When recalling an emergent gaming series from the 80s, Mario, Zelda and Castlevania often come to mind. Each laid a groundbreaking, if retrospectively bare foundation. Excessive experimentation in the sequels was commendable, yet deemed an overreach. Then the third attempt miraculously delivered on the original's intentions, becoming a timeless classic. While the similarly evolving Final Fantasy trilogy on the Famicom may not be of quite the same quality, III successfully bridged the gap between its archaic beginnings and the masterpieces that followed. Thanks to the improvements in the Pixel Remaster release, it remains enjoyable even today.
Omitting II's most redeemable aspect, its sweeping and involving plot, III instead expands upon the first game. After a brief introductory dungeon, you're given access to nearly all the jobs featured in the original, now interchangeable at whim. From there, your rather insipid party wanders from town to town, lifting curses sent by the attractive female equivalent of Ghostbuster's Slimer.
III's biggest distinction is the debut of switchable jobs. Mastering the myriad of choices is often more engrossing than the main quest. While friendlier than previous FFIII releases, the job system is still far from perfect. Of the 22 assignable trades, some immediately feel too weak, obtuse, or simply grow obsolete. Calling upon powerful creatures, Summoners are introduced here. However, they compete for the same limited spell space of more essential White and Black Mage classes. Although spells can be switched out, their management feels needlessly cumbersome, discouraging me from undertaking the side quests to recruit the likes of Odin, Leviathan and Bahamut.
The dungeon design is vastly improved, offering more convincing caverns and fortresses than the grid and maze layouts of earlier games. All the better, since grinding is often a necessity to raise money, job proficiency and character levels. Reviled in previous versions, the last dungeon is ridiculously high stakes, lengthy and doesn't even allow exiting or saving once entered. Mercifully, the Pixel Remaster edition performs an auto save before each of the 5 boss fights.
Lengthy as the first two games combined and packed with vehicles, towns and multiple world maps, the rich gameplay definitely takes priority over story. Fleshed out in the 2006 3D remake, your party is again glaringly nondescript in this more straightforward upgrade to the Famicom original. The guest characters who tag along for a few hours offer more personality and motive. While not the most interesting crew, III certainly has a most interesting soundtrack. The overworld theme, 'Eternal Wind' is extremely engaging. The rousing flow of 'Eureka' and prettiness of 'Dorga' surpass the usual range of 8-bit sound, a preview of Nobuo Uematsu's approaching ascent to legendary status.
Though lacking the emotional saliency the series became famous for, this is the first Final Fantasy to find solid footing and remain worth playing beyond historical curiosity. While Square took longer to strike magic than the likes of Nintendo or Konami, Final Fantasy would go on to become one of gaming's most incredible franchises on its fourth try.
No comments:
Post a Comment