If you want to see where the real Final Fantasy III was then this Fan Translation will prove to be a well worth solid...
Platform: NES/FC
Developer: Square
Publisher: Square
Genre: Fantasy Role Playing Gane
Age Rating: N/A
Release Date: 27th April 1990 (JP), 13th August 1998 (Fan Translation)
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Game Score: 7.0/10
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Summery:
If you want to see where the real Final Fantasy III was then this Fan Translation will prove to be a well worth solid RPG experience that will challenge hardcore Final Fantasy players.
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If you've experience the real second Final Fantasy installment then maybe it's time for you to witness the real Final Fantasy III. (Not to be confused with Final Fantasy III on SNES which actually is the sixth game in the series.) If Final Fantasy II was a bit disappointing for you then hopefully this fan-translation of this lost Fantasy will prove to be more engrossing then it's predecessor.
The storyline is a little the first game in some regards, it follow 4 young orphan kids dressed as Onionknights who leave their hometown of Ur and suddenly come across a Crystal in an underground cave that tells them that they have to defeat the Forces of Darkness and restore the Light. Like the first game the plot is basic for the most part, however improves a little by having some amount of character advancement between either death and NPC dialog. As you progress through the story several NPC's that will go alongside you and play out key-pieces in the story and drop out later on. The fan-translation script of the story is well written which brings out the worthy pacing of the plot.
Final Fantasy III is a turn based RPG where you'll wonder around the field map running into many random encounters then stopping by in a town to rest at an Inn, shop for Items and better equipment for your characters. In some areas if you explore each inch you'll uncover different Items in either pots or by finding switches to reveal hidden areas with Treasure. In shops you'll want to stock up on useful recovery items because I will tell you is that your battles will have enemies constantly use status effects like either Poison, Blind or Petrifaction which can be a real pain if you're not prepared as you'll be needing to use one every time that happens.
Making a return from the original game is the Job system which now you can now change into different Jobs at anytime but as long as you have right equipment for that Characters Job to use. Each character has their own equipment that they use, Warriors use Swords, Red Mages can use Magic weapons like Magic Swords and Rods, Mages use Rods, Monks use mostly their fists but can use Claws. You have to keep an eye out for equipment that maybe some other classes can use if the class one character's using cannot equip and you'll have to watch the amount of items you'll carry as well as soon your inventory will be full and you'll have to rearrange or throw out items you won't need later on. Luckily much later on you'll be able to place unwanted items inside a Fat Chocobo and you can take items out of him whenever needed. There are new Jobs that are included in the package such as Scholars, Conjurers, Sages, M.Knights and Dragoons. Many of these new classes become unlocked as you unlock each seal of the Crystal so this help add new levels of strategy and depth to battles. You can unleash 4 Fighters at once to attack enemies and knock them out silly, Monks to deal out Knuckle Sandwiches or for Mages like Black, White and Red to cast Powerful spells. There's also a class which can summon powerful monsters to your aid such as Chocobos, Leviathan, Ifirit, Bahamut and so forth. So there's plenty of ways you can change around your party members which adds plenty of depth of gameplay.
Battles in Final Fantasy III are turn based allowing characters and monsters to attack each other. On your turn you can order each of your 4 characters to use magic spells to either support your allies, deal greater damage or to heal your party. Like items it's easier now to give characters different magic spells that other classes can use and you can unequip magic spells if you don't need them. It's important that you pick the classes for the right battles as you'll eventually need some Magic to help out with Battles and in the field if you get status effects. Later on your battles will get incredibly tougher so you'll need to grind EXP for Levels and Job Levels in order to survive. Boss Fights will prove to be tough as they can become frustrating when some bosses does a super attack which might kill your party instantly. Dungeons have Frequent random encounters which can be annoying and if you're not careful some can kill you easily and it doesn't help that you can only save on the World Map. If your party gets wiped out in battle you'll have to start back at your last Save. In all Final Fantasy III has a very impressive Quest length that is well balanced in story, grinding needed in order to advance and exploration in which the game will take about 60 or more hours.
Final Fantasy III shares the same sprite work seen in other 2 Final Fantasy games along with the battle backgrounds which still have the same black floor that the characters stand on. By this time it's starting to look unimpressive although the new classes have their own sprites. Music on the other hand is still impressive and well done and so also the sound effects.
Final Fantasy III has a great value of challenge which will imply to hardcore Final Fantasy gamers in general. Although the game doesn't appeal much to casual fans who want to see what the older games where like back then. If you're hardcore you can import it from Japan or download it on an Emulator along with an English Patch as this Fantasy will test your limit.
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The Pros:
1. Plenty of classes adds depth and strategy to battles
2. Impressive Quest that is well done in Length
The Bads:
1. Incredibly difficult with it's frequent random encounters, status effects and tough battles later on
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Reviewed by: Anthony Hayball (BlaZer91)
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