Gameplay, Story and Value:

For all the great things there are to say about Final Fantasy IV, the quality gap separating that game from Final Fantasy VI is so large it's practically a chasm. The game is a classic Final Fantasy adventure through and through, but the amount of things it gets right along the way, the amount of content that feels revolutionary for its time, is just remarkable. Sure, it stumbles here and there, but anything complaints I have are ones I really needed to think about.

Let's start with the mechanics, the gameplay. It's standard 16-bit RPG affair here. The battle system has been improved over FF4's namely with the introduction of a visible ATB gauge allowing you to plan your turns more strategically. Additionally, you can use the Y button while in combat to switch between active character, to keep a healer on standby or keep a powerful attack at the ready when timing is important. Like FF4 before it, every character in the game has an ability unique to them which helps in maintaining uniqueness among the roster, given the largely shared equipment pool and the fact that all characters have access to all magics in the game. Actually, this brings up my first nitpick. While the characters themselves are all unique in terms of stories and personalities, the way the game works results in characters being defined, mechanically, entirely by their equipment. On one hand this offers the player a TON of customization options, allowing you to effectively build any kind of party setup you want. On the other hand, there ends up being a lot more mechanical ambiguity than I like, resulting in a party that's basically a sum of its equipment and trained abilities, rather than the characters that are actually in it.

That's a minor complaint in the grand scheme of things, given how fun it is to actually build out your party! The actual equipment itself is pretty standard issue, though tertiary abilities on higher end gear keep things interesting. The real meat comes from Relics and Magicite. Relics can be equipped two to a character and allow for a wide range of abilities such as passive status like Haste or Shell, additional battle commands like Jump, dual-wielding, multiple attacks, counterattacks, reduced MP costs and even things like faster movement speed outside of combat. Magicite, on the other hand, are your primary means of teaching magic to your party members. Different Magicite teach different spells at different rates, and offer different stat boosts to the characters equipping them on level up. They can also be used once per battle as a strong Summon ability. Half the fun in the game is actually in tracking down and discovering some of these Magicite.

As far as gameplay is concerned, there's really nothing to complain about. Every just works intuitively, as it should in a game driven by its story.

So let's talk about that story. The sad truth of the matter is, I'm pretty easily entertained. I'm also pretty easily confused and bored... So, when a game's story manages to be set on such a large scale, include so many different characters and still manage to be amazingly succinct and complete, it's a damn achievement. There are many characters to keep track of in Final Fantasy VI, but they all manage to get an appropriate amount of attention, with complete backstories and fleshed out personalities. The main story itself, in spite of all of its twists and turns and *ahem* world altering events still manages to remain solid and sensible. There is a perfect beginning, and excellently paced middle, and a satisfying ending. There's plenty of speculation to the lives of the characters after the fact, but no loose ends to worry about. It all just comes together in an excellent little package of storytelling.

There are a total of 14 playable characters in the game, some of which can be missed entirely. The main cast is all introduced in a timely manner, and all have good reasons to join your cause. You'll get a general idea of their backgrounds early on, but even the lesser characters have their backstories further revealed over the course of the game. By the end you'll find yourself invested in many if not all the people you've met over the course of your adventure.

That adventure is littered with great set pieces and twists on gameplay that keep things interesting. You'll have carefully choreographed dinner meetings with evil emperors, navigate a rushing river, and of course there's not enough that can be said about the spectacular sequence that is the Opera Scene. It all culminates in an incredible and emotional journey that holds up as well today as it did over 20 years ago. If I had to pick one thing I disliked about how FF6 handled certain events, it would have to be in the multi-party sections of the game. Really, for the most part they all worked really well, the only exception being in the final dungeon. With so many characters in play it's impossible, or at least very difficult, to give enough attention to leveling and training all of them. When suddenly, in the game's most difficult dungeon, you're forced to use all of your neglected party members. This leads to what feels like some very arbitrary grinding just to get through a single dungeon, especially when the final boss himself is nowhere near difficult enough to warrant that extra effort.

Presentation, Music and Sound:

It's easy to remember Final Fantasy VI as having decent to good graphics for the time. I did anyway. The truth is, when compared to its predecessors the game actually looks fairly remarkable. Sprites and maps are all incredibly detailed and well animated. Characters have a wide range of poses and means of conveying emotion that just weren't there in there in Final Fantasy IV. Different maps and environments all exude their own unique tones and atmospheres, and everything just feels special. Enemy sprites and combat animations, but spell and character animations, all look excellent and aside from some barely noticeable and infrequent tile clipping there's no complaints to be made in terms of visuals.

I'm not going to say Final Fantasy VI boast the greatest soundtrack to come out of a Square/Soft/Enix game, but it's still phenomenal. Every character gets their own theme, and every character's theme receives various arrangements to suite the current events of the game. Every theme is distinct, and excellent, and draws out a specific set of emotions appropriate to that character. I guess what I think is unfortunate is that while absolutely none of the music in the game is less than fantastic, some of the best tracks are somewhat underrepresented. I'm specifically talking about Relm's theme, which frankly I think is one of the best tunes in the game, and perhaps Prelude to a lesser extent, though it does make an appearance. As far as sound effects go, they're all pretty standard issue, though the quality on them is very high. Elemental sounds like the crack of thunder, waves of fire and shattering of ice are all very clear and well suited to their animations. Of course, Kefka's iconic laugh gets bonus points here.

Afterthoughts:

I remember the first time I ever played this game. It was back in the mid 90's and I'd only just finished the copy of Final Fantasy II (4) that a friend of mine had lent me. That was, of course, my very first taste of the genre so when he asked me if I'd be interested in borrowing the next one in line I jumped on it without hesitation. I didn't realize, at the time, what I had just signed up for. I was too young to fully comprehend the depth of what I was playing through, but even then I knew it was something special. I would go on to beat the game the game two more times in the next few years, once on an emulator and again on the PS1 Anthologies collection, but this is the first time I've sat down with it since around 2001.

Not only do I feel the same way about the game now as I did back then, but as an older gamer I have a greater appreciation for some of the story's more meaningful moments. The Opera Scene in particular was something to behold. I always knew there wasn't something to it, but seeing Celes in that light as an adult simply had so much more weight to it. Sure, things kind of dragged on for me towards the end, but at this point I'm expecting that out of just about every RPG, even the greats. I'm eagerly waiting to pick this one up again in another 10 years!

Review:

Playthrough:

5/5

Played the Pixel Remaster version on Nintendo Switch - along with the State of the Arc podcast.

Overall - loved it. Favourite thing about it was definitely the story and characters. The cast of characters was really likeable - my favourites were Cyan, Sabin and Relm. I really enjoyed the section in the second half of the game where you are re-recruiting characters - what a fun idea. Gameplay wise I felt it was solid. Not a huge fan of the way the magic system worked here and how it tied to level up bonuses, just because its really tedious to make the most of that system by constantly switching espers. The characters unique abilities were cool, but undermined by the powerful and universal magic system. I disliked the random battles here as I felt it discouraged exploration. Exploration itself however was rewarding with good equipment, items and relics. There was a good amount of optional content in the second half of the game as well. Surprisingly a lot of humour and genuinely absurd and funny moments here to enjoy as well.

The Pixel Remaster looked great, had awesome arrangements of the music (the boss theme!) and some nice QOL features. I played with 0.5x EXP until the second half of the game and turned it up to 1x, and felt that it added a really neat challenge to the game. I've tried to beat the game twice before and feel that the Pixel Remaster changes really helped me get across the line this time.

I can definitely see how this is many people's most beloved Final Fantasy game.

This is absolutely my favorite game in the franchise. If I had to pick only one Final Fantasy game to recommend, this would win, hands down. After playing through every single game in the franchise (in numerical order) over the course of a year, this is the only one that had such a lasting affect on me. Normally, I would attribute that in part to nostalgia, but for of FFVI (and few others) I don't believe that to be the case. I will usually be the first to admit something isn't as good as I remember it. This game, amazingly, was better.

The gameplay stuck to tried and true methods of the time, such as the Active Time Battle system (ATB), and random encounters, but still managed to improve the formula without a complete reworking. The experience level system and magic points make another return, essentially cementing them as franchise staples. A new game mechanic (that will continue to make a return in future installments) was added as well. When a characters health reaches a critical level, sometimes a more powerful attack is utilized - although involuntarily. While job classes aren't changeable (they are more akin to Final Fantasy IV's set up, where each character is locked in place to a certain class from the beginning) they are every bit as customizable as Final Fantasy V. While in the beginning of the game character's individual classes are more noticeable, the deeper the player gets into game the lines between classes begin to blur. While each character has a skill set all their own, that the rest of the cast cannot learn or copy, most skills can either be utilized by equipping accessories called relics or permanently taught by equipping an additional accessory called magicite. Magicite also provides varying stat boosts to the wearer. This successfully incorporates the job system from previous games, but also allows for a stronger narrative as well.

For a game with such a large and varying cast, I thought the story line was incredible. The plot was interesting enough without being too over the top, and each playable character had just enough backstory and varying personality to make them likable. While in previous entries I felt the characters could come off a little stale due to their black or white morals, in this game, each character is given their own burdens or doubts to work through. All without taking away from the main story. The pacing was also something I thought was particularly done well, with new characters being introduced steadily and with a sense of purpose, even the less necessary ones. The halfway mark of the game was a high point for me personally. Around then, the story becomes much less linear and allows the player to explore each characters backstory a little more, but doesn't force the player to go through each scenario if they aren't interested.

Character sprites are larger on screen than previous installments and were rendered at an equal resolution, regardless of which screen they were on (battle or otherwise). This gave developers more room to animate movements and expression in the characters. The Super Nintendo's mode 7 was also utilized more frequently for Final Fantasy VI, allowing a more 3D feel to a two dimensional game. All in all they hold up extremely well. The music was once again scored by Nobuo Uematsu, and is my favorite in the franchise. It's one of the only video game soundtracks that I can listen to outside of game and still enjoy.

While I can appreciate the individual pieces of many games. This is one of the few games that I feel was done well as a whole. Off the top of my head I can say that about less than five games total. I'm not alone either. If you ask many fans of the franchise what their favorite installment is, more often than not VI will come out on top or very close to. There is something about this game that tends to resonate with players, and has yet to be duplicated.

The first half of Final Fantasy VI is absolutely amazing, and is a masterwork for its time.

The music is epic and awesome. And there's so much of it! There's over a half hour of unique music for the final boss fight and epilogue alone. Each character has their own musical theme, and parts of those themes get sprinkled into other scores throughout the game's soundtrack. And as far as nostalgia goes, I have to say that Setzer's theme is criminally underrated.

The graphics are great (particularly compared to prior Final Fantasy games), with piles of unique & iconic characters and enemies. After all, how many games are there where you get to suplex a train?

Some neat 3D-ish Mode7 & other graphics tricks get implemented along the way, to varying effects. The short river rafting sequence is novel, but the Mode7 overworld map can be kind of tricky to navigate at times.

The gameplay (for the first half of the game, at least) ditches all of the more annoying tropes endemic in JRPGs. Gone are the ridiculous amounts of grinding. Everything you're supposed to do, and everywhere you're supposed to go, is clearly laid out or presented in logical clues from NPCs.

The writing is impressive for a game from the era. Most characters have a relatively interesting backstory that opens up over the course of the 30-40hr game. Most characters have a "loyalty mission" of sorts that you can complete in the back half of the game, which expands on their backstories. They also sneak a little bit of tasteless and/or referential humor into the story here & there. And I'm okay with that.

I do have some gripes about the last part of the game. It's not enough to make me want to jump off a cliff or anything-- but lets say it is, so I have an excuse to use this screenshot. (Don't worry! He's okay! His awesome theme music would never let him die!)

Once you reach a certain point of the game, the previously linear & logical progression gets blown wide open into a huge, open world. At first, I trudged through a few missions I stumbled upon. Eventually, I was completely overwhelmed. And then I learned that the original SNES game came with a world map listing the locations you should visit, in order. Finding a copy of this map made the final part of the game nearly as fun as the first part.

But still, there are a few things in the final part of the game that you'd never figure out without a guide. Things like: items hidden in random nondescript map tiles, odd gameplay mechanics that no normal person would find on their own, and specific character combination requirements in your party to trigger important events. That, and there are a couple mechanically annoying sequences that seriously tested my refusal to use emulator save states.

In the end, it all culminated into a satisfying and rewarding conclusion, and remains on my Top 25 Games of All Time list.

4.5/5

In continuing my personal adventure of playing all of the mainline Final Fantasy games, I've now been able to cross 6 off of my list. I never played this back in the day, and played the Pixel Remaster version.

This entry in the Final Fantasy series mostly drops the Medieval aspect for a more Steam Punk aesthetic, which does feel fresh for the series (playing them in order at least). In the story, Magic even initially takes a back seat as we are in a world where a war against magic was waged many years back and shockingly one of our early playable characters is the only one (at the time) who can use magic! The first half of this game's story is pretty standard for the genre and for the time but then pulls a huge twist that even though it's an old game, I won't spoil here. The twist makes it worth it to then revisit every location you can to see how the twist has effected everything.

This entry has the largest number of playable characters at 14, plus a few moments where you may very briefly play as someone else. Most of these characters play pretty differently to each other and really help in customizing how you want to approach the game with party builds and who/how to use your magic. Within story beats, most characters have side missions/stories that you can play that all really help characterization. Some are better than others, but they are all very well written!

I never played the original, only reading the hell out of the Nintendo Power issue with it and seeing other advertisements so I can't speak on all the changes made for the Pixel Remaster version, but I did try to look up a lot of the before and after. With the other Pixel Remasters, this contains some visual filters, options for pixel text or more smoothed out, and the boosts that can lessen the grind required for leveling. The biggest change I noticed though is in the Opera House performance. The original is a beautiful moment in its own right with a song being played and sung, though the vocals in the original are still midi sounds. That scene in this remaster fully leans into the 2D HD graphics giving us different view/perspectives, and a fully voiced song that sounds beautiful!

I think this was the easiest of the first 6 Final Fantasy games now, but I believe the most enjoyable between the diverse cast of characters, the incredible music, and great story with a twist that really shakes up how the latter half of the game is played!

I always counted myself among the "actually, Final Fantasy VI is the best one" contingent. After the recent Final Fantasy VII Remake, I was reminded of why I loved these games in the first place, so thought it would be appropriate to revisit what I thought of as the highlight. I chose the Game Boy Advance version for the updated translation with the old graphics, as this was prior to the recent pixel remasters.

I enjoyed getting to know these characters again and diving into their respective arcs. It was great to revisit the combat and the use of Espers as a method of learning magic and providing stat boosts. The game gives you a simply astonishing number of ways of playing if that's what you choose to do: stripped of its narrative, it is sort of the platonic ideal of a JRPG in terms of its different character classes and use cases. I guess I sort of stuck with the meat and potatoes approach and greatly favored my spell-casters and melee fighters over the more unusual characters like Gau or Gogo. I totally get why there is a dedicated community for this game all these years later, even if I simply over-leveled and blew threw the end game without a hitch.

One thing that really disappointed me was the variety of towns and just how similar every location feels (save for some of the early game locations like Narshe or Castle Figaro). To me, it's the one thing really holding the game back. I'm not sure if all the older Final Fantasy games are like this, and that I'm just blinded by nostalgia, but there are just so many towns in this game that don't feel fully lived in or culturally distinct. When you get to the back half of the game, and have to revisit all these locations, you hardly remember what happened in each town. (Also, why is the Opera House not in a city? It's, like, in the middle of a field somewhere.)

Among this game's neat narrative tricks is that there's not necessarily a main character. You can kind of choose who you want to focus on. Terra could be seen as a rare female protagonist among the Final Fantasy games, or she could be seen more as a primary support, similar to Yuna in FFX. In truth I feel the game sort of deliberately shifts from Terra to Celes part way through, and they are two unique and complementary protagonists. I have to say Sabin and Setzer definitely grew on me this time around, while I got very bored with Locke and Edgar. I also really like Mog.

Played Game Boy Advance version on PC and ClockworkPi Gameshell. Covered all everything but the Dragon's Den and got every Esper save for Diabolos.

This title is widely regarded as one of the crowning achievements of the 16-bit era and a landmark in the history of RPGs. It pushed the SNES hardware to its limits, delivering a world that felt vast, alive, and emotionally resonant. Unlike many RPGs of its time, this one does not center on a single protagonist, instead, it presents a sprawling ensemble cast, each character with a distinct personality, backstory, and role in the story. This approach allows the game to explore complex themes such as loss, oppression, redemption, and the cost of ambition, creating a narrative depth rarely seen in games of the era.

The world of this title blends classic fantasy with steampunk aesthetics, filled with airships, industrial landscapes, and magical relics that hint at a lost past. You experience a journey across diverse environments, from bustling cities to desolate wastelands, encountering a variety of factions, each with its own motivations and struggles. The villains, particularly the enigmatic Kefka, are crafted with theatrical flair, making him one of the most memorable antagonists in gaming history due to his chaotic nature and descent into godlike madness.

As for the gameplay, it refines the Active Time Battle system introduced in previous entries, providing fluid, strategic combat while giving you the freedom to develop their party through Espers and magicite. These systems allow for extensive customization of abilities and magic, ensuring that each playthrough can feel unique. Outside combat, exploration and interaction are richly rewarding, with hidden treasures, side quests, and secrets that encourage players to fully immerse themselves in the world. one of the best side-quests is the Legendary Dragon ones, I highly recommend not skipping this, they are a series of very difficulty and unique boss battles, which are a tradition of the FF franchise.

Visually, the game makes remarkable use of the SNES capabilities. Sprites are expressive, environments are detailed, and even minor animations convey personality and emotion. The soundtrack is nothing short of legendary, ranging from tender and melancholic melodies to epic orchestral pieces, each track perfectly complementing the narrative moments. Everything that has the Nobuo Uematsu touch is going to be the best gaming music you can experience, hands down. Iconic compositions like “Terra’s Theme,” “Aria di Mezzo Carattere,” and “Dancing Mad” remain celebrated decades later for their emotional power and technical sophistication.

Beyond its technical and artistic achievements, Final Fantasy VI’s enduring appeal lies in its emotional resonance. Its story doesn’t shy away from tragedy or the consequences of its characters’ choices, creating a sense of weight and significance in every action. The game’s structure allows you to experience a dramatic tonal shift midway, giving a sense of scale and progression that was revolutionary for its time. Even today, this game stands as a benchmark for narrative-driven RPGs.

Its combination of deep characterization, compelling storytelling, inventive gameplay mechanics, and unforgettable music ensures its place not only in the history of the Final Fantasy series but also in the broader history of video games. It remains a timeless masterpiece that continues to inspire developers, captivate players, and demonstrate the emotional and artistic potential of the medium. This is one of the best games of all time, I can't decide if this is my favorite of the series, or FFVII (I have more nostalgic feelings towards this one), and it is undoubtedly a must-play if you like RPGs any extent, take advantage of the modern re-releases an don't think twice. If you need a little push, I advise watching the Angry Video-Game Nerd video on this, that was what made me decide finally play this.

Well, after 3 months, I have finally beaten FF6! This has been on my video game bucket list for years now. I recently got a CRT and thought this would be the perfect way to break in the tv.

• The version I played was the PS1 "remaster" on a PS2

A LOT has been said about FF6. Many JRPG fans argue it is the best Final Fantasy, or even one of the greatest games of all time. This was my first time playing, but I tried to keep my expectations restrained.

Graphics for the game age really well, I love the 2D style, the sprite work is great, the enemy artwork varied and cool, our character portraits brilliant. A few parts have lost their glimmer, such as some of the flying in the overworld, but overall, for a 1994 game it holds up really well.

Music is a cornerstone of every JRPG I have played. Initially, FF6's OST didn't immediately win me over, compared to Chrono Trigger, FF7, FF13, Persona 5 it just didn't pull me in as much. It was good, but not mind blowing. Then I started noticing the subtle ways character tracks or songs were repeated during parts of the game. I began to get pulled in. After I hit the Opera scene I was sold. The ending music for the boss fight and credits was perfection.

It still isn't my favorite music in a video game, but it is really well done and has bee stuck in my head for weeks!

Story, in the beginning this felt largely like classic JRPG. But midway through it took a surprisingly fresh turn. There are still some cliches mixed in, but I think the story was solid. I think one of the most impressive things the game does is trying to avoid making any one party member THE protagonist, and instead multiple party members have chances to shine. This does lead to some pacing issues, when you are forced to use characters that just might not appeal to you, but overall it was a really interesting innovation.

On the character front, this game really shines. Some how, with small sprites, one unique move, and often barebones backstory, our characters feel fleshed out. Not every single one pulled me in, but I LOVED about half the party, and liked most of the rest.

Gameplay takes a while to warm up. Initially options are limited, and characters defined by their unique ability, which are not all equally useful. About 8 hours in, you unlock the use of Espers, and then the game completely opens up strategy wise.

Overall, I really enjoyed my time with FF6. I don't think it is my favorite JRPG, or even Final Fantasy, but it definitely earns its place in the "best of" conversations.

I played with a walkthrough, which I would recommend for people like me who don't enjoy exploring and getting lost on overworlds. But a word of caution, this game, like most JRPGs, is designed with some easily exploitable balance issues, if you are willing to grind for a while. Most walkthroughs guide you to having an overpowered group that spams Meteor and Ultima, which is extremely boring.

If, like me, you hate grinding, and hate just cruising through the end of a game, don't worry. The game is beatable with a party of about lvl 38-42. You can win even with teams built in ways different from usual guides. I really enjoyed a few characters that generally are underpowered, but I still managed to get use out of them.

Rating: 10/10

(I know the original release is old but I'm still putting a spoiler warning for those who haven't played the game before. So here it is. Be warned.)

As far as I'm concerned, even the SNES version of this game is perfect. I wasn't even going to play the Pixel Remaster because I played FF6 to death back in the day. But I went down memory lane, wanted to play the new hotness version. I know everybody was playing Elden Ring around the same time but I was over here obsessing over a game I beat roughly 25 years ago.

Most of this is not me discovering something new, it's just me getting to remember why I fell for this game back when I was too stupid to really understand game design. I just knew things were fun back then, not necessarily the intricacies of why.

I'm still amazed by what this does narratively. While the story is just good vs evil, as many things are, it's how daring the game still feels to this day that impresses me. I mean, you lose halfway through. Kefka gets what he wants. Yes, you beat him down later, but he did become God Emperor Kefka for a while and sufficiently destroyed the world.

On top of that, the game is a whole ass open world game in the World of Ruin! BACK IN 1994! And we're not even talking in an Assassin's Creed sense, we're talking in an Elden Ring/Breath of the Wild sense! It's about discovery. Once you get the airship you can just go wherever the hell you want, for the most part. Yes, there is probably a certain order that makes things easier, but that doesn't mean you can't fly over and get an optional character (Gogo) before you get some of your other mainstays. You could miss them entirely if you wanted.

And it doesn't give you a marker. You just have to talk to people. But it's not so dense that it's annoying. The side quests are all really thought out from a narrative perspective and aren't just fetch quests. Admittedly I've forgotten a lot about the World of Ruin, but there were a couple times where I was like "ooooooh." Whether that was because I had forgotten or not, I don't know, but it happened. Anyway, the World of Ruin is awesome because of these reasons and the contrast between it and the World of Balance.

On a side note, I think this is the first time that I actually kept Cid alive. For years I didn't even realize that was a possibility. I thought he had to die and Celes had to hurl herself off a cliff. I still like that outcome more because it really hits hard but it was nice on a replay to get something new.

The reworked music makes already great music even more wonderful. The World of Ruin airship music is a banger. And if I could be any musician in the history of game soundtracks, I'd be whoever the hell plays the trumpet in the main battle theme because that dude just comes in there and rocks that shit. It's triumphant how it bursts in.

Characters are still awesome. Most of them have detailed backstories that make you feel for them. Even the optional characters have a little something going on. I mean, Gogo maybe doesn't so much, but the rumors of who he is over the years were interesting enough. Maybe he's someone we know, maybe he's no one. They may have confirmed that he's nobody but I can't remember.

Final note is that adding the auto-battle is chefs kiss. I didn't realize how much I wanted that until it happened. I replayed Chrono Trigger (another childhood fave that I hadn't gone back to in decades) this year as well and one thing I liked about CT was that it doesn't waste the player's time. It's snappy with very little grinding. Now, I don't mind grinding because I grew up with JRPGs, but I bring CT up because in comparison, FF6 does expect a little more of that from the player. And I bring THAT up because I STILL cannot figure out whether I like CT or FF6 more. I've been having this debate in my head for 20 years. And now that I've gone off on a tangent, I just want to say that the auto-battle really helps the grinding aspect of this game. Saved me from the monotony of having to input a blitz or whatever, and just let me Phantom Rush everyone by default. Plus I got to pet my bunny as the battles went on.

My only criticism went away after a while, but at first I thought the character sprites looked too clean. That was mild anyway.

I could talk about this game for years (I already have), but I've already rambled on enough. I'm just so happy that my love for this game only increased upon going back to it. It's my game of the year. It basically has to be because it's a Top 5 game of all-time. If something comes out this year that I like more then that's just ridiculous.

Firstly the opening to this game might be the best I've ever encountered. The entire aesthetic of the game is immediately set with the steampunk vibes and thematic focus on humanity being tempted to use magic again in only a couple lines and one shot. Also the following scene where the Magitek armor heads to Narshe is among the most memorable scenes I've witnessed.

Music: Honestly the final fantasy games I've played (6 and 7) are worth playing for the music alone. Edgar and Sabin's theme and Dancing Mad are probably my favorites on this, but almost every single piece just has the ability to instantly get stuck in your head. Listen to Dancing Mad and tell me Uematsu is not a genius. The fact that he is able to compose one of the grandest, most sprawling orchestral pieces I've ever heard with the console's limitations is mind-boggling; such a great end to the game.

Story/Characters: The story was paced incredibly well, especially in the first half. It truly felt like the team knew exactly what they wanted to happen and executed it perfectly at every single plot development. The plot itself wasn't the best of all time, but the way it was delivered was incredible. The scene towards the beginning of the game after the Ultros fight on the river where you can choose between three different branching stories to play was incredibly enjoyable to me as I always enjoy any sort of non-linear/unique presentation style in any medium (the part where Cyan and co. go into the Phantom Train and the scenes before and after was arguably the best part of the entire game) . While FF7's emphasis lies on the characters, FF6's emphasis lies on the plot and sense of scope, which I tend to enjoy more than the slightly messy yet very loveable story FF7 goes for. Second half of the game was a little slow at first but once you get with Setzer again the game falls back into its groove a bit, although not nearly as much as the first hours.

Combat: Very similar to FF7. The combat is just not on the same level as everything else about this game. If I find myself dreading exploring the map because I know a random encounter is right around the corner, there is potentially something fundamentally wrong with your system. The rate of encounters was just way too high for my liking. I did like that the combat was directly tied to the story; getting new magicite to use functionally helps and also feels like a progression of the story, as the magi are trying to assist you against the empire. Also, I loved the fact that every character has basically an entirely unique set of attack moves (shadow has throw, edgar uses tools, cyan uses bushido, etc.). Definitely liked it more than FF7 in that regard. The fact that you can teach anyone any type of spells did homogenize the characters a bit, but still not to the extent 7 does.

6 is a nearly perfectly constructed, tight story that knows exactly what it wants to do. 7 is a bit of a messy yet loveable story that has arguably more charm to it. I am honestly torn as to which I like more. I would say 6 is probably my favorite but thinking back on some of 7's moments and pre rendered backgrounds almost makes me reconsider. I will say that Sephiroth is probably more of a favorite villain for me than Kefka due to Cloud and Sephiroth's history and the fact that Sephiroth looms over the entire game more than Kefka.

Also the opera scene lived up the hype.