There are games that we have all played that serve as the basis by which we judge every other gaming experience. The early Super Mario games accomplished mechanics that many developers fail at emulating. And even more recent games like The Last of Us will surely be a title that we compare other games’ stories to.
For me, I compare all RPGs to a game called Final Fantasy 6, which made its debut on SNES and later made its way to Gameboy Advance and the original PlayStation. Recently I purchased it on my IPad, and I’m having an absolute blast with it.
The battles have been tweaked to fit the mobile experience. It surprisingly works.
Even Sabin’s Blitz attack has been accounted for in the controls.
For those not familiar with it, Final Fantasy 6 is widely viewed as one of the best (or the best, in my case) RPGs of all time. What makes it great is the characters, the alternate story lines that can occur, the cast of characters, and quite possibly the best video game villain of all time – Kefka.
With a game being so seemingly “perfect,” it seems difficult to imagine anybody cleaning it up and updating the controls and visuals of the game, but Square Enix has. The result is an experience that keeps the spirit of the game intact while leaving it looking more “up-to-date” for newcomers and those not familiar with how Final Fantasy games work.
The biggest and most obvious change is the visuals, which have been totally overhauled. Colors are bright, and sprites and the world around them look satisfyingly crisp. Nothing in the world has been moved or changed, which is reassuring. Sprites themselves look like a more polished (by today’s standards) version their 90s selves.
The battles themselves have received the most changes. Instead of a meter filling up for your character’s turn to attack, their attack options slowly come onto the screen. Once the options have loaded you’re ready to unleash your might against all foes. It’s not ideal, but it works. I became very familiar with selecting my attack and turn pressing on the enemy I wanted to send that action towards.
The only difficult part are the controls when traversing the over world and towns. You’re given a little direction pad and I’ve never fully adjusted to it. There are controllers available to syc up to your device, so you have options.
Even Sabin’s Blitz attack has been accounted for in the controls.
This is a game that I, and many others, feel passionate about. I applaud this version for being an update that holds the experience of the original intact. Final Fantasy VI on iOS/Android is totally worth getting.