By: RJ (@rga_02)
Final Fantasy VI was my first Final Fantasy. I first played it when I was about 3 to 4 years old. Of course at an age that young I didn’t get far. But those moments as a wee little kid seeing Terra, Biggs & Wedge ride the magitek through the snow in the opening scene set a momentum for my life. Ever since then the series has been a part of my life thanks to VI, but it wasn’t until 2007 that my 9 year journey with the game finally saw the end. I’ve always wanted to talk about this game, so here it is.
Final Fantasy II set the pathway for a fully fleshed out story in a FF game, but it wasn’t until VI that it cemented that into the series. It’s a drama filled narrative that went above and beyond its counterparts at the time. No simple plots such as messing around searching for crystals with a bunch of pirates or getting kicked out of the Red Wings, Final Fantasy VI tells the story Gestahlian Empire trying to regain the power of the Espers in their bid for world domination. One day a girl with magic powers by the name of Terra shows up and the empire decides to send troops after her. Setting the course for a long journey for Terra and her comrades. VI not only tells the story of Terra, but also the story of the likes of characters such as Locke and everyone’s favorite womanizing king, Edgar. The story is consistent from beginning to end which is rarely seen in other jRPGs and within the Final Fantasy series itself. As much as I love and adore my underwater football stars, teenage soldiers from a flying academy or a rag tag group of heroes who’s too good to have any plans, VI outshines them when it comes to story-line. I’d even venture to say that VI has the most competent storyline out of every mainline game.
The story-line isn’t also what’s wonderful about VI. Its soundtrack is perhaps Uematsu’s greatest score. Even with the GBA’s poor audio quality, the sounds still shine brighter than a crystal. Almost every character has their own distinct flavor. Kefka’s main theme and final boss theme is both menacing yet graceful. Terra’s Theme brings out a hopeful mood and Mog’s theme is there to remind us that even with this depressive mood in the atmosphere, there is something quirky lying around the corner.
The battles in the game are still akin to its Super Famicom counterpart. You encounter enemies via random encounters out in the world map or scripted events. The battles feel good and aren’t broken and cheap. Of course you it can get very grindish in some parts, the overall game is relatively easy. The GBA version also adds new Espers to the table such as Diablos and everyone’s favorite, Gilgamesh. But who needs those losers when you have Odin?
Final Fantasy VI was the beginning of a new cinematic jRPG trend for Square on the Super Famicom and it was also the swan song for the GameBoy Advance. But to me, the most important legacy of this game was it was the game that introduced me to a series I hold dear too.