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.
