Almost every RPG fan has a game that introduced them to
the wonderful world of level ups and healing potions. Not counting Pokemon,
Final Fantasy III for the DS was the first serious RPG I ever played through.
In addition, it was also my introduction to the Final Fantasy series. FF3 was
one of the three games in the early (first six) installments that never saw a
US release when they initially came out, along with Final Fantasies II and V. A
full 3D remake of the game, just how enjoyable is this lost fantasy?
STORY
The original FF3 followed a story very similar to that of
the original game- four Warriors of Light are destined to save the world from
an evil force. The remake more-or-less follows the original version’s story,
with a few new touches to bring things up to speed. The story begins when
Luneth (one change from the original- the four Heroes all have names) falls
through a hole in the ground after an earthquake that rocks the floating
continent he lives on. Navigating his way through a cave, he stumbles upon a
blue crystal, which tells him to seek out the other Heroes. After a small
series of quests, Luneth meets his companions- his shy friend Arc, boisterous
girl Refia, and stern palace guard Ingus. Together, the four of them must track
down the four crystals in order to protect not only the floating continent, but
the world below it, from annihilation at the hands of an evil wizard, Xande.
Final Fantasy III has a VERY clichéd story. Most of the
30+ hour adventure is spent checking off boxes on the ‘RPG Plot 101’ list.
Crystals? Check. Orphaned heroes? Check. Airships? Check. Surprise final boss
at the end? Check. However, this is essentially an early installment in a
series which established many of those tropes, so it isn’t too large a problem.
A major flaw in the story is that the four characters- despite having names and
personalities added to them for the remake- really aren’t very memorable. They
go through some basic development, but that’s it. Some NPC party members
occasionally tag along in certain areas, but they, too, are fairly generic- the
lost princess, the dashing rogue, etc. Square’s typical storytelling flair
helps move things along, though, and although your adventure may still be a
generic one, it’s still an enjoyable one.
GAMEPLAY
Final Fantasy III was released before the series’
signature Active Time battle system was around. The game provides a very
traditional RPG combat experience. After selecting a command for each party
member, characters take their turns in order of their speed. The game is rather
similar, in this regard, to 4 Heroes of Light, another old-school style RPG
from Square, but FF3’s status as an actual numbered FF title adds some basic
features that were absent from the spinoff, such as the ability to target the
entire party with a cure spell, or the simple ability to pick a target for your
attacks. The DS remake features a rebalanced difficulty that eases play a bit,
although the game still presents a decent challenge. Outside of combat, the
structure is typical of a FF game, with an Overworld to explore, and numerous
towns and dungeons to enter.
The only major innovation Final Fantasy III brought to
the table was the introduction of the famous Job System, the class system native
to the FF series. Outside of combat, characters can switch classes at anytime
from a list. You begin with six classes, but at certain points in the story you
automatically gain additional classes, including some that are exclusive to the
remake. When a class is selected, a character must fight a few battles to
‘adjust’ to the new job (which takes less time is they are more familiar with
the job), and when they do they gain all the abilities native to that job. Jobs
level up independently of characters, so switching between classes as suits
your needs is a painless procedure- a Level 50 character can be a Job Level 30
Warrior, but switching to a Job Level 1 Black Mage won’t force you to relevel
him. There are thousands of different viable class combinations- my team for
the final boss consisted of a Devout, a Magus, a Dragoon, and a Dark Knight.
A little quirk worth mentioning is FF3’s magic system.
Rather than having a list of spells with an MP cost, a magic-using character
can cast a spell they have equipped a certain number of times before needing to
replenish, at an inn or at a wellspring. There are eight tiers of magic, and a
character can have three spells of each tier equipped at a time. Magic can be
purchased at stores or found in chests, as well. This makes managing magic an
important task- there’s nothing worse than navigating a long dungeon, only to
find that you’re out of the one spell you need to beat a boss. Speaking of
dungeons, there is no way to permanently save inside them- you can only save in
the Overworld, so if you die, prepare for a long haul back through the dungeon.
Finally, while FF3 will still give you a fairly long
quest, there are numerous secret areas and bosses to face. Unfortunately, a lot
of this content is locked by an online minigame called Mognet, which forces you
to send messages to other FF3 players nearby you. Mognet is tedious, boring,
and annoying. Still, there’s enough extra content (including two secret
summons) to reward players who travel off the beaten path.
PRESENTATION
The DS isn’t the most powerful system in the world, but
FF3 manages to look fairly good on it. Being a less cinematic Final Fantasy
game, the lower quality 3D never gets in the way of the game. At times, the
game looks rather like the PS1 era FF games. Little flourishes in the game,
such as a close-up when characters cast powerful magic, or a finishing blow
performed on a boss, look fine as well and add some variety. Uematsu’s classic
score is intact, and sounds as good as ever, although a few tracks miss their
mark. The insanely trippy final boss theme is certainly questionable. All in
all, the DS version of FF3 looks fine.
CONCLUSION
With the release of Final Fantasy III, every numbered FF
game has seen a US release. And although FF3 isn’t the flashiest or the most
memorable game, it’s still a solid, well done adventure that provides a nice
glimpse into the history of the storied franchise. Final Fantasy fans and
classic RPG fans should find something worthwhile here, and despite a few
quirks, Final Fantasy III is well worth your time.
SCORE- B
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