N-Philes

Final Fantasy VI ADVANCE

Posted April 15th 2007 by Terry Harjanto.

Ancient wars of magic, warmongering empires, insane usurping generals. These things are as generic as they come for and can be found in just about every RPG game these days. In my many years as a gamer however, there is one RPG that has set itself above others despite containing the usual cliches and plot devices. Final Fantasy VI is that story and Final Fantasy VI Advance for the Gameboy Advance is the return and a reiteration of that story.

The Gesthalian Empire is on the warpath. Seeking to synthesize magic and technology, they are on the search for magical creatures known as Espers to increase their military might so that they can take over the world. You'll play as a variety of characters who lead the Returners, a rebel organization seeking to deny the Empire total domination. This sounds familiar doesn't it? Change a few of the words around and you've got Star Wars or Lord of the Rings. The vast cast of characters, however, is what sets this game apart from other such epics.

Not many people will be able to relate their experiences to magical creatures or power hungry empires. It's also difficult to relate to most of the extraordinary characters: Terra is infused with the power of magic, Edgar is the royal ruler of the kingdom of Figaro, and Shadow a deadly ninja mercenary. But it's not the skills or powers of these characters that are appealing, it's their character. A good number of people will be able to relate to a grandchild like Relm; to siblings in conflict like Edgar and Sabin; to Cyan, who lost his loved ones; to those who feel as if they have no place in the world such as Shadow. The story in FF6A takes both an archetypal epic and the very real, very human experience and interweaves them together. The large cast of characters are not simply fighting against an empire: they are discovering what they value in life, realizing the worth of their family, and overcoming their own inner demons.

FF6A is not only a compelling story, but it's a well-made game, too. The combat system will be familiar to any one who has played an RPG game within the last decade since it uses the active time battle system. Each character has a time gauge which fills up at a rate dictated by their speed stats. When the time gauge fills up, it's the character's turn and a command can be issued to him or her. Each character also has a unique ability that really helps to add spice and variety to the battles. For example, Sabin, a martial arts master, can perform special movies by inputing certain button commands and the defecting Gesthalian general Celes can use her Runic command to absorb enemy spells and increase her magic points. The simple button controls mimics those of the SNES version of the game but are suited for the menu-based gameplay.

The game world is large and dotted with many towns and other interesting features that warrant exploration as they are all relevant to the game's plot. The world is also well designed because the pathways on the natural shaped continents make it easy to find your way between towns. The story unfolds at a steady pace that always keeps you interested by tying together the plot events with the characters. As you move the story forward, you will constantly be learning more and more about the characters that comprise your party.

The beautiful world has been faithfully recreated in Final Fantasy VI Advance. The sprites, though small and drawn in a chibi-style have enough detail in them to be emotive and distinct. The environmental tile sets look natural and clear considering the age of the game's graphical technology and capabilities. Enemy monsters look just as good and come in quite the variety that range from a haunted train engine to bunny rabbits. The spell effects in battles are mostly simple but their elaborateness increases in proportion to the power of the spells. Some of the more detailed battle animations might cause a bit of a visual slowdown but it has no real effect on the game and wouldn't even be noticeable to people who haven't played the original game. Overall, on a smaller screen the game looks just as good, if not sharper and better.

Considering that the Final Fantasy series is well known for its music and the work of Nobuo Uematsu, it's a shame that the sound within the game has been reduced in quality, apparently due to compression and emulation issues. A lot of the music has been redone and remixed, most of which will result in disappointment and confusion to those who have played earlier versions of the game and remembered the sound and music being different and better than it is presented in this iteration. Very disheartening is the change in Kefka's infamous laugh which doesn't sound nearly as sinister as it did in the original game. Those who have never faced Kefka before might even think he sounds like a two-bit clown who performs at kids' birthday parties.

The game is of a decent length and includes a wide variety of side-quests, many of which involve acquiring or reacquiring characters. By taking certain characters to areas that have an important emotional connection or that are integral to their past you can unfold and reveal their background story.

FF6A includes the usual common features for Final Fantasy remakes such as a music player and a monster bestiary which lists all of the enemies you have defeated. The game's library of magic spells has been increased with the addition of three new spells and four new magicites--magical stones that are equipped onto your characters to learn spells. These spells and magicite are a challenge to find and gather, but they only add to the amount of content instead of changing how the game is played. An insanely difficult and long multi-party dungeon that'll definitely pose a challenge to many players has also been added to the game.

Steady Beat - One of the best of the series.

Final Fantasy VI Advance not only adds bonus content but also gameplay bug fixes and an updated and clearer translation of the game's dialogue script. Though there's nothing really new in this remake that changes how the game is played or experienced, those who have enjoyed it in the past should pick it up for a great portable nostalgia trip. Those who have never played it before should pick up this game for the retro experience and the cast of characters that make up this wonderful story.

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