Final Fantasy VI

Updated: 2/6/01

Release/System: 3/21/94 - Super Famicom (Japan) 10/18/94 - SNES (known as FFIII in US) 2/12/95 - SNES (Europe) 3/11/99 - PSX (Japanese re-release) 10/15/99 - PSX (US re-release) 12/13/99 - PSX (Europe re-release)

Wow, what can I say? This is the best RPG of all time. In fact, this is the best game ever made. Everything about the game screams quality, and here are a few reasons why.. First things first, the games graphics are absolutely georgeous. The game takes full advantage of all the available colors of the Super NES. Many of the backgrounds for the battle scenes are photo realistic with all the enemies wonderfully hand drawn and painted. The last boss in particular is just breathtaking to look at. Not only is it beautiful, but it's so large that it's multiple screens long! The game also takes full advantage of the Super NES 'Mode 7' ability, making the open field feel more expansive and real. As you walk around the open field, the camera follows you, making it look 3D (for a Super NES game of course).

The music is also something not to be taken lightly. In my opinion, this game has the best soundtrack of any game I've ever played (yes, you'll be hearing the word 'best' a lot in this review). From the moment you turn the game on, one of the main things you'll notice is the incredibly moving music. Each character has their own memorable theme song, each adding a lot to the gameplay. The music also sets the 'mood' of the storyline incredibly well. During a fighting/action sequence, the music turns more upbeat, a mellow part will have more mellow music, etc. If you don't get emotional during a depressing moment in the game, the music will put a tear in your eye.. The sound effects are also well done (Kefka's laugh is a nice touch!). But who cares about all this if the story/gameplay sucks right? Well, um.. this game has the best story of any game I've ever played. Yes yes yes.

It's basically a "guy that loves power, and is willing to do anything in his power to get it" type of story. There are 14 main characters that you can control in this game, each with their own moving story to tell. What's so great about this game is that most of the stories are more 'adult' in nature. You'll have characters coping with families torn apart, abandonment, insanity, power, greed, teenage pregnancy, death, suicide, lonliness, love, etc. All stories are wonderfully told. For some odd reason, even though the graphics look a bit cartoony, many of the scenes where characters are killed are more disturbing than seeing it in many of todays graphically rich games. Maybe it's because of the bond you feel with the characters as the story progress that make you relate more to them. Ahh..

What's also so great about the game is the fact that it's non-linear, meaning that you can do whatever you want, go wherever you want; and that you don't follow 'a certain path' to get to the end of the game. This holds especially true during the middle/end of the game where you, um.. I can't say since I don't want to spoil anything for you. Let's just say that there is a lot of freedom to the game which I miss very much in many of today's games.

"Best Game Of All Time!!!"

Playstation cutscene

Usually with games with so many characters, the storyline doesn't move so smoothly, or each character is horribly unbalanced, which makes you only use a few of them, not caring about the others. Most common is the stereotypical parts of games where magicians/females are weak, but use strong powers, and warriors/male characters are strong, but can't cast good spells. This game uses a different approach with its characters than most games: it gives each character their own personal power (for example, Celes has a magic absorbing ability and Gau can learn the attacks of the enemies). Each character is so different that it's smarter to use different combinations of characters to complete a goal, or to defeat an enemy. What's also great is the game's 'Esper' system. Using Magacite (which is basically a crystal containing an Esper, which is the spirit of a super-powerful creature) and equipping a character with it can give the character special magical attacks which he/she can eventually learn. What's also nice is that, by winning battles, each level up will increase a basic skill of your character (such as stamina, strength, etc.), depending on the Magacite used. And because Magacite contains an Esper, you can even unleash these creatures once during a battle to create havok on the enemies (or to heal you, depending on the Esper, of course). If this sounds complicated, it's really not, and you'll learn as the game moves on. The beauty of this system is that it can make any character nice and strong in battle.

Another great thing about the game is the relic system. A relic is an item that a character can use to give him/her special abilities (such as running faster, holding a sword with two hands, etc.). Each character can carry up to two relics. What's so great about this system (besides the special abilities) is the inovative ways you can use these items just by combining different relics. For example.. how about hitting an enemy 8 times in a row?? Awesome!

There are also a lot of nice side-quests/touches in the game that make it more and more interesting. Since it's non-linear, exploring different towns/places with different characters will reveal more of their storylines. It will also help you to discover more of the nice little touches that this game has to offer. The opera scene (one of many wonderful scenes) in particular, makes this game so much fun to play, since it's so original and just fun to watch. It's scenes like this (and scenes that you think you missed) which makes you want to play the game over again once complete (it should take you over 70 hours on your first try). And if you're wondering, this game is challenging. Many of the enemies require you to think, and some are pretty damn tough. And this my friends, is another great reason to own the game. This game isn't so tough that you can't beat it (heck, I've already beaten it multiple times), but tough enough to make you feel like you've actually accomplished something when defeating, or solving, a hard task. The difficulty is dead-on perfect. And what do you get when you beat the game? Well, you have one of the best endings of any video game to date. Let's just say it's a half hour long, and you won't be dissapointed.

Graphics: 10/10 Sound:: 8/10 Music: 10/10 Extras: 10/10 Story: 10/10 Characters: 10/10 Control: 10/10 Combat System: 10/10 Length: Around 70hrs Replay Value: 8/10 Originality: 9/10 Challenge: Hard - Very Hard Gameplay: 10/10 Ending: 10/10 Overall: 10/10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And for you people wondering about the Playstation version (called Final Fantasy Anthology)? Well, the game is dissapointing. The screen is a bit cropped, the sound/music sometimes screws up (I was expecting CD audio too!), the load times are incredibly long just to wait for a simple battle or scene to take place, and I think the Super NES version looks better and more colorful. But even with these problems, I still recommend it since the Super NES version is already hard to find, and because the added movies add so much to the game. And did I mention that the Playstation version also includes Final Fantasy V (which sucks in my opinion), a soundtrack that contains the best music from both games, and a special, hidden bonus menu if you beat the game? I'm in heaven!! I can go on for hours about this game, but I'll let the scores do the talking. The scores to the right are for the Super NES version of the game.

Some Great Final Fantasy VI links: Ragnarok: Final Fantasy VI Final Fantasy VI Online

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