Final Fantasy VI (1994) (VG)

User Rating:

9.2/10   

Directors:

Hiroyuki Itô
Yoshinori Kitase

Writer:

Hiroyuki Itô (story)

Release Date:

4 April 1994 (Japan)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Fantasy | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Plot:

A mysterious woman joins a group of Mercenaries in order to find about her destiny and find means of saving the world from an evil madman.

Plot Keywords:

Empire | Goddess | Final Fantasy | Role Playing Game | Sequel

Also Known As:

Final Fantasy Anthology: Final Fantasy VI (USA) (reissue title)
Final Fantasy III (USA)
Final Fantasy VI: War of the Magi

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese | English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

UK:12 | Australia:PG | France:-12 | Hong Kong:IIB | USA:T

Company:

Square Company

Trivia:

The opera played during the course of the game is called "Aria di Mezzo Caraterre", and can be heard performed on the soundtrack CDs as well as in a video on the PSX rerelease version.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the Cult Tower, you can faintly see through the windows out to the background, even though you should be seeing the inside of the wall.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Narrator: Long ago, the War of Magi reduced the world to a scorched wasteland, and magic simply ceased to exist. 1,000 years have passed... Iron, gunpowder, and steam engines have been rediscovered, and high technology reigns... But there are some who would enslave the world by reviving the dread destructive force known as "magic". Can it be that those in power are on the verge of repeating a senseless and deadly mistake?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Kingdom Hearts II (2005) (VG)

Brilliance

Disregard other's comments on this masterpiece, for it truly is the greatest game of all time. Final Fantasy VI was the first game to truly realize the potential of games as a storytelling medium. It's characters (particularly Celes and Terra) face true hardship and identity crises. This was also the first game to tackle such issues as teen pregnancy, suicide, and death in the family. It's not a light-hearted romp like 10, or a sweeping love story like 8. It's just the best.

Dark at times, light at others. Sakaguchi balanced the tension of Terra's slow descent into madness and her inevitable rise to destiny with stories of her search for love. Celes and Locke both face pain dead on, with Cid and Rachel both falling before their times. The most powerful moment in the game, in fact, is easily Celes' decision to end it all when the world goes to hell (though the opera scene is truly emotional as well).

This game changed gaming. All the plot twists and grandure of 7-10 could not exist without 6. It's 16-bit graphics often tell more story and emotion than the others can even hope for, and it's got the best villain ever (Kefka is the man). If you haven't played it, do yourself a favor. I just finished my 5th time through, after beating 10 so thoroughly, and I find myself loving it more and more.