Final Fantasy III was the first RPG that I had ever played. It was really the first time I saw a fantasy story told in such a way. I was really big into fantasy/sci-fi novels at the time and FFIII let me scratch the itch, while playing a game. The thing that struck me most powerfully from FFIII was the storyline. Some of it was told in exposition and flashback. A great deal happened during fights. One interesting bit that stuck with me, was fighting an undead monstrosity for Strago’s storyline, and being able to defeat it like all other undead.
Gameplay wise, there were some interesting things happening in FFIII. Heroes had secret ultimate attacks when they were on critical health. Everyone could learn spells. Unique combinations of items allowed for amazing effects. Each hero had a “class” that they were, and those classes brought unique and interesting abilities.
Interestingly, FFVII brought all these gameplay ideas as well, but personally, I disliked the storyline (which felt more fragmented and inconclusive). FFIII was instead a perfect storm of gameplay ideas for me. A well done RPG, with a few tricks thrown in, like group battles, well done maps, interesting characters, and an amazing storyline.
It is rare to find a game that covers so much ground (Chrono Trigger, Dragon Quest IX come to mind), and so FFIII remains a highly influential game to me.
Gameplay wise, there were some interesting things happening in FFIII. Heroes had secret ultimate attacks when they were on critical health. Everyone could learn spells. Unique combinations of items allowed for amazing effects. Each hero had a “class” that they were, and those classes brought unique and interesting abilities.
Interestingly, FFVII brought all these gameplay ideas as well, but personally, I disliked the storyline (which felt more fragmented and inconclusive). FFIII was instead a perfect storm of gameplay ideas for me. A well done RPG, with a few tricks thrown in, like group battles, well done maps, interesting characters, and an amazing storyline.
It is rare to find a game that covers so much ground (Chrono Trigger, Dragon Quest IX come to mind), and so FFIII remains a highly influential game to me.
Chrono Trigger will always be my alltime favourite console RPG! =)
ReplyDeletesquaresoft was on a roll back then...so many great games they produced.
Secret of Mana and Breath of Fire are from the same era and were wonderful games.
Yes! Love those console style RPGs! I really wish more of them existed today, instead of having such insipid storylines. I'm really happy with DQIX (my first DQ game!).
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