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This has been the best year yet for fans of the Final Fantasy series. Within two months, we have seen the release of Final Fantasy XII and the re-release of III and V Advance. For once, we may have bitten off more than we can chew……
The real Final Fantasy III was never released here in the United States. Its re-release onto the Nintendo DS is weird, yet somehow fitting. Final Fantasy III is a blast from the past, show casing everything we love (and hate) about classic RPG’s.
Final Fantasy III seems to take place between FF VIII and FF XI in terms of graphics and gameplay. Although very exploratory like FF VII, the graphics are less blocky and the environments are smoother. FF III also is credited with introducing the job system, which anyone who has played FF X-2 will immediately grasp and understand. Final Fantasy III is a great title for the DS, and features as many adventures and quirky characters as any other Final Fantasy game in the series.
You play Luneth, a boy who after falling into a cave discovers that he is the chosen one, the one who will restore light and balance to the world. (Sound familiar anyone?) Luneth is sent from his small hometown of Ur across the world to find the remaining crystals that will help him on his quest. Joined by three other friends early in the quest, Luneth travels across mountains, through caves, over oceans and through the skies to find the crystals and restore peace to the land.
Although lacking as much personality as many of the characters present in the latest installments into the Final Fantasy series, FF III’s characters are just as mysterious as those in other stories. Conveniently, the party of three that accompany Luneth throughout the game join early, so each is relatively at the same level and skill as the others. This story may not have as much dialogue (perhaps because you have to READ it….) as others, but it is still interesting enough to keep players interested throughout the whole of the game.
I mentioned “loved and hated” elements of a classic RPG…. I’m guessing that all of you readers already know what I’m talking about. The endless random battles and leveling up can get old fast. Going into a cave only to find that the monsters in it are too bad ass for you to beat is unfortunate, especially when you die before you can escape. Wandering through dungeons without a map and with many dead-ends is also difficult when you’ve accomplished your mission and are just trying to get out of there as fast as possible. There are no ropes to save you! Wandering around trying to find bad guys to beat is tiring, yet a system like FF XII’s can get hard when you try to avoid the bad guys too. I guess there’s just no way to win here….
Although not as linear as some games in the series, FF III still gives players a good idea of where they should be going. That is, IF you’ve taken the time to speak with people in the town and discover what you should do next. Without talking to Cid, players would not be able to find his airship and borrow it to get to the cave across the river. The instruction booklet wisely advises players to speak to everyone they can, and I promote that advice as well. Without it, you will be hopelessly lost and frusterated until you find a walkthrough.
It is nice that FF III allows Luneth and his friends to wander the earth in search of their next destination, but wandering without a map in before-mentioned dungeons can be like finding a needle in a haystack. I’m used to dungeons with maps somewhere in them, or having to buy them from one of the locals. No such luck here partner.
I mentioned earlier that the DS was an odd, yet fitting choice for FF III. Odd, because the touch screen is not utilized very well, and players could go through the entire game without touching it once if they wanted. Fitting, because the world map shows up on the top screen with the action taking place on the bottom, whereas the action gets switched to the top when using the equipment table. Weird, but useful.
The job system is an integral part of playing the game. Fourteen different jobs are available for each character, although many jobs seem to be carbon-copies of the others. Also, some jobs become pointless when other job ranks are achieved. (Example: a sage can perform both white and black magic, so why master one or the other when you can do both?) Characters cannot switch jobs during battle, unlike FF X-2. Planning your team is essential to winning battles, and basically you need an arrangement of a white/black/red mage, summoner, and two characters with good attack skills. This standard character assortment is present in every FF game, and you’d be wise to adopt it also.
The graphics of FF III are nice enough, and very good for an RPG on the DS. For some reason, the characters look like the Precious Moments figurines my grandparents all have in their china cabinets…… Anyway, baddie graphics are good, and present those larger-than-life bosses we’ve all come to expect in the FF series. Summonings are always great looking, and environmental graphics are decent. When zoomed in on, environments turn into jaggies, but this annoyance is only minor.
Sound is what we’ve come to expect too, with the traditional fanfare for battles won and basic overworld music. The music sounds a little like Super Mario midi and is nothing memorable, but do you catch yourself humming many older game’s soundtracks anyways? As long as there is something besides silence, that works for me.
HP and MP continue to be a problem, as the availability of potions and phoenix downs are limited in the first part of the game. Spells must also be bought and are not learned, which makes healing even more difficult during earlier battles. Luckily there are well-springs throughout towns and dungeons which assist in HP and MP recovery, but nothing beats a nice nap at a town Inn. Wasting time sleeping is not something I want to do, which makes me appreciate FF XII’s save point healers even more.
It has always seemed weird to me that the Final Fantasy series uses mythological and ancient terms and names so much in their games. Luneth comes from Ur, which, if you’ve done your ancient history lessons, you should know that Ur was one of the first settlements in Mesopotamia. Also, all of the summons use the names of mythological Gods and creatures. Ahhh…. you never get past your high school history classes…… how dare you Square-Enix! I’ve started associating Odin as a Final Fantasy summon instead of a Norse God! GAHHH!!! (nerds unite!)
I have to appreciate the save feature in FF III. Saving is allowed on the world map only, and a quick save feature is available for everywhere else. Quick save means that you save and immediately shut off the game, then select “continue” when you decide to keep playing. However, this quick save is lost if you choose to load a new or previous game. Finally, no paranoid running between save points whenever something interesting happens or I level up. Finally, I am at peace…
Although Final Fantasy III is a trip back to the early days of the series, it still has plenty to offer die-hard fans and casual RPG players alike. If you can get past the old graphics, funky sound, and monotonous leveling up, FF III is another great addition to the series and your Nintendo DS library. Take my advice and get over it!
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