Originally posted: June 24th, 2009
Final Fantasy VI is the most frustrating game I've played in a long time.
No, I'm not talking Ikaruga "Oh god this game is so hard why does it hate me so" frustrating.
I'm talking about the frustration of a perfectly epic, well-written game with a great cast of characters and a wonderful soundtrack, hampered by technical limitations and sometimes just poor game design. I don't want to say everyone who likes this game is wearing the rose-tinted nostalgia goggles, but the entire game I kept thinking how great this game would be if it were more like, say, Final Fantasy X. FFVI was ahead of its time, and sadly, it shows in every portion of the game.
Honestly, there really isn't anything major that keeps me from enjoying the game, but there are dozens of tiny annoyances that continue to pester me throughout the adventure. I keep finding myself thinking "I could do that in Persona 4; why can't I do it here?" Things like spells and items being labeled in-game so I don't have to keep Notepad open so I know what spells do what. After playing Chrono Trigger, I had forgotten what it was like to only be able to move in four directions, breaking the flow of the game as I try to figure out what square I'm supposed to be standing on in order to cross a bridge. And grid-based movement's best friend random encounters are back. However, it's not like the current days of gaming, where in-between battles you're given a good amount of time to walk further and explore before going into your next fight. But after each encounter in FFVI, it's usually only a few seconds until your next one, and many times I got into another battle after a single step. When I'm in a cavern and I see four ways out of the room I'm in, I do NOT want to have to deal with enemies every few seconds while I try to figure out which one is the exit. Not to mention, for about 3/4 of the game, battles consist solely of "Attack Attack Attack Attack", with no strategy involved whatsoever. Random encounters finally become interesting towards the end, though the rate at which they appear is still a pain.
Another aspect of the game you don't see much of these days is the World Map. You rarely see World Maps in games anymore. Know why that is? It's because they suck. FFVI has a world map designed to be 3D, but it's completely pointless because the map is completely flat. Mountains could have provided some interesting terrain while flying around, but even the mountains are just part of the carpet that's the world. And when you can't Fly? UGH. The world map is filled with so many routes that leave absolutely nowhere. If you think "Hm, I wonder if there's anything over here while I go to the next town", you're going to waste half an hour of your life. The World Map is pointless and superfluous, and most of the time you aren't going to find its secrets unless you have a guide at your disposal anyway. If you're going to do a World Map, do it right (Thanks, Dragon Quest VIII!)
Despite all this complaining, I did enjoy FFVI. The characters are interesting and well-developed, the soundtrack is probably among the best game soundtracks of all time, and the Magicite system of learning magic was truly addicting (though sad to say most of the spells you get are completely useless). Though...it's really a shame how un-user friendly this game is. Aside from the "you better know what that item does before you pick it" problem, it'd also be nice to know what enemies are weak to. In Persona 4, each time you attack an enemy with an element, the game records it, so every time you fight that enemy you can take a look at what worked and what doesn't. But all you get in FFVI is Libra, a spell that briefly tells you their weakness and expects you to memorize it forever. Not that it's that useful; unlike in Persona, all magic weaknesses do is more damage to the enemy, and you're better off just spamming Sabin's Blitz attacks, or have Edgar drill a hole in everything. More damage, doesn't use MP.
And finally, something that's pissed me off about all the Pre-FFVII Final Fantasy games: Amano art. I know he's a stylized artist, but his work just doesn't fit in with the games. Something's wrong when the character sprites have more charm than the artwork:
Final Fantasy VI is the most frustrating game I've played in a long time.
No, I'm not talking Ikaruga "Oh god this game is so hard why does it hate me so" frustrating.
I'm talking about the frustration of a perfectly epic, well-written game with a great cast of characters and a wonderful soundtrack, hampered by technical limitations and sometimes just poor game design. I don't want to say everyone who likes this game is wearing the rose-tinted nostalgia goggles, but the entire game I kept thinking how great this game would be if it were more like, say, Final Fantasy X. FFVI was ahead of its time, and sadly, it shows in every portion of the game.
Honestly, there really isn't anything major that keeps me from enjoying the game, but there are dozens of tiny annoyances that continue to pester me throughout the adventure. I keep finding myself thinking "I could do that in Persona 4; why can't I do it here?" Things like spells and items being labeled in-game so I don't have to keep Notepad open so I know what spells do what. After playing Chrono Trigger, I had forgotten what it was like to only be able to move in four directions, breaking the flow of the game as I try to figure out what square I'm supposed to be standing on in order to cross a bridge. And grid-based movement's best friend random encounters are back. However, it's not like the current days of gaming, where in-between battles you're given a good amount of time to walk further and explore before going into your next fight. But after each encounter in FFVI, it's usually only a few seconds until your next one, and many times I got into another battle after a single step. When I'm in a cavern and I see four ways out of the room I'm in, I do NOT want to have to deal with enemies every few seconds while I try to figure out which one is the exit. Not to mention, for about 3/4 of the game, battles consist solely of "Attack Attack Attack Attack", with no strategy involved whatsoever. Random encounters finally become interesting towards the end, though the rate at which they appear is still a pain.
Another aspect of the game you don't see much of these days is the World Map. You rarely see World Maps in games anymore. Know why that is? It's because they suck. FFVI has a world map designed to be 3D, but it's completely pointless because the map is completely flat. Mountains could have provided some interesting terrain while flying around, but even the mountains are just part of the carpet that's the world. And when you can't Fly? UGH. The world map is filled with so many routes that leave absolutely nowhere. If you think "Hm, I wonder if there's anything over here while I go to the next town", you're going to waste half an hour of your life. The World Map is pointless and superfluous, and most of the time you aren't going to find its secrets unless you have a guide at your disposal anyway. If you're going to do a World Map, do it right (Thanks, Dragon Quest VIII!)
Despite all this complaining, I did enjoy FFVI. The characters are interesting and well-developed, the soundtrack is probably among the best game soundtracks of all time, and the Magicite system of learning magic was truly addicting (though sad to say most of the spells you get are completely useless). Though...it's really a shame how un-user friendly this game is. Aside from the "you better know what that item does before you pick it" problem, it'd also be nice to know what enemies are weak to. In Persona 4, each time you attack an enemy with an element, the game records it, so every time you fight that enemy you can take a look at what worked and what doesn't. But all you get in FFVI is Libra, a spell that briefly tells you their weakness and expects you to memorize it forever. Not that it's that useful; unlike in Persona, all magic weaknesses do is more damage to the enemy, and you're better off just spamming Sabin's Blitz attacks, or have Edgar drill a hole in everything. More damage, doesn't use MP.
And finally, something that's pissed me off about all the Pre-FFVII Final Fantasy games: Amano art. I know he's a stylized artist, but his work just doesn't fit in with the games. Something's wrong when the character sprites have more charm than the artwork:
D'aw, that's cute.
Yech, what IS that thing?!
With Square's recent habit of remaking every game they've ever made, I'm sure a DS remake of FFVI is inevitable, though I'd prefer a full-3D Wii version. Updated graphics, gameplay, and full voice acting could turn a flawed classic into a true classic. Hey, it could happen. I guess for now I'm just going to have to try my luck with The World Ends With You, a TRUE modern RPG.
*plays it for half an hour*
How does the game expect me to dodge and fight enemies on both screens with two different control systems simultaneously? >_o
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