HOME                REVIEWS A-G                REVIEWS H-N                REVIEWS O-S                REVIEWS T-Z              CONTACT

FINAL FANTASY III Company: Square Released: October 1994 Genre: Turn-based RPG Graphics: 9.0 Control: 9.0 Sound/Music: 9.5 Storyline: 9.5 Review by: Corbie Dillard ©2008 SUPER-NES.COM

What can you say about the Final Fantasy series that already hasn't been said a million times before. Even the mere mention of the game invokes sheer excitement on the faces of fans of the series. This game was a welcome release here in the US with the non-release of Final Fantasy V. This game was released in Japan as Final Fantasy VI, and it's the game that finally brought Final Fantasy the type of recognition it had long deserved here in the US when it was released here as Final Fantasy III on the Super NES. Epic storylines, beautiful 16-bit graphics, and about as well-rounded an RPG as one could ever hope to play. Graphically, FF3 is one of the best looking non-rendered games you'll find for the Super NES. It's got the level of color and detail that Square has become synonomous with. Towns have a lot of detail and animation to them, and even the battle scenes match the area in which you are fighting. I was especially impressed with the look of the towns. They all have a very personal look to them and the scenery is constantly changing no matter where you go in the game. I knocked the score down a notch because I wasn't terribly thrilled with the Mode-7 style overhead map, but it serves it's purpose. Other than that one tiny gripe, there isn't much to dislike about FF3. Square always goes the extra mile graphically, and Final Fantasy III is no exception. As with 99% of Square's games, the soundtrack in Final Fantasy III is superb. Every track has that distinctive Square rpg sound and if you're one that can appreciate the time and effort Square puts into its rpg soundtracks, then you'll love this game. While not quite as good as that of Chrono Trigger, at least in my humble opinion, FF3 does have the kind of soundtrack that you'll want to listen to time and time again. From the up-tempo battle songs, to the softer tempo ballads, FF3 has as varied a game soundtrack as you'll find in any one rpg. In fact, of all the Final Fantasy soundtracks, FF3 is just behind FFX as far as my favorite in the series. If you can still find one, I would highly recommend the CD soundtrack for this one. Beautifully done. With the release of Final Fantasy III we were introduced to Square's new turn-based battle system. Known as the "ATB", or "Active-Time-Battle" system, it adds a little more strategy to the standard turn-based combat system of old. Now each character has an ATB bar that fills up as time passes. A character can't select a new combat command until his/her ATB bar completely fills up. Once the character executes the selected command, the bar empties and the player must once again wait until the bar fills up before selecting a new command. This makes the timing of selections crucial as you have to pick and choose the commands you select more carefully. Every character you use also has a special ability. Terra, for instance, has a morphing ability that really comes in handy at times, but you have to be careful how often you use it as it also has a timing gauge. Magic also plays a key role in battles and is another thing that has to be used efficiently to be effective in most of the battles later on in the game. You move around via an odd-looking Mode-7 overhead map. From there you can visit towns, caves, and even castles. When you're out on the overhead map you will encounter random battles that are a great way to advance your character's levels and make some serious money. Final Fantasy III is a well-balanced game that will keep you quite busy for many, many hours. While I'm not as crazy about the ATB system as some, it does add a lot to the playability of the turn-based combat. Overall an outstanding gameplay system that might take some players a little time to get used to. I could go on and on about Final Fantasy III but the bottom line is if you love rpgs, then there's no reason you shouldn't own this game. It's top shelf and a tribute to what can be accomplished when developers put the time and energy into making everything just right. Beautiful visuals, an amazing soundtrack, and enough variety of gameplay to keep even the most diehard rpg player busy for weeks. If you have a Super NES system, this game should be at the top of your list.