Game Review: Final Fantasy VI Advance (GBA)
An iconic game in the SNES RPG era, Final Fantasy VI (then known as Final Fantasy 3) made many people gamers. It was the transition point. Here we had a game that actually took itself seriously. Fantastic, sweeping plot. Beautifully composed musical score. Interesting characters. Gorgeous, hand-drawn monsters and landscapes. Secrets galore. Final Fantasy VI really had it all. The last of the Final Fantasy titles to get the Gameboy Advance treatment, and in actuality most likely the last great Gameboy Advance game, how does Final Fantasy VI Advance stand up to the original? We have a couple added features including a new localization and bonus dungeons, but does it feel the same? Does it still have that magic that we all felt 15 (!) years ago?
Shininess: Back in the glory days of the Super Nintendo, Final Fantasy 3 was the pinnacle of gorgeousness. Everything about the game was finely tuned to blow your socks off. From the pseudo-3d landscapes to the character and monster art to the music and theme songs, everything was fantastic. Usually my rosey nostalgia glasses tend to obscure flaws about much-loved childhood memories and games, but for FF3 I see in 20/20 vision. The game stands up even in this port, with added character portraits to dialog boxes and some small tweaks to battles. On a smaller screen the pixels tighten up and make the game look all the sharper. If you haven't played it before, you'll still be wowed by the graphics. The sound I found to be slightly off, however. In the process of porting over the unique sounds that FF3 utilized on the SNES board something was lost. I doubt that many people would notice it, and even less would be affected by it, but this was a soundtrack that I have been consistently listening to for 15 years... I know it all by heart five times over and even the slightest off key warble is like fingernails on a chalkboard. It just hits me a bit wrong. It's a good thing that Nobuo Uematsu is such a classic composer, though. Every character has their own theme, most towns have unique songs, all of it catchy and memorable. And who can forget the final sequence, the mix of Dancing Mad and the end theme? Best 20 minutes in gaming history. That's right, I said 20 minutes.
Funness: This game isn't known as the best Final Fantasy of all time for no good reason. It's incredibly fun. Each character has their own abilities, and being able to combine them all and finding your own favorite party is spectacular fun. The plot is engaging and mature for its time, and the new localization adds more flair to the dialog. I've probably played through this game 5 or 6 times and being able to play it again on the Gameboy Advance really breathes new life into it. Being able to take Final Fantasy with me wherever I go is exceptional, especially when it is my absolutely favorite FF of them all. Am I gushing too much? It's because this game is great and remains great even after so many years.
Worthiness: Of course this game is worthy. If you are an RPG lover, you must have this game. If you are even slightly interested in RPGs, Final Fantasy VI Advance will convince you to come over and play what made the SNES great. Now if only we can get some Chrono Trigger action up in here...
Score: 5/5 Buy it!
What say you?!