Why FFVI is so freaking great.

I love Final Fantasy 6. That game is the best game ever. That game is the reason I want to make games for a living. It motivated me long ago. It’s the only game that really makes me feel like Life and Hope are good things. I came accross an article of a gamer who apparently feels the same way. So I am posting his article here, and putting my own commentary with it. I loved that game! =) I really wish and hope that a movie will be made out of 6 one day.

Here’s the article. My stuff’s in red.

So I have a confession to make. Back when I was a kid, I didn’t so much have my fanboy in check. From reading my blog, you may notice that I make my loyalties pretty clear, but even when praising the Wii, I make it no secret that I will eventually be buying a PS3. And, when Sony does something right I make sure you know it (read a few blogs back for proof). But, in the early 90’s, I was quite the slave to Dragon Warrior. So much so that I refused to play Final Fantasy on the sole grounds that it got so much coverage in Nintendo Power.

Even when I finally played it a year or so later, and enjoyed it immensely for its complexity and imagination, I pretended that it was far inferior to the grindfest that was Dragon Warrior 1 (course, FF was a grindfest too). I had much the same attitude when FF(IV) was released a bit later, skimming Nintendo power but declaring it inferior for some reason and relegating it to an eventual rental.

Thing is, I was enraptured upon renting it. I rented it the weekend before 6th grade camp, and at said camp, that game was all I could think or talk about. It was an RPG with–get this–a storyline! Oh man. But, I fought the feeling and refused to buy it for several years. I jumped headfirst into Secret of Mana, as well as the Gameboy FF’s (SaGas). But, it wasn’t until summer of ’94 that I finally bit the bullet on FF and FF(IV). (I actually think I got FF in January, but I didn’t finish it until summer).

FF(VI) came out that fall, and I was still fighting the feeling. NP’s preview writeup described the story as something about a thief and his moogle companion. Well, I wanted none of this “thief.” I was a law abiding kid, and I didn’t want some game making me the badguy. Also, moogle companion? How about some PARTY MEMBERS, Square!? Geez…

I stopped reading anything about the game and convinced myself it could never top the majesty of FF(IV). IV was perfect in every way; a glorious tale of redemption whose plotline could never again be matched by an RPG. Not even SoM topped it, and SoM was awesome. But then, one chilly October afternoon after school, I glanced through the NP coverage in the latest issue. I’d read the article before (basically listing the party members and their different skills) and it never seemed interesting. But, for some reason THIS afternoon, something clicked. I grabbed the previous issue of NP and read the preview in THAT issue–an overview of the world and what the game had to offer. Oh man…I had a feeling this might just be the most epic FF ever… (I was right) I HAD to have this game.

I called Babbages. They HAD the game! Problem was, I did not have money for the game. I called my sister and begged her for the money, which she did not provide (she “would buy me a game one day” which has yet to happen). I called my mom at work and begged her–and she allowed me an advance on my allowance. As soon as she got home, we rushed to the mall and nabbed the game. (This is actually the Friday version of the story–it may have in fact been Thursday, and Babbages said “We will be getting the game tomorrow” and I had to sit through an entire day of 9th grade before getting it in my hands… seems like something I’d remember, but I don’t).

On the way home from Babbages, we stopped by the coffee shop to have Friday night dessert with some friends of the family (something we did every week) and I amused myself by reading the manual. I couldn’t wait to get home and play this thing… Amano’s art was hideous, but awesome.

Amazingly enough, I got FF6 the year it came out… on Christmas. My mom, by pure chance, bought this game, hoping I would like it. Greatest gift EVERRRRRRRRRR. I didn’t realize how great it was until I was halfway through it really. But she had just bought me my most favorite game ever.

Finally the moment came, and I was home in a darkened bonus room with the game in the SNES and the TV on. They say to hook people with your opener, and FF(VI) knew its business–that FMV march through the snow was like nothing I had ever seen. The music in IV took the mood you were supposed to be getting from the scene and supported it for you. VI’s music, on the other hand, grabbed you by the throat and TOLD you what to feel, and you felt it if you knew what was good for you. It was a long time sitting at the first dialogue window in Narshe before I recovered and advanced the dialogue.

I wanted to watch that credit-scroll again. But, I restrained myself and continued through the game. I was patient enough to not watch that opening again until I’d completed the game. It was even better the second time.

I was also amazed by the intro of FF6. For awhile, that scene was the front page of my diary. And it’s true what he said about how the credit scene was better the 2nd time around. The first time it’s awesome, but you have no idea what’s going on… as you’ve just been introduced to the world… but the 2nd time around, you’ve already beaten the game and know exactly what’s going on… It’s great.

This was the picture that use to be on my frontpage.

The opening credit scene of FF6.

That night, I only got so far as Figaro (I saved after the escape), but one thing was made very clear: FF(IV) had just been topped, and there was a fair margin between it and the new king.

Every aspect of FFVI, it seems, was finely crafted as to be AWESOME. Let’s look at the different things that made it great and examine what about them was perfect. (I’m kind of rambling here, so I might start adding things in the comments if I remember other stuff–be sure to check back periodically).

The Setting
Most RPGs seem to start with the characters and build a story involving them, and then create the world outward from the necessities of the plot. I know that’s what I did back in the day when I was designing RPGs that will never see the light of day. This is the WRONG approach. Final Fantasy VI’s world existed on its own as an actual setting. There was a conflict going on as an Empire, fueled by a terrible discovery years prior, expanded its influence. This was built on top of a similar tragedy 1,000 years prior, including a castle survived from that time that you would explore. Then, midway through, the badguy actually wins, which changes the setting entirely! The Empire had a plot. The Rebels had a plot. The Espers had a plot. The world existed without the playable characters.

The Characters
If ever there was an RPG with memorable characters, it was FFVI. Where our benchmark, FFIV had a cast of heroic do-gooders who were fighting for the honor of their homelands before they got recruited to save the world, FFVI starred a rag-taggroup from all over. There was a thief searching for a way to resolve his past, a traveling gambler, a philandering king, his brother the estranged martial artist, a loyal knight, a boy tossed-out of his home, a mercenary ninja, and many more. They are initially convinced to join a rebellion, but that isn’t what drives them to COMPLETE the game–their rebellion fails, and we get to see the stuff they’re really made of.

In addition to the demands of the plot, each character is also colored very intimately with a number of different shades. There isn’t one catharsis point for most of the characters–but we find out details of their life periodically throughout the adventure. They’re the characters who keep on giving. As my friend once said, “It sucks to be (FF cast member).” Sure, a lot of them are full of angst, but I was a freshman in high school when I played it! Of course I was drawn to them. The best part of all the character developoment, though, is how it’s presented in a gameplay context. Unlike FFIV, you aren’t forced into every major plot point. If you think things through, you will figure out where your favorite character needs to go to see his next bit of flashback/resolution–so you can enjoy the plot as you see fit. If you hate a character, you never have to learn much more about them (though that’s kind of silly). Sidequests aren’t just excuses to gain exp and items–they actually explain your party’s reason for fighting.

14 different characters. 12 of them with full complete interesting stories. I don’t know any other RPG that can top that.

The gameplay
There were a number of gameplay additions to FFVI that helped define it as a hallmark of the series.

One was the Esper system. This allowed you to customize your party’s spells however you wanted–and linked with the Summon system in a way that made perfect sense in regards to the world and storyline. Integrating gameplay and story = good. In the first half of the game, it required you to think about which characters needed what spells at what times and juggle accordingly. Or, you could equip stat-boosting Espers right before a character leveled up. Later on in the game it became less of an issue because everyone ended up with all the best spells. Don’t worry, nobody blames you.

The Relics also offered some depth to the story. While Sprint Shoes were one of the dumber ideas in the game, the other relics more than made up for it. Much like the magic system, you could use relics to further augment a character’s strengths or do the opposite and compensate for any weaknesses.

The large cast worked out so well I’m surprised Square hasn’t done the same thing again. with every character representing a different class, your party is extremely customizable at any time (once the game gets moving). So, the freedom in the systems allows you to either make 13 really UBER characters, or to just concentrate on moving through the game with your chosen 4. Speaking of classes–the individual abilities were amazing, and I really ended up using those more often than I did magic. Developing these skills really gave you a reason to experiment with everyone–and it also gave every character a lot of depth and made them WORTH experimenting with.

The “controlled events” in FFVI were cool. Traditionally, these were just timed-events where you had to finish something quickly. While FFVI had its fair share of those style events, there were also others that existed to have cool choreographed fights (like Phantom Train). Then there were the “three party” areas, where for the first (…and last, with a few exceptions) time you controlled ALL the characters in separate parties to accomplish the same end. These really helped make FFVI feel like a quest for ALL these people, and not just for the three characters in a love triangle.

Then there were the smaller elements… Characters could block with swords, for example, making FFVI more realistic than the others. Or little things like Interceptor running in to help randomly, or thet desperation attacks. Things you wouldn’t necessarily see a lot of, but were there because they were cool and you COULD find them.

Kefka
This guy was a villain. He was unassuming and a little goofy, but also rotten to the core. He poisoned a castle’s water supply, lusted for power no matter how many people he had to kill, and once he had said power, he destroyed the world and ruled over it as a god. You could really hate this guy. Unlike most Japanese stories, Kefka did not have shades of gray. He didn’t have a tragic past that turned him into a sadistic clown that you felt sorry for him over. He didn’t have some greater purpose that he lost sight of. Yet, at the same time, he wasn’t “evil for evil’s sake.” There was something twisted and nasty inside him that MADE him that way… and you could feel it… but you also knew there wasn’t any good in there. There’s also the fact he was there THE ENTIRE GAME–unlike a lot of Squaresoft villains who clock in at the end to do their job.

I still firmly believe that Kefka could easily defeat any other FF villain.

The localization
I know that it used to be chic to hate on Ted Woolsey, but he did a fine job on this game. In the face of text limitations, cultural barriers, censorship that was likely forced on him by Square at the time, a no doubt confusing script, and who knows what else–he delivered us a perfect localization (as far as intent goes). I mean, it might not have been clear to us as kids, but on second reading all the meaning came through. “Why would jumping off a cliff CHEER THEM UP–oh…”

One reason we love these characters so much is because ol’ Ted really let their personalities shine through. You can tell that he liked them as much as we do–and I hope my localizations project the same quality.

Shadow’s dreams
HELL yes.

Fuck yes. When I first discovered that Shadow’s story is revealed through his dreams, I took him to every fricking Inn I could find and slept in them all 30+ times to see the full story.

The Music
Terra’s overworld theme. Kefka’s theme. Shadow’s Theme. Forever Rachel. The coin song. Searching for Friends. Nobuo Uematsu brought his game face to FFVI, with a vengeance. As I said earlier, this music more than any other FF, grabs you and really gets inside your head. To this day I can recall any given song from FFVI with (near) perfect clarity. These are powerful pieces of music and I dare say he hasn’t topped them yet. The FFVI soundtrack was the first CD I ever purchased. I didnt’ even have a legitimate CD player–I would put them in my Sega CD and “chill” with them playing on my television. Unlike many RPGamers, I don’t consider Uematsu a god among composers…but if someone asked me for proof that he was, I’d hand them Kefka’s Domain. Some of the best samples on the console, ever.

lastly…

The World of Ruin
The World of Ruin was amazing on a number of levels (and it seems to have inspired the Persona series, as well)…

But what you need to understand first is what the WoR was. It wasn’t a cheap way to extend playtime. It wasn’t “The Dark World” from Zelda. The WoR was Kefka WINNING. He defeated you. You lost, and your little rebellion all came to nothing in the end. To my knowledge, this has never really been done since. The good guys lost. But, they kept fighting anyway…

I think that’s the biggest plot twist of them all. You fight really hard and get to the last boss… and he wins. The world gets destroyed, the team gets seperated, and a full year passes, with Kefka ruling the world as a god the whole time. You wake up in a dead world, stranded on a deserted island alone, with no idea where any of your friends are… if they’re even alive… It’s just insane.

The End of the World (WoR beginning)

As far as gameplay was concerned, the WoR was fantastic. You spent the entire first half of the game on a linear quest like FFIV, and now you were a single character in this huge vast world. You knew you eventually wanted to take Kefka down, but how you went about that was entirely up to you (well, once you got the airship). You could get whatever character you wanted, customize them however you wanted, and do whatever sidequests or bonus games you wanted to do. The WoR is where the freedom to play the game however you wanted came into play. They also sprinkled it with tiny bits (Cactaur, Triangle Island) that were kind of random, but awesome.

Then there’s the plot… The WoR is unparalleled in what it did for the plot of FFVI. Like I said before, these characters were not heroic “let’s be heroes” characters. They each got involved for their own reasons. So, what happens after they fail in their quest? What happens the world as they knew it ceases to exist, and the worst-case scenario is reality? Well we get to FIND OUT. The main theme of FFVI is that life goes on–it finds a way to adapt and it continues to LIVE, no matter the obstacles. Eventually, it will overcome them. This is likely the result of Sakaguchi’s mother dying, and his finding a way to cope with that. Sure, FFVI’s cast members each have their own ways of coping–but they all FIND a way, and they all move on. (English teachers–the children move on the easiest!)
Terra shelters herself away and does what she can to save the next generation.
Locke focuses on all he has left–his lost love–and ignorese the rest of the world.
Edgar, like all Figaros, is proactive and is taking steps to reclaim what was his.
Sabin, like all Figaros, is proactive and fights to make the world a better place.
Mog returns to the empty cave where his race once thrived, to rule over nothing.
Setzer hits the bars and focuses on more physical comforts.
Shadow loses himself in battle, shutting out the outside world.
Strago, distraught, joins a cult.
Relm gets a job (if I remember correctly).
Gau ends up back on the veldt, living as a beast once more.
Cyan, alone, tries to give one woman the happiness she deserves.
Everyone copes with loss differently, but in FFVI, we get to see what they’re really made of. If you want them to, they DO take up that fight again. Somehow it’s more real when their losses are so raw and open to the player. These aren’t distant flashbacks to wounds that made them who they are today–but raw, exposed reasons that life is hard, but they persevere anyway.

I loved the characters of FF6. I think the character I most connect with is Cyan.

Isn’t that what EVERY RPG should make us feel about its characters? I mean, if we have to be “someone else” shouldn’t we be someone we can relate to and understand? We see them at their weakest and at their strongest, and in the end they band together to do what’s right… To save what’s left of their husk of a world, because that’s all they can do.

That’s one hell of an RPG.

Of course, there ARE flaws…
Everything FFVI did right was also the seed of the series’ watering down, I think. As I said already, the customization was taken to ridiculous ends in the later games, to the point you never have to think about what CHARACTER you’re using so much as what ABILITY ORBS they have equipped. Plus, all the angst of FFVI has really ruined our interest in later Square characters. We don’t want teen drama, Square… Square has forgotten that the multitude of sidequests in VI worked because they were tied to story–now most FF games feature a central story and then entirely unrelated sidequests. Why do I want to complete these? Because I get a cool sword or because Cyan comes to terms with the death of his family? Hmm… tough choice.

So, that’s my big blog on FFVI. I hope you enjoyed it.

~Bruce