A few years back, a small company released a NES game called Final Fantasy. This game would wither make or brake the company, as it was truly their “Final Fantasy”. The game was a major hit, and since then, we have seen 12 (or 13?) Final Fantasy games, many more spinoffs, remakes and games that played off FF’s success. We’ve seen the games on every possible platform from the NES to the Gameboy to the PS, PS2, DS, etc. A few years back, Square decided to remake the only FF game that we never saw here in the United States, Final Fantasy 3. How does the game compare to modern RPGs on the DS? Read on to find out.

Unlike previous FF remakes (I, II, IV, V, VI), Square went the extra mile and converted the game from 2d to full 3d. This means everything from the overworld map to the dungeons to the battles. The result? Beautiful 3d graphics that really take advantage of the DS’s processor. The graphics are nice, and are a nice 3d version of the old sprites. This is how a remake should be. The sound, on the other hand, leaves something to be desired. The songs are nice, but they don’t seem to be as good as they should. I found myself playing with the volume all the way down for most of the game. Kind of disappointing, but audio has never really been really important for me anyway.

Gameplay is classic old-school RPG action through and through. This is a plus and a minus. If you like that kind of game, then you’ll like FFIII. However, if you dislike those games, you’ll hate FFIII. The game is slightly slow paced, and relies on text heavy scenes to move the story. Although slow, the game is fun, and story never really gets in the way of the gameplay. The turn based battles are fun, and a nice respite from the ATB system most games seem to use. The Job system is where the game shines, though. By the ened of the game you’ll have a ton of jobs to choose from, jobs ranging from Warriors to Vikings to Archers to Mages to Bards. These jobs are great, and each lends to a different style of play. Each person will have their own party combination, and this really lends to a high replay value.

The game lasted around 30 hours for me, and I’m planning on doing a challenge run in the (distant) future. This is a great length for an RPG, and with one replay, it totally blows the Dollar/Hour ratio. This game is definitely staying in my collection for the long run. If Square ever throws together another total remake of a FF game, I might grab it, but I’d like an original FF game on a Nintendo handheld for once (obviously excluding FF Tactics)…

I’ll say it again: don’t get this game unless you’re willing to try something new (or old), or if you really like this kind of games. This is really a love hate game. In my case? Definitely a love.