REVIEW - Final Fantasy VI (1994)

If there is one thing I am truly disappointed in with this blog, is that there is a lack of retro reviews. I think the earliest game or anime I've reviewed here came out in 1997, and that's the same age as I am. So, I decided that, rather than review The Last Story today, I'll be looking at a game from before my time, a game that I truly adore with all of my heart because of it's exceptional design.

Final Fantasy VI for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.

Final Fantasy VI takes place many years after a certain event known as The War of the Magi, when Human's and Espers went out in an all out war against each other/ Several years later, technology has provided humans with the means to use magic even without the powers of Espers. However, unbeknownst to the Empire, there are still Espers out there, one of whom is the half-human Terra Bradford. Terra was under the control of the Empire until one fateful night in the mining town of Narshe. On a mission from the Emperor to go and retrieve an Esper, Terra comes into contact with it and blacks out. She wakes up later in someones house to find out that she was indeed under the influence of the Emperor and that she has lost her memory for everything minus her name. Terra then meets a band of colourful characters, such as Locke the thief Treasure Hunter, Edgar the vibrant King of Figaro, Sabin the Monk and Celes Chere, the former Imperial general who switched sides after betraying the Empire. The party's main goal is to stop the Emperor and his ambassador Kefka Polazzo from misusing magic and Espers, which could ultimately destroy the entire planet as they know it. What follows is one of, if not the most emotionally gripping plot in a Final Fantasy game to date. The basic plot itself, is just that. Basic. however, Final Fantasy VI's cast are truly the star of the show. The way they deal with situations thrown at them, Locke and Celes in particular is just unreal, and it shows the true talent developers have when creating game narratives. If you're somebody who finds making narratives difficult (AKA My Father), you should look no further than Final Fantasy VI, arguably the best story told in not only the history of Final Fantasy, but in the history of 16-Bit Role Playing Games.

Final Fantasy VI builds upon the gameplay set in both Final Fantasy IV and Final Fantasy V. The usual Japanese Role-Playing Game tropes are all here. A Huge expansive world to explore, unique locations full of character, random encounters, leveling up though Experience Points, recruiting Party members and going through a menu based combat screen. What set Final Fantasy VI apart from every other RPG at the time however, was it's unique battle and party mechanic. FFVI used the now-patented Active Time Battle system, which had been in use since IV. Characters would take their turn when a bar filled up at the lower-right side of the screen, and they would all fill up at a different pace. However, what was brought to the table in FFVI became a permanent addition to the series (at least, until XIII many years later): equippable Espers. As the plot progresses, you gain access to more Magicite: magic rocks that contain the power of an Esper. When equipped, you could use that Esper and learn it's abilities with MP Gained in battle at a given percentage rate. This meant that anybody could learn any spell at any time. This huge amount of customization makes Final Fantasy VI one of the more flexible Final Fantasies, only topped by Final Fantasy VII in terms of what you could do. Characters also have unique character abilities, kind of like jobs in Final Fantasy III or V. For example, Edgar could use tools such as a drill or a crossbow in battle, Locke could steal enemy items, Sabin could perform Street Fighter-esque button commands, Celes could block incoming Magic attacks and so on. This made it difficult for picking your favourite party members, as no ability, except for maybe Runic was actually a throwaway ability. Final Fantasy VI is full of tactics and wit, so you better be mentally prepared for the quite difficult challenge ahead.

Graphically, for a Super Nintendo game, this is quite an achievement. The environments in this game are simply drop dead gorgeous and stunning, and the characters are very expressive, you can see all the personality exuding from them, even if they are only 48 Pixels tall. Scripted scenes are well choreographed, and animations are fluid and precise. Was there even a need to update this games graphics for the recent iOS/Android ports? No, there wasn't! It's fine the way it is, leave it be!

On the musical front, holy freaking balls, I am impressed. The fact that they got this almost exactly to sound like an orchestra truly astounds me. The Super Nintendo was really pushed to it's limits when running this game, because hot damn this is one high quality soundtrack. Tracks like The Battle Theme, the Prelude, Aria de Mezzo Carattere, the Unforgiven, Save Them, Locke's Theme, Terra's Theme, Kefka's Theme, The Decisive Battle and - of course - Dancing Mad round off what has to be one of the most stellar 16-bit soundtracks ever, even if some tracks can be a bit dull and forgettable.

Overall, this is THE template RPG for all RPG's to follow. After this game, Square released Final Fantasy VII to universal acclaim, but after that the series started to go downhill. There are arguments in the community as to whether VI or VII is the better game, and while I think VII has the better gameplay, VI has the most charm and the better plot. It is one of the best games I have ever played.

Story: 10
Gameplay: 9.6
Graphics: 9.8
Sound: 10
Personal Enjoyment: 9.7

FINAL SCORE FOR FINAL FANTASY VI: 9.8/10