A thousand years after the War of the Magi, civilizations have been rebuilt with advanced technology. The use of magic is now no more than an old legend. Yet, for some time, the Gestahlian Empire has been a mysterious force called "Magitek" to gradually invade all other states. As the game begins, a mysterious magical creature is discovered in the mines of the town of Narshe. Two soldiers of the Empire and a strange young girl are sent there to see the discovery. But the creature, called an Esper, reacts with the young girl, whose origins are unknown except for the fact she can use magic.
Final Fantasy VI is the beginning of the Final Fantasy saga as we know it today. Before it, no RPG had been so majestic, treated artistically and graphically, delivering powerful emotions. It was the RPG that set the example for great games like Tales of Phantasia. Even today, fans of the franchise call VI the best Final Fantasy episode ever made, although whether or not it is better than Final Fantasy IV and Final Fantasy VII can be debated. Being the last Final Fantasy released on the Super Nintendo, it clearly triggered the transition between the classical RPG type (symbolised by FFV) to the spectacular RPG type (symbolised by FFVII). The development team behind the prestigious Final Fantasy VI designed a very deep game thanks to charismatic and studied characters, new and unique gameplay touches as well as its lavish music.
The gameplay of Final Fantasy VI is fairly standard, embodying the Active Time Battle players got accustomed to. Players have access to a plethora of special techniques that are more or less exclusive to each character (Sabin's Blitz techniques and Edgar's Tools ability). Some equipment and relics also unlock special abilities to use in combat. Finally, invocations, called Espers become available at some point in the game.
For the first time however, unlike the other episodes, FFVI has no predefined hero, although Terra is considered by many as the main character. The main strength of the game was however in the development of the plot. As early as two hours in the game, the characters start to get split in different scenarios, offering players the ability to play through each of them for a better understanding of the story.
Final Fantasy VI has gone through several editions. In 1999, Square released a PlayStation adaptation with stunning CGI cutscenes, although it has been seen as a failure due to the long load times (especially in combat) that interfered with the pleasure of the players. This PS version was again released in Europe in 2002 with a demo of FFX. In 2005, Square Enix has announced the development of a new GameBoy Advance remake, including 3 new spells, two new areas, four new espers as well as a bestiary and a music player.
For the first time however, unlike the other episodes, FFVI has no predefined hero, although Terra is considered by many as the main character. The main strength of the game was however in the development of the plot. As early as two hours in the game, the characters start to get split in different scenarios, offering players the ability to play through each of them for a better understanding of the story.
