PixlBit

I know that this game isn't really retro (it came out in 2006), but it's a remake of a game that IS retro, the original FFIII being released in Japan in 1990. It feels like classic final fantasy, and that's a good thing. 

FFIII is a solid game, polished to near perfection. The opening CG movie is gorgeous (and it has a live orchestra accompanying it). When you start the game, you are introduced to your four characters. They soon discover that they are all orphans and also that they have been chosen to be the Heroes of Light. They are the only ones that can vanquish the darkness (okay, so the plot is pretty simple, but that's fine for this game). 

FFIII introduced the job system, one of the greatest things about Final Fantasy! III gives you a wide variety of jobs, and I enjoyed just seeing what my characters would look like in the different job get-ups. Of course, each job has a specific attack and special ability; they also require specific weapons and armor. Each character will gain personal levels as well as job levels; the personal level increases that character's health, strength, agility, etc. while the job level increases his job's power and abilities. 

The game's characters, while simple, are loveable. They're little 3D characters, going back to the days of yore when FF characters were little squares with faces (except this is 3D). I really enjoyed seeing them run around and fight. The battle system is good too, except I did not like the fact that all four characters had to choose what to do before the fighting would begin (but that's just me). I much prefer battle systems such as FFVI when you had to wait for a bar to fill up but the characters could attack sporadically. But this is no doubt the system which FFIII had; due to this, sometimes you can see something coming, but are powerless to stop it as you have already told everyone what to do. So thinking ahead is important. 

The music for the game was redone, and they did a great job. This is FF music! I LOVE FF music, and if you do too, you will certainly enjoy the game's soundtrack. The tunes are simple, yet engrossing. 

One thing about the game I did not like was the fact that you could not skip cutscenes. A few times I had to go back and redo a part for whatever reason (especially at the end), and I had to sit through the same LONG cutscene! That can be annoying. This is something they could have easily done for us. Shame on you, Square Enix! 

The game is a good length. I finished at just over 30 hours; not bad for a "retro" game. I felt that the difficulty was balanced well. If you couldn't beat a boss, just gain a few levels and try again, and the ugly enemy would surely go down. The game is not cruel, but it doesn't pamper you either. I like that. 

I have another problem, though. The final dungeon in the game; you get to the boss and beat him, then you have to go into the dark world; once inside, you have to fight FOUR bosses that are very strong! After you beat them, THEN you can fight the final boss of the game. This would not have been so bad if not for the fact that they don't let you save during this long process! If you die fighting the boss of the game, you have to start over at the last dungeon before the dark world. When I finally beat the game, I felt like a burden had been lifted off of me! 

Overall, a very good game. Simple story, solid soundtrack, good battle system, balanced difficulty, and a fun game. If you like RPGs, check it out. I'll give it an 8/10.