4 Apr, 2011
FINAL FANTASY XIII wasn’t great. Neither was FINAL FANTASY XII, or X-2 for that matter.
To say the series isn’t what it used to be would be an understatement to say the least. Is that any reason to write off 24 years of gaming history? No, absolutely not.
Yet I find myself hopping up on my soapbox all too often to defend the honour of one of the world’s most successful franchises. In my new Crystal Chronicles series I’ll be cherry-picking my favourites (and lesser-favourites) and turning them inside-out for your reading pleasure. First up is FINAL FANTASY III, first released way back in 1990.
FINAL FANTASY III is most-definitely the black sheep of the series. The NES original has never been seen outside of Japan; curiously, 16 years would pass before the Western world would get so much as a sniff, with the release of a stunning 3D remake for the Nintendo DS. Now, FFIII is available on the App Store for iPhone and iPod Touch and soon, it’ll also be available in high-definition for the iPad, but is it actually any good?
The four Warriors of Light in FINAL FANTASY III's new-to-DS CG intro.
FINAL FANTASY III begins in much the same identikit manner as its two predecessors – four “Warriors of the Light” unwittingly find themselves searching for the fabled crystals that will save the world from impending doom. Unlike later titles, FFIII isn’t especially story-driven. Instead, our four unlikely heroes travel the world roaming dungeons, pilfering treasures, slaying demons and procuring their next method of transport that will get them to further reaches of the world, where the crystals they search for are concealed.
There are two huge worlds to explore, with dozens of villages to visit and caves to plunder. Your next objective is usually hinted at in one often-ambiguous line of dialogue; skip it by accident or put the game down for a while and you’ll probably find yourself hopelessly lost. With little in the way of constant narrative driving the game forwards it can all feel a bit aimless, though having a White Mage in your squad with their handy Sight spell, revealing the locations on your world map, makes it all feel far less overwhelming than previous installments where you were just left to it.
From left to right: Luneth, Arc, Refia and Ingus.
The job system made its first appearance in FINAL FANTASY III and would go on to become one of the most compelling elements of the series. To kick off, you can pick from a small selection of jobs including the Monk, the Thief or the Black Mage, unlocking more character classes with every crystal you recover. It’s a bit of a minefield – some jobs are more useful than others and changing your level 40 Warrior into a Bard only to realise five hours down the line that they’re neither use nor ornament can be not only disappointing, but often game-breaking.
Just to make things a little more challenging, changing jobs has a withering “transition” phase, where your characters’ stats will be lowered, effectively rendering them useless for a set number of battles. This number depends on how skilled they already are in their new job and how similar it is to their previous one, ranging from 0 to 10. Of course it makes sense – you’ve got to do something a few times before you get used to it, right? – but it doesn’t always make for good gameplay. Keep Psychic Sue on speed dial, because you do not want to be changing jobs right before a boss battle.
To throw even more balls in the air, jobs level up in addition to your characters themselves. As usual, characters level up with EXP gained from battle, while jobs level up after your characters have taken a certain number of actions in battle. It sounds confusing and it certainly can be but, mercifully, you don’t really have to take much notice. What it does mean however, is that you’ll often find yourself “grinding” – that’s partaking in a soul-crushingly dull procession of random battles for the sake of levelling up, for all you RPG novices – to build up your skill level in the later classes.
FINAL FANTASY III has never looked better than it does on iOS.
It’s plain to see that FINAL FANTASY III is a game created by role-playing enthusiasts for role-playing enthusiasts. Those that enjoyed the RPG-lite of FFXIII will no-doubt find the bottomless pit of stats and spells mightily confusing, while those that sneered at “Auto-battle” and “linearity” may just find everything they’ve been looking for. It’s a supremely challenging game belying its cutesy exterior; behind the beautifully-crafted environments, adorable characters and fairytale synth soundtrack beats the heart of a classic role-playing experience.
It’s deceptively inaccessible owing to some questionable design choices – only being able to save on the World Map is just cruel – but those that persevere will find an incredibly rich and wonderfully entertaining adventure well worth your time, tears and tantrums.
The Good
+ One of the best-looking handheld RPGs around.
+ Job system gives you the power to create a diverse party.
+ Role-playing nuts will love the challenge.
The Bad
- Narrative is a little lacklustre.
- Experimenting with new jobs can be awkward.
- No save points within dungeons.
[rating:3.5]
FINAL FANTASY III is available now for Nintendo DS and iOS via the App Store, with an HD version for iPad due in April. The NES original is at present only available in Japan.
Old school gaming, I love it! Maybe I’ll consider this one…
We won’t even start on X-2.