24 years after its creation, Final Fantasy III reaches our computer screens. Should it have remained in the past?
24 years ago, FFIII was released on SNES in Japan. 16 years later, Square Enix moulded it into a 3D version for the DS. 8 years after that, and FFIII has landed on our PCs. This version is very much the same as the one created for DS and Android, with enhanced graphics. At £10.99 on Steam, however, the game doesn’t come cheap. Unless you are an existing fan of the game and are seeking a blast of nostalgia, I’m not sure spending such a sum would be worth it.
FFIII is a fantasy role-playing game, the first to feature the series’ job-change system. The story involves four orphans, who are drawn to a crystal of light, from which they gain power and must save the world. As you explore, you collect treasure, venture into towns and villages and encounter monsters in the wilderness which you must fight.
Encountering monsters actually happens a lot, and gets irritating pretty quickly. Turn-based combat retains the old-school feel of an RPG, but the frequency of encounters leaves you feeling like you are constantly being trapped in a cave in Pokemon, assailed by Zubats at every step. And we all know how much we hate Zubats. Enemies and skills are animated, which at least adds a little dimension to battle scenarios.
The Job system allows you to interchange your class skills at will, although knowing what skills etc are required in your party for a particular boss is often a case of experimentation. Grinding to level your Jobs is not difficult, but is tedious. To level a Job, you must regularly shift between professions to learn new skills, or you can encounter crystals. There are over 20 jobs, some which are super useful (Knight, Mage, Thief) and some which are never useful at all (unless you really want to be a Bard). And in fact, the difficult of your encounters will rise rapidly, so grinding is unavoidable and essential. So although annoying to have to fight monsters at almost every movement, it is a necessary chore for the FFIII journey.
Picking the wrong fight, however, is punished cruelly. Attempting to enter a castle at low-level resulted in my immediate death, and I hadn’t saved. Although frustrating, FFIII leaves you burning with a desire to learn from your mistake and try again. Even ordinary monsters can provide a challenge, taking good chunks of your health off before you manage to dispatch them. FFIII is certainly not kind to its players. Finding your feet in the game requires a little patience and effort, but is that not the nature of an RPG?
There is a total lack of tutorial when it comes to key bindings for Square Enix’ port. Working out what button represents what is entirely up to you to find out, and you will have to spend some time experimentally tapping keys to see what they do. Although they are mostly common sense, the game would benefit from a little more guidance in order to save time for the player.
Graphically, the game looks like it has been torn straight from a DS screen and transplanted into our PCs, which heightens the sense of nostalgia. Everything is bigger, but otherwise very much the same. As ports go, this one falls a little short. Zooming in to examine the surroundings for sparkly interactive objects takes an age, and makes little sense when everything is enlarged for the sake of the PC screen anyway. It feels exactly as dated as it is, and getting past this sense of antique game play is the trick to truly appreciating the game. If you know that this will bother you, then steer clear. Nostalgia lovers only.
As in the DS version, you cannot save in a dungeon, so saving before entering a dungeon is essential. Bearing this in mind will save you frustration later!
Combat aside, exploration is a delight. As aforementioned, zooming in using the Z key reveals sparkling points of interest, and so it pays to do this often throughout the game. Hidden areas can be uncovered, or treasure, or a little side-route on your adventure.
The characters have a little more personality and background than the SNES version of 1990, but they essentially remain as vehicles for your own adventure. The game play overshadows the story, and I felt little connection for anyone in my party.
The audio is fairly fine-tuned, with your footsteps resounding as you explore, and dramatic battle sounds to pique your interest as you fight the millionth monster. The music however rarely changes, and will soon have you reaching for the mute button. Although this is just another move to preserve a sense of nostalgia, it is just too repetitive.
Conclusion
FFIII is difficult to come to a final decision on. The game itself is an outstanding example of an RPG (some may say it’s the best in the series!), with challenging battles and an engaging Job system, along with all the exploration you could dream of from the genre. Square Enix have retained the nostalgia of the DS game in the PC port, however the elements which made it suits to a handheld are not needed in the PC version, and are frustratingly still present. Monster encounters are tedious, as is the sound track. However, if you’re a fan of the series, and particularly Final Fantasy III, this is a must-play. Don’t bother paying the money unless you are sure you are comfortable with an old-fashioned trip down memory lane.
Disclaimer:All scores given within our reviews are based on the artist’s personal opinion; this should in no way impede your decision to purchase the game.
