Final Fantasy Mystic Quest

The console RPG genre has always been pretty popular Japan, but was not really a common thing in the late 80s/early 90s in the US. The company behind the Final Fantasy series, Square, decided to make an RPG in the early 90s that would be geared more towards the "new" western market. They wanted to create a title that would welcome newcomers to the RPG genre by making it less difficult than previous RPG games and easier to just pick up and play. That game was Final Fantasy Mystic Quest.

Unfortunately, what they ended up making was a game that was oversimplified even for RPG newbies.

Final Fantasy Mystic Quest was released in between Final Fantasy IV (or II US) and Final Fantasy VI (or III US). Although it is considered a spinoff to the Final Fantasy series, it is hard not to compare the title to its predecessors. Square has generally been known for releasing quality games, and that's what you come to expect from them (spinoff or not).

You will immediately notice that everything is pretty mediocre; from the cosmetics to the soundtrack. While nothing could really be considered terrible, none of it stands out either; making the game seem dull right from the very beginning.

Square made the game way too easy thanks to several things. Traditional save points have been removed and you can save anywhere, anytime. About to fight a boss? Save right next to him. While I don't think many people enjoy doing over hours of content due to deaths, a happy medium could have been established rather than making it so easy to start right back where you messed up.

To make things even more simple, you can retry any battle that ends in your defeat; even boss fights. Honestly, you may die a few times, but you are more or less safe (excluding some boss battles) just holding down the attack button. What does all of this do? I think it makes people think it is okay to just steamroll through everything with little to no challenge making it pointless to play the game in the first place. Some may think the story could be its saving grace, but that is probably the crappiest thing about the entire game.

The thing that the majority of people enjoy the most about RPGs are their stories. Many titles do a great job of immersing you into their world and keeping you wanting to learn more about it. Had Mystic Quest had a story/character development that was comparable to previous titles, like FFIV, it could have been much better.

Unfortunately,  this is not the case; in fact the story is pretty much terrible. The main character is lifeless aside from a few weak jokes and is constantly doing stuff "just because". Support characters are equally stupid. I don't know about you, but I'd rather not spend hours in a game where people do things for no reason (unless its funny).

Being a huge supporter of Square, I really hate to say that this game sucks. Unfortunately, there isn't a better way to describe it. It seems that they overshot their original goals for the game and instead made something that's so easy that it really is a chore to play. Had they made the gameplay a little more challenging or beefed up the dialogue some, perhaps it would have been a bit better. Sadly, we'll never know about that.

River City Ransom

Today, I decided to revisit another favorite game from my childhood, River City Ransom. This game was released in 1989 in Japan and 1990 in the US, both being on the NES.  I still remember going to rent video games at the local Kroger and frequently coming home with River City Ransom. 

What makes the game so special you might ask? I say what other game allows you to walk around and beat the crap out of people and then run into town and eat a sandwich?

You play as either Alex or Ryan (or can play both via two player), who are on a mission to beat up the local gangs and recover Alex’s girlfriend; who is being held hostage by some guy named Slick. Judging by the story itself, River City Ransom sounds kinda lame, but it is actually a ridiculously awesome and extremely addictive game. If you give it a chance, I guarantee that you will enjoy it.

Unlike many beat’em ups of that time, River City Ransom blends RPG elements into the mix. You have certain “stats” such as Weapon and Agility that can be increased to improve your character’s attributes. By eating the vast arrays of foods, reading books, and listening to music purchased at various malls, you can help your character become stronger or learn new abilities. Who would've thought by reading a book entitled "Acro Circus" could make you become an instant front flip expert?

All items can be purchased with money that drops from gang members that you beat up. The only downside to this system is that you don’t really know how things will affect you until you buy them. There are no descriptions that tell you what you are actually getting except for actual name of the item.

Some things kinda suck and are a waste of time while others can help you tremendously. It doesn’t take too long to figure out what works best though and money is pretty easy to come by, so it’s not a huge issue regardless.

River City Ransom can be beaten in less than an hour and it relatively simple. First time players are likely to get raped a few times though, especially towards the end. Luckily, any time you die, you are ported back to the nearest shopping center with full health but with only half of the money you had before you died. In addition, you get to keep all of your abilities learned from books that you previously purchased, so not much is lost in the end.

River City Ransom does have a save feature, but it is ridiculously unreliable. It makes the most sense to start and complete the game in the same sitting due to it being so short and the password feature really being terrible.

Despite the length and ease of difficulty, River City Ransom has a pretty high replay value. After completing the game, I’ve found it’s fun to play again building an extremely powerful character or one that has unique techniques (beating the game with just the Acro Circus and Javelin Man?).

Speed runs are also pretty fun too. I remember one summer years ago where I would make an effort to beat the game at least once a day, and I got down to completing it pretty fast. Don’t forget that you can play with another person via two player. It actually works surprisingly well unlike many other games from that time.

What else can I say? This game was fun back in the day and still makes me happy now. It is pretty freaking cool; go check it out.

Final Fantasy IV (SNES) - Revisited

One of the first titles that come to mind when I think of gaming back when I was growing up is Final Fantasy IV (II in the US, IV in JP). Back in the early nineties, before console emulators and Gamefly, I would rent this title from the local game/movie store and play the absolute crap out of it. I never actually beat the game until I received the game as a Christmas present years later. However, that did not stop me from really enjoying Final Fantasy IV.

Often times my save file would be erased by other customers week to week, but that still didn’t stop me from restarting and playing it nonstop. The funny thing is that I was five when Final Fantasy IV came out in the US; I really doubt I understood much of what was going on story-wise. Regardless, Final Fantasy IV for the SNES is a game I’ve enjoyed for years.

I have been looking forward to coming back to the classic version of the game after having played numerous remakes (Anthology, GBA, and DS).  I’ve wanted to go back to the roots and see if my feelings have changed much over the years for the initial rendition of the game.

For those who aren’t familiar with the story, it opens up with a well scripted event. Cecil, the main protagonist and leader of the mighty Baron Air Fleet “The Red Wings”, is working on completing another task granted to him by the King of Baron. Having always been loyal to the King and his country, Cecil completes the mission of retrieving a “crystal”, even though the task brought forth numerous civilian casualties (which seemed to him like something that could have been avoided in the first place).

It seems as though the past few missions that the Red Wings have set forth to do have been a little out of the ordinary; not to mention the King and the Captain of his guards, Baigan, have been acting out of character as well. Cecil builds up enough courage to question the King’s recent decisions, and in turn is removed from his command of the Red Wings.

In addition, Cecil and his best friend Kain are sent on a mission to deliver a package to a nearby village. That is where your journey begins, but along the way you uncover the truth behind the King’s recent actions, meet a slew of unique allies, and battle enemies in traditional JRPG format.

Final Fantasy IV is the first game in the series to really flesh out the story and characters. If you have played any of the older titles in the series, you know what I mean. That’s not to say that the games are bad, but I don’t feel like story and character development were really their strong points (then again, did any old school NES JRPG really have an amazing story and top notch dialogue?).

While the dialogue itself is much more informative than previous titles in the series, it still suffers from a poor translation; like many of the other early Final Fantasy titles have over the years.  Statements such as, “Please feel free at home!” are just an example of silly bits of poor dialogue riddled within the game. On the other hand, townsfolk do generally have good information for you if you seek them out. Regardless of the apparent flaws, Final Fantasy IV offers a decent story with a memorable cast that you are sure to enjoy.

Having been one of the earlier titles for the SNES, Final Fantasy IV looks really good. Both the terrain and the sprites are colorful and drawn well. While there are several instances of palette-swapped sprites, there is still a good amount variety present. The scripted cutscenes are generally full of animation and help sell both the story and character emotion.

Final Fantasy IV introduced the ATB (Active Time Battle) system to the gaming world; something that would be used in many games to come. Instead of turn-based combat like previous Final Fantasy titles, actions and commands were given in real-time; giving a more realistic and sometimes more challenging spin on combat. With that being said, the US release of the SNES version could have been much more difficult than it was. 

Even with setting the ATB on and upping the speed of combat, 90% of the game can be completed by holding down the attack button. I’m assuming this was done to appeal to a broader audience and it is still an enjoyable experience. If you are looking for a more challenging version, the DS rendition may be up your alley.

One word describes the musical score: incredible. Nobuo Uematsu is known for being one of the industry’s most talented composers, and his work really shines in Final Fantasy IV. There isn’t much more to say besides the fact that it is extremely well done and really helps set the mood of the game. You will not be disappointed with Final Fantasy IV's soundtrack, much less any Final Fantasy score.

Having completed Final Fantasy IV in many forms (SNES, GBA, DS, PS), the SNES version is still my favorite overall. It is the one that started them all, and the small annoyances are not near enough to come close to overcoming the abundance of good qualities present in the game. It’s been probably ten years or more since I last played the SNES version, and probably my 50+th time actually completing it, and I still thoroughly enjoyed it.

I really enjoyed this play through of the game and it is still as charming and enjoyable as I remember it being back when I was too young to even understand what was really going on. If you haven’t played it yet and are a fan of RPGs, I’d suggest trying it out. Even if you’ve played it before, it is definitely worth revisiting another time and experiencing it all over again.