How is the original Final Fantasy III?
The game setting revolves around four elemental crystal of light. Thousands of years even before the main game starts, a hovering continent above an unnamed seek to harness the power of those crystals but didn't realize that they couldn't control that much power of force of nature. The destruction of the world would be clear if it weren't for the the light crystal counterparts, the four dark elemental crystals. Four orphans were chosen and was given the power of the dark crystals to control the power of the light crystals and keep balance. Usage of both screen is minimal and the storytelling is not the best of it's ability even for a classic. The top screen can distract you seeing how unused it is at all time.
The characters in this game don't have much of a background to them as compare to the other games in the series but they do have some interesting characteristics. Here we have Luneth, a orphan who was raised in a village. He was adventurous and was always curious by nature. Refia who is a daughter of a blacksmith, usually runs away from home due to her father training. She joins the group to prove to her father that she is not weak. Arc is also an orphan, was an intelligent man and Luneth best childhood friend. Finally, we have Ingus, a very loyal soldier to the King of Sasune who saves Lady Sara. This is pretty much the all the background story we get out of them and they all occur very early in the game.
Story wise, the game starts out with an earthquake which opens up a hidden cavern in a Cave near the Village of Ur. Our main character Luneth, goes to explore the cave and founds himself a crystal that tells him to search for the three other chosen warriors. Thought is search, he meets his childhood friend Ach along with the others after defeating Dijinn that put a spell on the town Kazus. Once again, the crystals tells them to bring "balance" to the world. From that point on, the four chosen one set off the over world. It is not of high quality but something is there. You do feel for the characters because we know so little about them and they do not provide a lot of information about them within the whole game.
The visual in this game is now 3-D which gives you a whole new feel to the game. It also gives the characters more personalities to them. Although, the graphic could of been better than it should, the new look compare to the original is a big step up. Some of the magic are well done and the summon animation are great. There is not many 3-D game on the DS but when you see games like Final Fantasy III, it shows some potential of the Ds limitation. There is a CG video in the beginning but that is all there is which is disappointing but it surely is stunning and defiantly give you new insight on the classic.
The audio of the game is okay at best. Most of the music in the game aren't memorable and some attack sound effect don't match as well. Lack of voice acting and not many scores are not here. There is one boss theme which is used for every boss in the game even against optional which is rare now and days. Some orchestral score here and there but not memorable like the other in the series. I found myself listening to the same tune very often. The music here does set the mood well with the environment. Lack of voice acting is absent this time in this decade.
Online support is here but only allows you to sent mails back and fourth with a friend. Some items in the game requires you to sent mails to earn so it is rewarding at a point of time. You could also sent mails to characters in the games offline too but that is all wifi can do here.
The game play is petty solid. You are allowed to equip a helmet, body armor, gloves and a weapon in each hand before battle makes the game more customizable. The more experience you gain thought out the game, the more hits you can get in and the stronger they will be. The magic in Final Fantasy III is a bit different from the older Final Fantasy today. Each magic have a certain level to them. The casters can use the amount of magic depending on their level. Of course, there will be more level one magic to use then level 8. The game play is good fun most time but also feel somewhat dated.
What makes this game stands out from the rest of the series is the job system. There are more than 20 jobs in the game and that are different form each other. You gain them by advancing thought the main story of the game. Without the jobs in the game, each character would have the same overall stats excluding HP (Health Point). To balance out your party, you will want to avoid having two of the same job in one party. Each jobs also have their own leveling up system. With this, you might be discourage to change a job at times but some areas requires a certain job to pass so changing jobs at times are very essential.
The adventure here is long and with a bunch of side quests, this game should be able to hold you for 60 hours of game play. This remake is well done and nailed on some important key note. If you missed this the first time around, here is your best opportunity to play it. This game is good but missed the "great" status by ever so little.