Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters 1- VI Playthrough

[YellowKing]

I recently got started doing a playthrough of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters I-VI, as I realized that despite my love of the FF series, I really hadn't finished any of the early games outside of 1 and *possibly* 3. Even those I wasn't 100% confident on, as FF I would have been finished on NES and FF3 on SNES over 3 decades ago. I've always considered them completed but who knows. So this thread will just be a running commentary as I go through them.

I did complete the Final Fantasy I remaster a couple of weeks ago, and I'm almost finished with Final Fantasy II, so I wanted to start this thread and capture my impressions before I got too much further in.

A couple of ground rules - I did decide to use a minimalist walkthrough for at least the first couple of games. By minimalist I mean no strategy tips or dungeon maps, but just bullet points on where to go for quest progression. The reason being that the early games were often extremely vague on what to do, so you'd spend large amount of time just wandering around dealing with constant random encounters. In the interest of time, considering I had 6 games to play through, I didn't want to deal with that. It's still been a surprisingly fun journey.

There are a few things the pixel remasters did that really make the experience a joy to play through. First, the art remaster does a fantastic job of making it feel like you're playing an older title, but one that is incredibly polished and smooth. I was very worried going into the series that I wouldn't be able to stomach the retro feel, but it's been a delight to play. There are a lot of little tweaks to movement and animations that really speed up the experience so that it doesn't feel like a slog.

Speaking of which, the auto-battle feature is probably the biggest single improvement. Auto-battle toggle allows the game to just repeat your party members' last action in an accelerated combat mode. This is a godsend for getting through trash encounters and speeds the entire game up considerably.

In addition, they've made numerous little balance tweaks throughout to remove some major annoyances of the early titles, without sacrificing the overall challenge of the game.

So without further ado, impressions!

Final Fantasy

I'm fairly certain I finished this one on NES, but I remember having to do a LOT of grinding. I was expecting the same here, but I wound up not grinding much at all. I'm not sure if this is due to a faulty memory of an impatient kid, or a result of the balance tweaks, but either way it was nice not to have to run random encounters over and over in order to complete the game.

The story here is charmingly simple - get the four crystals which correspond with 4 elemental bosses. The classes are super basic - warrior, thief, white mage, black mage, though I believe there was a monk option as well. Great way to turn off your brain and just play through standard fantasy tropes. Hard to believe this structure would someday give way to the complex Final Fantasy stories of future installments.

Time to complete: ~16 hours

Final Fantasy II

This sequel attempts to shake things up a bit - and almost never in a good way. While I give the developers credit for trying new things, they just don't make for a great game.

The first misstep is taking away leveling and instead making weapons and spells level up individually as they are used. There are no character classes - they just arise out of how you decide to use each character. This results in a whackadoodle imbalance throughout most of the game. EIther you become so good with certain weapons that encounters are trivial, or you wind up grinding spells to level them up which is just plan unfun and annoying. Character stats and HP level up from some arcane combination of participating in battle and getting hit, so I found myself with HP disparities between characters that really obeyed no rhyme or reason.

Another misstep was the keyword system. Talking to NPCs allows you to learn keywords that you can then ask about. You're also able to use various key items through this system (so for instance, show a crystal rod to a certain character). It's an attempt to add a bit of depth to NPC conversations, but it just comes off clunky and unnecessary. I despised it even with a walkthrough; I can't imagine sitting there talking to every NPC and trying every possible keyword combination in the hopes of progressing the story.

The one bit of praise I'll throw at FF2 is that the dungeon design is overall a bit more straightforward and fun than FF1. However, unlike FF1 they're often filled with empty rooms and dead ends. Combined with the absolutely INSANE random encounter rate in this game, this can quickly wear thin.

I know it sounds like I'm absolutely trashing the game, but it's still been an enjoyable experience with the walkthrough. I think if I'd have had to stumble around looking for the next progression point combined with the insane encounter rate, however, I'd have given up on this one.

Time to complete: ~16 hours

[Jaymann]

I did VI when these first came out. Surprisingly I remembered much of the game from decades ago. Can't remember if I finished it but I at least got pretty far. It was enough to scratch that itch, but will probably leave it at that.

[Skinypupy]

Very cool, love hearing your thoughts on these. I’ve finished VI, but have only done bits and pieces of the first five games. I think I played most of the 3D remake of FF III on the DS.

I’ve been kicking around the idea of doing this as well, as the remasters seem to be excellent. Will probably be a fall project though, as there are too many games coming out this summer (including a new Final Fantasy) to really dig in right now.

[Baroquen]

I was in a similar situation having never finished many of the FF games. I had beaten IX and gotten very far in a few others. But most playthroughs were decades ago. So I have these in my backlog too, though I've been going the emulator route. So far, I have finished off III and VI and enjoyed the experience thoroughly. I don't mind using walk-throughs as I don't want to miss things. I've alternated with Dragon Quest games, as I never played those at all "back in the day". But I suspect I'll come back for another early FF game soon, maybe after I finish Octopath Traveler and then Trails in the Sky SC.

I'm enjoying reading your reactions to these classics. Looking forward to updates.

[GreenGoo]

My daughter pointed these out to me. I've only ever played III and a small bit of VII. I think the idea is cool, but I don't have enough nostalgia to go back.

I bet there is a huge market for these though.

[YellowKing]

I just started 3, which I have quite a bit of nostalgia for since it's one of the only two early games I finished. Heck, it may be the only RPG I ever finished on SNES.

Thankfully they ditched the skill-based system of 2 and went back to good old fashioned leveling. This one also introduces switchable job classes.

From a pixel remaster perspective, this one follows the formula of improving things all around, but takes things a step further with improved dungeon maps and treasure chest locations on the mini maps.

Final Fantasy III isn't known for being one of the best early entries (that honor goes to 6 and then 4), but supposedly it did firmly establish the core gameplay going forward (at least until 7 revolutionized the series). I'm already having a better time with it just by virtue of it going back to the original formula, just bigger and better.

[Skinypupy]

I just started 3, which I have quite a bit of nostalgia for since it's one of the only two early games I finished. Heck, it may be the only RPG I ever finished on SNES.

Thankfully they ditched the skill-based system of 2 and went back to good old fashioned leveling. This one also introduces switchable job classes.

From a pixel remaster perspective, this one follows the formula of improving things all around, but takes things a step further with improved dungeon maps and treasure chest locations on the mini maps.

Final Fantasy III isn't known for being one of the best early entries (that honor goes to 6 and then 4), but supposedly it did firmly establish the core gameplay going forward (at least until 7 revolutionized the series). I'm already having a better time with it just by virtue of it going back to the original formula, just bigger and better.

FF III didn't get a release in the US until the 3DS remake came out in 2006. That 3D remake got released on a bunch of platforms since (Wii and WiiU Virtual Console, iOS, PSP, etc) but I'm pretty sure this Pixel Remaster is the first time the original game has been released outside of Japan.

FF VI (the one with Celes, Locke, Terra, Edgar, Sabin, etc.) was released as FF III in the US on SNES though. Caused a ton of confusion, and that might be the one you're remembering.

[Jaymann]

A little off topic here, but I'm sure I'm in the minority in disliking FF VII. Never finished it back in the day and when I tried the remaster on my son's PS4 it only reminded me why I don't like it. I liked VIII OK, but it got tedious and DNF. I hated IX and DNF. I enjoyed X and finished it, but it seems it was the last installment to use turn-based combat.

[Skinypupy]

A little off topic here, but I'm sure I'm in the minority in disliking FF VII. Never finished it back in the day and when I tried the remaster on my son's PS4 it only reminded me why I don't like it.

Out of curiosity, what was it you didn't like? The world, characters, and general story beats were mostly similar, but the gameplay couldn't have been more different between the two games.

The original was a fairly standard turn-based JRPG, where the FF VII Remake was a full-fledged action game with some RPG elements.

[YellowKing]

FF VI (the one with Celes, Locke, Terra, Edgar, Sabin, etc.) was released as FF III in the US on SNES though. Caused a ton of confusion, and that might be the one you're remembering.

Ah thanks Skiny, that makes more sense. I kept seeing that it was never released on SNES while simultaneously seeing the box art I remembered which clearly said Final Fantasy III. Thanks for clearing that up.

[Jaymann]

A little off topic here, but I'm sure I'm in the minority in disliking FF VII. Never finished it back in the day and when I tried the remaster on my son's PS4 it only reminded me why I don't like it.

Out of curiosity, what was it you didn't like? The world, characters, and general story beats were mostly similar, but the gameplay couldn't have been more different between the two games.

The original was a fairly standard turn-based JRPG, where the FF VII Remake was a full-fledged action game with some RPG elements.

I didn't care much for the original story and the chunky character models with their Popeye arms were laughable. I figured the remake graphics might make it playable, but the switch to an action RPG did it in for me.

[YellowKing]

Update and thoughts on Final Fantasy III

- This one ditches the experimentation of 2 and gets back to classic FF gameplay, just bigger and better. FF3 introduces job roles that would later become FF standards. While the job roles mechanic is a bit overwhelming at times figuring out what to play and when, it does make for a very replayable entry.

- From a Pixel Remasters perspective, this one feels slightly more polished than the previous two entries. Small tweaks like showing chests on the mini maps and the overall presentation make it the most enjoyable of the three I've played so far.

- This game is HARD (finally!). To be honest FF1 & 2 were a breeze, and I mentioned how I didn't even really have to grind at all to beat them. FF3 changes all that. The game starts off challenging and it stays that way. Never have I felt truly comfortable settings things on Auto-Battle and mindlessly plowing through. By all accounts I *will* have to grind and even then it's going to be a tough final battle.

- The dungeons are MUCH simpler this time around - very straightforward, even though this entry does litter its maps with tons of secret passages and hidden corridors.

- Fortunately (or maybe unfortunately), the monster encounter rate is drastically reduced in this one. While this is great for getting around, it also means you're not naturally getting XP as often. Hence the difficulty.

Needless to say I'm going to need quite a bit of time with this one. The key quests are quick to run through with the walkthrough; I'm only 5 hours in and already fairly close to the final dungeon. However it also means I'm vastly underleveled and there are several optional dungeons and encounters I'll need to do to get anywhere close to being ready to take on the "gauntlet."

[Baroquen]

My notes on FFIII were : "Old school. Thrilling finish. Otherwise meh." (It's just a single field in a spreadsheet, so brevity is common).

"Meh" may have been overly negative. I remember generally enjoying the game, but the end was especially fun. It was a challenge, but not impossible; a fun finish to the journey.

[YellowKing]

Finished Final Fantasy 3. Final thoughts:

- This one was surprisingly the shortest playthrough (14 hours as opposed to FF1's 14.5 and FF2's 17.5). I think this is because the dungeons are so much more straighforward and the random encounter rate is much lower. Keep in mind I'm using a walkthrough for these, so I'm not spending a lot of time wandering around looking for where to go next.

- This one was overall the most challenging of the three so far, and I did wind up having to grind just a bit on a couple of occasions, though not as much as I thought I'd have to. Still, it's evident they GREATLY nerfed the difficulty for the Pixel Remaster. FF3 has a reputation for being one of the hardest in the series, and strategy guides I read for NES and Remake versions had Level 60 as a minimum for tackling the final boss. I beat it with a party of Level 49/50s. Admittedly I did use the "optimal" party, but it still was nowhere near as hard as the strategy guides foretold, and without giving spoilers, it was very evident the final boss had been nerfed.

- I still had a lot of fun with this one. The overall harder difficulty was a welcome change, and from a pure gameplay standpoint it was my favorite Pixel Remaster so far. Still, the story is rather mediocre, and the overworld stuff would be nightmarishly confusing without the walkthrough. I did enjoy the job roles to an extent, but the game does tend to be a bit gimmicky with them at times, forcing you into playing jobs you may not necessarily want to just to get past certain sections.

On to Final Fantasy 4, which is regarded highly for both its story and introduction of the ATB combat system. I feel like the first three titles were the "slog" before getting to the 3 best titles of the original 6, so I'm super excited to hit the back half of these remasters.

[Skinypupy]

STOP MAKING ME WANT TO BUY THIS!!

(Seriously though, really enjoying your feedback on them)

Edit: I just bought the bundle and started Final Fantasy. I’m going to play with the XP boosts on, as I’m really just playing them to enjoy the nostalgia and experience the stories, not for some sort of big challenge.

That said, I had forgotten how unforgiving they can be in the early game. I got smacked around in just the second battle and wiped. Did a little grinding, all good now.

This remaster looks fantastic, and playing with some of the small graphics touches and the orchestral soundtrack is wonderful.

[YellowKing]

A little ways into Final Fantasy IV now, so here are some early impressions!

- It's fun seeing how the series evolves, trying new things, ditching what doesn't work, tweaking here and there. FF IV keeps the jobs from 3, but they're chosen for you by virtue of core characters that are part of the storyline. While it does take the customization of FIII away from the player, I'm already much more attached to these characters. It's neat seeing the origins of character-driven Final Fantasy.

- Speaking of tweaks, we've got Ethers now! In the first three games running out of MP was my biggest issue, and the only way to replenish were either rare/expensive Ethers in 3 or finding a rest spot in the first two entries. IV introduces common Ether pots so you can replenish on the go.

- Overall IV's difficulty has been dialed back a bit from III, but I've still had to do a small bit of grinding. Because new characters are automatically swapped in and out of your party as the story progresses, they sometimes come in at a significantly lower level. I've been trying to grind them up a few levels when they first come in so they're not constantly getting knocked out in normal fights.

- The biggest change in IV was the ATB combat system. It adds a bit more franticness to fights as you don't have the luxury of taking your time deciding what to do. Not a big deal in most normal fights, but in boss situations where you're taking big damage, things can get very tense.

At any rate, really enjoying this one so far especially since it's so story-driven unlike the last three entries.

[Jaymann]

Sounds like III would be the sweet spot for me. I don't remember ever playing it.

[Skinypupy]

- Speaking of tweaks, we've got Ethers now! In the first three games running out of MP was my biggest issue, and the only way to replenish were either rare/expensive Ethers in 3 or finding a rest spot in the first two entries. IV introduces common Ether pots so you can replenish on the go.

FF 1 has Ethers. They’re 150 Gil each and each one refreshes one spell per level. I’ve got a ton of them.

I’m getting near the end of the first game. Still thoroughly enjoying it. More thoughts later but what stands out most is that I remain amazed how anyone was ever able to actually beat this game back in the day without any online walkthroughs. So much of its structure and narrative makes no goddamn sense whatsoever.

For example: Take the Rat Tail you just took from the zombie lair to the King of the Dragons who lives in one of six random holes in the ground, each located on different islands. He will view this Rat Tail as an indicator of your strength and bravery, and morph you into a new and more powerful version of your current class. Sure, why not?

And there are absolutely zero hints or NPC dialog that this is what you should be doing.

Speaking of, which walkthroughs are you using YK? I need find one I can somehow download and take with me on the cruise on Friday.

[YellowKing]

Weird, don't know how I missed Ethers in the first game. I know I couldn't find them in 2 and 3. Or maybe I'm just blind, who knows. At least in IV they're readily available and cheap.

I'm using this series:

Final Fantasy Walkthrough

That's for the first game; there are links to the other games in the series at the end.

And agree on these games being incredibly obtuse. A lot of story progression seems to be "randomly explore cities and dungeons until you find the one random thing that will progress the story." Sometimes this is hinted at by a one-liner by a single NPC in a town. I definitely didn't have time to do that for this playthrough given that Diablo IV and FFXVI are imminent.

[Baroquen]

I agree that it's maddening to play these without walkthroughs. I still have a box of the old printed strategy guides that I used before the internet. (And I have some dot-matrix printouts of early online walkthroughs from a transitional period! ).

I think I actually pulled the Final Fantasy Anthology strategy guide out while playing through one of the titles last year. While pretty and shiny, I still found it easier and more informative using the online resources. But those guides were fun back in the day.

[YellowKing]

Kids today will never know the pain of waiting weeks for the newest copy of Nintendo Power to come in the mail in the vain hope that it might have a strategy guide/maps for the one game you were stuck on.

[Skinypupy]

Finished Final Fantasy 1 this afternoon. I played with the XP and Gil boosts and it took just over 11 hours. Took on Garland way too early (around level 55) and he wiped the floor with me. Had to spend a few hours leveling up, which is fine since I hadn’t really done that yet. A couple random thoughts:

- I typically get bored quickly with retro games, but this one has me quite captivated throughout. The combination of stellar original art direction with just enough QOL and graphics touches and a solid but not overlong run time really hit the sweet sport for me.

- So many of the mechanics and systems are genre standards now that I forget how incredibly revolutionary it all must have seemed 36 years ago.

- Because I have walkthroughs, I really enjoyed the simplicity of it all. Without them, it would have been an exercise in frustration.

- I also have no idea how people played that original without the XP boosts and ability to turn random encounters off. Many of the bosses were quite difficult, even with the ability to shut off encounters and simply wander the map to figure out where to even find them. If I had to fight mobs every three steps while doing that, I have no idea how it would be possible to even get TO the boss without exhausting every spell you had.

- The soundtracks for these games remain simply amazing, even after all these years. Uematsu is truly a genius.

- The final boss feels like about 50% level/equipment and 50% luck. The first few times, he dropped multiple “nuke” attacks on me that decimated my party. He also healed for 50% of his total health (9,999) multiple times during the battle. On the attempt that actually took him down, he only dropped one nuke and didn’t heal once. You certainly can mitigate the nukes better at higher levels, but it’s mostly luck whether it even happens or not. Wasn’t a big fan of that, tbh.

- There are so many little tidbits that got worked into other FF games that I never even realized were from this one. Matoya and her cave (and her enchanted brooms) pay a very significant role in FF XIV, for example, and I honestly had no idea. I thought they had been created just for that game. Really cool to see those sort of callbacks.

I’m really glad I took the time to play that bit of gaming history, instead of just the bits and pieces I had tried before…even if I did cheat my way through. I’m leaning towards skipping FF2 for now and jumping right to FF3. FF2 is almost universally regarded as the worst FF game, and I don’t know how much my typically low retro tolerance would handle it. Something with a bit more story involved seems like it would really hit the spot to do next. I may (or may not) come back to FF2 some other time

[YellowKing]

Yeah I'm going to be honest, there's not much for me to recommend about FF2. And unlike other games in the entry, it's so far removed from what would become FF standards that it's not even worth revisiting to see the foundations. If you enjoyed FF1 that much, I have no doubt you'd have a blast with FF3 (and IV).

[Baroquen]

Huh. (As I'm sure I mentioned before), I recently played & beat III and VI. Eventually want to get back to the series and play some more of the old ones. I might make another run at I but based on your combined impressions, maybe I skip II. Not sure if I'll pick up the Pixel Remaster, or just do one of the emulation versions. Maybe next up after Trails in the Sky.

[Skinypupy]

I have no doubt you'd have a blast with FF3 (and IV).

Played through the first 5 hours of FF3 today, getting out of the first major zone. You’re right, it’s delightful. I know I played the 3DS version at some point decades ago, but I honestly didn’t remember a single thing about it. So I’m basically coming into this fresh for the first time. A couple thoughts:

- There isn’t a major graphics upgrade, but there’s certainly enough small touches to be noticeable. Many of them add lots of personality and life to the world.

- I loves me some Fat Chocobo.

- Having even just that slightest thread of story makes a HUGE difference in engagement.

- I certainly appreciate the much more straightforward dungeon level design. So far, there hasn’t been endless wandering though a million different twists and turns just to find the boss or exit. Not quite as thrilled with the need to search every wall and every barrel for shortcuts or loot. That’s kind of annoying.

- I don’t really grok how advancement works in the job system. I get how to change jobs and what each job does, but there doesn’t seem to be any indication of how many job points I’m getting and if/when the jobs will be leveling up. It all just feels entirely random, like “it happens when it happens”. Don’t care for that at all, tbh.

- The music in this one is sublime. I just got to the area playing one of my all-time FF favorites, “Aria’s Theme”. There’s actually a beautiful vocal version of this song that I can’t find anywhere on YT. I have it on one of my old FF soundtrack albums that I haven’t moved over to my new laptop yet. This one will have to do for now.

[YellowKing]

- I don’t really grok how advancement works in the job system. I get how to change jobs and what each job does, but there doesn’t seem to be any indication of how many job points I’m getting and if/when the jobs will be leveling up. It all just feels entirely random, like “it happens when it happens”. Don’t care for that at all, tbh.

From my experience, job level didn't really matter much (at least in these pixel remasters). I think they nerfed the difficulty down where it's not as important. I won't give spoilers on what jobs I used for the final boss, but suffice it to say they weren't leveled much - probably job levels less than 20.

Honestly I was kind of relieved that IV takes the job selection away from you. I found the job system in IIII too open-ended and I was constantly stressing about which jobs to use (turns out it doesn't really matter much except for the couple of occasions where they force you into it).

Not quite as thrilled with the need to search every wall and every barrel for shortcuts or loot.

There are visual clues for wall shortcuts, but I agree it's annoying. Thankfully they largely removed that in FFIV. There are still some hidden paths and things but they're not nearly as prevalent (at least so far).

Glad you're enjoying them. I was honestly surprised that I liked them as much as I did, because I usually find it VERY difficult to go back to retro graphics/gameplay. Just shows what a great job they did with the remasters.

[Skinypupy]

Between vacation, Diablo 4, and FF XVI, my Pixel Remaster playthroughs had a bit of a hiatus. Got back into it this week and wrapped up FF III. It was a quick 13 hours, party was level 63.

FF III had a much more interesting story and world than FF I, which definitely helped. Stellar music, and lots of little graphical touches that bring it all to life. The job system certainly helped to add some variety, but it always felt a little bit…off. There was no way to tell what skills a new job had until you actually changed to it. There was no indication of what benefits happened when a job leveled up. Some were obvious (I.e. mages got more spells) but others I had no idea. Some of the jobs were no-brainers, while many of them felt completely useless except in very specific situations. The whole system seemed to create an illusion of flexibility when getting creative just made everything harder. I kept some variation of the basic Fighter, thief, black mage, white mage party through about 99% of the game.

I’d give this one a solid B overall. Engaging throughout, mixes up the formula in some interesting ways, and doesn’t overstay it’s welcome. As with FF I, I have absolutely no idea how people managed to play through it without boosts and/or walkthroughs.

FF IV is up next. I’ve only played a little of the 3D remake so I’m really looking forward to it. Have heard the story is excellent.

[Skinypupy]

I completely ignored my family yesterday and got about halfway through FF IV, according to the walkthrough I'm using (YAY for boosts!). It's been a wonderful experience so far. They upped their game with storytelling, and although simple, this game tells a truly epic tale. Definitely the best of these early FF's that I've played so far.

I'm actually debating jumping into FF VIII after I finish IV. While I'm enjoying these retro FF games, they do start to feel a bit same-y after a while. Plus, VIII is the only one of the "modern" FF games that I never finished. I have about a month and a half of gaming to fill before Baldur's Gate 3 hits PS5, so the timing would be good.

Of the main FF games, that would leave me with just II and V to get through.

[YellowKing]

I got completely sidetracked by Trails in the Sky: FC. I'm utterly smitten with that game, and with Baldur's Gate 3 on the way I'm not sure when I'm going to get back to these.

[Skinypupy]

Finished FF IV tonight, just under 12 hours. A truly fantastic game in all aspects. The ATB addition gave battles more urgency, the character-driven story was excellent with a number of unexpected twists and turns, it felt far more focused with the set jobs rather than just guessing what job I should be, the music is superb (there's a "Final Fantasy IV Celtic Moon" arrangement album that I would highly recommend, if you can find it), and the entire game was just a blast to play overall.

It is often said that the Final Fantasy series made quantum leaps at IV, VIII, and X. I always understood the last two, but never IV...until now. The improvements it made in telling a story and creating a world between III and IV was truly incredible to see, especially when playing them back-to-back like this. The storytelling was honed to near perfection in VI, but that shift really started with IV.

I'm also realizing just how much of FF XIV was influenced by these earlier games. Many of the raids, locations, characters, plot points, and music were taken directly from these originals, and I had no idea. That's been really fun to piece together, having spent so much time with XIV.

A solid, no reservations A grade for FF IV. I'm now going to jump over to VIII for a bit for a change of pace. Will come back to V and II at some point.

[Scraper]

FFVIII is easily my least favorite FF. I Haven't played it in years, but I just remember hating the magic system and I think it starts out fairly slow.

[Baroquen]

FFVIII is easily my least favorite FF. I Haven't played it in years, but I just remember hating the magic system and I think it starts out fairly slow.

I agree. I know it had its fans, but I was not one of them.

I haven't played IV yet. I'll have to bump it up the playlist.

[Skinypupy]

FFVIII is easily my least favorite FF. I Haven't played it in years, but I just remember hating the magic system and I think it starts out fairly slow.

VIII is a polarizing game, for sure. The story is really good, but the characters are all whiny emo teens. The pre-rendered backgrounds looked amazing at the time (they look like ass now), but the character models were lanky and weird. The Junction system where you link your ability scores to magic or summons to increase their power was brilliant, but the Draw process of actually getting magic was beyond tedious. Enemies scaled with you so level grinding actually made the game significantly harder, not easier. Battles seemed to take forever because everyone...moved...so...slowly and summons were unskippable. There's a long list of complaints.

The latest "Remastered" version does a lot to fix many of those issues. There's a 3X speed toggle which makes combat and Drawing much faster. It includes the ability to turn of random encounters. There's a "Battle Boost" that refills health and triggers Limit Break at the push of a button. All perfect for someone like me who really wants to see what happens in the story, but isn't interested in the overall slog.

I've actually gotten 20+ hours into it twice before wandering off. Really trying to see this attempt through to the end.

[Skinypupy]

I wrapped up Final Fantasy 5 this morning, and what a truly wonderful experience that was. The storytelling continues to improve exponentially as the early FF games progress, and this one has been my favorite so far. It's still the same "save the world with crystals" motif, but the interesting twists, the small touches of emotion and levity in the dialog, and the genuinely funny moments (seriously...this game is hilarious) are all fantastic. The characters are unforgettable (Gilgamesh...NOOOOO!!) and I'm consistently amazed at the emotions they could convey with such basic sprite graphics.

Speaking of graphics, this is the first game of the I-VI series that didn't have really any graphical improvements at all, and basically looks exactly the same as it's predecessor. The soundtrack is decent but mostly forgettable, with the exception of "Home, Sweet Home" which I adore.

Where this game really shines is the job system. Different jobs unlock as you progress through, from the very basic (white mage, black mage, knight, etc.) to the very specific/situational (chemist, geomancer, etc.). The flexibility this provides in building team synergy is brilliant, and there was never a time where I wasn't fully invested in how I was developing my character. The best touch is that the initial weak, featureless class that you start the gam with (Freelancer) becomes a massive powerhouse towards the end of the game, allowing you essentially a blank canvas to plug in any combination of skills you've learned throughout the game. My ending party simply decimated everything in it's path with their combination of spells, summons, abilities, and attacks.

I've read that FF 5 is one of the harder FF games, but the (completely optional) XP and Gil buffs seem to even that out pretty well. I would imagine that playing without those activated would become an absolute grindfest, so I'm very glad they were available. It is a bit longer than 1-4. When playing with the boosts on, I finished at around 21 hours.

I was not really expecting to like this one as much as I did. It's storytelling is slightly below the pinnacle of FF VI, but it is still a really awesome experience. It is easily an A rating, and I would put it as the second best of the Pixel Remasters, just a hair under VI.

That leaves only FF 2 (which I don't really have any interest in) and FF VIII as the only two I haven't finished. I probably need to just bite the bullet and get through FF 2 next, just so I can say I did.