Final Fantasy VI Advance (GBA) review

As both a landmark in genre history and a fine game in and of itself, this deserves to be played

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GamesRadar+ Verdict

Pros

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    Ahead-of-its-time sophistication

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    New script and extra content

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    Kefka's general insanity

Cons

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    The game's weaker second half

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    Abundance of near-worthless skills

  • -

    No more easy Vanish/Doom Intangir kills

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There are very few games that inspire the sort of emotions that Final Fantasy VI does. For many old-school RPG players, this was the game that defined the 16-bit generation, and to this day there are still fans devoted to picking every single nuance of FFVI apart. Now, almost 13 years since its original release, Square-Enix has seen fit to reissue the game for GBA, complete with extra content to give fans something to drool over. While it’s not as amazing as it was when it was first released, FFVI is still a fantastic RPG.

FFVI wasn’t the first story-driven FF title, but it was the first game in the series where the plot could be accurately described as “epic.” Not only does this tale span a time period from ancient war to technological renaissance to the brink of apocalypse, it also features a cast of 14 playable characters, each with their own backstory, character traits, and motivations. Also, rather than featuring a “main” character, FFVI switches viewpoints many times over the course of the quest, giving players the opportunity to see how the unfolding story events affect everyone in the party.

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One thing that might surprise both newcomers and those who haven’t revisited FFVI for a while are the sophistication of the design and the gameplay. Despite its sprite-based graphics, the environments, enemies, and characters boast amazing detail, and the special effects in battle are still as dazzling as they ever were. Combat is fast-paced and fun, and the fact that every character has their own unique abilities adds strategy and variety to party-building that many FFs still lack.