On one hand, Final Fantasy III is a return to form after the risks of its predecessor.
On the other hand, it completely loses interest in the narrative complexity and pacing for which Final Fantasy II is memorable.
In short, Square over-corrected with Final Fantasy III. For the most part, it's attempting to recapture the magic of the first game with some new mechanical additions and mixed results.
The narrative is lacking commitment. The pacing (in both story and difficulty curve) is extremely rough for the first two-thirds of the game. The job system is interesting, but the game doesn't do much to explain why you should be interested in changing jobs in the first place.
All that said, there are things about FF3 that I like: The music absolutely bangs from the very first moment, the spritework (especially enemy sprites) is wonderful, and there are a few narrative moments near the end of the game that were clearly influential on other RPG franchises I love (i.e., Persona).
Final Fantasy III isn't bad. It just also doesn't do much especially well, and in the opening hours, when you have to use Toad or Mini on your whole party just to open a door, you're definitely going to find yourself missing the first two games in the series.
My advice? Use the Pixel Remaster EXP and Gil boosts in the early game to avoid the grind and difficulty spikes. Then, you can turn them off in the second half and have a much better time.
On the other hand, it completely loses interest in the narrative complexity and pacing for which Final Fantasy II is memorable.
In short, Square over-corrected with Final Fantasy III. For the most part, it's attempting to recapture the magic of the first game with some new mechanical additions and mixed results.
The narrative is lacking commitment. The pacing (in both story and difficulty curve) is extremely rough for the first two-thirds of the game. The job system is interesting, but the game doesn't do much to explain why you should be interested in changing jobs in the first place.
All that said, there are things about FF3 that I like: The music absolutely bangs from the very first moment, the spritework (especially enemy sprites) is wonderful, and there are a few narrative moments near the end of the game that were clearly influential on other RPG franchises I love (i.e., Persona).
Final Fantasy III isn't bad. It just also doesn't do much especially well, and in the opening hours, when you have to use Toad or Mini on your whole party just to open a door, you're definitely going to find yourself missing the first two games in the series.
My advice? Use the Pixel Remaster EXP and Gil boosts in the early game to avoid the grind and difficulty spikes. Then, you can turn them off in the second half and have a much better time.