Final Fantasy III
Overview -
Square Enix is up to their old tricks, reissuing an old title at a premium price, and that doesn't begin to describe the peculiarities of 'Final Fantasy III' for the PC. At the core of this PC release is a game that first made its debut to the Japanese public in 1990 on the Famicom and was not officially brought west until 2006 on the Nintendo DS. It's also the 'Final Fantasy' that introduced the whole job system craze among its many other 'Final Fantasy' firsts. This PC version has received some updates, but these updates are more functional in nature, which means players should expect a experience meant for the Nintendo DS, an experience that since has been ported over to several mobile platforms. And yet for those taking the plunge, the 1990 RPG is like, for better or for worse, to provide an unparalleled experience.
Video Review
Frankly, this score could be lower. Since I enjoy the 16-bit 2D style of games like 'To the Moon,' this games low-poly, low texture memory, and weak blend approach to 3D visuals is especially not appreciated. I wasn't a fan back in 2006, and blowing the game up on the PC makes for a heap of visual artifacts (even in the UI). Screens like the battle results screen, and dungeon areas where you're compelled to drag your eyes over an area composed of a single poorly tiled and already unseemly texture mean that the game's worst visuals are often just moments away. The shame is that the art design (with emphasis on the character designs which change with changing Jobs) is exactly the style to suit old school 'Final Fantasy' fans. As it is, the environment is the worst. Zoomed-in character faces are beyond unfortunate, and some (but not all) monsters are so lacking in redeemable attributes that they seem like a clear art exercise in minimal rendering expense.
As I stated in the Game Itself section, while the visuals are entirely substandard as PC games go, the gameplay is so demanding and addictive that after playing for a while, my mind was consumed more with strategy and progression than with the Frankenstein monster look of the game. If Square ever elects to revisit what was a grand undertaking ten years ago, the game could be must-own for JRPG fans.
Audio Review
Much like the visuals, the audio was redone for the DS and has now been processed for better than DS reproduction. Still, I found the orchestration style lacking much of the charm that would have been present in 8-bit or 16-bit style synth. While, I'm no abdicate of chip tunes, this game is already a mix of well-worn and less-know 'Final Fantasy' music, and it's missing something to make it cohesive. After trying a few very different PCs, I have to conclude that it can get pretty noisy. Maybe once a three hour session, the noise/distortion is bad enough to direct some bad karma at the game.
Final Thoughts
As stated throughout the review, the visuals are extraordinarily homely. The DS to PC path and price will prohibit most from ever trying the game. The game's beginning, while an improvement on the 1990 version, is like to doom it for many that do try it. But beyond that, it's easy to sink hour after hour into the game, embracing its retouched and demanding challenge while celebrating one of the peaks of the early series. And while I found the PC version ugly but addictive, I can't imagine trying to play such a serious game, hour after hour, on my phone, which means the PC version no one would have asked for serves an important function.
