Review: Final Fantasy VI (PSN)

All of my favorite Final Fantasy games were pre-VII. I don’t really care for VII or the later Final Fantasy iterations; the classic NES/SNES visuals and systems are definitive features of the series for me. The last ditch effort of the original Final Fantasy game spawned a franchise which has grown so strong that even an entry widely regarded as a failure is incapable of damaging interest and fandom in the series as a whole. The simplicity and joy found in Final Fantasy I (for the sake of differentiation), along with the fiendishly difficult lead-up to the final boss battle, is difficult to mimic. Final Fantasy VI (known as Final Fantasy III when released on SNES in North America) took the formula of the original and improved it, so while Final Fantasy I holds a uniquely special place in my heart as my favorite of the series, Final Fantasy VI is the best of the series. Now, the PSX port of FFVI has been made available on PSN.

If you’ve played Final Fantasy VI, then just go ahead and skip to the end, because you aren’t going to find anything new here.

Go ahead, I’ll wait…

Ok, if you’re still reading, then you either don’t follow instructions well, or you haven’t played Final Fantasy VI. The biggest change from previous entries in the Final Fantasy series when you look at VI is the introduction of Desperation Attacks, which serve as predecessors to the series’ later Limit Breaks, etc. When most of your characters have reached a certain lower limit, you have the option to perform a devastatingly unbalanced attack known as a desperation attack. Only a select few of the game’s characters do not have access to this ability. Now, if you’ve played any of the other pre-VII Final Fantasy games, you’re pretty much at the same point as those who have already played Final Fantasy VI. Go on, skip to the end and I’ll catch up.

On your way, then…

Right. If you’re still reading, same admonishment as before, if necessary. For those of you who have never played a pre-VII Final Fantasy, these are sprite based 2D role playing games. The classic “Fight, Item, Magic, Run” kind of menu based combat makes managing multiple characters in a battle situation organized and effective. Random encounters, a veritable plethora of characters, multiple story paths, and a sprawling open world map all come together in Final Fantasy VI to provide you hours upon hours upon hours upon hours upon hours upon you get the point of entertainment. Defeat Kefka, recover from global-scale destruction, and have a good time while doing it.

The story, the soundtrack, the gameplay, the villain…everything in Final Fantasy VI makes it the epitome of 2D role playing games. The good guys lose half way through, and spend the second half picking up the pieces and avenging the world. Tell me that’s not entertaining, and I’ll tell you that you’re stupid. Is it worth purchasing the game again if you already have the PSX port of the original SNES? Only if you want a digital copy on your PS3/PSP, because it’s pretty much the same game. Is it worth purchasing if you only have the original SNES cartridge? Depending on how much you care, yes; the additional CG scenes that were added when porting from SNES to PSX are also included in the PSN download, so there will be some added value over what the original cartridge contains. Is it worth purchasing regardless of all of the aforementioned crap? It’s Final Fantasy VI, the best Final Fantasy game that you could ever hope to play. Why are you still reading this? Go buy it already and give Kefka a good old fashioned ass-kicking!