I probably wouldn't have rated it that high, but I have to admit it was outstanding in many places, I'm not a fan of giving anything a ten but that's the fun of many people doing different reviews and reviewing things differently. this one was exceptionally well played out and I actually found myself playing this one longer until I got tired of playing it and traded it in for something else. can't wait for your next installment/s of review/s, maybe I might encounter a review of a game I haven't played or might want to revisit :) so keep those reviews coming !
Final Fantasy VI game Review
Story & Playability
Year: 1994
Company: Square Soft.
Genre: RPG
Age rating: 10-12+
Systems: SNES, GBA, PSX
Last Final Fantasy game for the 4th generation of consoles and last one to follow the traditional style. With superior graphics and even better soundtrack this game was like a mini revolution for the time because it drove the maximum out of the SNES. It showed what Final Fantasy games are and for what they will follow. More of the details find in this review.
Presentation
World
Still the traditional, still the one Final Fantasy that we know and that we like. This one was no exception. It combined the old with the new, trying to bring up the style that would be able to follow with the storyline itself.
Again there are multiple worlds, where the first half of the game you will play in the normal one and the second on in the world of ruin. The difference between these two is huge and fit exactly the atmosphere that is around it. While playing through the World of the ruin you will wish to return back to the first one, but at the same time you will be astonished by the details that they new world has and you will try to discover all its secrets.
The interesting aspect this time is the sight on how you see it. It is again overhead view in the 2D graphics, but that actually changes a little when you get on a chocobo or in airship. Aside from those there are also underwater traveling and similar (which will keep you from the repetitive feeling of the overworld map that you go through).
Story
Starting from the rebellion and going all the way to finding the true meaning of life and trying to save it… That my dear reader, is Final Fantasy VI. It has one of the best storylines that you will see in any game that dated back then, period. That is how much I can say about this, it is just fantastic like that.
Full of emotional moments to just ones that will make you curious and the ones that will impress you so much and keep you astonished that you will never forget them. Opera scene, beginning of the World of ruin, final battle, going through the beginning, are all just one of the things that will leave a life time memory in you.
The story follows different types of people with different ambitions but all with the same goal. To defeat the evil that is rising and put a stop to it. Throughout the game, not only one, but more twists will appear to keep you entertained. And cliffhangers? Of course, everything is presented here. The game starts will only a battle against the empire, but will soon turn into something much bigger. The story is told nicely and all that combined with all the secrets and side quests will only make you into going more and more into it, until you finally beat it and embrace it.
If this game doesn’t wake you the inner emotions in you and make you think about the world and yourself, then none game will.
Characters
Like I mentioned above, each character has its own ambitions and goals, but each follow the same cause. That is made so that it will keep you more interested about them and how they all came together. It might feel like a destiny for them, but it was actually just a pure coincidence. Coincidence that will their adventure into something much greater.
Some characters are even relatives to each other and some might become something even more as the time goes on. That will keep you more interested into them, but sometimes you might feel disappointed about endings and certain side quests in regard to them. Even so they still offer enough info to keep you busy and curious. Some people have even played this game multiple times and haven’t found out every secret about their favorite character. Developers sure thought about everything while working on them.
Other characters and especially NPCs are also very interesting. They go from just being goofy ones to very helpful ones.
It is an interesting aspect to when they world changes and how these characters change as well. That goes for your main
ones from the party too.
Villains are another point for this game. Some even include the famous Kefka as the best villain from all the Final
Fantasy games. He sure puts a good show and is so mad that you just have to love him!
Pros: Emotional and amazing story that will keep you interested and in playing
it, characters, world theme change…
Cons: If you find one, tell me, because then I am the blind one
Rating:
Graphics
From the flowing dungeons to the busy towns, you will be astonished with what SNES is able to do. It follows pretty much the same style as the previous games but it adds a new feel to it. Characters as well as all surroundings look a lot more detailed, the sizes are different and there a lot of changes in presentations and overall visuals that it has to show. All in all, it is a masterpiece.
The colors of this game are quite different as well. It might appear more dark and appealing to the theme, but definitely not on what you are used from the serial. It will become even more so as you enter the second world, but that just adds to the feeling that you should have around. Animations of the attacks and characters itself are good and improved too. Summons might look a little bit off and sometimes you will actually think that they went a little overboard with trying to improve the resolution of the details and size.
Still with all the minor flaws and the outdated feel that this game carries, it still is classic in its own way and will keep you entertained. Funny trivia at the end to say is that there are lot of hilarious and interesting animations that characters do. Those are for you to find out.
Pros: interesting and good animations, appealing graphic themes
Cons: size and resolutions sometimes… Other than that nothing
Rating:
Sound
Composed by the legendary Nobuo Uematsu, it will never leave you annoyed. It is over to all the annoying old music and the quality. The time has come for it to change completely and so it did. While all other FF games on this generation of consoles had those changes, this one takes it to the whole new level.
Music is amazing, simply put as that. Each situation has its own theme and it fits just accordingly how it should. There are some really emotional and sad ones, to the ones that will make your blood boil. And these are battle theme music, Dancing mad being the most famous one. You think that games from this age can’t have something that impressive? Well my friend, think again, because this huge collection of music is worth every praise that there is.
Even sound effects are getting better and better and this game proves it. Being it just from an attack from a battle or the famous opera scene, it will still make a bigger impact and impression for all of you.
Pros: great music, great music, great music
Cons: *is busy listening to its soundtrack to actually think of anything*
Rating:
Fun
Gameplay
The game has nice graphic, an amazing soundtrack and an even better plot. Do we need something more? Well yes, of course! And that is the gameplay itself. This time it changes it a little, adding more espers (summons) to the game and making you actually draw magic out of them. This game also introduced desperate attacks to the series (although they are very tricky and hard to do in this game) and added some new style of story telling with you choosing which first part to take, more freedom in playing, more side quests and far more items, including relics which are special items that add specific attributes to each character.
Other than that it follows the same active battle style from the previous game, with you selecting 4 characters for your party (out of 16 total from which you can choose and find) and battling the enemies. The enemies itself have quite different attacks and are all interesting on their own. There are also many bosses and they prove to be quite challenging. Don’t be surprised if you keep dying again and again at some points. Still this game doesn’t require lots of gridding and everything comes on its own slowly. It may appear complicated at first, but you will soon begin to understand its concept.
Aside from the smooth controls and good overlay, this game has some bugs which may result in even being unplayable at some points. These bugs are rare, but they can happen. That is for the original version, that all was changed later on.
Differences between ports
There are not much and this is the first FF game out of the first six ones that had ports to include the same graphic style to all of them with no changes. The soundtrack is also the same in all the versions.
But there are some differences with the gameplay. GBA and PSX version include a run button and also has some of the bugs fixed. There are also some new items, dungeons, enemies and summons in the game. (most notably for the GBA version) The translations are also different, which might be better to some and are more accurate.
Pros: Many entertaining side quests, interesting way of leveling up which also
doesn’t require lots of gridding
Cons: it still has that classic appeal and may not be enough for some, hardness
in doing some special moves and some slight bugs
Similar games
Final Fantasy series I-V : All of them share the same style like this one and if you liked one of them, then you definitely need to try the rest of them. Each game is unique and interesting to its own.
RPGs on SNES: Not to say about any specifically, all of them share a connection to this one. There is a huge collection of similar RPGs with similar style, from Star Ocean to Dragon Quest and the same ones that will be interesting to you as well.
Final Verdict
This is the game that defines its genre. It came out back then and even if it looks aged it actually isn’t. The main thing that this game holds will always live on. It is one of the best Final Fantasy games and one of the most legendary in the history. It is still not a perfect game, but if you are into classics and want to try something that might not only make fun for you, but also wake inner of you, then try it. Even casual gamers might not be disappointed.
Graphics: 9/10 – the very top of the games back then and can impress even
today
Sound: 10/10 – to say this, one of the best soundtracks of all games from that
generation
Gameplay: 9/10 – so many things to do and explore, it will almost never leave
you bored
Presentation: 10/10 – with no flaws, it is a masterpiece
Overall: 9.5/10 – one of the best RPGs back then and it still hasn’t
completely aged
Rating:
Final Verdict
9.5000 (excellent)
Reviewed by LightFykki, Dec 12, 2011
Comments
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angelxxuan Banned Member Dec 13, 2011
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SnickerdoodleNinja Retired Moderator Dec 28, 2011
I've been really interested in FF6, and I think your review has given me the motivation to finally play it! :D You had great organization and depth, and a nice amount of your own personal voice in it as well. I might recommend a brief plot synopsis so that people know a little more about what they're getting into, but overall very nice job! :)
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AirJack Jan 06, 2012
FFIV is definitely in my Top 5 list of Final Fantasy Game of All Time.
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Drakill Jun 14, 2012
Final Fantasy is awesome! And the quality of the clips in the game are amazing! (O_O)
Definitely a great game to play!
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