Final Fantasy III

It's that weird crunch time when kids are finishing school and college finals are taking everyone's time and you're counting down the days to relative freedom unless you have a job that doesn't revolve around the typical 9 month school schedule, in which care you're S.O.L. and can enjoy the free time you have to yourself. It's also that time when I just want movies to come out, yet I know I won't even see 75% of them in theatres because I'm a mixture of lazy and cheap; plus I know the movies I go to theaters for, which are summer blockbusters, the occasional Disney flick and certain franchises. Movie-wise, I'm in a state of hype and hurry-up-and-get-on-disc-so-I-can-borrow-and-watch-them.

Game-wise, I'm currently running through five series is preparation for new installments in each. Final Fantasy got held up on VI due to other franchises and the final DLC releases of XIII-2 (which I heavily enjoyed) but I'm now reliving why I loved VI so much as a kid. Replaying through Kingdom Hearts for 3D's July release and because I convinced a friend to finally delve into all six games so someone else can be hyped for it. In my handheld Zelda run I've recently started Oracle of Seasons for the first time in what has to be a decade; the Oracle games are the two Zelda games I'm definitely most fuzzy on besides Spirit Tracks, which I've still yet to actually play despite owning. Playing through Metal Gear Solid 2 in the HD collection for Revengeance's eventual release, and I gotta say Platinuming MGS2 is a test in endurance - lookin' at you, VR Missions and Extreme Boss Battles. Playing the post-game in Pokemon White and going through the main story in Pokemon Black, cuz they finally revealed an anime trailer for Black and White 2 (!!!) and color me hyped; returning Gym Leaders, connected continuity to all other generations, continued focus on a story - these are all things that make me want to move to Unova until Gen VI is announced.

So yeah. Super-important stuff goin' on (yeah right). Once I kick Monday's Final I'm free to indulge in my pastimes in overdrive. Then I'll finally be able to focus on drawing decently again. It's been too long...

And so has this pointless opening. Onto the Retro Review!

All hail the nameless protag with the awesome swords!

Final Fantasy III is an interesting one as far as the main series goes. It was one of the three games skipped on the initial North American releases, instead releasing the original Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy IV and Final Fantasy VI as Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy II and Final Fantasy III respectively. Even when Squeenix began rereleasing ports on the original PlayStation and Game Boy Advance, FFIII was skipped both times. It wasn't until '06 when III would finally see a worldwide release on the DS in '06, which is now the version I'm covering today, giving many the chance to finally own all the main titles. So let's get started.

8-bit is so charming!

As the last main Final Fantasy game for the NES, III shares many of their pros and cons. To their credit, the visuals on both the original and DS versions are top-notch for their time. NES sprites are more detailed than the first two and the models used in the remake are charming 3D chibi versions of the staple classes that began with this game. The music has a nice breezy flow to it that gives it a timeless feel. There's nothing wrong with the presentation of FFIII, no doubts here.

Of similar praise are some fundamental expansions and additions that debuted here. A traditional Experience Point system returns from the original after II's experiment with use-based ability system that was interesting, if flawed. The Class system was given a chance to fully shine after missing from II as well, a chance I fully appreciate for its impact on some future games that are among my favorite in the series. The world was also expanded on, having two worlds in the form of the Flying Continent and the Surface World. III also standardized a few more mechanic-based changes, like showing visible damage on characters in battle and auto-targeting enemies so as to avoid a wasted turn attacking nothing from a stray critical hit and such, as well as introducing an official Summoning system, which is a fan favorite feature. From a more fan and series perspective, it also holds importance for introducing the Fat Chocobo and Moogles into the series, to which I love. So there's that, but enough with the history lesson, haha.

The plot is still simplistic, similar to the previous two titles, though it is expanded upon on the remakes, which is what most people know of, so I'll accepted the updated canon. Though a fateful earthquake, four youths run across one of the four Light Crystals and are bestowed the destiny of the Warriors of Light. The remakes give the four protagonists actual names and personalities (Luneth, the main hero; Arc, his clever best friend; Refia, the girl related to this game's Cid; and Ingus, the soldier), unlike the original which was similar to the first FF where they were nameless protagonists. Each Light Crystal they restore grants them more Jobs to utilize, while the grand scheme of restoring the Crystals is to help balance the world's four Dark Crystals, keeping with the classic balance using the crystal theme.

To the game's credit, there's more plot than I'm making it seem. The remake has decent characterization on tropes, which makes caring about the events a bit more palpable than the original, plus it's my personal preference to playing a story with established characters more so than 'my' story in a new world. The story revolves around travelling between two worlds to restore the traditional Light and Dark balance, with a villain that's actually being controlled by another, bigger evil (spoilers?) that you get to face in the endgame during the lengthy final dungeon (read: HOUR-LONG DUNGEON WITH NO SAVES AND MULTIPLE BOSS FIGHTS). There are multiple guest characters that can assist in battle as well as plot, similar to FFII, including healing and attacking from time to time. It's a very serviceable story with charm, which has that going for it over the previous two games.

I love Yoshida's chibi designs. The old days weren't so bad!

In regard to actual game play, it's back to the a classic turn-based battle system akin to the original game. Characters' moves are selected on a menu, all the basic staples: basic attacks, magic (which retains the original Magic system, which I'll elaborate on soon), Summons (making their formal debut here), and Items. After all are selected, battle proceeds on Speed, where they play out and the cycle starts anew.

The Job System is where the game truly shines, granting the game more emphasis on strategy as well as some required grinding to get the most out of it. Instead of picking a class and sticking with it for the entire game, each character can become any one of 23 Jobs that range from specializing in physical attacks to magic attacks and everything in between. Each one is leveled up separately to the main character, unleashing more potential the longer you stick with it. There's a limit set in place so you can't switch Jobs at will between matches, requiring a few battles before you fully ease back into a Job for its full bonuses. Jobs are also emphasized outside of battle, where the oft-neglected spell Mini is actually necessary to progress in dungeons. I like the idea of spells outside of battle, similar to Nintendo's Golden Sun series, where that series' magic is used just as much outside of battle, if not more, to solve puzzles.

Some classic Amano art, cuz I like it.

Speaking of magic, all versions of III retain the original system the original three games utilized. Magic is organized by level, creating multiple tiers to keep a watch on, as now-standard Magic Points weren't implemented until the next game. As you level up, you get granted more chances to use magic until you replenish your points. Each character gets three slots per tier (out of eight) to choose between 3 each of Black and White Magic, which allows for a fair amount of customisation. This system is also more risky, as it discourages reckless use of magic where it's not necessary, for you can only replenish your points in few locations and can only save where Moogles are present. As such, I'm not a big magic fan when I'm limited as such. I tend to save all my magic use for healing when necessary.Yes, I hoard items for true emergencies, typically for encounters I don't wish to fight again, against the final boss where most games don't keep track of your item usage, or against superbosses, which, in my opinion, is where the true use of conservation is rewarded handsomely.

Aside from those above, it's standard role playing fare. It also brings me to my cons on what's otherwise my favorite NES Final Fantasy. III will require a large amount of grinding for most players to have a decent go at it. I know these grinding sessions are a holdover from how games were made back in the day, especially in terms of RPGs, but it's something that I'm glad the RPG genre as a whole has grown out of, for the most part. I'm not completely against grinding, but there are moments in III where you will be severely punished for not having leveled up a Job or two that could severely cut down on battles in certain dungeons or boss fight. It disrupts the flow of an otherwise pretty decent game.

CGI, where Squeenix never disappoints.

In conclusion, Final Fantasy III is definitely my favorite of the NES titles. The presentation is topnotch, the music is catchy and soothing, the story is the most charming of the three and the Job system makes the game the most strategic and satisfying. As long as you're prepared for the grinding required to survive the dungeons (a particular warning is issued for the final dungeon; that thing can absorb all your will to live if you're not prepared), you'll enjoy my favorite of the 8-bit Final Fantasies.

Main Series
1. Final Fantasy III
2. Final Fantasy
3. Final Fantasy II

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This was the first time I'd actually fully beaten FFIII, and it was enjoyable. That last dungeon took me over an hour to get through, but I must say it was a very satisfying accomplishment looking back at it. I don't plan on doing that again anytime soon, but I still hold it's my favorite game.

Now for some rest...