Amateur Review - Final Fantasy VI for iOS

A few days ago I decided to purchase Final Fantasy VI for iOS. I had played the original US version, Final Fantasy III, on my neighbor's Super Nintendo and I never got a chance to finish this game. So when I had some spare funds available I decided to buy this app for my iPad 2.

Instead of starting with the usual stuff like what's great with the app, I will start with the things that changed, and things I don't really like so far. Here we go.

First off, movement controls weren't translated well to iOS. That's because I don't have an external controller, and I have no plans of getting one. The default 8-axis controls were hard to use because I have a fat thumb. I switched to the 4-axis controller, and things improved somewhat.

What's annoying with the movement controls is anywhere you tap on the iPad that's where the center pops up, so if I place my thumb near the lower left corner, the left and down axis is usually unavailable. If you ask me I would have fixed the control stick in a specific place so that you don't start accidentally moving in another direction if you accidentally reset the position of the controls.

See that "control stick" and how clunky it is?

Yep, still annoying.

The battle UI is also an issue for me, as some buttons are spaced all over the screen. The back button changes location depending on the attack or spell selected. The "select all" when casting magic was almost hidden from my view the first time I used magic. And scrolling through the various moves a character can do in combat is sometimes clunky. Targeting is also an issue when I try tapping on the opponent instead of scrolling through their names. I tap on an opponent and another opponent gets targeted. Annoying but I can live with it. Perhaps this game will translate better on iPad Minis, although I can't afford to prove this theory right because iPad minis are goddamned expensive.

Buttons are scattered across the screen.

The names of a lot of spells, attacks, and others have changed as well. Instead of the classic "Cure 1" to "Cure 3" names, it's now "Cure" and "Cura." I haven't unlocked level 3 cure yet, but I'm guessing it's something like "Curaga" if it's anything like the newer Final Fantasy games. I guess they were standardizing to the more modern spell names found in, if I remember right, Final Fantasy VII onwards.

It used to be "Cure 1," "Cure 2," and "Cure 3."

Another name change was Cyan's Swordtech, now known as "Bushido." The moves now have new names too. Sabin's Blitz attacks also have new names, or at least "Aura Blast" is now known as "Aura Cannon."

The sprite graphics have been updated as well, though if you ask me I would have preferred the original sprites used in the SNES version. I do see some inconsistencies with the art, because some enemies don't look as sharp as the newer sprites.

Portraits and sprites were redone, the environment looks like the original.

So far those are the only complaints I have. Now let's talk about the things I like about the game. Three things, actually.

Number one, it's a nostalgia trip. Like I said, I first played this game on SNES. We even customized the character names to our names, and I got Setzer and Shadow. Now I'm just keeping the names default. And I can still remember some of the hidden passages in the game.

Number two is the music. It's still the same music, and I'm glad they didn't do any revisions to the original sound. I love the midi style music.

Number three is the art. During my first job an officemate of mine introduced me to the art of Yoshitaka Amano, who did concept art for FFVI. Seeing the characters and their portraits again made me appreciate Amano's art even more.

So in closing, is Final Fantasy VI for iOS worth the USD15.99? Yes, definitely. For someone like me who played the original game and who hasn't finished it yet, I think it's a great purchase. I can play this game anytime on a very portable system, plus the storyline is so well written that you won't really be able to finish this game in a short time, and that's not including grinding levels.

For those in my age group who've played this before, get it for the nostalgia trip. For those who have never played this, get it. You'll be surprised how an excellent story trumps the best graphics anytime. And that's why I love Final Fantasy VI (and Fallout 1 and 2) because the story gets you involved.

Out.