Warteen's FF3 -- Overview
The Plot
The Empire is reviving the force of
"magic," unseen for over 1,000 years.
Terra, a young girl cruelly enslaved for her
magical talent, escapes and joins the
rebelling Returners. She and her friends
struggle against Emperor Gestahl and his
demented general Kefka. Meanwhile,
Terra's own dual nature (half-man,
half-Esper) threatens to unravel the fragile
alliance from within. The Empire tries to harness the power of the
Goddess Statues to gain the ultimate authority. At the last moment,
however, Kefka stabs Gestahl, unaligns the Statues, and brings
about the end of the world. The party is scattered to the ends of the
earth, and all seems lost. One year later, the world is in ruin: cities
have been leveled, continents have sunk, the
seas have dried up, and life is barely worth
living. Kefka rules (or at least gleefully
harasses) with the Light of Judgement from
atop his tower. The party struggles to regroup
and dethrone the deranged Kefka. After
struggling to understand their place in this
world, the party launches a final three-pronged
assault on his fortress. Kefka falls, his tower
crumbles, and peace returns.
It's hard to tell from this brief synopsis (or from
the regrettably Nintendo-of-America-safe
translation), but Final Fantasy III was a
dramatic change for the Final Fantasy series. Issues such as suicide, teenage
pregnancy, losing loved ones, and more are all addressed in a
mature manner unlike any game before. Neither are the characters
simply ciphers to be led from one end of the game to another.
Instead, they grow and develop, each overcoming his or her own
personal demons. Although limited by the space of a cartridge,
Square's cinematic aspirations are clear.
The Heroes
Final Fantasy III's cast is unique in that there truly is no main
character. Some characters are more developed than others, but
the player is almost always free to form a party from whomever they
desire. In the World of Ruin, the player can bypass the story
altogether and go directly to Kefka's Tower as soon as the airship
is acquired. This hurry, however, would cause the player to miss
out on several dozen subplots enhancing the characters'
backgrounds.
The offspring of a human and a
near-deity, Terra Branford can barely
relate to other people. She strives to
understand her emotions and reconcile
her inner nature. One of the game's more
touching moments is late in the game
when Terra refuses to join the party,
choosing instead to remain caretaker of a
village of orphaned children. She finally
has found somewhere she belongs.
Locke Cole, the world's greatest thief
(excuse me, treasure hunter), is
tormented by losing his Rachel in an accident years ago. Born and
bred in a laboratory, the enigmatic General Celes Chere also has
never known emotion or love. The brothers Figaro have a typical
fraternal relationship; deep down, you know they love each other,
but all others ever see is the surface-squabbling. Sabin is the
muscle-bound bruiser, while Edgar is the
rebelling and womanizing king. The feral child
Gau was abandoned on the Veldt years ago to
be raised by wild animals. The chivalrous and
proper Cyan Garamonde is a retainer to the
King of Doma. He lost his family to Kefka's
poisoning and is haunted by their memory.
Setzer Gabianni is the world's greatest gambler and sole
proprietor of the world's single airship. He's always willing to take a
chance on life. Strago Magus is the ancient wizard of Thamasa
village. Slightly forgetful at times, he has the uncanny ability to
remember enemy attacks. His young granddaughter is painter
Relm Arrowny, an artistically precocious girl with wit and talent
beyond her years. The reclusive wandering Shadow would "slit his
mama's throat for a nickel," as one of the game's townsfolk says.
His only friend is his dog Interceptor. Want to flood your enemies
with the power of El Niņo? Then slam-dancing Mog is your man (or
is that moogle?). Kupo! Umaro and Gogo are the taciturn "hidden"
characters. The former is a berserker Sasquatch; the latter, a
motley-robed mimic.
The summoned monsters, known as Espers in this game, have
slightly more personality than before. And no list of heroes would
be complete without the honorable General Leo. The player only
controls him long enough to lose a battle to Kefka, but putting the
player in the middle of the action drives his death home in a way
that merely observing would not.
The Villains
Emperor Gestahl is bland and uninteresting. Yes, he's interested in
complete and total world domination, but what self-respecting RPG
emperor isn't? His motives and character development are
unimportant. He is a plot device designed to lead the player from
point to point in the beginning of his quest.
General Kefka, on the other hand, is a
fascinating case study. No matter what
the player thinks of him, there's no
denying that Kefka is one of the most
personality-filled villains in RPG history.
Before Kefka, RPG villains had been
shrouded in mystery; townspeople would
whisper hints of the Evil One's existence,
but the Evil One himself would only fly in at
the eleventh hour via Deus Ex Machina
Airlines. Kefka, instead, is onstage from
act one, scene two. His mind is not merely
warped, but is seriously bent. He has an arsenal of one-liners most
Hollywood villains would kill for. He is like a little boy frying ants with
a magnifying glass, gleefully amoral; not only uncaring but also
unaware his cruelty has any moral implications. It has been said
that the audience will hate a good villain ... but love a great one.
Kefka achieves the greatest honor a villain can receive: he is well
liked.
The Big Secret
When the Floating Continent begins to
self-destruct, don't escape too quickly! Wait
until the timer has nearly expired to save Shadow. In the
World of Ruin, you will find Shadow in the cave
on the Veldt, only to lose him. Bet the Striker
knife at the Colosseum to fight Shadow and join
your party. Now, every time you stay at an inn
with Shadow in your party, you have a slight
chance of seeing one of his dreams. These dreams reveal his
hidden past as a train robber, and an even greater secret: Shadow
is Relm's father.
The Game
The graphics in Final Fantasy III are some of the greatest 2D
graphics ever. Many players consider Final Fantasy III's score to
be the greatest videogame soundtrack of all time. Final Fantasy III
offers the "Relic System," letting each player equip themselves with
two accessories. Judicious combinations (such as the "2-blade"
Genji Glove and the "4-hit" offering) can create powerful
characters. Magic spells are learned by fighting battles with certain
Espers equipped. Otherwise, battles are similar to those of the
previous games.
The History
Final Fantasy III was a massive success in Japan, of course. In the
US, Final Fantasy III was the most successful RPG to date. Falling
somewhere between cult hit and mainstream success, it appealed
to both longtime fans of the series and those who had never played
an RPG before. Nevertheless, the game could not overcome the
fact that RPGs remained trapped as a niche genre, played by only
a very devout few.
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