The timeless epic. The classic of all classics. The game that captured the hearts of RPG fans everywhere. Final Fantasy VI, or Final Fantasy III to us English speaking types, is without a doubt one of the greatest games in the history of console gaming. I can remember when this game was released for North America back in 1995. I was so excited, I knocked the doors down of the local game specialty store daily, in hopes of seeing if this classic had finally reached the shelves. Many Final Fantasy fans claim that this is the best of the series, and while it's a close race my "meat and potatoes" categories, Final Fantasy VI, in my honest opinion, is the greatest 16-bit game every made. The storyline, the characters, the interaction, the plot twists, the music, everything, it feels like I could recall the entire game from my heart. I felt like I wanted to be in the game with the characters, and go through everything they did. This is really the stuff dreams are made of.

Final Fantasy VI breaks the mold in many ways, but the first and probably most intriguing way is the lack of a central or main character. Certainly there are some characters that have more of a background than others, but a pretty good argument could be made for any one of several characters in this installment of Final Fantasy, to be the main one. The game starts with you playing the role of the mysterious Terra Branford. Under the control of the Empire, she has been rumored to be a witch because she can wield a power known as "magic." She spearheads an attack on the mining city of Narshe with the help of two rough looking Imperial Soldiers. The reason? Reports of a frozen creature being found in the mines that ressembles what they used to call "Espers." As the game progresses, you'll take the reigns of other characters, like the gallant Thie...er...Treasure Hunter, Locke Cole (he hates being called a Thief), the King of Figaro, Edgar Roni Figaro, his brother, Sabin Rene Figaro, the dark Ninja, Shadow, the Imperial General Celes Chere, and that's only scratching the surface. There are several other characters, each with their own special talents and powers that will aid you in your battle for the freedom of the world from the vile Empire, and their ruler, the maniacal Emperor Gestahl. There are plot twists around every corner, and as you progress, you wonder who you can really trust in the game. Sit tight though, it's one hell of a ride, and when it's over, you'll be begging for more.

Graphically, the game is superb. Each sprite is drawn larger and more detailed than they have been in previous Final Fantasy games, and the colors are just outstanding. The magic spells are a real sight, and even put to shame the previous spell effects from other Final Fantasy games, not to mention all other RPGs. Again, those of us lucky enough to have imported the re-release of this game for the Sony Playstation are treated to a series of stunning CGI movies, which once again looks as if Yoshitaka Amano took his drawings and wrapped them perfectly around a polygon. (There are few things as cool as the intro, boys and girls. Watching the MagiTek Armor start up and take off just makes you wanna drool puddles onto the floor.) This game is graphically beautiful, and I really must say, I think it's the best 16 bit graphics for an RPG. Even Chrono Trigger didn't have the detail of artwork that FFVI has in the monsters and Espers.

Musically speaking, I think this is quite honestly the best score to ever be released with a game. There is a plethora of songs in this game that you'll remember, and remember very well. Nobuo Uematsu should be proud of this work, because I think without a doubt, it's his finest. Most of the character themes are excellent, the ending battle music, "Dancing Mad," is brilliant, the ending theme is beautiful, and that's just scratching the surface. If there was ever a soundtrack that I would have to own (I own several...but if I had to choose just one..) It would be the Final Fantasy VI OSV.

The game does have some minor flaws, but nothing that effects the overall enjoyment of good stuff, as in the character development and storyline. First of all, as you gain levels, the game becomes pretty easy. Even most boss characters, including the game's final boss, will be pretty much a cake walk for you. The reason? The characters get pretty powerful due to the Esper Magicite Magic System. Which was another of Square's ways to make all the characters closer to the same, by having them all learn magic. So in reality, you can take the game's best character (as in power-wise, not my personal fav, who happens to be Terra :) ), Sabin, and have him attack, really mess up some poor group of monsters with his attacks (which seriously pack a punch later in the game) and in the very next round have him cast the game's super spell, Ultima. This is pretty unbalanced, as you can imagine, and downright nasty for enemy boss characters. According to my calculation, this game missed a perfect 100% by .1%. If it wasn't for the magic system, it would have gotten a perfect score from me. Oh well, you win a few, you lose a few. I honestly wish Square would have stuck with the old Final Fantasy IV Class system for this game. Having definite magic users and defined fighters is what keeps or boots characters out of your party. However in Final Fantasy VI, personal preference of the characters will probably sway you more than anything. Like if you don't like Sabin, because you think he has stupid hair, don't take him along. It wouldn't amount to much.

Which brings me to my next point. This game has the very cool feature of letting you choose which characters you take along with you on your quests. Since there is really no main character, you are only limited by which characters you have available to you. For most of the game, you can change your characters over as often as you like. (In the first part of the game though, you'll be limited to certain restraints, I highly recommend that you always keep either, or both, Celes and Terra in your party at all times, since they will be the only magic users for a while.) However, be for warned, there are certain events that to trigger, you must have one, or maybe even two specific characters in your party at that time. While some of these events have no impact on the overall storyline, they are key for watching your characters develop and interact. Some of them are quite heartwarming, others are sad, some are even funny. This game is so vast, the chances of seeing it all in your first sitting, without cheating (I see you with your guide book there!), is almost impossible. Oh yeah, and while I'm talking about not cheating, there's two secret characters as well. See if you can find them without cheating. One of them, especially, is rather tricky to find.

Overall, as I stated above, this game is simply breathtaking. If I could give this game higher marks that 100% in the storyline and character development categories, I would in a heartbeat. There's humor, there's sadness, there's seriousness, there's happiness, and there's even some romance. After the game is over, you'll want more, much more. You'll grow very close and attached to these characters, and as I said above, you'll want to be in the game with them, experiencing every little event for yourself with them. In the world of games, there are classics, and then there are legends. I can honestly say that this game is legendary, and everyone should have the opportunity to experience it for themselves. Anyone who calls themselves an RPG fan should love this game.