... that you haven't gushed about yet. Tell me what little or big things you appreciate about this game that you thought of but don't usually get to talking about!
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... that you haven't gushed about yet. Tell me what little or big things you appreciate about this game that you thought of but don't usually get to talking about!
I'm saving most of this for the retrospective I'm still working on, but I would say how much the game throws new things at you. You get a taste of power with Magitech armor, have to play a psuedo tower defense game with three teams of moogles, navigate a river, choose one of three scenarios to play through, solve a mystery in a town turned dungeon, do an opera, recruit a party member who randomely leaves you, the new mechanics each new party member brings, explore the enemy base to talk to people, dialogue choices with some weight to them, characters the party actually has the power to have killed, puzzle dungeons, nulti-party dungeons, and then the damn World of Ruined which cracks this whole thing up into an open world game filled with even more of this stuff. The game is just always throwing something new at you.
One of my favorite things about the game is the way its story is structured, especially in the first half of the game. It bounces around between characters and places seemingly without rhyme or reason, and it's incredibly satisfying when the pieces begin to come together.
I love all of FFVI, but the World of Ruins is really special to me. I love all the character arcs, and I love how we can play it almost in the order we want.
I also love all of the operetic/stage play touches to the game, like how all the characters get a mini-intro when they first appear or how Mog or the Kappa will occasionally show up to break the fourth wall and talk to the player directly about gameplay stuff.
I loved the whole World of Balance. Honestly it was just epic. It felt like you were really the ones standing up to the bully empire and saving the world.
Replaying as an adult. I really didn’t like the World of Ruin. It felt like one long fetch quest instead of an epic showdown with Kefka.
I think the first half of the game really shines.
1. With the exception of Gau, I like all of the characters, and their special abilities.
2. The part of the game where the party splits into the three scenarios is a neat idea, never before seen in a Final Fantasy game up until that point. Sabin's scenario is phenomenal.
3. A lot of settings in the game are really cool, with absolutely incredible music to go with these settings. Narshe, Figaro Castle, The Phantom Train, Zozo, The Opera House, Vector and the Magitek Research Facility, and the Floating Continent all come to mind.
4. Ultros. So funny.
I appreciate the second half of the game for being so bold at the time by creating such an incredibly hopeless feeling, and with the non-linearity of finding your friends. But I missed the more focused story from the first half of the game.
The number of items in this game is incredible. There are several different weapon types with weapons that have individual attributes, strengths, and weaknesses. Same with armor. Also, the ability to equip two accessories gives so many different customization builds. Unlike most of the later games, it is not a straightforward thing to just buy the new weapon with the higher damage rating, or just equip generic accessories to all your characters.
In one playthrough I tried to acquire one of every item. I'm not even sure if this is possible, since some items are unique and require you to wager it at the coliseum to get another unique item.
I think when I first played this game as a teenager, my brain never registered the individual attributes for weapons and armor beyond "go to the next town, buy all armor, and upgrade". In my most recent playthrough, I found myself actually going into the item menu and looking at what each item actually does. Made dealing with bosses and enemies with elemental focuses much, much easier.Quote:
Originally Posted by Del Murder
A lot of people mentioned most of what I would have have said.
So I'll just add that I love the way you can teach Strago some Blue Magic spells using Relm's sketch and Gau's rages. It took me several playthrough before I realized that, and I appreciate that amount of depth in the game.
It might sound funny but the nuance the game used when it came to heroes and villains. To wit, Terra, Celes and Leo start out technically working for the Empire, all of them carrying out orders that no doubt hurt or killed people but with some sort of greater good in their minds (or mind controlled minds). Obviously, Kefka is insane but even the scene where he kills the Emperor was such a shock for me playing it as a kid because I didn't expect him to end up being the big bad at the time. He seemed more like an annoying recurring boss or almost comic relief like Ultros.
Also, that the game dealt with loss and with the idea of retreating to solitude. Locke is haunted by his past, Terra initially wishes to be left in peace and Celes obviously has that opening section of the second half of the game where she is dealing directly with loss and loneliness. Weighty stuff for a video game!
Take care all.
2 things for me. The music for each characters theme is just spot on. Even years, heck decades now after playing for the first time, it brings back memories replaying this game.
The diversity in characters, while we get a lot of them, makes it all interesting how they interact and have their own set path in life. Such an amazing aspect of the game.
KEFKA!
What am I, a waiter??
Son of a submariner!!