy XR Ride themed merchandise. The larger "Universal Cool Japan 2018" store featured a wider range of goods from the ride itself and general Final Fantasy merchandise.
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