A pretty clear step up from the previous Final Fantasies in terms of gameplay pacing and storytelling (both in terms of a well-rounded cast of characters that almost all have arcs throughout the story and an emotional core that was, for the most part, absent in the other games.) Final Fantasy VI (III in the West) is a story that was no doubt a revelation in the days when game stories were essentially just getting from point A to point B, and yet it still carries a lot of weight in today's video game climate with some surprisingly mature and nuanced subject matter (suicide, the end of the world, guilt and grief, etc.) It's the first time in my marathon that I have truly loved a Final Fantasy game, and I hope it continues!