Final Fantasy III

[JenovaSephiroth]

7 Gameplay
8 Graphics
7 Sound
8 Value
9 Rating

You'll learn through trial and error, because the game can be quite tough in a few spots. There aren't save points, either, as you're limited to permanently saving your progress on the world map; as a result, you're going to run into cases where you've fought all the way through a hard dungeon, only to get wiped out by the boss waiting for you at the end, and then having to start over from your last save. However, even those particularly difficult boss fights are nothing that typically can't be solved by an hour or two of random encounters and leveling up. :biggrin:
What distinguishes Final Fantasy III's combat system and overall gameplay is the job system, which first appeared in this installment of the series and was later used by games like Final Fantasy V, Final Fantasy Tactics, and Final Fantasy XI. The job system in this particular game isn't quite as flexible or open-ended as in some of the later Final Fantasies, but it's still a lot of fun to play around with, especially since changing one of your character's jobs causes his or her outfit to completely change with it. There's something undeniably appealing about seeing one of your little party members go from wearing, say, the head-to-toe armor of a dragoon, to the pointy hat of a black mage, to the cloak and spectacles of a scholar. :wink:
There are more than 20 different job types in all, and you gain access to more of them the further you get in the game. Some are inherently stronger than others, and you'll naturally want to balance out your party with a variety of jobs. But you're free to play around with the system as you wish. Final Fantasy III doesn't let you mix and match skills from different job types like some of the later games do, and it also forces you to slog through a few fights after changing jobs before you start gaining experience in that job, which is separate from your character's overall experience level. As a result, you might feel discouraged to change jobs unless it seems necessary. However, the job system still helps make the combat much more interesting than it would have been if you were stuck with the same basic characters throughout the whole experience. :cOol:
The combat has some other interesting points that are worth mentioning, which seem rooted in how Final Fantasy once drew influence from Dungeons & Dragons. For example, your characters gain an increasing number of melee attacks per turn as they gain experience, and you're free to equip weapons in each of their hands. It's not long before that monk of yours can be dishing out flurries of 10 or more punches in a single round. The magic system is a little different from later Final Fantasy games, as well. Every spell has a certain spell level, and your casters can use a certain number of spells from a given level, based on their overall experience. Having these types of nuances to the gameplay helps make Final Fantasy III feel different from other recent RPGs. :Eek:
This is a pretty long game that can last you a few dozen hours or more, as there are optional dungeons to explore and powerful foes to face, if you're still up for more and more battles and better gear after you're finished with the main quest. Final Fantasy III also includes rudimentary Wi-Fi support through a system that lets you exchange letters with other players, a process that eventually rewards you with some exclusive items. You can get letters from some of the in-game characters, as well.
Final Fantasy III is a fine example of a video game remake done properly. Its presentation is top-notch for a Nintendo DS game, and the classic RPG combat is interesting and deep enough to still hold up well to today's standards. Fans should particularly enjoy tracing some of the roots of their favorite games from the series back to this installment, while taking in all of its new sights and sounds. But just about anyone looking for a traditional role-playing game to take with them on the go should find a lot to like in Final Fantasy III. :cry:

[Eamon Pratt]

Thanks for that.

[Pacman]

Nice review Rep+

[Yoherz]

Originally Posted by Pacman

Nice review Rep+

*Says and does the same.* :laugh:

[JenovaSephiroth]

Thanks I'll keep them coming.