Final Fantasy VI Impressions

Improving On A Classic - Final Fantasy VI on Android/iOS/PC

For fans of JRPGs, there are a few classic games from the past that bring up huge amounts of nostalgia, inspire awe and fanfare alike, and are ahead of the pack in terms of their quality. Chrono Trigger and the early SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System) Final Fantasy games, such as Final Fantasy IV, V and VI, are some of those works of art that have stuck in the collective consciousness of JRPG gamers for years. Today, I'll be talking about the recent port of the "classic-among-classics" role-playing game, Final Fantasy VI, heralded as the best Final Fantasy game by many fans. Great game, right?

Now, it's better than ever.

When I first purchased the game on my Nvidia Shield tablet in a 50% off sale, I honestly didn't know what to expect. I had played Android RPGs before, such as the wonderful little gem, Legend of Ixtona, by the mobile RPG-making behemoth, Kemco, so I had some slight experience with touch-screen games and mobile ports. I was expecting a fun romp of nostalgia through one of the greatest RPGs of all time. What I wasn't expecting was the Android/iOS version being excellent and of the highest quality, making the game feel to me as though this was the definitive way to play this gem for modern audiences.

What a fun surprise that was!

When you start the game, you will immediately notice that the intro, largely considered one of the best intros in RPG gaming history, is better than ever. It sounds great, as the audio in the port had been freshly polished and run through higher quality equipment, a theme that will stick with the rest of the port experience. Nobuo Uematsu's timeless work is on full display here as the dark, ominous tones of the intro theme ring through your ears, getting you prepared for the epic journey that is about to begin.

Not only does the intro look and sound better than ever, but the rest of the game does, too. Battle backgrounds have been fully realized in HD and look wonderful, while character sprites look great with a charming and expressive art style. The overworld map has been realized in higher resolution and looks inviting, complete with new graphics and processing effects that make things shine. Character portraits look better than ever with a highly detailed, hand-drawn style that makes them appealing to look at, and can tell a story without using a single word. The user interface is simple, functional and works wonderfully on my tablet (I'm playing with a bluetooth gamepad). In short, the graphics are upgraded and go a very long way into making this experience what it is.

The sound, as mentioned, is phenomenal. I dare say the entire soundtrack has been remixed and re-mastered for this release, as the game's notes and tones sound crisp, detailed and full of life. Music appreciation is a subjective thing, of course, but Uematsu's work here is nothing less than mind-blowingly brilliant to me. Every theme invokes deep emotions, thoughts, nostalgia and so much more, as you explore the beautiful world you are in. The main point is that the quality of the sound itself seems to have been greatly improved from the classic Super Nintendo version, and with the addition of a special Music player section in the game, you can listen to all of these classic themes whenever you like, further justifying the great "bang for your buck" that you get with this excellent port.

Gameplay-wise, the game is also better than ever. The colorful cast of characters that you know and love are all here, and the translation has been re-worked to be incredibly poignant. In my playthrough thus far, I haven't encountered one botched translation at all. You can tell a lot of time, love and effort went into this translation to make it the best it can possibly be right now. The additions of an album full of all the cutscenes and story summaries in the game are nice ones, and the greatest addition of all may be the Bestiary. The Bestiary features every monster in the game, uncovering them as you fight them in the world, and lists important attributes such as elemental strengths, weaknesses and vital stats. Most impressive is the large amount of monsters that one can encounter in the game. Soon you will learn their techniques and be able to fight in the most efficient way possible to vanquish your foes.

There are other little additions that go a long way to making this port as good as it is. Now, when your party falls in combat, you won't lose the XP from the previous time you've been playing. You will load from your last save but still keep all that precious experience from your session. This really helps lessen the grind in the game, although grinding is thankfully still optional and quite fun if you choose to level up your characters the extra mile. Thus far in my playthrough, grinding has not been necessary, but once you start developing your characters more you may want to level them up and expand on their abilities.

Other small-but-important improvements come in the combat system as well. Now, when using Sabin's "Blitz" ability, the screen of the device turns to a touch keypad to enter your commands as precisely as possible. Cyan's Bushido abilities charge while others are taking turns, and the ATB battle system is fast and furious, making for some truly tense moments (although, for a slower-paced game you can set the ATB to "Wait"). The game also includes the bonus dungeon from the GBA release, which is another noteworthy addition. Magic is thankfully categorized into simple categories during battle and you're able to input commands to any of your party members when their ATB gauge fills up. It's simple and effective to maneuver in the combat menus, and the user interface is greatly improved and a joy to use. Issuing commands and carrying out complex strategies has been taken to another level.

I won't talk much about the core game itself as I'm sure you all already know a lot about it. Let's just say that the game itself has never been better. The sum of the parts equals something incredibly memorable and reinvigorating for JRPGs. Now, the modern audience has an all-time classic game to return to, and it's better than it has ever been.

So, do yourself a favor and pick up the Android/iOS/PC version of this gem and help support the idea of porting these classic games to various platforms. And a big "Thank You!" to Square Enix for breathing new life into these amazing games!