Final Fantasy IX.

Original Release: Sony Playstation, 2000. Version Reviewed: Sony Playstation, 2000.


THE PLOT:

Zidane is a thief working with the Tantalus theater troupe, which is actually a cover for a group of bandits. The group plans to use its upcoming performance in the Kingdom of Alexandria to kidnap the beautiful Princess Garnet. To Zidane's surprise, Garnet is eager to be kidnapped, which should make this easy.

It proves to be anything but easy. Bumbling guard Steiner follows the princess onto the airship, and they somehow pick up a clumsy young black mage named Vivi at the same time. While escaping, their airship is shot down on the orders of Garnet's mother, the hideous Queen Brahne. It falls to Zidane to lead the princess to the neighboring kingdom of Lindblum to complete his assignment, with Steiner threatening him and bickering with him every step of the way.

In the course of their journey, they discover more black mages that look like larger versions of Vivi. They don't speak or respond when spoken to, and they appear to have been manufactured. This worries Vivi, and he becomes even more anxious when people in other villages respond to him as if he is a threat.

Garnet fears that her mother is plotting something terrible. Vivi wonders what role the black mages play in this. And when their paths intersect with a mysterious and powerful wizard named Kuja, Zidane starts to suspect that the stakes are bigger than they've imagined...

Zidane meets, and is smitten by, Princess Garnet.

CHARACTERS:

Zidane: He's instantly attracted to Garnet, and he spends the length of the game flirting (somewhat awkwardly) with her. Despite being a criminal, his basic decency constantly shines through, notably in his protectiveness toward both Garnet and Vivi. Additional dimensions are revealed in the story's second half, and he does get pushed past the "rogue with a heart of gold" archetype. Really, though, after two games of brooding loners, it's something of a relief to have a protagonist who's able to laugh at himself and others and who isn't afraid to make an idiot of himself.

Princess Garnet ("Dagger"): Her mother's behavior has grown increasingly erratic, which has prompted her desire to escape the castle. She hopes that if she talks to her "Uncle Cid," ruler of Lindblum, that he'll be able to do something, though she doesn't really have much of a plan beyond that. She initially enjoys the adventure, and an early cutscene shows her grinning ecstatically as she swings from a castle parapet to the theatre ship. That joy does not last. When her mother's actions start resulting in deaths, she berates herself for leaving, wondering if she might have influenced the queen's behavior had she stayed. Her guilt keeps growing throughout the story, with her only truly throwing it off near the end.

Vivi: When the first hour of gameplay focused on a childlike figure who kept falling over, I groaned. It felt like I was being forced to endure the misadventures of an unwanted comedy sidekick. It quickly becomes apparent that there's more to him than that, and I don't think it's an overstatement to say that he's the heart and soul of the game. Once he meets the black mages, he begins questioning first his origins and then the nature of his existence. By the second disc, it's the moments with Vivi that emerge as the most memorable and emotional in the game. Huge credit to the artists, by the way. Even in cutscenes, Vivi's face is no more than a black circle with two gold eyes - and yet somehow, his body language and posture are able to convey a tremendous range of feeling.

Steiner: The bumbling palace guard does qualify as a comedy sidekick. He's pompous and often dim, with both Zidane and Garnet seeming to put up with him as they go from place to place, and his reactions are regularly over-the-top. His main interaction with Zidane in the first half is to threaten him, and he seems to think it magnanimous to advocate for life imprisonment instead of execution for the thief. Even at the start, however, he treats Vivi with absolute respect, and it's clear that he defines himself through his sense of duty, which slowly infuses a certain dignity into him. He's also easily the best combat unit in the game. By the end, if you're equipping him well and keeping up on his abilities, he should be regularly inflicting max damage per turn.

Other Companions: Other party members join as the story unfolds. Freya is a knight from the Kingdom of Burmecia who has had previous dealings with Zidane and who seems to generally trust him. Quina is a creature whose only purpose in life is to discover new foods; its combat gimmick is that it gains abilities by eating monsters. Amarant is an assassin who joins Zidane after losing a fight to him. Eiko is a young girl who is the sole survivor of a village of summoners; at base, she's the best healer in the game, though Garnet can be made her equal (while also doing more damage in combat). All are firmly supporting characters, but they all get a couple of strong moments.

An ongoing true/false quiz is one of many, many mini games.

GAMEPLAY:

The basic gameplay is largely the same as previous entries. You explore areas to discover items, secrets, and mini games. When the character you're controlling finds a certain spot or interacts with a certain NPC, then the story advances.

There are a lot of mini-games and side quests, more than in previous entries. I will freely admit to not completing all of them. I delivered the Mognet letters, found the Stellazzio coins, fought all the monsters in the Treno shop/arena, and finished the talking mouse's quiz. I did not dig up Chocographs, however, nor did I hunt down every "friendly monster" in the game, nor did I jump rope or run races with the kid in Alexandria. My total play time clocked in about 60 hours. A player barreling through only the main plot could probably finish in half that time; someone wanting to complete absolutely everything would probably spend close to 100 hours.

Suffice it to say, there's plenty to do in Final Fantasy IX. And if one or more of the mini games doesn't strike you as fun, then at least most of them are optional.


COMBAT:

I played the PS1 version, which means I did not gain the benefit of any of the rereleases' Quality-of-Life improvements. Unfortunately, without those improvements, Final Fantasy IX has the most annoying combat in the series thus far.

The encounter rate isn't any worse than in other games, and it's actually lower than most of the Nintendo-era ones. But, at least in its original PS1 form, the combat is slow. Each battle has the camera swirl around for about 12 seconds before the fight starts. Over hundreds of encounters, that 12 seconds adds up to a teeth-grinding irritation. Early in the game, there is also a lag between ordering a character to do something and them doing it, though this becomes less of an issue as you unlock skills such as "Auto-Haste."

Skills such as that make the late game battles far more enjoyable than the early game ones. Also, if you keep up on your skills, Final Fantasy IX is relatively easy. But those 12 seconds per battle are enough in themselves to make me wish I had purchased a rerelease with a speed up option instead of the "PSOne Classic."

Princess Garnet feels guilt over her mother's actions.

SOUNDTRACK:

Another Final Fantasy, another gorgeous soundtrack. This 24-year-old game's music score is more varied and has more depth than most movie soundtracks. As per usual for the series, there are different themes for each character, each major area, and even for different battles. The world map music is an instrumental version of Melodies of Life, the end credits song, with other variations in varying tempos occurring in cutscenes and story moments throughout the game. The song itself is a lovely piece, its lyrics perfectly suited to the story and themes. Oh, and the music all fits nicely with the storybook presentation.

At this point, I think it would actually surprise me if a mainline Final Fantasy game didn't have a wonderful soundtrack.

An enemy watches the group's escape to Lindblum.

OTHER MUSINGS:

"Living in the village with everyone fills me with joy. The joy of living with them far outweighs the fear of death. Isn't it the same with you? Traveling with your friends gives your life meaning."
-Black Mage no. 288, with a lesson for Vivi.

At first glance, Final Fantasy IX resembles nothing so much as a fairy tale. In contrast with the more realistic style of Final Fantasy VIII, this game's art is patterned after storybook illustrations. It's bright and colorful; many characters have exaggerated features and expressions; the main character has a tail, while another main character has a black circle for a face with two gold eyes. It's as if after two entries that were predominately sci-fi, this game wanted to make no mistake in cementing the "Fantasy" part of the "Final Fantasy" title.

The characters' personalities seem to reinforce this as a whimsical tale, even a silly one. The main character is sarcastic. Vivi falls over for comedy effect quite often; Steiner is over-the-top in pretty much every way. Even the evil queen seems mainly to be a comedy caricature, complete with jester sidekicks who invert each other's sentences.

The first major break in this tone happens midway through Disc One, when a minor early boss takes a drastic action during a cutscene as the heroes look on in horror. This, and a follow-up moment involving Vivi, are a tipoff that this isn't going to end up being so simple or lightweight. That gets buried for a bit in some comedy antics in Lindblum - but once the characters leave Lindblum, the tale starts to darken. And why not? When you get down to it, fairy tales are pretty dark.

Structurally, the story somewhat resembles Final Fantasy VI in one respect: As with that game, you could subdivide this it into two stories. Disc Two largely closes out the story that began with kidnapping of Princess Garnet, while Disc Three represents a new start as Kuja - who mostly keeps to the shadows in the first half - emerges as a full villain.

The endgame takes place against a surreal landscape.

Settings are varied. Alexandria is the typical medieval fantasy kingdom. Lindblum is an industrial center, with airships connecting various districts to each other. Cleyra is a city that exists atop a giant tree. There's also a village of black mages who gained individual awareness and who now live in seclusion, surrounded by a forest. Toward the end, the game takes players to ever more fantastical areas, with the endgame occurring in a surreal world that is created from fragments of the characters' own memories.

The plot is well put-together and extremely well-told. Even more impressive are the themes. Characters grapple with questions about consciousness and memory, life and death. The black mages are artificial, and yet some of them become aware and form their own community - only to have to come to terms with a finite existence when some of them begin "stopping."

"Black Mage no. 288" never gets a name, but his ruminations are memorable. At one point, he tries to explain to a newcomer the purpose of a cemetery - that it's not for the dead, but rather for the living to remember them:

"We'll never forget you. We'll remember you every time we stand at your grave. And we won't let the fear of death, which each of knows, stop us from living our lives."

These are weighty ideas usually more explored in literature than in video games. It's startling to see such a direct confrontation of them in a bright, colorful fantasy that at first blush looks like it should be filled with Disney characters.

The story is well told. But long after I've forgotten about the machinations of Queen Brahne or Kuja, it's the themes that will resonate. That, and the simple sight of Vivi, staring up and absorbing a horrifying sight in that mid Disc One cutscene - an image that, in the simplicity of its design and the complexity of its context, could about stand in for the game as a whole.

Vivi witnesses a horrible sight, and the
previously light tone changes sharply.

OVERALL:

Final Fantasy IX was a commercial success, but its sales on release were far behind those of VII and VIII.  Time has been kind to it, however, with it emerging as a favorite within the franchise. I've seen many people refer to it as a masterpiece, and... I'm going to agree with that sentiment.

It's a bit of a slow burn. I was anything but gripped by the initial stages. It only really grabbed me after that cutscene with Vivi midway through Disc One. After that, I started to connect with it, and that connection grew throughout.

I'm going to distinguish this from saying that the game gets better as it goes. A replay of the first part of the game reveals that it's setting up its tonal variations and themes right from the start. It doesn't so much improve as reveal itself. Characters who seem silly are shown to be either monstrous or tragic. One apparent comedy relief character shows dignity and strength; another becomes the heart and soul of the story. And throughout, the themes gain in depth in a way that's impressive and ultimately quite moving.

Final Fantasy IX is an excellent game and an even better story. I'd also rate it as a genuine artistic achievement.


Overall Rating: 10/10.

Previous Game: Final Fantasy VIII
Next Game: Final Fantasy X

Next Release: Final Fantasy - The Spirits Within

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Final Fantasy VII.

Original Release: Sony Playstation, 1997. Version Reviewed: PS4, 2016.


THE PLOT:

Five years ago, Cloud Strife was a member of SOLDIER, the Shinra Corporation's elite military team. Then... something happened. Shinra turned to mining Mako, an extremely efficient but environmentally disastrous energy source, and abandoned all other projects.

Now, Cloud is working for AVALANCHE, an eco-terrorist group dedicated to the corporation's downfall. Not because he cares about the group's goals - Cloud doesn't seem to care about much of anything. He once made a promise to his childhood friend Tifa, and he intends to keep it... and as far as he's concerned, that is the only reason he's even there.

Things change after a raid on a Mako reactor turns out to be a trap set by Shinra. Cloud survives only because of the help of Aeris, a mysterious girl growing flowers in the middle of the slums. Cloud finds himself acting as her protector when Shinra operatives try to kidnap her, referring to her as "the ancient."

Someone else is also targeting Aeris. Someone from Cloud's past, whom he believed was gone forever. The man he once idolized and now despises.

Sephiroth...

Cloud has unfinished business with Sephiroth.

CHARACTERS:

One noticeable change from the Nintendo Final Fantasy entries to this, the first Playstation one, is in the dialogue. Namely, there's a lot more of it. This isn't all good, as it makes certain parts of the story drag a bit. But it does allow for a strong focus on characterization, with long scenes devoted to filling in the details, personalities, and backstories of Cloud, Tifa, Aeris, and others.

Cloud... Well, this game was released in 1997, and Cloud very much belongs to the "brooding loner" template that was so popular during that time. He's emotionally distant and abrupt to those around him, which by that decade's rules means that he is a sensitive soul with hidden depths (as opposed to just being an ass). Fortunately for modern gamers, his character eventually develops past the template. As the story progresses, his barriers lower until he eventually becomes likable and even heroic - with a few interesting twists along the way.

Tifa and Aeris are the most prominent of the supporting characters, both acting as potential love interests and also as Cloud's conscience at different points. Barret, the leader of AVALANCHE, starts the game as a vaguely embarrassing cliché before emerging as a full character in his own right. Other team members include what I suspect will stand as the all-time least likable Final Fantasy Cid (again, it's the '90s, so treating everyone like crap apparently means he has depth), thief Yuffie, Vincent the vampire (I'm only slightly kidding), stuffed animal Cait Sith (no, really), and experimental lab subject Red XIII. None of them get the same development as the principals, but they all receive a couple of decent moments.

Sephiroth adds to the series' growing gallery of interesting villains. He's very much a reflection of Cloud, mysterious in both his past and his true nature. Eventually, a flashback reveals much of the backstory for both him and Cloud - but in both cases, we're left with plenty of questions that are only gradually filled in. Though Sephiroth is a monstrous figure, his personal story is a tragic one in its own right, leaving the player able to see what led him to his evil deeds.

A boss fight in the Temple of the Ancients.

GAMEPLAY:

At its core, Final Fantasy VII's gameplay is similar to the Nintendo entries. Your characters travel around maps, both a larger world map and a variety of more specific and detailed environments, exploring and discovering new areas while unlocking the next story scene. Combat comes mostly through random encounters, with major story points punctuated by boss battles. The animations are different, but most of the attacks and spells remain the same, though this game does add "Limit Breaks" to your characters' arsenal - special attacks that power up as you take damage, and that inflict massive damage when you are finally able to unleash them.

The shift from 2D sprites to 3D models has an unfortunate impact on reviving or healing members of your party. It's the same process as ever; select the item or spell, then select the party member to apply it to. Unfortunately, the perspective can make it confusing which character you are selecting, leading to wasted turns reviving characters who were still standing or healing ones who are at full health.

The developers have also stuffed Final Fantasy VII with minigames. A few of these are fun - I rather enjoyed an arcade style chase sequence in which I had to ram enemy vehicles off the road. Most of them are annoying, however, and most of them are also required for the plot. If you want Cloud's final Limit Break, you have no choice to but to play mini-games and race Chocobos in the theme park, "The Golden Saucer." When you acquire a submarine, the plot won't advance unless you first play another mini-game.

More science fiction than fantasy, final or otherwise...

FINAL FANTASY... NOW WITH 80% LESS FANTASY

Final Fantasy VII is the first game in the series to... well, to mostly forget the "fantasy" part. The series has long employed light science fiction elements: airships; time travel; space travel; steampunk trappings. In previous games, however, they were dressing, enhancing fantasy worlds and stories centering around kings, queens, warriors, wizards, and kingdoms.

Final Fantasy VII reverses the emphasis. This is a light sci-fi story, set in a futuristic society ruled over by a corporation. Cloud may have a sword, but Shinra's troops and guards are armed with guns. Machines are everywhere. Though your party uses magic, it is specifically justified by the story as a type of science, with Cid even noting at one point that he prefers the idea of science to that of magic. There are still fantasy trappings - spells and monsters. But this time, the fantasy is the dressing enhancing a sci-fi story, rather than the other way around.

The game looks surprisingly good for its age.

THOUGHTS:

Final Fantasy VII was the first Final Fantasy game I ever played, back in the late 1990s. I did not finish it at that time; the version I played was a particularly bug-ridden PC port, and I gave up out of frustration at the regular crashes roughly a quarter of the way in. I did remember, however, being intrigued by the story and its world, leaving me approaching this playthrough (of the 2016 PS4 port) with both anticipation and wariness.

Thankfully, I did not experience a single bug during my playthrough. The game also looks surprisingly good for its age. The art style has dated, particularly the blocky almost LEGO-style characters, but the backgrounds are often breathtaking.

Most importantly, the game remains a lot of fun to play, offering (mostly) intuitive gameplay and an intriguing story. The first half is particularly well-paced. The opening sucks you immediately into the narrative, using just the right mix of tension and humor to engage you in the story. Cloud may be a very '90s protagonist, but Tifa and Aeris are likable enough to carry the story until its main character starts mellowing, and the narrative smartly delivers regular information while at the same time opening up new mysteries.

The final boss battle with Sephiroth is a combination of brilliance and aggravation. Not because of difficulty; I'd rank him as one of the series' easiest final bosses to date. No, it's aggravating because of the long, unskippable special attacks. Sephiroth's big attack is "Super Nova," which comes complete with a 2-minute animation in which he seems to focus the entire power of the solar system into attacking you. It's awesome the first time he casts it... but by the third time he cranks up his unskippable 2-minute attack, you'll be tempted to nip out to the fridge while he ever so slowly gets on with it. That's not even mentioning the (also unskippable) animations for your own special attacks, Limit Breaks, and summons.

Like a devil in hell: Sephiroth.

OVERALL:

Final Fantasy VII became the series' breakthrough game in the West, and it remains the most iconic entry. Say "Final Fantasy" to even the most casual (or in some cases non-) gamer, and they will likely instantly visualize the image of a spiky-haired blonde guy with a giant sword. 

While certain aspects have dated, from the art style to Cloud's characterization, the game has overall aged well and remains a benchmark against which other RPGs are judged. The backgrounds hold up surprisingly well, and the story retains its energy. It isn't quite a modern game... but it feels closer to modern than the Nintendo entries do, and it's no accident that it took me only a single month to play through it.

If pressed, I would still rank Final Fantasy IV as my favorite of the numbered series. But at the moment, I'd rate this as a pretty close second - and it's probably a better choice to try to hook newcomers.


Overall Rating: 8/10.

Alternate Version: Final Fantasy VII Remake

Prequel: Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII
Sequel: Final Fantasy VII - Advent Children

Previous Main Series Game: Final Fantasy VI
Next Main Series Game: Final Fantasy VIII

Previous Release: Final Fantasy VI
Next Release: Final Fantasy Tactics (not yet reviewed)

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Final Fantasy VI.

Original Release: Super Nintendo, 1994. Version Reviewed: Sony Playstation, 1999.


THE PLOT:

It's been a thousand years since the world was devastated by the War of the Magi. Magic has faded from the world, and most believe such powers to be the stuff of legend.

The Gestahl Empire knows better, however. Kefka, the villainous court mage, has found a way to fuse magic with technology. With control over a mysterious "witch" named Terra, these Magitek forces invade the peaceful town of Narshe, where a magical being known as an Esper has been uncovered. When they find the Esper, the unexpected happens: The creature frees Terra and destroys the Imperial forces.

This is only the beginning, however. Terra finds herself in the company of Locke, a leader in the rebel Returners. As her past memories slowly return, she realizes how critical it is that Kefka be stopped before he seizes control of the remaining Espers. But even as she and Locke gather together a group of unlikely allies, Kefka draws ever nearer to his goal: Unlimited power!

Celes finds herself playing the lead in an opera.

CHARACTERS:

Final Fantasy VI has the largest cast of playable characters in the entire series, and it manages to serve most of its cast surprisingly well. The first half of the game sees Terra gradually regaining her past; the second half brings out her maternal nature as she bonds with a group of orphans. Locke, who is haunted by a loss in his past, forms a halting attachment to Celes, a former Imperial general; their tentative romance is memorably paralleled by the opera Celes finds herself performing in one of the game's best set pieces. Cyan is a warrior consumed by guilt after losing his family to Kefka's treachery. His loss is explored by two sequences - the first aboard a Phantom Train ferrying the departed to the next world; the second within his nightmare, from which the other characters have to rescue him.  Other characters don't get quite as much attention, but all members of the cast get at least one or two moments to show their own personalities.

Kefka's insanity, on full display.

KEFKA: THE JESTER AS SUPERVILLAIN:

"Life... dreams... hope... Such meaningless things... I'll destroy them all!"
-the wit and wisdom of Kefka

For quite a long time, I found myself rolling my eyes at the game's main villain. Kefka is entirely one-dimensional, so over-the-top "Eeeviill" that he almost makes Final Fantasy V's Exdeath seem layered by comparison. He initially seems like a coward and a weakling - a buffoon who spends the entire first half fleeing from every encounter with the heroes.

And then... something happens. He never gains any depth as a character. Kefka is evil for the sake of evil. Instead, it becomes clear that he really is everything he appears to be: a clown and a buffoon. A physical weakling, who pursues ultimate power so that he can destroy in order to feel strong.  That gradually goes from irritating to comical... right before it becomes terrifying.  When he revels in destruction, celebrating loss of life as "fun?" ...He means it.

At one point, Celes interferes with his plans, inflicting physical pain in the process. Kefka throws himself on the ground, thrashing about like a child throwing a tantrum, and then lets out a wail:

"I hate hate hate hate hate hate... hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate HATE YOU!

The line is comical in its ridiculousness... but at the same time, it's chilling. It's at this moment, which occurs more or less exactly halfway through the game, that we see just how deranged and twisted he is. Kefka cannot be reasoned with, because there is no reason in him. He's a jester, throwing himself a one-man party in hell, presiding over ghastly horrors while hearing music in the screams of his victims.

Battling monsters on a flimsy river raft.

GAMEPLAY:

Is very much the same as in previous Nintendo Final Fantasy titles, with exploration broken up by (too frequent) random encounters.  Characters have a combination of physical and magic attacks, and more magic attacks are made available once they equip Espers later in the game.

Each character is also given a special attack. Some are highly effective: Sabin's "blitzes," for example, do devastating damage on higher levels; his brother Edgar's "Tools" can also inflict solid damage. Others are fun for a while as novelties; Setzer the Gambler has a slot machine that can perform a variety of attacks... or do nothing useful at all, depending on the result. Still others are more trouble than they're worth: Tarzan-like Gau goes into Rages that can inflict decent damage, but that also make him impossible to control; Cyan's "Swordtech" ("Bushido" in other translations) takes so long to charge up for his best attacks that powerful enemies might easily kill him before he's ready to go.

The game's first half is very linear, with the story itself forcing which character groupings you use. This is occasionally frustrating, but it has the advantage of making you play as all the characters, allowing you to experiment with them and decide which units you prefer to use. The second half opens up entirely, allowing you freedom to explore the full world map, letting you pick where to go and who to play as - and by that time, you'll probably have decided on your default group. Be sure to level all your characters. You will use almost all of them in the final dungeon; if any of them are underleveled, you will regret it!

Terra escapes from the Steampunk-inspired town of Narshe.

ALREADY OUTGROWING NINTENDO:

Final Fantasy VI marks the end of the series' first era.  This was the last of the numbered series to debut on a Nintendo system. Starting with Final Fantasy VII, the series' main range moved to the Sony Playstation.  This created a rift between Square and Nintendo that lasted for years, but it's not difficult to see why it happened.  The Nintendo systems have a lot of charm, but they have always tended to be more technically limited than those of Microsoft or Sony... and even in this final Nintendo game, it's clear that the series was pushing hard against those limitations.

Final Fantasy VI is a remarkably ambitious game. In addition to the large cast, each distinguished by unique character art, it's a title that takes players through a variety of settings. You start in a town that's just mechanized enough to evoke a steampunk feel. From there, you will cross over and under deserts, run river rapids, and explore a continent that flies through the air.

Then there are the set pieces! The opera scene is a particular high point, with the game designers painstakingly using the limited technology at their disposal to create something that's entirely convincing as an opera.  The music score is breathtaking throughout, even better than the excellent compositions in the preceding titles.

In short, it's clear even in this final Nintendo-era game that the series' technical ambitions had outgrown Nintendo's capabilities. In retrospect, it's no surprise that series moved to a more powerful system for their next title.

Kefka attacks an allied kingdom.

BRLLIANT BUT FRUSTRATING:

I genuinely admire the accomplishment of Final Fantasy VI.   I would actually consider this nearly 30-year-old video game to be a genuine work of art.  I respect it greatly.  I want to love it. But for all its achievements, it is also a game loaded with irritations, some large and some small.  Every time I got sucked into the story or the set pieces, something would happen to push me away again.  At times, it actively felt as if the game was trying to punish me for playing it.

The game is downright miserly with in-dungeon Save Points.  In other versions, this is less of a problem, with a "Quick Save" option letting you create a temporary file to reload.  I could not figure out any way to "Quick Save" in the PS1 version, however... meaning that I pretty much had to have at least an hour's free time before entering a dungeon.  This was probably one of the largest contributors to how long it took me to get through the game; unlike previous series entries I didn't even bother picking this one up unless I had plenty of time to devote to it.

The random encounter rate is high. Not as high as in the first two games, true... but it's more aggravating here, in part because of the meager save points and in part because the encounters disrupt the flow and pace of the story. I found the first half to be awkwardly paced in general, and I felt at a distance from the story for a good third of its running time. My interest picked up considerably in the run up to the midpoint, and I found the second half to be a lot more enjoyable. That said, it took much longer for me to become invested here than in any of the first five games.


OVERALL:

In many respects, Final Fantasy VI is the best of the Nintendo Final Fantasy series. It's the most technically ambitious. It has the most completely developed story, with the events that occur at the game's midpoint almost jaw-droppingly audacious. It has the strongest characters. It has the most effective villain. It even has the best soundtrack.

I commend it as a work of art.  There's just one problem: I didn't particularly enjoy playing it.  It's an accomplished work, and I feel duty-bound to award a good score.  But taken as a game?  I'm glad to have experienced it; but at the same time, this is one Final Fantasy that I cannot see myself revisiting.


Overall Rating: 7/10.

Previous Title: Final Fantasy - Legend of the Crystals

Previous Main Series Game: Final Fantasy V
Next Main Series Game: Final Fantasy VII

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