OF A GOLDEN AGE

I loved Final Fantasy VI. The game juggles an insane array of characters (14!), almost all of whom have detailed backstories and individual side quests.

Some of many positives: FFVI has a great script. The game moves at a clip for the first half and part of the second half, with funny, moving dialogue. Most characters have a niche ability, for example learning the attacks and magic of enemies you encounter, throwing any item in your inventory, or elaborate attacks based on a time-release system. The weapons vary wildly, with some characters sharing weapons and others — main character Sabin uses pretty badass claw weapons — having their own individual types. Also, the world of FFVI contains the classic mix of medieval and futuristic elements to create a good steampunky environs, and they did a great job arranging Nobuo Uematsu’s quality score.

My only negatives: The game starts to drag in the second half, though the final sequence totally rules and probably makes up for it. Also, they throw in two additional characters toward the end who serve no real purpose, don’t talk or engage the rest of the characters, and are not particularly controllable in battle.

I reckon some would argue that SNES graphics hold this game back for contemporary players, especially if people think this about FFVII, which has (very early) PlayStation graphics. For me, part of the point of RPGs relates to their imagination and creativity, and I don’t like nor want lifelike avatars. If a story pulls me in even when its characters are tiny and pixelated, that means the storyline and dialogue work on their own.

At the bottom line, I liked this game better than IX by far, and probably better than VII. The characters resonated with me more, probably because of the great dialogue.

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