Lo increíble de éste juego es la revolución qué representó en el jrpg en sus mecánicas, y logra estár tan equilibrado qué siempre resulta un reto interesante, es un juego tan divertido qué es una lastima qué su historia sea tan simple y sin mucha sustancia, incluso con ésto, creó qué es un excelente videojuego.
The Final Fantasy series had a pretty basic, yet still enjoyable start when it came to the original entry on the NES, but then it hit a bit of a snag in the road whenever the second entry rolled around. It wasn’t a terrible game by any means, but several elements of the game paled in comparison to what we had before, and the leveling system in the game somewhat butchered it to where you could either break the game in half, or it would break you in half. Thankfully though, the devs at Square learned from their mistakes in that entry, and would improve upon the formula for the next game in the series, which, like Final Fantasy II, we would not see here in the west for 31 FUCKING YEARS. Yeah, we would get a remake of the game for the DS in 2006, but in terms of the original game, we would not see that version until the Pixel Remaster would be released in 2021. Not sure what took them so long with that one, but either way, we still have plenty of ways to check out this new entry known as Final Fantasy III.
Like with the other two Final Fantasy games beforehand, I had primarily played through a later version of the game before diving into the original. I had first played the PSP port of the remake of the game, and I remember having a good enough time with that version (ignoring some elements I will get to later), and I figured I would have just as good of a time with the original version. So, from playing that game, I can say… the other versions are much better, but as it stands, Final Fantasy III is still a pretty good game, and definitely the best of the original trilogy. It does have its fair share of problems, and it certainly doesn’t reach the heights of other games in the series, but it was still a fun game to revisit, even through its original version.
The story is, compared to Final Fantasy II, much more simple and back-to-basics, where you follow this group of kids who go on a quest to save the world from the evil Xande, gathering four crystals that each hold a power of the elements, and growing to be more powerful and mature along the way, which, again, is much more basic, but with elements like the world and characters you find being much more fleshed out and memorable, it makes for an enjoyable plot overall. The graphics are, once again, on a very similar level to that of the previous two games, but it is definitely the best looking of the original trilogy, pushing the NES to its limits with some of the animations and enemy designs, the music is pretty good once again, having plenty of different songs and tunes that I ended up really liking, even if I prefer their remixes in the remake more, the control is exactly what it sounds like, so moving on, and the gameplay is, again, almost identical to previous games, but it is greatly improved upon in various areas, while also cleaning up after the mess that FFII left behind.
The game is your typical old-school RPG, where you take control of four unnamed warriors, travel across the large world that lays before you, while visiting many different towns, dungeons, and what have you, talk to plenty of NPCs to either get hints on where to go next, purchase additional equipment, weapons, or items, or to just simply have a nice little chat, find many different treasures across the land, and of course, get into random battles. These work, once again, almost identically to the original game, where you will take turns on deciding whether or not to attack your opponent with weapons or magic, use items, or to defend, using many different tools and strategies against many different opponents, and you will gain experience points at the end to level up, which thankfully works like the first game rather than the stupid way that the second game tried out. So thankfully, the battles are fixed and greatly improved upon, with the game as a whole being fun to play through, especially with the new changes and additions made here.
First off, this is the first game in the series to feature the Job System, a mechanic which would become a staple for the rest of the series. If you remember back in the first game, at the beginning, you would choose which job your character would be, and they would stick with that throughout the whole journey, but with this game, you can now switch between jobs at any time you want… as long as you have enough capacity points to afford it. And in terms of the jobs, there are quite a lot to choose from, with plenty of returning jobs like Fighter, the Mages, Thief, and others, as well as plenty of new ones, like Dragoons, Summoners, Scholars and more. While not all of these classes are really all that good, a lot of them can be pretty useful, especially when it comes to certain parts of the game and some certain fights. Although, with that being said, there are plenty of moments in the game where the player will HAVE to switch to a different job in order to get past a certain part, or even to get past a specific boss or enemy because they are the preferred job. Personally, while some of this was a little annoying (especially when you have to be shrunken down), I didn’t really mind this too much. I am the type of guy who, when it comes to having many options of classes to choose from in a game, typically likes to find one class that would best suit me, and stick with it throughout the entirety of me playing the game. So, while I wouldn’t prefer to switch around my classes, this method of doing so does allow me to experiment with some others that I otherwise wouldn’t try, and eventually even grow to keep using as they become new favorites. I’ll at least give the game credit for doing that for me, anyway.
In addition, compared to the previous two Final Fantasy games, this game is HUGE. From the start, you have this one overworld to go through and take on plenty of things in, but then, whenever you get the opportunity to, you can leave this world and discover more overworlds to explore, leading to even more things to do, things to fight and find, and places to see. It certainly isn’t as big or expansive as many other RPGs later down the line, but for being an NES RPG, there is a lot to see and do here, and a lot of it is a lot of fun to see and do. Not only is there more to offer when it comes to the overworld though, there is also much more to offer in terms of… well, everything else. More weapons, more jobs, more characters, more airships, more treasures, more everything! There is so much to do in this particular entry, and if you are a big fan of old school RPGs like this one, then this one will make sure it gives you your money’s worth and then some.
However, don’t think that I consider everything in this game to be perfect, OH NO, because there are several elements that do drag it down. First of all, despite all of the different jobs, weapons, and spells that you can manage throughout your journey, the game can still get pretty brutal at times. Even if you are at a particularly good level, there are a lot of enemies that will manage to do MASSIVE loads of damage on you, have attacks that can wipe you on your ass in no time at all, and there are even plenty of enemies that can divide themselves up whenever you attack them, making them much more of a pain in the ass to deal with. I mentioned before how I didn’t really mind so much that you are basically required to swap jobs at certain points in the game to get through certain areas, but that doesn’t make dealing with some of the monsters you encounter any easier. It can especially be a pain when you have to face off against creatures when you are required to be tiny, and like I also mentioned before, there are some classes that are just better suited to certain fights, making it feel like you NEED to switch to them in those instances.
And then, there is one more aspect that drags the entire experience down, one that any player of Final Fantasy III knows by heart, and loathes all the same. Say it with me now, everyone: it’s the Crystal Tower! This is the final dungeon of the game, and it is absolutely the worst part of the game at the same time. Appropriately, this dungeon contains some of the strongest enemies in the entire game, which are already hard enough to deal with, but then there are also the bosses. On top of the final two bosses you have to face, there are also FOUR OTHER BOSSES that you have to fight when going through this tower, and while some can be taken out pretty easily, others can be a huge pain in the ass, with me being barely able to get through them by the skin of my teeth. With all that being said though, you wanna know what the worst part about this entire dungeon is? You have to do it all WITH NO SAVING. From the moment you enter this tower, all the way to you beating the final boss, you have to do it all with no save points in the middle whatsoever, which, when taking what you have to deal with in the dungeon into consideration, is a massive handicap on the player. Thankfully though, when it comes to the Pixel Remaster of the game, there is a quick save option in it, so you won’t have to worry about it there, and even if you are playing on an emulator, you can just use save states to make the journey much less excruciating, but if you are playing the remake of this game, or you wanna go at it the way it was intended… just, be prepared. Trust me, you will want to at least be, like, around the mid-40s in terms of levels before entering there.
Overall, despite some of the job switching moments, some pretty cruel bosses and enemies here or there, and the entire Crystal Tower needing to fuck off for all eternity, I would still say that Final Fantasy III is still a pretty good game, being the best of the original NES trilogy, and bringing plenty of new elements to the series, both big and small, while still remaining just as fun and satisfying to get through. I would recommend it for those who are big fans of the Final Fantasy series, or for those who are a big fan of old school RPGs in general, because despite those grievances I mentioned earlier, there will definitely be something that you can love or appreciate from this game. Just, you know, be prepared for the Crystal Tower whenever you get around to it. Seriously, even the developers of the game thought they went too far on that dungeon, it is that bad.
Game #450
Like with the other two Final Fantasy games beforehand, I had primarily played through a later version of the game before diving into the original. I had first played the PSP port of the remake of the game, and I remember having a good enough time with that version (ignoring some elements I will get to later), and I figured I would have just as good of a time with the original version. So, from playing that game, I can say… the other versions are much better, but as it stands, Final Fantasy III is still a pretty good game, and definitely the best of the original trilogy. It does have its fair share of problems, and it certainly doesn’t reach the heights of other games in the series, but it was still a fun game to revisit, even through its original version.
The story is, compared to Final Fantasy II, much more simple and back-to-basics, where you follow this group of kids who go on a quest to save the world from the evil Xande, gathering four crystals that each hold a power of the elements, and growing to be more powerful and mature along the way, which, again, is much more basic, but with elements like the world and characters you find being much more fleshed out and memorable, it makes for an enjoyable plot overall. The graphics are, once again, on a very similar level to that of the previous two games, but it is definitely the best looking of the original trilogy, pushing the NES to its limits with some of the animations and enemy designs, the music is pretty good once again, having plenty of different songs and tunes that I ended up really liking, even if I prefer their remixes in the remake more, the control is exactly what it sounds like, so moving on, and the gameplay is, again, almost identical to previous games, but it is greatly improved upon in various areas, while also cleaning up after the mess that FFII left behind.
The game is your typical old-school RPG, where you take control of four unnamed warriors, travel across the large world that lays before you, while visiting many different towns, dungeons, and what have you, talk to plenty of NPCs to either get hints on where to go next, purchase additional equipment, weapons, or items, or to just simply have a nice little chat, find many different treasures across the land, and of course, get into random battles. These work, once again, almost identically to the original game, where you will take turns on deciding whether or not to attack your opponent with weapons or magic, use items, or to defend, using many different tools and strategies against many different opponents, and you will gain experience points at the end to level up, which thankfully works like the first game rather than the stupid way that the second game tried out. So thankfully, the battles are fixed and greatly improved upon, with the game as a whole being fun to play through, especially with the new changes and additions made here.
First off, this is the first game in the series to feature the Job System, a mechanic which would become a staple for the rest of the series. If you remember back in the first game, at the beginning, you would choose which job your character would be, and they would stick with that throughout the whole journey, but with this game, you can now switch between jobs at any time you want… as long as you have enough capacity points to afford it. And in terms of the jobs, there are quite a lot to choose from, with plenty of returning jobs like Fighter, the Mages, Thief, and others, as well as plenty of new ones, like Dragoons, Summoners, Scholars and more. While not all of these classes are really all that good, a lot of them can be pretty useful, especially when it comes to certain parts of the game and some certain fights. Although, with that being said, there are plenty of moments in the game where the player will HAVE to switch to a different job in order to get past a certain part, or even to get past a specific boss or enemy because they are the preferred job. Personally, while some of this was a little annoying (especially when you have to be shrunken down), I didn’t really mind this too much. I am the type of guy who, when it comes to having many options of classes to choose from in a game, typically likes to find one class that would best suit me, and stick with it throughout the entirety of me playing the game. So, while I wouldn’t prefer to switch around my classes, this method of doing so does allow me to experiment with some others that I otherwise wouldn’t try, and eventually even grow to keep using as they become new favorites. I’ll at least give the game credit for doing that for me, anyway.
In addition, compared to the previous two Final Fantasy games, this game is HUGE. From the start, you have this one overworld to go through and take on plenty of things in, but then, whenever you get the opportunity to, you can leave this world and discover more overworlds to explore, leading to even more things to do, things to fight and find, and places to see. It certainly isn’t as big or expansive as many other RPGs later down the line, but for being an NES RPG, there is a lot to see and do here, and a lot of it is a lot of fun to see and do. Not only is there more to offer when it comes to the overworld though, there is also much more to offer in terms of… well, everything else. More weapons, more jobs, more characters, more airships, more treasures, more everything! There is so much to do in this particular entry, and if you are a big fan of old school RPGs like this one, then this one will make sure it gives you your money’s worth and then some.
However, don’t think that I consider everything in this game to be perfect, OH NO, because there are several elements that do drag it down. First of all, despite all of the different jobs, weapons, and spells that you can manage throughout your journey, the game can still get pretty brutal at times. Even if you are at a particularly good level, there are a lot of enemies that will manage to do MASSIVE loads of damage on you, have attacks that can wipe you on your ass in no time at all, and there are even plenty of enemies that can divide themselves up whenever you attack them, making them much more of a pain in the ass to deal with. I mentioned before how I didn’t really mind so much that you are basically required to swap jobs at certain points in the game to get through certain areas, but that doesn’t make dealing with some of the monsters you encounter any easier. It can especially be a pain when you have to face off against creatures when you are required to be tiny, and like I also mentioned before, there are some classes that are just better suited to certain fights, making it feel like you NEED to switch to them in those instances.
And then, there is one more aspect that drags the entire experience down, one that any player of Final Fantasy III knows by heart, and loathes all the same. Say it with me now, everyone: it’s the Crystal Tower! This is the final dungeon of the game, and it is absolutely the worst part of the game at the same time. Appropriately, this dungeon contains some of the strongest enemies in the entire game, which are already hard enough to deal with, but then there are also the bosses. On top of the final two bosses you have to face, there are also FOUR OTHER BOSSES that you have to fight when going through this tower, and while some can be taken out pretty easily, others can be a huge pain in the ass, with me being barely able to get through them by the skin of my teeth. With all that being said though, you wanna know what the worst part about this entire dungeon is? You have to do it all WITH NO SAVING. From the moment you enter this tower, all the way to you beating the final boss, you have to do it all with no save points in the middle whatsoever, which, when taking what you have to deal with in the dungeon into consideration, is a massive handicap on the player. Thankfully though, when it comes to the Pixel Remaster of the game, there is a quick save option in it, so you won’t have to worry about it there, and even if you are playing on an emulator, you can just use save states to make the journey much less excruciating, but if you are playing the remake of this game, or you wanna go at it the way it was intended… just, be prepared. Trust me, you will want to at least be, like, around the mid-40s in terms of levels before entering there.
Overall, despite some of the job switching moments, some pretty cruel bosses and enemies here or there, and the entire Crystal Tower needing to fuck off for all eternity, I would still say that Final Fantasy III is still a pretty good game, being the best of the original NES trilogy, and bringing plenty of new elements to the series, both big and small, while still remaining just as fun and satisfying to get through. I would recommend it for those who are big fans of the Final Fantasy series, or for those who are a big fan of old school RPGs in general, because despite those grievances I mentioned earlier, there will definitely be something that you can love or appreciate from this game. Just, you know, be prepared for the Crystal Tower whenever you get around to it. Seriously, even the developers of the game thought they went too far on that dungeon, it is that bad.
Game #450
Game Review - originally written by Spinner 8
I can not say enough good things about this game. I love it. A lot. I didn’t think I would, but look what happened! Yeah, so this game is a hell of a lot better than the first two Final Fantasy games, in almost all respects: vastly improved graphics (on par with those of FF4), a kickass soundtrack (including the coolest boss music EVER).. Basically it’s just a helluva fun game. Think FF5 with less plot. When you win a battle you get Capacity points, and you can use those to change Jobs. Whenever you get to a Crystal you have get more Jobs that you can use, and, uh, stuff. This is probably my favorite Final Fantasy game out there (except for possibly FF7, but we won’t get into that), and is definitely one of the best 8-bit games I have ever played. It starts out kinda rough, but once you get past the beginning, it’s great. Really
I can not say enough good things about this game. I love it. A lot. I didn’t think I would, but look what happened! Yeah, so this game is a hell of a lot better than the first two Final Fantasy games, in almost all respects: vastly improved graphics (on par with those of FF4), a kickass soundtrack (including the coolest boss music EVER).. Basically it’s just a helluva fun game. Think FF5 with less plot. When you win a battle you get Capacity points, and you can use those to change Jobs. Whenever you get to a Crystal you have get more Jobs that you can use, and, uh, stuff. This is probably my favorite Final Fantasy game out there (except for possibly FF7, but we won’t get into that), and is definitely one of the best 8-bit games I have ever played. It starts out kinda rough, but once you get past the beginning, it’s great. Really
Its Peak
Final Fantasy III is mostly a big mechanical improvement from the first two games and has quite a larger, more interesting world. It's also quite good looking for NES, and has a ton of great music.
But the difficulty is a bit overboard. The scenarios which force you to change jobs are tiresome, as they also require you to buy the necessary equipment and spells to get through particular challenges, and ideally grind up the job level a bit too. I don't want to buy a bunch of spells to get through another forced Mini dungeon. And those dungeons with multiplying enemies, fuck. Unless you get perfect RNG and Flee works every time, you basically can't survive unless you go out of your way to buy Dark Knight equipment. Not to mention you get so little inventory space, you'll be heading to a Fat Chocobo to swap out all your extra gear anytime the game forces you to switch jobs yet again. And then that boss rush at the end that requires you to go through three dungeons to reach? Like damn. Also there's a finite amount of phoenix downs and there are no tents, cottages, or ethers whatsoever. I also remember being Confused-stunlocked to death multiple times in one dungeon, and that really blew chunks.
Despite all that, when the game's not getting on my nerves with dumb gimmicks, it can actually be pretty fun. I bet the Pixel Remaster is a pretty good time.
But the difficulty is a bit overboard. The scenarios which force you to change jobs are tiresome, as they also require you to buy the necessary equipment and spells to get through particular challenges, and ideally grind up the job level a bit too. I don't want to buy a bunch of spells to get through another forced Mini dungeon. And those dungeons with multiplying enemies, fuck. Unless you get perfect RNG and Flee works every time, you basically can't survive unless you go out of your way to buy Dark Knight equipment. Not to mention you get so little inventory space, you'll be heading to a Fat Chocobo to swap out all your extra gear anytime the game forces you to switch jobs yet again. And then that boss rush at the end that requires you to go through three dungeons to reach? Like damn. Also there's a finite amount of phoenix downs and there are no tents, cottages, or ethers whatsoever. I also remember being Confused-stunlocked to death multiple times in one dungeon, and that really blew chunks.
Despite all that, when the game's not getting on my nerves with dumb gimmicks, it can actually be pretty fun. I bet the Pixel Remaster is a pretty good time.
Even after completing the first two games, this was the first time I truly felt like I was playing a Final Fantasy game.
This game merely combines the positive aspects of the previous two games, each of which, to be honest, showed an important breakthrough.
This game merely combines the positive aspects of the previous two games, each of which, to be honest, showed an important breakthrough.
Final Fantasy 3 is the first game in the series that feels like a final fantasy game. All of the ideas swirling around in 1 and 2 solidify into something whole, and while the plot is non-existent for the most part I appreciated the vignette style storytelling and the goofier tone. I found it much more compelling to engage with NPC's and explore the world. The dungeon design is miles ahead of 2's chaos, and the enemy design is great.
The class system is a nice improvement over 1, and works far better than the "Specializing" in ff2. I liked the design of the new classes, and the progression of finding the new jobs helped make it feel like your character was actually growing in their roll. The endgame classes are a little cheesy, and make specialization in certain job lanes a bit trivial, but are a nice reward for the optional dungeon. This game is the first in the series to have actual boss fights throughout, and it felt like I was actually strategizing as I played out the turn based battles.
FF3 is the first truly great game in the series. It has far more flavour than 1, and none of the bad weirdness of 2. A great cap on the NES trilogy of FF games.
The class system is a nice improvement over 1, and works far better than the "Specializing" in ff2. I liked the design of the new classes, and the progression of finding the new jobs helped make it feel like your character was actually growing in their roll. The endgame classes are a little cheesy, and make specialization in certain job lanes a bit trivial, but are a nice reward for the optional dungeon. This game is the first in the series to have actual boss fights throughout, and it felt like I was actually strategizing as I played out the turn based battles.
FF3 is the first truly great game in the series. It has far more flavour than 1, and none of the bad weirdness of 2. A great cap on the NES trilogy of FF games.
A sluggish beginning & end sandwiching a really solid middle
This game is difficult. Not as bad as 2, but difficult none the less.
Too hard honestly its just mid at best fuck this game its mid
this is like the first one but actually fun
This is the worst game I've ever played.
this is the most playable famicom final fantasy.
jobs are back, this time allowing you to change them for a low cost of 'job-points' during your adventure.
combat is much faster and more engaging, with more complex bosses, even some gimmick fights, one of which was very memorable.
the story is less smart than the first one's, but definitely "more". theres just a longer script with more things actually happening on a moment to moment basis making this the better experience.
the magic's still fucked i cant believe it i still needed to use a fucking guide.
jobs are back, this time allowing you to change them for a low cost of 'job-points' during your adventure.
combat is much faster and more engaging, with more complex bosses, even some gimmick fights, one of which was very memorable.
the story is less smart than the first one's, but definitely "more". theres just a longer script with more things actually happening on a moment to moment basis making this the better experience.
the magic's still fucked i cant believe it i still needed to use a fucking guide.
My favorite of the 3 NES games. The job system was a huge step up from the systems in the first 2 games, and the gameplay seemed alot more balanced than some of the broken dungeons in FF2. This was a huge improvement in every aspect over the first two games other than this game's story being somehow worse than FF1 which basically didn't even have a story 🤷♂️ The story's really the only thing holding this back from being great
played this game on famicom in japanese about a year or two ago, was a very good time even though i had to google a lot of words because its been a while
awful fucking endgame though this is why games have generous saves now
awful fucking endgame though this is why games have generous saves now
Played the pixel remaster version of the game. This game is a fun and silly adventure that makes several improvements over ff1 and 2. Seriously the difference in quality is staggering. To the point that even though i played the game for 5 hours longer than ff2 i wasn't wishing it to be over 2 dungeons earlier than it actually ended like that game. The job system introduced in this game allows for extreme creativity when it comes to problem solving in battles. I had several moments in my playthrough where i simply skipped grinding by using the right equipment and job combination for a certain boss. The game allows you to freely switch between jobs with basically no penalty for doing so and I really appreciate this as it doesn't give you the anxiety of "oh no i'm making a permanent choice. What if I pick the wrong thing and lock myself out of having fun!" The game attempts a story and while i'm not sure it succeeds the game must still be commended for having actual characters with personalities rather than the cardboard cutouts of previous games. Overall this game makes the previous 2 games look like dogshit in comparison and i can highly recommmend the pixel remaster version.
The best out of all three NES Final Fantasies, but with the biggest problem balancing difficulty, making it even to previous entries.
The Job system is a good innovation: it's fun to juggle different abilities and gameplay features, like Dragoon jumps, Knights ability to protect, Conjurer (Invoker) gamble with summoner magic. I don't even mind SOME of the instances of forced jobs, with a system that allows you change to any job in relatively small time, it's not that big of problem, but... more on this problems later. Mini and Toad transformations are cute, but Mini has restrictions and unnecessary cruel segments. Fuck that big stupid rat bastard boss. Game has similar looks to previous ones, but a lot of animations looks good, even impressive for NES hardware. Endscreen is the best NES endscreens I've seen. Story follows similar principal of the first game and makes some flavor with characters and cutscenes like the second one. FF II is more interesting overall in that regard, but FF III has more engaging moments. Antagonists are kind of boring though. Cutscenes before final zone are pleasant showcase, how you impacted this world and it's people. Music is also good, hearing so many familiar tracks after FFXIV was a treat.
So overall game is better than two previous ones, right? Well...
In some particular moments game is really cruel with balancing. Some jobs you can't even try because you don't have armor and weapons for them (they are in different town out of your reach for next two dungeons). I wouldn't even care about Mini restrictions of no physical damage and armor if not for that big stupid fucking rat bastard boss. I hate Cave of Shadows and it's dividing enemies with passion, since it's the only instance of forced job executed really poorly. The only non-vague explanations of how to beat it are in said cave with rabbit-like enemies spawn rate and in hidden village. And unlike Garuda and dragoons situation (which foreshadows Garuda pretty clearly and gives free armor for multiple characters), Mystic Knights (Dark Knights) are very stingy with their armor and weapons, combine it with necessity of using them... it's not good.
Surprisingly for me, Eureka and Syrcus Tower went smoothly. For the first time in FF games i have top armor and weapons for my characters, i have all summons and decent resources... and then Xande's Meteor hit me. And then the second one hit me. And then I'm dead. And if I play by the rules, i have ether spend good 30-40 minutes to try again, or mindlessly grind for several hours. And then Dark World bosses, especially Ahriman. And then Cloud of Darkness, who spams Particle Beam nonstop. It's unusually cruel even by FF ending standards, i didn't have to grind my way in previous ones, they were hard, but completable. This one isn't. FF III at it's last hours feels like gambling game: ether heals come first or you die a violent death. Game punishes you for not having ~50 level and cuts 1.5 hour of progression right at the end, a stupid problem in a game with save system.
I want to like this game, I want to like it better than other two NES entries, but I can't. In the end of the day, all of them are at the same level. First one because of some BS parts at the middle and it's overall simplicity, second one because of inconvenient way to level up your survivability and way too long ending dungeon, and third one because of some bad designs, meteors and big fucking stupid dumb piece of shit rat.
I hope SNES games are going to be improvement without fucking up endgame.
The Job system is a good innovation: it's fun to juggle different abilities and gameplay features, like Dragoon jumps, Knights ability to protect, Conjurer (Invoker) gamble with summoner magic. I don't even mind SOME of the instances of forced jobs, with a system that allows you change to any job in relatively small time, it's not that big of problem, but... more on this problems later. Mini and Toad transformations are cute, but Mini has restrictions and unnecessary cruel segments. Fuck that big stupid rat bastard boss. Game has similar looks to previous ones, but a lot of animations looks good, even impressive for NES hardware. Endscreen is the best NES endscreens I've seen. Story follows similar principal of the first game and makes some flavor with characters and cutscenes like the second one. FF II is more interesting overall in that regard, but FF III has more engaging moments. Antagonists are kind of boring though. Cutscenes before final zone are pleasant showcase, how you impacted this world and it's people. Music is also good, hearing so many familiar tracks after FFXIV was a treat.
So overall game is better than two previous ones, right? Well...
In some particular moments game is really cruel with balancing. Some jobs you can't even try because you don't have armor and weapons for them (they are in different town out of your reach for next two dungeons). I wouldn't even care about Mini restrictions of no physical damage and armor if not for that big stupid fucking rat bastard boss. I hate Cave of Shadows and it's dividing enemies with passion, since it's the only instance of forced job executed really poorly. The only non-vague explanations of how to beat it are in said cave with rabbit-like enemies spawn rate and in hidden village. And unlike Garuda and dragoons situation (which foreshadows Garuda pretty clearly and gives free armor for multiple characters), Mystic Knights (Dark Knights) are very stingy with their armor and weapons, combine it with necessity of using them... it's not good.
Surprisingly for me, Eureka and Syrcus Tower went smoothly. For the first time in FF games i have top armor and weapons for my characters, i have all summons and decent resources... and then Xande's Meteor hit me. And then the second one hit me. And then I'm dead. And if I play by the rules, i have ether spend good 30-40 minutes to try again, or mindlessly grind for several hours. And then Dark World bosses, especially Ahriman. And then Cloud of Darkness, who spams Particle Beam nonstop. It's unusually cruel even by FF ending standards, i didn't have to grind my way in previous ones, they were hard, but completable. This one isn't. FF III at it's last hours feels like gambling game: ether heals come first or you die a violent death. Game punishes you for not having ~50 level and cuts 1.5 hour of progression right at the end, a stupid problem in a game with save system.
I want to like this game, I want to like it better than other two NES entries, but I can't. In the end of the day, all of them are at the same level. First one because of some BS parts at the middle and it's overall simplicity, second one because of inconvenient way to level up your survivability and way too long ending dungeon, and third one because of some bad designs, meteors and big fucking stupid dumb piece of shit rat.
I hope SNES games are going to be improvement without fucking up endgame.
the job system sounds cool on paper, but it is utilized less in a customization way and more of an upgrade/forced "puzzle" solving way. there are a lot of little improvements over the first two games, and they finally figured out what a drum is, but its not enough to really elevate it beyond what they did.
The first half of this game is so good, the best rpg on the NES, and then you reach the crystal tower and spend the second half of your playtime grinding to be able to get through the gauntlet of bosses. So close to being great, but that endgame really brings it down.
first time this series actually does have some type of identity that isnt ripping off tabletop rpgs. I want to marry the job system
Have to say this is a step down from 2 and maybe like marginally better than FF1? It's mainly held up by a couple neat things like having some good jokes, some fun overworld design, and interesting job ideas.
I appreciate the expanded job system a lot actually but jesus does this game completely ruin it with how it forces your party into certain jobs for some dungeons to even be playable. I understand having it nudge you towards certain ones but a few dungeons are just a million times more difficult without doing this, and job levels mean that switching around can be way too punishing and force grinding. It's just really frustrating how much of the game revolves around this.
Also the rest of the game just kinda isn't good enough to justify it, the story is more akin to FF1 in just being a blank slate for adventuring. I will give it credit in that it doesn't waste too much time with the dungeon layouts compared to 1 and 2 but any of these games would have more enjoyable dungeons if other aspects of the gameplay were more fun.
It was definitely better than FF1 overall but also gave me some of the worst experiences I've had in this series so far.
I appreciate the expanded job system a lot actually but jesus does this game completely ruin it with how it forces your party into certain jobs for some dungeons to even be playable. I understand having it nudge you towards certain ones but a few dungeons are just a million times more difficult without doing this, and job levels mean that switching around can be way too punishing and force grinding. It's just really frustrating how much of the game revolves around this.
Also the rest of the game just kinda isn't good enough to justify it, the story is more akin to FF1 in just being a blank slate for adventuring. I will give it credit in that it doesn't waste too much time with the dungeon layouts compared to 1 and 2 but any of these games would have more enjoyable dungeons if other aspects of the gameplay were more fun.
It was definitely better than FF1 overall but also gave me some of the worst experiences I've had in this series so far.
I have already played the DS version of this game but I still come back to play the original because it just has certain relaxing feelings with the NES music and pixels.
Difícil que só ele, porem incrível.
Introduced a deeper job system. Nice story for what it was.
Final Fantasy III takes all the elements from Final Fantasy I left behind in II and makes them BETTER while taking some of the few elements that did work from II and adding them to the mix.
The story is more akin to Final Fantasy I, and you once again create your own protagonists. The story is, OK, nothing really that amazing, but nothing terrible. The NPCs actually have character now, and the story actually is somewhat engaging. Rather than forcing you to lump around dead weight with a rotating fourth story-related party member like Final Fantasy II, characters now "Join your party" by simply following you around, allowing you to talk to them, which is neat.
The world itself also feels incredibly large, as you realise midway through that you've only been exploring a fraction of the map filled with hidden areas and details opened up to you as you gain more modes of transport. My main gripe with the overworld is why exactly they thought it was a good idea to have half of it just be empty sea that all looks exactly the same, its insanely hard to navigate due to this and just frustrating as you aimlessly fly over the blank void of water.
The EXP system is returned as it was in Final Fantasy I, with the rather groundbreaking addition of the job system. Now any character at any time can fulfil any role and switch between them at a moment's notice. You need to gain points in order to switch, which is kind of a meaningless system as you almost always have enough points, and if you don't you just have to effortlessly grind for them (This system was removed in the remakes). Each job has a unique action and playstyle giving a large variety of options for forming your party, adding replayability. The game has moments that are like puzzles where you must choose the correct job types in order to progress, however, you can also solve these problems by simply using specific spells or actions. More jobs unlock as you progress, further encouraging you to switch it up as you go. The only issue with this is the final jobs you unlock are leagues above any other jobs you had for the whole game, I feel these jobs should have been a post-game reward or something akin, rather than being practically handed to you at the end game. This makes the battles in this game fun and engaging, and the levels of the enemies are never too high or too low for it to become annoying or monotonous. The final dungeon is an exception to this, with a huge spike in difficulty, forcing you to fight waves of over-levelled enemies with no save points for a long stretch of time.
The dungeons themselves are also well-designed, they are fun to explore and don't have any of the annoying bullshit from Final Fantasy II's dungeon design. Once again the exception to this is the final dungeon which is far too long and filled with dead ends. The finale is definitely the worst part of Final Fantasy III, even the final boss is terrible it just spams ONE OP attack at you over and over, no strategy, just grind.
The soundtrack is good, and brings back a few staples from Final Fantasy I skipped over in II, and creates new traditions from the tracks from II.
Final Fantasy III is a great improvement to Final Fantasy I, it's one of those "true sequels" after a bumpy middle child. Definitely the best Famicom Final Fantasy, and perhaps the best JRPG on the Famicom period. The remakes for Final Fantasy III are about the same as the original as far as I can tell, and I find the 3D visuals of the DS and PSP version really ugly, but thats just me.
The story is more akin to Final Fantasy I, and you once again create your own protagonists. The story is, OK, nothing really that amazing, but nothing terrible. The NPCs actually have character now, and the story actually is somewhat engaging. Rather than forcing you to lump around dead weight with a rotating fourth story-related party member like Final Fantasy II, characters now "Join your party" by simply following you around, allowing you to talk to them, which is neat.
The world itself also feels incredibly large, as you realise midway through that you've only been exploring a fraction of the map filled with hidden areas and details opened up to you as you gain more modes of transport. My main gripe with the overworld is why exactly they thought it was a good idea to have half of it just be empty sea that all looks exactly the same, its insanely hard to navigate due to this and just frustrating as you aimlessly fly over the blank void of water.
The EXP system is returned as it was in Final Fantasy I, with the rather groundbreaking addition of the job system. Now any character at any time can fulfil any role and switch between them at a moment's notice. You need to gain points in order to switch, which is kind of a meaningless system as you almost always have enough points, and if you don't you just have to effortlessly grind for them (This system was removed in the remakes). Each job has a unique action and playstyle giving a large variety of options for forming your party, adding replayability. The game has moments that are like puzzles where you must choose the correct job types in order to progress, however, you can also solve these problems by simply using specific spells or actions. More jobs unlock as you progress, further encouraging you to switch it up as you go. The only issue with this is the final jobs you unlock are leagues above any other jobs you had for the whole game, I feel these jobs should have been a post-game reward or something akin, rather than being practically handed to you at the end game. This makes the battles in this game fun and engaging, and the levels of the enemies are never too high or too low for it to become annoying or monotonous. The final dungeon is an exception to this, with a huge spike in difficulty, forcing you to fight waves of over-levelled enemies with no save points for a long stretch of time.
The dungeons themselves are also well-designed, they are fun to explore and don't have any of the annoying bullshit from Final Fantasy II's dungeon design. Once again the exception to this is the final dungeon which is far too long and filled with dead ends. The finale is definitely the worst part of Final Fantasy III, even the final boss is terrible it just spams ONE OP attack at you over and over, no strategy, just grind.
The soundtrack is good, and brings back a few staples from Final Fantasy I skipped over in II, and creates new traditions from the tracks from II.
Final Fantasy III is a great improvement to Final Fantasy I, it's one of those "true sequels" after a bumpy middle child. Definitely the best Famicom Final Fantasy, and perhaps the best JRPG on the Famicom period. The remakes for Final Fantasy III are about the same as the original as far as I can tell, and I find the 3D visuals of the DS and PSP version really ugly, but thats just me.
Very good game, pushes the NES to it's limits in terms of visuals and sound capabilities but where it really shines is its class system. It's great
the FINAL fantasy
insanely mid-tier game, FFV is better in every way possible
So I love what this game stood for at the time in the progression of square's rpg design and the evolution of turn based rpgs in general, it had good ideas, and has lots of sick music. I will say it VERY MUCH suffers from being an 8 bit rpg - SO many enemies, LONG battles, GRINDY.
Better than I would have expected. I will finish it one day.
Better than I would have expected. I will finish it one day.
I hold a great fondness for Final Fantasy III, though I can't ignore the major problems that make it hard to recommend. I'll always have a soft spot for it though as the game that pulled me into Final Fantasy.