Final Fantasy VI

is a Video game of role, developed and published by Square Co., Ltd. (now Public garden Enix) in 1994 for the video Game console Super Famicom (known internationally under the name of Super Nintendo, or SNES). Final Fantasy VI is arisen for the PlayStation in 1999 and for the Game Boy Advance in 2006. Final Fantasy VI is the last title of the series to be left on the console Super Famicom, and the first Final Fantasy of the series where Hironobu Sakaguchi, creator of the series, produced rather than directed.

Because Final Fantasy VI is only the third play of the series to being left in North America (according to the exit of the original Final Fantasy and of Final Fantasy IV , each one called Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II ), the localization English E of the play was launched on the market under the title Final Fantasy III . When Square arose the play for the PlayStation console in North America in the collection Final Fantasy Anthology, the Japanese name was restored as well as the original system of classification. The play profited from an official exit Européenne and Australia only in 2002, accompanied by a playable demo of Final Fantasy X. Despite everything, the play was popular on the market of the plays imported in Europe and Australia during the medium of the the Nineties.

History of the development

Final Fantasy VI is dissociated clearly at the time of its exit by a mature aspect in the scenario. The history is definitely darker than in the preceding episodes of the series, and the destiny of the characters - often tragic - even their death are treated without kindness. Moreover, the American version was censured on the level of the dialogs, certain characters of the Japanese version using a vocabulary sometimes rather coarse.

This episode marks the one era beginning resolutely more adult for the video game of role. It is, with Final Fantasy VII, the opus of the series more appreciated by the fans and criticism.

Gameplay

Like other titles Public garden, the gameplay of Final Fantasy VI can be divided into four categories: the chart of the world, cities and keeps, battles and the menu.

When it is on the chart of the world, the player directs his characters towards various localizations in the play. These voyages use graphs Mode 7, giving an illusion 3D. There exist three means of moving on the chart: initially with foot, which exposes the player to the risk to be attacked by chance by enemies; L is moreover impossible to cross mountainous grounds or watery zones. The player obtains later the possibility of renting a Chocobo, which offers a faster displacement and makes it possible to avoid the random battles; however, in addition to having the same restrictions of grounds that when the player is with foot, Chocobo disappears once released. The last means of transport is the spacecraft; this one makes it possible to fly over the chart at high speed without worrying about the restrictions of ground and the enemies (there exists nevertheless an exception).

Since the chart of the world, it is possible to join villages and keeps. The villages, on the one hand, contain stores, arms manufacture, inns and of the villagers who can sometimes give you useful informations like additional searches for example. The keeps, in addition, are similar to Labyrinthes where random battles against monsters can occur. These keeps can be cellars, forests or even of the buildings. They contain a great number of trunks filled sometimes with rare objects or even of monsters! The keeps and the villages allow all two to the characters to walk, exploring them complete. Certain places oblige the player to divide the characters into several distinct teams, which can be controlled in turn to solve certain enigmas.

The menu, it, will use to organize its team, will check the equipment of each character, will look after them, learn to them from new magics. It is also useful to control the level of experiment obtained thanks to the engagements.

Fights

Final Fantasy VI uses the system Active Time Battle (ATB), which contains a regrouping of four characters at the same time who fight to accumulate points of experiment and currency (named GP in the play). This system created by Hiroyuki Ito and resulting from Final Fantasy IV makes that each character has a list of various actions: Attacks, Magie, Objets. In bottom on the right of the screen, a bar fills for each character thus enabling him to carry out its action when this one arrives has end. Is added to the normal actions of each character, a single special ability. Locke can for example fly of the objects during the combat. The play is mainly conceived for a player since only one regrouping of characters can be controlled out of the battles, but during a battle, jusquà 4 players can each one control a character. Final Fantasy VI gives up the system of trades of Final Fantasy V in favor of a system of classes of characters more defined and less flexible device, a little like Final Fantasy IV , in which each character has a speciality (sometimes more).

What is new in this play are the attacks of despair, precursors with the system of Limit of Final Fantasy VII . When a character reaches a critical level of HP (points of life), there is a chance that it uses an alternative and very powerful attack compared with his normal physical attack. However, this chance is so mean that a player can play this play without very knowing the existence of such an attack. The play has also a simplified version of the system of modifications of the skills of Final Fantasy V , as well as a precursor with the system of Materia of Final Fantasy VII , in the form of Magicites.

Personalization

The characters of FFVI can use a broad panoply of weapons, armours and accessories (special being named Reliques) in order to increase their statistics (speed, health,…) but also in order to obtain new competences. The relics have varied goals and effects which are it as much, making it possible for example to use several combat weapons, to acquire new statutes at the time of the engagements, to protect itself from certain attacks,… Even if there are at the beginning of the play only two characters who have the capacity to use magic, almost all the characters have later the possibility of making some: Magicites, once equipped, make it possible to the character to learn from the magic incantations after having gained a certain number of points of magic at the time of a combat. Magicites support also the evolution of certain statistics of competence when the character increases level, similar to the system of Guardian Force appearing later in Final Fantasy VIII . Finally, Magicites are the invocations (or Espers) of this play: each character equipped with Magicite can call upon, once by battle, the associated monster, to inflict serious damage with the enemies.

History

The play proceeds 1000 years after the old War of the Magic, in which the human ones and of the named magic beings Espers were fought. The war finished, and from now on the human ones and Espers live separately. The capacity of the magic, since, was almost entirely forgotten by the human ones which replaced it by technology. The Empire, ordered by the Gestahl Emperor, is now the commander of the majority of the areas of the world. The Empire developed a strange technology called Magitek, a mixture of magic, machinery, and genetic engineering on the human beings, and it is about to order the whole world. The history proceeds in a vast and unspecified world. Its geography and its aspect will change at the rate/rhythm of the developments of the history. During the first part of the history, the world is divided into two large continents under the name of the " World of Balance". The continent of north is strewn with mountainous surfaces and joins together the majority of the places worth visiting by the player. Towards half of the play, the aspect of the world is faded and sees the bursting of the continents in a multitude of islands of more or less large size around a new central continent. This new world is called the " World of Ruines".

Terra , under the influence of a crown of slavery which removes its own will to him, is sent accompanied by two soldiers of the Empire to the town of Narshe to inspect frozen Esper being in the mines. After a meeting with Esper which kills his/her companions and leaves it amnesic, Terra escapes the researchers from Empire thanks to the assistance from an old man. It proves to be a member of Returners, a rebellious group which tries to put an end to tyranny Empire. Suspecting that Terra was used by the Empire for nothing, he asks another member of Returners, a robber named Locke , to escort it to go to see the King of Figaro, Edgar , which is secretly combined in Returners.

Kefka , a general of the Empire and the right-hand man of the Gestahl Emperor, goes to the Castle of Barber in the search of Terra. It suspect that Edgar the hiding place, and sets fire to the castle. Edgar, which expected that its treason towards the Empire is discovered, transformed actually its castle into fortress mobile, able to travel under the sand of the desert, and thus escapes Kefka. Terra, Locke and Edgar travel then in the search of Banon, chief of Returners. On the way, Terra uses its magic capacities instinctively, which somewhat surprises his/her companions who really did not believe in the magic. They find Sabin , twin brother of Edgar, a practitioner of martial arts who after being remained of the years to the variation of the agitation of the world, decides to put his force at the service of their cause.

After having become acquainted with Banon, Terra, undecided, hesitates to fight for its cause whereas it lost memory very. The rebels try to convince it: it represents a genuine weapon to oppose to Magitechnologie imperial. It finally decides to fight for them. They learn suddenly that the Empire is in the search of their base, and already took possession of the town of Edgar. That pushes the group to flee the base and to take a raft descending the River from Lete to go to Narshe. Locke goes voluntary to remain behind and try to infiltrate the Empire for a mission of espionage. During a battle on the raft, Sabin falls to water and is separated from the group.

At this point, the history is divided into three parts. The player can play them in the order which he wants. Here, we treat the history of Locke in first. Whereas Locke leaves the occupied city and travels in direction of Narshe, it recontre Those , General of the Empire which was improved genetically by the Magitek method, was imprisoned in a dungeon on standby of its death sentence for treason, and the assistance to be fled. Grateful towards Locke, sought by the Empire, it decides to join him. Terra, Edgar and Bannon also move towards Narshe.

Sabin, after the forced separation of the remainder of the group, associates temporarily the services of Shadow , an assassin mercenary, met on the road of Narshe. Together, they arrive at the Castle of Doma, besieged by the forces of the Empire. As the seat lasts for ever, Kefka decides to poison the water which feeds Doma. The population is exterminated by this monstrous act. Cyan , a knight surviving of Doma, fights at the sides of Sabin after the death of the king whom it served, and that of its wife and her son. The group takes a train, which proves to be a Phantom Train bringing the spirits of died towards the other world. After being itself escaped train, Shadow leaves the group, which meets then Gau , a wild Enfant which joint with the group. They use all three a helmet of diving to go to Narshe via the Ditch of the Snake.

All the groups meet finally in Narshe, where they defend Esper frozen vis-a-vis the Empire. After the battle, Terra reacts vis-a-vis Esper. It is transformed into a mysterious creature and flies away with far. The group uses the Castle of Barber to travel towards Zozo, where they find it unconscious. Terra took the form of Esper and is made look after by Esper Ramuh. This one explains to them why Espers created a new reality in which they live and to which they blocked the access to the human ones. Certains Espers remained behind to live with the human ones and was made capture by the Empire, which transforms them little by little into Magicites. Magicite makes it possible someone else to profit from the capacities of Esper, but causes the death of this last. Ramuh suggests that Espers with the pay of the empire could help Terra. As it is weak, it transforms itself into Magicite. Locke and Those decide to leave to the rescue Espers.

In an attempt to get an aircraft and thus to make their voyages faster, they develop a plan in which Those would be made pass for Maria, the star of a local opera. Maria received a love letter coming from the player (and owner of an aircraft) Setzer , and Those resembles Maria enormously. The plan functions and Setzer kidnaps Those at the conclusion of a representation of opera which remains one of the most outstanding scenes of the series Final Fantasy. After a discussion with Those and the remainder of the group, Setzer agrees to come to them to assistance and thus, they fly towards Vector, the capital of the Empire.

The group infiltrates in the manufacture of Magiteks, where they adapt Magicites of Ifrit and Shiva. The professor Cid of manufacture carries out that its experiments kill Espers, after which it helps the group to flee. After their return towards Terra, Magicite that they have caught named Maduin reacts vis-a-vis Terra, returning its memory to him. It proves that Terra is in fact with human half and Esper half.

The group goes then to the Gate Sealed to try to call Espers so that they come to them to assistance against the Empire. Kefka anticipates their movement and awaits them their destination, where it for getting Espers to transform them into Magicites and to accelerate to seek them Empire in the field of Magitek. The gate opens and several Espers in rage go to Vector. The group follows them and learns that they have almost shaven the city. The Gesthal Emperor invites them to a dinner to discuss a truce. Gestahl claims whereas Kefka was imprisoned for its war crimes. He asks Terra to go to Espers and to say to them that he does not intend any more to make the war and sends the Général Leo to accompany the group.

They arrive at Thamasa, where Espers supposedly went, although none the villagers admits to have seen them. They meet there Strago and his/her little girl Relm . After having saved Relm of a fire, Strago admits to have been rather dishonest person. The village is actually filled of users of magic who were banished after Hardly of the Magic. Strago offers its assistance to them to find Espers. Finally, they find Yura, Esper which represents its fellow-members. Leo and Yura agree, right before the arrival of Kefka. In the name of the empeuror Gestal, Kefka kills the Leo general and captures Yura. As other Espers launch out to the defense of Yura, Kefka transforms them all into Magicites and the collection, then escapes with the group from its cases.

Arriving at the Floating Continent, Kefka and Gestahl are held in front of the statues of the three goddesses. They are known as being the source of the magic and are positioned in a delicate, supposed balance to maintain the cohesion of this world. Gestahl tries to convince Those to turn over on its side where they could dominate the world together. Making pretense accept the request, it benefits from it to stab Kefka by surprise. In one moment of madness, this one then pushes the statues out of their original alignment. Gestahl tries to stop it because he does not want that the world either destroyed. The magic incantations that it sends to him are however absorbed by the statues, leaving in Kefka the chance to overcome the Gestahl emperor, that it precipitates towards the world in lower part of the Floating Continent. Resulting from the movement of the three statues, the world disaggregates and transforms World of the Balance into World of the Ruins.

The history starts its second part on Those who looks after Cid in a small house of fortune. Both are lost on a deserted island in the middle of nowhere, letting think that they are the only survivors on this new world of desolation. The player is constrained to carry out many outward journey and return on the island so that the situation is released and that the play continues. As Cid looked after Those during a coma of almost a year, this one feels in its turn obliged to look after it. After all that, it builds a raft and fall on the town of Nikeah where it meets Gerad (actually Edgar disguised), which is of alliance with robbers who are escaped Castle of Barber. With the robbers, it moves towards its castle where it promised fortune to them. As soon as its castle is again in a position to function, they meet Setzer. Setzer assistance to obtain a new experimental vessel which belonged to his/her died partner, Daryl.

There is then several searches appendices to find and encourage the former members of the group to join him again, in particular Terra which deals now with abandoned children in isolated orphanage and will refuse a long time to reinstate the group, by dislike of the war. All these searches are optional and it is possible, no matter what difficult, to finish the play with only Those, Edgar and Setzer in the team.

The group goes finally to the Tower of Kefka for the final battle.

Playable characters

Final Fantasy VI contains fourteen playable characters, the greatest number compared with any play of the series. Each character has a speciality.

  • Terra Branford (ティナ Tina ) - human Half, Esper half, formerly slave of the Empire of Gestahl. The speciality of Terra is Morph , which enables him to be transformed into a creature of pure magic for one limited period, which multiplies by ten its physical and magic power.

  • Locke Sticks (ロック Lock ) - a Voleur which often works with Returners. Its speciality is Steal , which enables him to fly of the objects of the enemies. With the relic " Thief Glove, " Steal is transformed into Capture , which enables him to do a little damage to the enemies at the same time as it steals them.
  • Edgar Roni Barber (エドガー Edgar ) - young king de Figaro, Edgar forged an alliance with the Empire and provides Returners secretly. Its speciality is Tools , which enables him to attack its enemies with several weapons that it finds during the play.
  • Sabin Rene Barber (マッシュ Mash ) - the twin of Edgar, Sabin left the kingdom to go to involve itself in Martial arts. Its speciality is Blitz , which enables him to use several techniques via a combination of buttons that the player must press.
  • Shadow (シャドウ Shadow ) - a Ninja Mercenary, his services are available to highest offerer. He is always accompanied by his dog, Interceptor. Its speciality is Throw , which enables him to launch weapons and objects especially designed (like a Shuriken) towards its enemies.
  • Those Expensive (セリス Those ) - old a General E of the Empire, imprisoned to have questioned the policies of the Empire. Its speciality is Runic , which enables him to absorb any magic launched during the combat, partly restoring its magic points to him.
  • Cyan Garamonde (カイエン Cayenne ) - a guard of Doma and single survivor of the poisoning of the source of water of Doma by the Empire. Its speciality is SwdTech (an abbreviation of Sword Technique ), which enables him to make a variety of techniques with its sword, while waiting for necessary time.
  • Gau (ガウ Gau ) - a wild Child abandoned when he was a baby in the wild regions of Veldt. Its specialities are Rage and Leap . While it is on Veldt, it can learn the techniques from an enemy by using Leap on this enemy, after which it can use the enemy techniques with Rage .
  • Setzer Gabbiani (セッツァー Setzer ) - a punter and seducer, Setzer travels around the world in the search of his/her lost friend, Daryl. Its speciality is Slot , which uses a machine automated to activate a variety of special attacks and techniques. With the relic " Toss corner, " Slot is transformed into GP Rain (ぜになげ Zeninage ), which enables him to launch GP towards all the enemies of the battle, creating damage equal to the launched quantity, without exceeding 9999.
  • Mog (モグ Mog ) - a Mog able to speak the human language, and the not-official Mascotte of the play. Its speciality is Dance , which enables him to use a series of eight dances specific to a type of ground (for example, the " Aria" serves; is learned automatically during a battle in a ground from desert).
  • Strago Magus (ストラゴス Stragus ) - an old blue magus, Strago is downward distant of those which fought in the War of the Magic. Its speciality is Lore (also known under the name of Blue Magic ), which enables him to learn the enemy techniques and to use them in its turn.
  • Relm Arrowny (リルム Relm ) - the 10 years old little girl of Strago, Relm is an expert artist who is not frightened to answer oldest. Its speciality is Sketch , which enables him to create a certified copy of its enemy who then uses one of the attacks associated with this enemy. With the relic " Fake Moustache, " Sketch is transformed into Control , which enables him to take control of the enemy and to use his attacks.
  • Gogo (ゴゴ Gogo ) - a mysterious individual, completely dressed, found inside a monster called the Zone Eater, Gogo is a Master of the techniques of MIME, and it can duplicate any attack. Its speciality is Mimic , which enables him to retort the last order entered by one of his/her companions.
  • Umaro (ウーマロ Umaro ) - a Yéti (or Sasquatch in the English translation) alive in the cellars of Narshe. Umaro cannot be controlled directly during the battle: it is all the time in rage, or " berserk" according to the term employed in the series. It can, however, being equipped with two relics (rage boxing ring and blizzard orb) which change its repertory of attacks.

American localization

The American edition underwent various modifications compared with its counterpart Japanese woman. Most obvious was the change of the title of the play. Indeed, on the American territory only two Final Fantasy had left this is why Final Fantasy VI Japanese became Final Fantasy III American. Contrary to Final Fantasy IV (become Final Fantasy II in the USA) this opus did not know major modifications of its jouability. However certain leading details made their appearance in the english language version. In January 1995, the translator Ted Woolsey in an interview with the magazine Super Power explained qu'" there was a certain degree of cheerfulness and… of sexuality in the Japanese plays which does not exist the United States here, a fact clearly influenced by the rules of Nintendo off America ". Consequently, of the graphic final improvements limiting nudity were installation as well as new symbols on the buildings and for certain fates to avoid religious allusions.

Editions and republications

Super Nintendo

  • Final Fantasy VI (Super Famicom, Japan, 1994)

  • Final Fantasy III (Super BORN, the USA, 1994)

PlayStation

Final Fantasy VI was related to the first Playstation console from Sony by TOSE and was republished by Square in Japan and the United States in 1999. In Japan, the play was available alone or in the box Final Fantasy Collection. A contrario, in the United States one could only find it in the box Final Fantasy Anthology. In 2002, this republication finally arrived to Europe (STAKE), a first for this play. The PlayStation version is basically identical to original version SNES, except by the addition of three scenes Cinématique S and of a quantity of will extras in the mode Omake, including an art gallery and a bestiary.

  • Final Fantasy VI (PlayStation, Japan, 1999)
  • Final Fantasy Collection (gathering FF IV, V & VI) (PlayStation, Japan, 1999)
  • Final Fantasy Anthology (gathering FF V & VI) (PlayStation, the USA, 1999)
  • Final Fantasy VI (PlayStation, Europe, 2002)

Game Boy Advance

FFVI was a news carried by TOSE and republished under the title Final Fantasy VI Advance (ファイナルファンタジー VI アドバンス, Fainaru Fantajī Shikkusu Adobansu) by Square ENIX. It includes/understands new characteristics of jouability and the new visual ones. Four new espers (invocations) make their appearance Leviathan, Gilgamesh, Pampa, Nosferatu. Moreover, a new keep appears: the cave of the Dragon with like mythical creature the Dragon Tsar also called Kaiser Dragon coded for the initial version but not included. A new place makes its appearance the Furnace bridge of the Spirit, places where one can fight permanently. Three nouveaus fates appear: Flood, Courage and Gravity. Many problems of programming also disappear as in the preceding republications. One finds also the bestiary and the music player. Another considerable innovation: a mode new range +, with the Stopwatch Trigger, which makes it possible to start again the play with the stats reached at the end of a preceding part. Ideal to concentrate on the scenario without being concerned with level up.

  • Final Fantasy VI Advance (Game Boy Advance, Japan November 30th, 2006, the USA February 5th, 2007 & Europe June 29th, 2007)

Music

See also: Music of Final Fantasy VI

Development team

  • Producing: Hironobu Sakaguchi

  • Realizer: Yoshinori Kitase, Hiroyuki Itou
  • principal Programmer: Ken Narita, Kiyoshi Yoshii
  • Realizers graphics: Tetsuya Takahashi, Kasuko Shibuya, Hideo Minaba, Tetsuya Nomura
  • Music: Nobuo Uematsu
  • Design image: Yoshitaka Amano
  • Planning of combat: Yasuyuki Hasebe, Akiyoshi Oota
  • Planning of ground: Yoshihiko Maekawa, Keita Etoh, Satoru Tsuji, Hidetoshi Kezuka
  • Planning of events: Tsukasa Fujita, Keisuke Matsuhara
  • Programmer of effect: Hiroshi Harata, Satoshi Ogata
  • Programmer of combat: Akihiro Yamaguchi
  • Programmer sound: Minoru Akao
  • Design graphic effects: Hirokatsu Sasaki
  • Design graphics ground: Takaharu Matsuo, Yusuke Naora

Tests

See too

Internal bonds

External bonds

  • Japanese Official site

  • a French guide on Final Fantasy VI (III)
  • French wiki on Final Fantasy

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