Final Fantasy VI is heralded as one
of the greatest JRPGs of not only the Super Nintendo era, but of all-time.
Beloved for its approach to storytelling, memorable characters, excellent
presentation and deep and exploitable battle system, Final Fantasy VI is
legendary among gamers, young and old. It says something about a game when a
debate rages on whether this title or its immediate sequel, Final Fantasy VII,
is the superior game. Even now, 20 years after its original Japanese release, Final
Fantasy VI is still an absolute classic that may have actually become better
with age.
Many
people point to Final Fantasy VII as the first truly cinematic Final Fantasy
game and while there is a case to be made there, I’d give the honor to Final Fantasy
VI. Everything in FFVI is presented with such a dramatic flair that it almost
feels like a movie at points. From the opening title scroll to the ending
credits, the game knows how to present itself. At certain points, it feels like
a play, at others, a movie and when it wants to feel like a video game, it’ll
feel like a video game. It runs the gambit and it rarely oversteps its
boundaries or overstays its welcome. Final Fantasy VI is the rare game that
pushes everything to the limit but knows when to show some restraint.
Final
Fantasy VI is a decidedly typical RPG. Coming off of the ambitious job system
of Final Fantasy V, it’s fairly clear that Square had wanted to have more of a
focus on the game’s narrative rather than its battle system. That isn’t to say
that the battle system is terrible, it’s just fairly shallow and run of the
mill compared to the in-depth and layered job system of Final Fantasy V. Every
single party member falls into a unchangeable job class but can be
further customized with gear and magic stones called “Espers”.
These
Espers are Final Fantasy VI’s main form of customization. Depending on the
Esper that a party member has equipped, they will learn certain spells and also
see exponential increases in select stats. It is a step back from FFV’s
job system but it is also decidedly less grind-heavy and more beginner
friendly. It strikes a fair balance and while some may bemoan the relative lack
of customization, it does its job admirably. There are a little over two dozen
Espers to collect, some of which require a bit of exploration so players
looking for a little extra to do in their RPG will get a lot of mileage out of the
Esper system.
Final
Fantasy VI continues to use the iconic ATB system introduced in Final Fantasy
IV. I’ve never been a huge fan of this particular battle system but I don’t
think it’s altogether abhorrent. It’s very generous towards the enemies,
especially those that use status effects, but the developers had the foresight
to make certain characters have abilities that benefitted from the constantly
flowing battle system. Techniques, like Cyan’s Bushido or Umaro’s basic attack,
are clever ways to have the battle system work in your favor. I’ve always
thought that the ATB system was a tired way to liven the typical RPG battle
system but Final Fantasy VI pulls some strings to make it work a bit better
than it had in the past.
One
of the game’s bigger faults is with the pacing. Final Fantasy VI is not lacking
in boss fights and even though I was generally at a high enough level to beat
them on my first encounter, there were some where I completely hit a wall. It’s
a problem that I’ve encountered with nearly all RPGs but Final Fantasy VI’s
penchant for throwing bosses in places where they don’t necessarily belong is
frustrating and hampers the pacing at several key parts. In addition, the
game’s high random encounter rate can make getting from Point A to Point B a
far more difficult task than need be.
The
game’s dungeons are a mixed bag. About half of them are a straight shot to the
end, littered with random battles and treasure chests but the other half of the
dungeons interjects puzzle elements into the mix. It’s a neat way to shake
things up and while the puzzles are never very complex or daunting, it was an
honest attempt on Square’s part that mostly paid off. If we ever get another 2D
Final Fantasy title, I’d love to see this concept expanded upon because it had
some potential. Well, that and we’ll probably never see another Golden Sun.
Perhaps
the most beloved thing about Final Fantasy VI, outside of its main villain, is
the incredible soundtrack. Uematsu’s soundtrack runs the emotional gauntlet.
Joyous, melancholy, depressing, inspiring; all this and more is present in one
of Uematsu’s greatest works. This game’s soundtrack is testament to not only
Uematsu’s talent, but the power of the Super Nintendo sound chip. It is
stunning that this game’s soundtrack can be as fresh and exhilarating as it was
20 years ago. In a series (and on a system) that is no stranger to fantastic
soundtracks; Final Fantasy VI still has a distinct and memorable sound that is
as outstanding as it is iconic.
Final
Fantasy VI’s graphical style isn’t quite as timeless as the soundtrack but the
colorful sprites, detailed animations and plentiful amounts of Mode 7 give this
game a definite flair that helps it to standout from its Super Nintendo
contemporaries. The game has a tendency to repeat certain sprite-sets (mostly
cave, grass and town sprites) but considering the game’s age and scope, it
would be asking quite a bit for it to make every single area completely
different.
Besides,
the stand-out qualities of the art-style come from the enemies and the sprite
animations. The enemies, in particular, look astounding. "Detailed" doesn’t even
begin to describe some of the later bosses and many of the standard enemies
look especially imposing when compared to your chibi-style party. Speaking of,
the chibi overworld sprites that are used for your party members are
surprisingly versatile as far as conveying emotion goes. A little goes a long
way as all of the sprites manage to accurately portray the emotions being felt
by the characters. It says a lot when a Super Nintendo game doesn’t need to
spell out every single character’s inner thoughts in order to elicit an
emotional reaction.
The
game’s approach to storytelling isn’t anything incredibly groundbreaking (much
of the groundwork was laid by FFIV) but it is so refined and excellently done
that it deserves the highest commendation. The way that the soundtrack,
graphics and even the gameplay all come together to tell the story is something
that had never been done so excellently before. When the game wants to
punctuate an event, it knows exactly how to do so. No character’s death or existential
crisis lasts for too long and the game knows how lighten the mood without
drastically or uncomfortably shifting the tone.
Final
Fantasy VI’s story unfolds in such a way that it’s unclear as to whether there
is a main character or not. This was a deliberate decision and it is one that
works almost flawlessly. Three characters get more focus than others but almost
every single party member (sans two who are “secret” anyway) have their own
miniature arc that has a natural progression. Pinpointing the main character of
Final Fantasy VI almost defeats the purpose of the story. It is not the story
of Terra or Locke; it is the story of everyone involved from Terra to Kefka.
The
game’s actual story is one of the finest JRPG stories of the 1990s. A story of
friendship, loss, nihilists and rebels, it tackles several themes and never
sticks the landing. Does it dare to tread taboo or forbidden territory? No, it
doesn’t but the themes it tackles are handled in such a manner that you almost
forget how cliché the game can come across. Final Fantasy VI runs into the
whole “Power of Friendship” trap that many other JRPGs fall into but it is done
in such a way to avoid ruining the entire experience. The eventual victory of
our heroes comes about as a result of perseverance and skill, not because they
believed in “the heart of the cards” or “in each other” or whatever excuse is
popular nowadays.
The
game’s original Super Nintendo script, done by veteran Square scribe Ted
Woosely, is serviceable but is by no means perfect. Gender confusion,
censorship issues and poorly translated lines are common but they are generally
regulated to townspeople dialogue. The important parts of the game play out
like they’re supposed to without a single major translation gaffe. When a
mistake does pop up during a sidequest or other event, it is fairly jarring and
can take you out of the experience but it’s rare enough that I never really had
a problem with it.
Final
Fantasy VI is an astoundingly well put-together RPG. It still falls into some
genre trappings like a weird translation or an obscenely high encounter rate
but what Final Fantasy VI does well, it does extremely well. The soundtrack and
story are some of the best on the Super Nintendo and the game’s presentation
was ahead of its time and proof that the old Super Nintendo still had some life
in it even as 5th generation consoles were starting to rear their
janky polygonal heads. The way the game combines its major components to create
an audiovisual banquet is something that must be experienced first-hand. Say
what you will about Square’s current standing; nothing they do will undermine
the seminal classic that is Final Fantasy VI
Final Score: 8.5
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