Final Fantasy-branded Potions -- "health" drinks that taste like the rude spawn of Lipovitan and Sprite -- have become something of an annual tradition for Square Enix and manufacturer Suntory in Japan. Previous incarnations have celebrated Final Fantasy XII and Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core; this year’s beverages shill for the upcoming Final Fantasy: Dissidia. Available in sixteen different cans (one each for FFs I though X, four CG art cans, and two sporting Yoshitaka Amano image illustrations), 2008’s Potions break with tradition by coming in two flavors. Villains on the "Chaos" side are represented by dark muscat grapes, while the "Cosmos"-aligned heroes get astringent grapefruit.
One important fact hasn’t changed: Potions are nasty. The original FFXII drinks had an excuse, purporting to be pure health tonics packed with herbs and royal jelly. These, however, list high-fructose corn syrup and cane sugar as the first two ingredients and come loaded with caffeine. If I had to pick a favorite, it would be the Fresca-esque Cosmos variety...but I’m thinking the case of cans I bought might have to be foisted on unsuspecting friends. A suggestion for rabid FF fans seeking these out on eBay: Request that the contents are emptied out first. If this is what 100 HP tastes like, Game Overs might actually be the preferable alternative.
