I decided that I wasn't satisfied with having only played the DS remake of Final Fantasy III (especially considering the defunct wifi service locked me out of certain features) and wanted to play the modern equivalent of the original game to compare. So this review is for the Pixel Remaster version on the Switch in particular. If you're interested but don't feel I cover something enough here, try checking out my review for the version I played first here, because much of what I said there applies to both versions.

My experience wasn't all too different from the 3D remake, which is a testament to how faithful they were when recreating the game world for that version. The main characters have virtually no development here though and are typically silent outside of a few scenes, which is actually kind of a side-grade imo. I prefer the fleshed out protagonists in the 3D remake but I also think their silence in this version lends itself to the simplicity of this entry, in a good way. It's a great JRPG to sit down with and bang out a few dungeons without getting too bogged down in story and dialogue.

Speaking of the story, what really struck me was how much more concise this version is. It's odd because I don't think the DS game really added any significant story beats after the introduction of the main cast but it somehow took me around half as long to play through the Pixel Remaster than it took me in that game. I'd chalk it up to my familiarity with the story and where to go, but play data I've looked at indicates this is a normal experience. Could be that the 3D world navigation and cutscenes just add enough bloat to double the playtime. That alone makes Pixel Remaster the vastly superior version for me, alongside my preference for the pretty pixel art.

I'm still a big fan of the final stretch of this game. The gang of tough bosses and maze-like dungeon make you grind for it but help it feel all the more spectacular to overcome. I am a bit disappointed that by the time you get to the endgame few of the jobs from early on are viable. They mostly get outclassed by powered up versions or pushed out because the game stops giving you new equipment for them. For some reason the Knight job gets by far the most (and arguably some of the best) gear overall. It was clearly a favorite of the devs for some reason, but makes for frustrating game balance. My final main party was Knight, Bard, Black Belt, and Devout. Ninja is cool as well but I wanted to avoid using it this time around because it's so strong.

And there you have it. Regardless of version, Final Fantasy III is a simple early JRPG with a light job system to dig your teeth into. I don't feel it excels at much of anything beyond that very simplicity that defines it, but it's a fun play anyway as long as you're not here for a deep story.