Hmm... Cloud of Darkness in FF III on the NES without sages and ninjas is one hell of a fight, a race against time. Don't try it below lv 60, it won't work. Garuda on my first playthrough was hell, too, especially since I sold all dragoon equipment you find in that tower. :riiight:

I think III NES is the hardest FF game where the challenge is fair. Not like I, which is frustrating, or II, which is even more so. IV's not very fair either, since all you can do if stuck is grind. And from V on, FF wasn't very hard anymore. In III, you could at least try different class combinations, which often worked wonders.