Final Fantasy VI (1994 Video Game) User Reviews

It changed my view of video games...

[danilomaya · 10/10 · 9 February 2004]

I played this game for the first time in 1995 (i was thirteen at the time) and i didn't know much about rpg's except for Zelda which is also a very good game. In the beginning i didn't understand the gameplay and i thought it was boring and almost turned off the snes to never play the game again.

Luckily i continued playing and after a couple hours (when you choose between Sabin, Edgar and Locke groups)i realized that it wasn't just another good game, it was like entering in a parallel magical world which you don't want to comeback. It was so perfect in all the sense of the word, music, story, plot, game play etc etc that i just want to be part of the returners or a soldier of Figaro or something.

This is not only the best video game ever, this is better than any movie, book or anything as well. Now i'm 22 and i still haven't feel this with any other game (including ALL the others final fantasy) and i think i'll never feel it again.

There's a gigantic difference between a very good RPG like Chrono Trigger, FFVII, FFVIII, etc and the mighty FINAL FANTASY VI.

Brilliance

[wstrode22 · 10/10 · 5 May 2002]

Disregard other's comments on this masterpiece, for it truly is the greatest game of all time. Final Fantasy VI was the first game to truly realize the potential of games as a storytelling medium. It's characters (particularly Celes and Terra) face true hardship and identity crises. This was also the first game to tackle such issues as teen pregnancy, suicide, and death in the family. It's not a light-hearted romp like 10, or a sweeping love story like 8. It's just the best.

Dark at times, light at others. Sakaguchi balanced the tension of Terra's slow descent into madness and her inevitable rise to destiny with stories of her search for love. Celes and Locke both face pain dead on, with Cid and Rachel both falling before their times. The most powerful moment in the game, in fact, is easily Celes' decision to end it all when the world goes to hell (though the opera scene is truly emotional as well).

This game changed gaming. All the plot twists and grandure of 7-10 could not exist without 6. It's 16-bit graphics often tell more story and emotion than the others can even hope for, and it's got the best villain ever (Kefka is the man). If you haven't played it, do yourself a favor. I just finished my 5th time through, after beating 10 so thoroughly, and I find myself loving it more and more.

Not one movie ever touched me emotionally, but this video game has done me in

[plok253 · 10/10 · 16 July 2001]

You know, the wonderful gameplay isn't this game's best feature. The best feature would have to be the story. The game stars 15 heroes, who are determined to demolish the Empire for separate reasons. No two characters are the same in this game, and are all unique in their own way. The game start off, like many Square Soft games (like FF4 and 7,) with the main character doing the dirty work for the evil side. When The Empire discovered she had the mysterious gift of magic, they quickly placed a slave crown on her, which put her under their control. One day while invading the town of Narshe, Terra and two other troops (Vicks and Wedge) come across a glowing crystal. Vicks and Wedge were instantly killed by stepping too close. However, the crystal has a mysterious effect on Terra, as she feels drawn towards it. Suddenly, lighting begins to flicker between Terra and the crystal, as if they're becoming one. Terra passes out, and finds that a local from Narshe took her inside once she wakes up. He takes the slave crown off her head, and for once Terra can think straight. However, she doesn't get too much time to think, as Emperial Troops soon come barging down the door. They need Terra's power back! Fearing for her life, Terra runs into a nearby hospital, where she falls down a manhole, and is knocked unconscious. The Empirials almost capture her, but a wandering thief (or he prefers, "Treasure hunter") named Locke comes in for the rescue just in time. Terra soon wakes up after being rescued, and tries to explain what happened. However, Terra has a hard time thinking after falling. Locke is frightened, as he's heard of how powerful Terra truly is. He's going to need help to save her, preferably the king of Figaro, Edgar!

If this intro intrigues you, then your jaw will drop in awe at least 7 times while playing this game. There's a total of 15 heroes, each with their own reason for joining the fight against the Empire. Characters range from Mog the Moogle (who joins your team after you save him from falling off the edge of a mountain) to Shadow (a mysterious man who is thought to be ruthless. However, he has a very soft side too, and finds love in his companions. He shows no love at all to the Empire however.) Overall, I have never been more impressed by a storyline than in this game (including books, movies, and TV dramas.)

An amazing game

[Ricardo-36 · 18 November 2000]

Final Fantasy VI is one of the best games I have ever played. The plot is so good and the characters are so perfect! It is the best RPG for Super Nintendo, and the second best of all (Zelda 64 is PERFECT). You have got to play this game. Now. Go play it now. Don't read this, go play it!

Simply the most moving experience from a video game

[Genin · 10/10 · 3 October 1999]

From the moment you power on your SNES or PSX to the moments the final credits crawl across your screen this game will hold you under it's spell for hours at a time. The quality of this game can be seen in every part of it be it the music, Uematsu Nobue the Character design Yoshitaka Amano or simply the amazing story this game shines above all the rest even through it's age. Simply put for those who never had a chance to play this masterpiece back in 1994 do yourself a favour and buy the rerelease on the Sony Playstation because if you can enjoy a good movie you can enjoy this game.

To get you to identify with characters only a few pixels tall and with only a few expressions is truly a monumental achievement.

[qwicksilver · 10/10 · 5 April 2008]

This is quite simply one of the best RPGs I've ever played. From the main story, to the game-play, everything shines in FF6, but what everyone remembers really about FF6 is the incredible "acting", evocative scenes, and endearing characters.

In my opinion, the characters make this game entirely. I don't think there's a gamer out there who has played this and doesn't remember Edgar and Sabin's coin toss, or Locke's freeing of Celes (an obvious knockoff of the Luke/Leia scene in Starwars ep 4), or the Opera House. The Opera House... such a throwaway component to the game's overall plot, even still not as significant to the characters themselves. But, I must say, what a beautifully staged scene, what wonderful directing, and what a memorable theme. The midi-composed opera theme was so rough and harsh, and yet still its beautiful melodic quality came out even in that form. I hear that theme and I still get chills.

And this is essentially a metaphor for what is so great about final fantasy 6. Looking back, it was a medium with so many limitations, such a small constrained box to work in. It was a media that was about to be turned around and revolutionized by full motion videos and three dimensional character models. It had all the limitations of space and size, with characters only a few dozen pixels tall, and music that could only blurt out in synthesized tones. The last game of that generation had all these limitations, and yet it possessed a core that was irrepressibly beautiful. Whether it was the character arcs or the individual stories, the acting, the character interaction, the game sucked you in and made you care for these little guys.

This doesn't really read like a review, but I would have to admit that it isn't. It's not a review, it's more of a nostalgic love-letter to a game that ended an era by taking things to the basics. In the end, what a good dramatic RPG, Film, or Book wants to do is get you to feel real emotion, and to identify with the characters and scenes it presents. So this is what I would say to someone who hasn't played ff6: Even though its storyline is certainly not the most complex in the world, even though the graphics are decades old, even though there's no voice acting, even though there is no full orchestral score, even though all these things may be true, you will still fall in love with all of the main characters in it and you'll be surprised you did.

One of the best RPGs of all time!

[reddragonhero17 · 10/10 · 16 January 2018]

I'm a big fan of the Final Fantasy series and this is one of my favorites. Definitely one of the best games on the SNES with its gorgeous visuals, sweeping musical score (courtesy of Nobuo Uematsu), engrossing narrative and a memorable cast of ensemble characters (my favorites include Terra, Edgar, his bro Sabin, and Celes), and one of the most unforgettable villains in video game history: Kefka. From his diabolical laugh, his power, and a feat I won't mention here in case anyone hasn't played it yet, you have to play it to find out, though I will say you'll never forget it. I haven't found all the secrets, but I've come back to this one time and time again. Add this to your VG bucket list if you haven't already done so.

One word for it: WOW

[Xaq · 10/10 · 14 June 2000]

I don't think there's enough good things to be said for this game. This was Squaresoft's crowning achievement, that's all that needs to be said.

The plot is 100% PERFECTLY drawn out! It starts with the search for a frozen creature from a war 1000 years gone, from there develops into a search for a girl who holds the key to understanding that creature, then going on into a war against the powerful empire which would imprison her for her powers, all the way to saving the world from a madman bent on total annihilation. The plots, counter-plots, subplots, and various curveballs will keep you guessing, not to mention glued to the game for hours. I guarantee, once you've beaten this game, you'll never look at RPGs the same way again. If you don't have this game, GET IT.

Final Fantasy's swan song on the SNES is a very good game

[Aaron1375 · 9/10 · 5 April 2007]

This Final Fantasy was the second one released here in America and was the third overall released here. It made me kind of mad when later I found out that there were three games never released here. Granted, in retrospect the three never before released were all a bit off. This one is also quite different and a good FF game. I do not enjoy this one as much as IV, VII, IX and X, but I find it is a bit better than VIII and a V and there is no question it is better than the last two I have played in XII and XIII. It starts out very strong adding many cool features that at the time I had not yet experienced in a role playing game. The story was also very strong and I do believe this FF still has the most playable characters of any in the series. It is just at a certain point in the game, it just kind of weakens a bit as the story tails off for a bit and nothing new and inventive really comes into play anymore. Still a very fun and strong game overall, it just falters a little bit the second half of the game. Obviously, I do not think it falters too much as I still give this game a nine as a score.

The story has an empire that is trying to gain the powers of magic to rule the world. They enslave a mysterious girl named Terra, who is quickly the center of attention. Soon, the empire is attacking on all fronts as your party who consists of a good deal of people must fight back. Just as you think there is going to be a peaceful end, the world is thrown into absolute chaos by one of the Emperor's subordinates, a hateful man named Kefka who wishes nothing more than to destroy!

The game play is that of your typical FF game; however, they do add some interesting things here. Every character in the game can learn all the magic spells as you equip summons (here called Espers) and they help you learn many spells. Every character though has a unique ability akin to the limit break in the next three games. Granted, you do not have to build these up, and can use them anytime. Bad news for any monsters as some characters special abilities can do massively insane damage, like Sabin's blitz the bum rush! The story is strong and features great villains, that is until the second half of the game in a place called the world of ruin where the bad guys just consist of monsters and you do not see Kefka again until you face him in the final battle.

So this game is very fun and one of the best role playing games on the SNES. I would rank only FF II (IV in Japan) and Chrono Trigger as stronger ones. I like the many characters and I like the fact that despite the fact that even though they all can learn the same magics they still have unique qualities and skills. Unlike, say part XII where everyone can pretty much do what everyone else can do. So despite the fact the game does weaken a little during the second half of the game, it is still a very strong role playing game. I would take this game and its style over the last two FF games I have played (XII and XIII).

The best game EVER!

[bmbmbmbm · 10/10 · 12 March 2000]

Final Fantasy VI has to be the best game in the Final Fantasy series. The main character in the story, Terra, has to go through many variations of life. She must learn to love and to trust the people around her. Being half human and half esper, a celestail being that controls the spirit of "magic". She must battle the evil Empire that dooms Espers and tries to enslave the world. Along with her 13 or so companions (including two "secret" characters) battle the evil Emperor Gestahl and the Demented Kefka. With awesome magic, espers, and effects, Final Fantasy VI is the best Final Fantasy ever. And with the release of Final Fantasy Anthology (Containing the Games Final Fantasy V and Final Fantasy VI, The effects and music boosted by 110% Keep Gaming

The best game in the series and one of the best games I have ever played

[vivifan · 10/10 · 13 January 2021]

Final Fantasy Vi is awesome and is hands the best in the series and is my personal favorite with IV VII IX X coming in ta a close. The game does so many thing right with it's epic emotional story, excellent characters, stunning soundtrack, great graphics for a Snes game, really fun combat and gameplay. The best villain in the series and a good length for a well paced rpg. The ending will tag at you, the characters backstory are well explained and moving. Just simply put if you wanna try the series out I would start with this one as well as IV VII IX X. It's more then a video game to me. It's a masterpiece and a piece of art

Kefka's sandy boots.

[Foreverisacastironmess123 · 9/10 · 16 July 2018]

I never played this Final Fantasy chapter as a kid, I only really got into the series after VII and eventually played this one on the Playstation V and VI anthology, so I don't have a particularly nostalgic connection to it, but I certainly found it to be another vast, rich and rewarding RPG that was very well worth the effort of getting into, and was a great world to explore and uncover, especially after you properly unlock magic and learn how to manipulate that stat system so that everyone could be a great fighter or magic user if you so wanted. In these games I always tended to stick to four specific classes in my team, battler, healer and two black mages, Cyan and the guy with the drill are quite overpowered and give you a huge advantage early on in the game! There are a lot of them, but you do grow attached to and care for the huge cast of playable characters that include such colourful types as girl who later changes into a flying naked magic goddess, a sketch artist, a wild jungle boy who I found too troublesome to fully utilise, a good old-fashioned mysterious black-garbed ninja assassin who hops in and out of your party whenever he feels like it, a Mog and even a yeti who attacks by hurling the other party members at enemies during battle! To say there were so many characters, there's a great job done of establishing each of their personalities and motivations for joining in the fight against tyranny, some a little more than others, but it all gives the game a greater depth and level of detail that I really love. Some don't like to read such excessive text, but if you ask me if that's your attitude then what the heck are you playing a Final Fantasy game for? I suppose it was ahead of its time in that the story has a dark tone and a lot of innocents die throughout it, and a lot of the characters have sad backstories, but to me the tone never feels completely grim and hopeless, there's plenty of playful moments and humour put into it too, it's kind of a story that's about rising up in the face of destruction and hopelessness. And as for the villain, he's firmly considered a killer clown but he's really more of a court jester. I like the way the character is darkly quirky and had no composure, being nothing like the usual hulking dark overlord like Golbez of Exdeath, his character sprite is no bigger than yours, and he's basically just an insanely murderous dandy with big ambitions who pretty much stumbles upon great power after stabbing his emperor in the back and seizing it for himself. That's what's awesome about Monsieur Kefka, amongst the classic villains gallery he's the one that for all intents and purposes, succeeds in bringing about the end of the world...only the story of this game doesn't end there, and after you've located your scattered friends in the crippled world that Kefka has wrought, you scale the labyrinthian tower that he has raised on its ashes and battle the ultimate psycho clown atop a twisted pillar of effigies where he takes the final grandiose form of an angel, which is anything but an angel of mercy! Great characters and villain, great journey and rich world, and one gem of an rpg adventure that you never forget. X

Chaotically Conflated

[zhyates · 6/10 · 15 December 2022]

Final Fantasy VI was the last outing of the franchise on the Nintendo home console in it's era. Wanting to break the mold from their previous entries, Final Fantasy VI is an ambitious and memorable entry to the franchise.

Nostalgic fans will praise the characters and narratives presented in the game. Themes of belonging, tragedy, love, and loss are all presented, and accompanied by gorgeous musical arrangements. Gameplay is functional and diverse, with several characters having unique ability sets unto their own.

What makes this game rank so low, for me, is that there isn't a narrative focus. There's a Resistance against an Empire, there's a magic Revolution, there's a Mad Jester, the Esper World; it becomes overwhelming when placed on a timeline and a lot of events in the game start to happen out of narrative convenience rather than being revealed or introduced in an intriguing manner. While each character has moments that can make them endearing, it's literally just a moment or two. Even the more consistent characters still feel entirely detached, and the most hardcore of players can technically complete the game with 3 minimum characters.

Bizarrely, the main antagonist is the most memorable character. He exists only to bounce from these chaotic narrative points, making himself relevant at every key point and powering himself up off screen to threaten the player's party. The idea of a "Mad Jester" is interesting, akin to a Joker-esque character, but instead was boringly railroaded into supreme villainy out of the narrative obligation. There's a difference between being genuinely Chaotic, and poor narrative structure.

Overall, it's an enjoyable JRPG experience to play and experience once, but I don't come away with any desire to play this game again and struggle to understand what would make someone return to Final Fantasy VI over other equally ambitious but more sound titles.

BARF.

[Evk · 3/10 · 28 October 2000]

I really don't care for this game at all. You have so many charecters that almost none of them get developed beyond "He's sad because his family died" or "He's a treasure hunter." As if that weren't bad enough, the villians are annoying too. Witness Ultros, who I suppose is supposted to be amusing, but is just annoying. "I'm a receptionist! G'fa fa fa"? What? The main bad guy isn't much better. Ho ho ho, look, he says one-liners. Boy, how innovative.

The other major part of any RPG - the battle system - falls apart too. It's too easy because you can learn all the magic you want with no negative effects, so at the end of the game you have four people with 9999 HP with high physical attack and all the magic spells. As you can imagine, this is just a TAD unbalancing. Each character also has one skill they can only use. These range from the stupid (Rage) to the useless (Runic) and the absurd (Sketch). Some of the skills are also overpowered, like Cyan's SwrdTech, which basically lets him do a special attack every turn without using any MP or anything. Huh?

Just pretend this one never existed.

More cinematic than most films. More literate than most novels.

[zetes · 4 July 2000]

Final Fantasy VI is the only video game ever to capture me so completely with its narrative that I've never forgotten it. And nothing has ever matched it. The story is melodramatic, but somehow so deeply powerful. The characters all have very drawn out histories and personalities. I know them all very well, and I cared for them as characters very much. I was controlling them, but they went far beyond my hand. This may sound like a criticism, but it isn't: the reason that I played the video game was not because it was entertaining to play. I played only because I wanted to find out what happened next to the characters. And some of the plot developments made me weep. The Opera House is perhaps the crowning achievement in video game history. All I have to hear are the first two notes from the "Oh my hero..." song and I choke up. Never has a sequence been better in a video game. And there are 15 or so characters! I was quite disappointed with the 8 or so from Final Fantasy 7. Many people have complained that the great amount of characters detracts from the game's success, but really it adds much needed replay value. A game that takes circa 20 hours to complete, and I've played through it 4 times, each time there were enough differences to make it entirely worthwhile. The character design and the art direction in general is so great. This is a game that they should completely remake (without changing an iota of the actual gameplay) when the technology improves even further.

I don't know how available they are anymore, but if you can, try to find all the different versions of the soundtrack to this game (there is the regular soundtrack, a piano soundtrack (highly, highly recommended), and an orchestral soundtrack. I have even found an mp3 of a 23 minute version of the Opera Performance with real singing! It is godly). If you can't find it to buy, hey, they have no reason to complain about us having mp3s of these tunes. Nobuo Uematsu has to be one of the best composers ever to live! His compositions for this game (and for FF7 to a much, much lesser degree; he actually steals a couple of his own note sequences from his compositions in ffvi, e.g., three sequential notes in Aeris' theme are directly taken from the first three notes of Celes' theme) are on par with Beethoven and Mozart. Seriously. If you heard them on a classical music radio station, you would not realize that they were written for a video game. The score gives the video game an even more operatic and dramatic feel. My God, what a feeling!

And so the World was changing or something like that

[rabenulrik · 10/10 · 26 December 2020]

Ruined World fits 2020 that finally soon end. In this game you have to fight Kefka and millions of monsters in this classic RPG. There is something for all like opera, a mad clown, tons of monsters, lot of drama, musclemen, airships and more. Drop all you have and find this on the net or a market if you have an SNES.

The final fantasy masterpieces

[zizin · 10/10 · 23 September 2018]

Check that on Jeremy jahns review Also I played it on a ps1 emulator on android and good to spend on android games

Pure Magic

[HedonisticActor · 8/10 · 22 October 2009]

The sixth installment in the most famous role-playing game series was another major turning point in the saga for introducing lot darker atmosphere than before. The story about stopping a powerful empire from using magic for complete world domination is full of toughing twist and turns.

Part of the story's charm is colorful cast of charismatic characters who all have well-thought personalities. Although in some cases the game doesn't tell enough about their past. This is notably bad for the young magic-casting woman Terra (Just what she was doing all these years before the game starts?) and the empire's insane top general Kefka who now feels somewhat out of place. It also annoys that the story can't decide between Terra and ex-general Celes who its main character is.

Music is just amazing, the atmosphere is perfectly caught with many awesome pieces including the tearfully beautiful world map theme and truly epic Dancing Mad for example. Graphics are not as eye-pleasing as in FF IV but fits for the game's mood (expet the world map which is just flat pixel mush). Game's battle and level up system is interesting and functional despite being little clumsy and offers multiple choices for character building. There's also a downside in this: it's way too easy to build your characters super killing machines that can destroy the hardest bosses just by touching them.

Even though time haven't been friendly to some of its technical solutions Final Fantasy VI can still, even after 15 years, to touch people by its pure magic.

Probably the most intense and addictive RPG of its time

[HerveD · 10/10 · 13 August 2008]

Final Fantasy VI is undoubtedly the best RPG of the time it was released. It's innovative for the atmosphere of the game which is greatly and subtly balanced between chaos and fantasy. One of the very rare RPG to feature many main characters (13) and that you can freely chose without having ONE main character to keep in the group. The main storyline is interesting and exciting as it involves joining the rebellion against imperialism. Each step to pursue the story further, meet new members of your party, and following from time to time different the story through a different group of members is absolutely great.

The music as well is of great quality and helps to add depth in the game itself.

Simply Bravo

My favorite video game.

[holid-60181 · 10/10 · 25 December 2021]

There has been a debate going on for awhile - are video games considered art?

For people who say 'no', I always point them toward Final Fantasy VI. This game is a beautifully created piece of art. At some points, the story is propelled by pure emotion. The music beautifully complements all aspects of the game.

It's my favorite video game and my favorite Final Fantasy game. I have played through it beginning to end at least 3 or 4 times over the years. The opera scene makes me cry every time.

I don't really have much else to say. If you like RPGs then this is a must-play game. If you aren't into RPGs then obviously this game won't really be for you.

A fight against the evil empire.

[behamut · 9/10 · 15 October 1999]

Final Fantasy III in the USA, not quite as good as the second though. Final Fantasy III would have done much better as just the story itself. The story was fantastic, with the music to back it up, but the gameplay wasn't all that much fun. It almost seemed as if you were just playing to find out what happened next. As with Final Fantasy II, playing was half the fun and enjoyment. An excellent cast of characters backed up the story well. Probably one of the first RPG's to truly focus on the characters inner selves and the internal conflicts they faced. As with Terra, she fought to better understand herself and remember her past, a constant swirl of confusion of the feelings inside her. Celes, a general turned traitor to the Empire, is constantly fighting to show others that they can trust her. Sir Cyan, after losing his family, country, as well as his entire world to the Empire, is fighting the burning hatred inside of him. As for Shadow, Sabin, Edgar, Mog, Locke, Relm, Umaro, Gogo, Strago, Setzer, and Gau, they all face their own problems as well. Yet all of them share the fact that they have something against the empire and a desire to stand up to it. As for Kefka, the frustration of putting up with someone so evil continues to build throughout the game, especially considering what he did to General Leo.

Certainly stirs emotions at many parts and a true tail of adventure. Worth playing.

A true masterpiece

[teresaclohessy-41477 · 10/10 · 15 November 2015]

I'm not a huge fan of the Final Fantasy series, but this is a fantastic game. I wasn't born at the time the game was released but I played it a year ago. This is a review for the iOS version of Final Fantasy VI. I obviously wouldn't be able to play the original version because it wasn't released in Europe although my uncle owns an SNES.

The storyline is the exact same, nothing changes and it is outstanding. The characters are fantastic and you would really care about them. The battle system is perfect but when you are controlling the characters in a town or in the over world, the controls are very annoying. But overall the game is brilliant.

The game is definitely worth playing, even if it isn't the original version. Final Fantasy VI is a true masterpiece. 10/10

Meh, there are Final Fantasy games that were so much better...

[Angel_Meiru · 4/10 · 18 July 2007]

Final Fantasy VI maybe the most popular and most hyped FF games for the Super NES, but did it really deserve all that hype? To me, it didn't.

The plot started out good on the first half. Tina, the esper hybrid wanting to find out more about herself and after getting amnesia in the town of Narche, she wants to know more about the meaning of life and love. So Lock and friends try everything they could to help her out and make sure Cefca/Kefka doesn't lay a hand on her. The first have is really well done, but this was the first FF game in my books to have some really, truly annoying one-dimensional characters in it. Out of all the 14 characters in this game, only Tina, Lock, Celes, Shadow and Edgar are truly developed. And even some of the truly developed characters can grate on my nerves after a while.

But the part where Cefca destroyed everything, that's when the game totally fell apart. The plot went in circles and the annoying characters of the bunch got even more annoying to the point where I was rooting for Cefca just to kill those panty waist whiners. The ending is also a real cop-out as well. None of the main playable characters die, like they do in the other FF games. And I so wanted that to happen because there were a few that annoyed me to no end. Oh well, at least I wrote a gory fanfic where one of the FFVI characters is granted a slow, painful death.

The gameplay was fun at first. Each character has his/her own unique abillities (eg. Realm-Sketch, Mog-Dance, Tina-Transform, etc.) early on in the game. But as we reach the post-apocalypse part, it gets boring and repetitve. I didn't much like the Esper/Genjyu system as much as I did the other FF systems (though FFVIII's draw system is much worse IMO). After everyone learned all the same spells, their unique abillities were useless and everyone was alike. Rudra no Hihou/Treasure of the Rudras also has flawed gameplay, but at least the characters were likable and didn't get on my nerves.

The soundtrack on the other hand, is very well done and gorgeous. Everyone has his/her own theme and the music is very memorable. My favorite tracks are Realm's theme, Tina's theme, and Dancing mad (the final boss music). This is the only thing that I found remotely flawless about this game.

Overall, FFVI is okay, but it's not the best RPG ever made in my books. If you want good "Final Fantasy" games, play FFIV, FFV, FFXII or even the FFVII franchise. But if you're looking for non-FF RPGS, play the "Seiken Densetsu/Mana" series or the "Valkyrie Profile series. FFVI is worth playing once, but I didn't play it again after that.

A classic, with some greatness, but its age is showing

[selie22 · 27 August 2005]

You have to understand, I first played this game when I was 11 years old and it was one of the most amazing and emotional things I'd gotten involved with at that age. Sure, I read books all the time, but video games added the element of interactivity and that made me feel more involved in the story. I cried, I cheered, I fell in love with the characters. I scribbled quotes from the game all over my notebooks and dreamed about being part of the cast of characters.

That said, this game is from the SNES days, and if you've played RPGs from that era, you may understand that the standards for writing and translation were significantly lower than they are today. Dialogue is frequently awkward and badly-written, and the scenes that once moved me to tears are (seen from more mature and experienced eyes) very brief, often too brief to really have the necessary emotional impact. It's like someone had a really good idea that was lost in translation, but as much as I like to make fun of the translator, I suspect that the writing in the original Japanese wasn't much more sophisticated. That, I think, is where this game really suffers. If you are playing it for the first time today, comparing it to modern games, please bear in mind that its writing was excellent for the time but has not aged well. Everyone fixates on how graphics have changed over time, but I think that the level of writing is a more significant and noticeable difference and I think that if people want to judge a game by fair standards, they have to take that into consideration as well.

The music, as many people have said, is one of the strongest points in the game. There's really not much else to say except that it's really good and adds necessary emotional oomph to key scenes. The graphics were great for the time, and I think they're still pretty solid for what they are. The gameplay is ... well, it's Final Fantasy. Final Fantasy gameplay is always solid and never amazing, but at least there's nothing horrid about it like the FF8 Draw system. If you've played any Final Fantasy game, you have some idea of what to expect.

I kind of wish that they could remake this game and help it live up to its potential. The characters (many of them) have the start of excellent development, enough that some of them remain my favorite characters of all time, but the writing does not do them any favors. If the writing could be brought up to modern standards, I think there's enough of the human soul in this game to forgive its save-the-world storyline.

Easily the Best Game I Have Played, Better Than Most Films

[chthon2 · 18 February 2003]

Released in the United States as Final Fantasy III originally, this role playing game contains a combination of drama, science fiction, and action into something resembling an independent film noir turned into a video game.

The story starts by explaining what has happened in the world up to that point in an intro story, and we are then introduced to three soldiers of the Empire in their mechanical Tek Armor: Vicks and Wedge, two bland troops, and Terra, a brainwashed prodigy. They enter the frozen Northern city of Narshe in search of a creature called an Esper. They fight through the city's defenses, but get more than they bargain for once they discover the creature in the caves to the North of Narshe. Since this is a video game, seeing the story progress depends on you being successful in the game, and you can achieve slightly different outcomes depending on your actions.

Terra is the center of the game, with Locke, Edgar, Sabin, Celes, and Cyan also as lead characters (did I mention the cast is big?). Supporting characters include Shadow, Gau, Strago, Relm, Umaro, Gogo, Mog, Setzer, General Leo, Getsahl, and Ultros, with Kefka as the resident villain.

I am a big fan of film, television, literature, and video games (I have no life), and am familiar with all four mediums. I have to say, Final Fantasy III is better than most movies I have seen, and I have seen a lot of good movies. Although the dialogue can be cheesy at times, and the scene at the Opera House is awful, there are many good points. The overall plot is astounding, but I do have to say it could only work in video game format, not film or television. Maybe literature. Still, the writing is great and original. The art direction is fantastic. The design of the backgrounds, characters, and monsters (especially in the battle scenes) is the most creative I have seen.

The best part, however, is the soundtrack. The music for this game is just amazing. Excluding the Opera House scene, every track for this game is something I would listen to, and i'm generally not even into instrumental music. I could start naming names, but everyone who worked on this project did a good job, so I won't pick and choose. Easily the best video game of all time, and better than most movies.