Mystic Quest was one of the first RPGs I ever played when I was like 7. I remember liking it a lot and it brought me into RPGs as a whole. So I guess mission accomplished?
I also played it as a 7 year old, it was dumb enough for me to enjoy, in a time before technology has 7 year olds raised on smart phones and tablets. Especially considering the other RPG my parents bought was 7th Saga. Hard comparison.
I think that I was a little older -- maybe 10 or 11? -- but it was still pretty much my first RPG and it worked well as an introduction for kids. [Not amazing for adults, though -- our family only received the cartridge because a family friend (an adult) really didn't like it.]
@@GaigeG203 The remix album has some amazing rock remixes. Not the one that goes “Mystic Quest, Mystic Quest” over and over though; you have to drown that part out…
This game needs more credit. Besides having a great atmosphere, it also did a lot of things right. The story flowed quickly and was upbeat and I liked the quirky characters. I love Chronotrigger, but even that game has tedious and drawn out segments and Mystic Quest is a great pick up and play game that feels quick with lots of cool areas. The enemy sprites showing damage was super cool. I also loved all the status effects to gear and how everything had a cool icon. If you were a young your imagination does a good job adding to and filling in stuff and as a fantasy nerd then this game really sparked the imagination.
Yeah I honestly thought I was going to rate it higher because I loved it as a kid, but after playing it through recently, I just couldn’t. I gave it credit where credit was due, but it wasn’t nearly up to par imo.
I was well into RPGs by then and even still it was a dream come true for me. Totally was a better intro RPG. Loads of humour, good writing and armour you can friggin take off!
I played this several times back in the SNES era and greatly enjoyed it. I quickly figured out that this game is really on the easy side but that didn't matter to me. Every playthrough was relaxing and the BGM helped with that. I'm glad I watched this video not just for the memories but also because I found out that the final boss can easily be killed by Cure spell! If I knew back then I'd just use that once out of curiosity and never again as I like longish boss fights. Thanks for helping me remember my childhood gaming days!
Was it an insult? Yep. Can it stand next to Squaresofts other SNES greats? Nope. Hoever is it a blast to play today? Yep. just a great fun little adventure. Simple RPG mechanics with simple Zelda like action functions? Its very unique and a guilty pleasure.
Additional comment: I think what a lot of essayists forget when talking about game history is that the ONLY market for video games in 1992 was young children and teens. There was no adult market. So the approach was nothing like it is today. Mystic Quest didn't come from some racist idea that Westerners were too simple-minded for complex RPGs. The whole concept of video RPGs originated in the West with games like Ultima. Japanese game companies were just trying out different strategies to turn kids onto RPGs because other strategies, like the mass giveaway of Dragon Warrior cartridges through Nintendo Power, hadn't worked.
Funny enough, my first RPG was Dragon Warrior. My mother picked it up for me at a yard sale. The original owner - who had of course presumably gotten it from Nintendo Power - had never even removed the shrink wrap.
Worked for me. Dragon Warrior through Nintendo Power was my first RPG. After that, I got hooked and bought all the other RPGs coming out - DW, FF, Mana, etc.
This just isn't true though. There were many complex CRPGs in the 80s, and imho they were far more complex than Final Fantasy 1. There was a market for rpgs in the west but they were all on computer because console game designers had a skewed perception of the market.
This was my very first RPG and Final Fantasy. I think it's absolutely responsible for my love of RPGs. If it didn't have FF in it's name, I never would've pressured my mom to buy me FF2 & FF3. Say what you want about its simplicity, but for a child who knew nothing about proper RPGs or anyone who isn't used to videogames in general, this game is a humble enough place to start. It'll always have a special place in my life.
I’m reading more and more comments from folks who are saying that this game got them into RPGs, so I guess square was somewhat right! I still feel it could have gotten you into RPGs and kept some features like switching armour, and a better story. Or the marketing could have been better. But oh well!
Omg, I honestly love MQ. You weren’t kidding about how awesome the music was. But tbh when I think about all the numbered entries i get overwhelmed by the size, time commitment and potentially missed items/spell, MQ is easy by design and therefore great for if you don’t want to spend 100+ hours on a game.
I totally get that. It’s the Final Fantasy that fits in the overhead bins. I haven’t played a numbered entry since 12, mostly because it’s so daunting.
I know us in the west sometimes get offended about devs "dumbing" down releases in the NA region but to be honest it's kinda true. The target demographic for NA in the 80s/early 90s was 6-11 year old boys and it was a fact that games of a more simple nature (platformers, puzzle games) fared much better.
I’ll never forget playing it growing up, and there’s a spot where you can actually trap yourself and the only way to get out is to start over unless you hadn’t saved in a while. The enemies changing as they lost health was absolutely the highlight of this game.
As a teenager I actually borrowed this game from a friend and played it when I went to my Dads for the weekend. I played on a wooden boxed CRT TV meant for traveling. Good memories!
I rented this game for a weekend when I was twelve years old. Played through the whole thing. It was pretty, mindless fun. I still have fond memories of it.
I still enjoy this game as an adult. Still come back to it for a quick little adventure. Love the fact that when you defeat the boss the town changes. Most RPGS say oh without the crystal the town will become a wasteland, but the town never changes throughout the whole game. Though Pazuzu's Tower and Tree and can go F off.
This game is maximum comfy, also I found it actually quite challenging back in the day because I played really recklessly, it makes the game more fun, I wish all FF games should have a hard mode
I got screwed over in my play through a handful of times by the petrify spell and other unlucky anomalies. I also died on the first boss/enemy like 4 or 5 times because of terrible RNG. Like, you have no real option other than attacking, so if he crits, you’re basically screwed. I was so confused within minutes of starting the game cause I’d heard it was easy, haha. Still a cakewalk tho.
It was my 1st final fantasy game that I beat (the original and 2 I didn't understand as a kid). This helped me get into it and get an idea of how to play the games which lead me into playing almost the entire series so far (mainline, haven't played all the spin offs. But beat 1-10, never finished 12, working on 13, 15, and 16).
I feel like Super Mario RPG was the concept of the entry level RPG done so very right. Simple, lighthearted with plenty of humor, a brisk episodic style pace, and not too difficult. Everything Mystic Quest tried is there and then some. It's highly accessible, but SMRPG is fun and satisfying even for experienced RPG gamers or even on repeat playthroughs. It's really something special.
I agree. FFMQ didn’t do enough to bridge young gamers and RPGs. There was nothing about the front cover that implied “accessible game for kids”. Super Mario RPG was a home run though. And it gave kids a taste of some balls hard combat with Culex behind the door in Monsto Town.
@@motrongames Culex's music so memorable, possibly because the battle takes a literal 60 minutes of time to complete. I also think Cuelex music in Super Mario RPG is from a prior Final Fantasy, but I'm uncertain which.
I like the game. Honestly I like the way it looks and sounds and the way it plays is very simplified but I don't mind. I feel like it could definitely be a good game for maybe a team of people to independently improve and make it more aligned with the rest of the games in the series
My thing is I really just wish they made it funnier or more interesting, because there was no reason not to. Simple I get, but bland, I don’t think there was any excuse.
@@motrongames well if the point was to introduce people into the world of the rest of the Final Fantasy series, I can imagine that making it silly would give a misrepresentation of any follow-up games that they would choose to play. I mean that's the only reason I could see why they wouldn't do that
@@motrongames also I wouldn't mind if Square made a pixel remaster of this to go along with the other ones in the series. With some quality of life updates or difficulty adjustment added of course
@@Antnj81 yeah they should at least include it as bonus content. They certainly should not hide it away. It’s pretty lame that there’s no way to play it now aside from SNES and ROMs
@@motrongames how about this? What if they release this game as a pixel remastered but combo it with Final Fantasy IV the after years as a pixel remaster? I think that would be really great and people would definitely buy that
The lack of English releases for these RPGs was a major factor in me learning Japanese as a student in the early 90s. I played through the Japanese versions of FF5, Romancing Saga 1-3, Front Mission, Seiken Densetsu 3, Bahamut Lagoon, and Rudras. I also played FF8-FF10 and Xenogears in Japanese as I could not wait for the English release. After college I moved to Japan and have been here since. I never could get into Mystic Quest...
Mystic Quest was one of those games that was good for some mindless fun. That said, it had some unique qualities that made it fun. The Zelda like use of items in dungeon exploration to solve puzzles is really unique for a FF game. Also...the music. The dungeon designs were really good as well. They were long and basically were the exploration of the game.
The Dark King cure thing isn’t a glitch per se, but an overflow error. The Dream Devourer in Chrono Trigger DS has a similar exploit, and that game is tightly designed as all get out.
I’ve been playing FF since the original released and I remember people ragging on Mystic Quest really hard. Sure it was easier than other FF games and clearly aimed at beginners to RPG games, but why is that such a bad thing? It was still a really fun game and I don’t feel that it being only a mild challenge detracted from that at all. I used this and then Lunar to get my cousin into RPGs. I’m sure it helped make many lifelong fans of the genre… even if this particular part of the genre is gone from FF..
I didn’t have any friends that played it, only me, so I didn’t find out that it was disliked until much later. Playing it for this review I was like “ok I get the dislike for it now”. Maybe if they adjusted the graphic style and box design to be more overtly kid friendly, people would have thought of it differently? Who knows!
Not me, I've always liked Mystic Quest a great deal despite having played "harder" RPGs like FF1, FF4, Dragon Warrior 1, & DW3 before that. I just consider it another great RPG I grew up with and enjoyed it for what it was.
You know, when I was 12, I begged my mother to come with me to the nearest video game store to pick this up. I think we walked like 3 miles down the streets of LA to find it. When I was 12, it was really amazing. Now that I'm in my 40s... yeah, not so much. But my god that MUSIC! I still have the metal covers of the various battle themes on favorite in my UA-cam library.
I've enjoyed watching Mystic Quest randomizer races. This adds some unique twists where the cchallenge isn't the game itself but a rival gamer trying to race to the Dark King.
The enemy sprite animations and battle music themes made this game very memorable in times when we had only little access to JRPGs, i'd say the artist did a well job, but their work deserved better gamedesign, narrative and characterization. Its a tragedy.
FFMQ was my first Final Fantasy game. The music was epic and the fight scenes had me on the edge of my seat trying to beat Pazuzu in his tower, and yes, even dying in the first fight due to a well timed enemy crit. I only had to call Nintendo Power once. lol
This game for me is the equivalent of a cute sin. Plus it's the first RPG I played when I was like 8 years old. So I was a good target audience. Then I discovered FF4 and there I fell even more in love with the franchise. Still, this game has a precious place in my heart and I still like to play a run sometimes. The biggest thing is the music, I love this music from A to Z. Great video btw !
Thank you very much! Just grabbing that sub over here, there we go. Cool! Thanks! I work and parent full time so I don’t have as much time as I would like to make these, but great comments like this are what keep me going! On my way to 1000 subs!
I was shocked at how good it was as well. I thought "How did I miss a song like this?!" It's because this is AI, hah... Maybe AI does have some good ideas if they're fed the right way.
This was the first RPG I ever played, and because of this I bought FFII (aka IV), and because of that game I bought FFIII (aka VI) and Chrono Trigger, and since then I own almost every FF, Tales of, Persona, Dragon Quest, Panzer Dragoon, Xenoblade, Vagrant Story, and on an on. I'm glad my dad bought me this game so long ago, It was my gateway drug into JRPGs.
I have a soft spot for this game. For me, it was a garbage, oversimplified "popcorn" game. However, _my_ _mom_ (rest her soul) was not anything close to being classified as "a gamer"... most she ever attempted was maybe some Q*Bert on Atari or wasting a couple hours on NES Pictionary (super simple minigames). Anything else was too complicated. Especially anything action oriented. Even other RPGs were too lore and menu heavy. But one day, I got home from jr high in time to witness her stepping up the path to the final boss on THIS. She had decided to "try it out" that day after dad and I had left for the day, and the game was simple enough for a woman who acted like if you changed a TV to the wrong input, it might smoke and explode (I wish I were being as hyperbolic as it sounds). It was inviting enough to get her to play it, and enjoy the story and "challenge" and was just immersive enough without being overwhelming. Basically, I felt kinda proud. And I will always associate this game with that day.
Wow thanks for the really genuine comment! I’m happy this brings back those memories for you. Ultimately my goal with this channel is to bring back memories in folks (even if I do get cranky), so I’m happy to hear if I in any way contributed to that with you! And side note my dad asked once to show him how to play final fantasy IV but he thought the most dragon was too hard and he kind of just called it at that. Haha
This was a great video. I got Mystic Quest from a garage sale and I had already beaten FF 1&2, but somehow this games lack of challenge/depth didn't even show for like 8 year old me. Can't believe how underrated you are, about to check out more of your stuff!
Thank you for the kind words! I’m only a year in and I make videos when I have the time so I haven’t been able to churn content out, but I’m slowly building an audience. It’s nice to have a venue to nerd out hard with like minded viewers!
I think hardcore gamers overestimate how big a deal having a challenge is for normal people, how skilled they are and how much frustration they will but up before declaring the game more trouble then its worth. Unfortunately difficulty fanatics dominant the discourse because they spend all their time playing games and talking about them and normal people aren't willing to put up with argo they for suggesting they shouldn't have to prove themselves worthy to play the games they brought and that making hard modes takes time.
I am not a fan of all the hate this game gets I absolutely love this game. When I was a kid I never knew what a RPG game was till I borrowed it from a friend and I fell in love with the genre. I Explored many other RPGs after playing this. It definitely holds a soft spot in my heart.
I think this video really brought out the love for this game. I’m seeing a lot of comments where folks are having fond memories of it. Makes me feel bad for giving it such a low score, but hey, that’s show business baby.
Dragon Warrior was my first NES RPG. It sparked my love for RPGs that still exist to this day. My all-time favorite RPG for NES was Dragon Warrior III.
Haven’t played 3 and I’m shocked I haven’t because the first Dragon Warrior absolutely was my jam as well. Maybe I’ll give it a shot (although I hear it’s a bit dated by today’s standards).
One of the first ROMs I downloaded off the internet back in the 2000s (2001/2002) when that was really big and just starting out. Didn't think much of it and always wondered if it was a translated fan project lol boy was I wrong. It was all right for what I was definitely something that you could just throw on and play and not think much about it. ** Quick edit: holy s*** The A.I. made song at the end is f****** phenomenal.
I would've loved starting this one instead of FFVII. FFVII was awesome and incredible, but it was a bit too advanced to begin with. I think what sucks about MQ is that we got this instead of FFV.
I have a strong nostalgic urge to play this game every decade or so; having first played it in the early 90s when I was 8 or so. Funnily enough I did manage to get briefly stuck sometime around the tower/Spencer's place part, being unable to find the way forward. A suggestion for a SNES game I rarely see mentioned, of which I recall being quite interesting, is "Legend of Time" (localized as "Legend of Gaia" in NA I believe).
Hey man, just found the channel. I absolutely loved Mystic Quest growing up and thought your review for it was fair and spot on. Enjoyed the video, will sub.
@@motrongames absolutely, it’s one of those “guilty pleasure” sort of games that I know isn’t a “good” game but I love it’s charm and style. Kinda like Dirge of Cerberus or The Bouncer.
Funnily enough, mystic quest didnt JUST get me into Jrpgs, it got me into RPGs in general. I had played wizardry and dragon quest before MQ, but i hadn't the slighteset idea of what to do as a dumb 8 year old. So, Mystic quests dumbing down of the systems really helped
Mystic Quest was the first RPG I beat when I was 6 years old. So Square quite literally made the game for me. Now I am a lifelong Final Fantasy Fan. Mission accomplished I guess? 😂 Thanks, Square Enix!
I had Dragon Warrior and Dragon Warrior II. I think Mystic Quest was both my first Final Fantasy and first SNES RPG. I have fond memories of it though I do remember it being tedious at times. I recall staying up late one night with a friend playing it. We also played Joe and Mac a lot so thanks for that reference! I'm so old I remember calling a help line because I got stuck on a puzzle in Pazuzu's tower! LOL!
Everybody just jumped on the hate train with PB gamer and those other trash reviewers. This game was so creative and concise. And the damaged enemies was so creative. The story was simple gameplay streamlined. A fucking great game with badass music
I just watched a minute and a half of that guys content and I've had enough. I think a lot of folks will trash something because it can be more funny and entertaining, so they end up going hard on stuff that doesn't deserve it. I try to be fair, but I'm not above the occasional hyperbole.
Mystic Quest got me into older FF games (all before 7, 8, 9) and is an absolute joy to play, even today, i love the ever changing companions and the interesting ways they fit in the story. My only real issue i have is that we could not choose our final companion for the final bit
Mystic quest was one of the first 2 final fantasy games I played back when I was 3-4 yrs old which was over 2 decades at this point. And I loved every second of it. Heck I'd love to see a complete remake of Mystic quest with better graphics, enhanced ost, an expansion of the games story to give us more weapons and armor, side quests, and countless other things that they could do to fill in the gaps and end up pull out a page of Fire Emblem Gaiden's remake from being the black sheep of the franchise to a much beloved title in the franchise even if they don't give game breaking record sales. So long as the remake preforms, and sells well enough I'd be content with myself.
@@motrongames Every single time I played. Especially in those times where I didn't had UA-cam to hear the song, I had a save file just right there. And I left the snes with the TV on blasting that song for at least 1 hour. Another point would be just before any boss or before the End boss.
I made it with AI. I didn’t want to use AI for an end credits song, but this ripped so hard. I might do a separate upload of it for folks who are interested.
@@motrongames in all honesty I never would have guessed that it was done that way. After watching this video I spent an hour trying to locate it and was unable. And I went back on the video at least a half a dozen times to re-listen to it. Final fantasy mystic quest does get a lot of negative feedback but I do have fond memories of play the game.
Mystic quest was the first Final Fantasy game that I ever played when I was a kid and introduced me to the franchise. I think it’s actually a pretty good game. It is simple but it’s still fun.
Mystic Quest was my second Final Fantasy I played through, after FF2(4). Way back in 1991/92. I’ve always adored it, I still do. I’d enjoy it being released again in some fashion, even if just on mobile. The game just has this charm to it for me, even to this day. I was listening to the Ice Pyramid music today at work just to relax lol.
It came with a complete walkthrough too But I did enjoy it for all the reasons you mentioned, and the locations always stuck with me thanks to their fun names
Yeah you definitely could beat this in a day, although that fourth act around Windia can really drag, and Mac’s ship is a dungeon that I didn’t see coming.
FF:MQ will always hold a place in my heart because while I played Dragon Warrior 4 and FF1 with my dad years before, it was the first one I played by myself.
I was never really into gaming, but Mystic Quest was special. The first game I ever played through on my own, and that moment of accomplishment still sticks with me. MQ will always have a special place in my memories. ♥Much love to Mystic Quest !
This game has two perfect points for me : - I learned reading by playing it, because, back ine the 90's in France, there wasn't many games that was translated to french - it's one of the games that leads me to Heavy Metal music (gosh, those battle themes, especially the boss one : gorgeous !) Playing FFMQ at 5 years old was the greatest way to enjoy this game : as a kid, it puts every basics of JRPG. Then, you can enjoy Secret of Mana ! And what a blast I had when FF7 came out in 1997 : I was 6 and absolutely not ready for this beast, but it was like heaven !
Yeah I remember learning a LOT about weapons and monsters from the FF games. I don’t think I would know what a halberd or a cockatrice was if not for Final Fantasy II. And yeah, this and Contra were heavy metal gateway games!
My thinking is that the main reason why JRPGs weren't localized back in the day was because most other games had a lot less text and didn't require a translator. Since the stories were so culturally specific they probably figured Western companies would do a better job putting culturally relevant RPGs on consoles, and that they wouldn't need to localize JRPGs for us. The problem is that Western RPGs were far too rooted in D&D culture and were very niche, stat-driven, and didn't translate well to console gaming (they were basically expecting there to be far more Skyrim-like games on console much earlier on, I think). Western companies also didn't really see the potential of video games as a narrative device, and figured the games should be simple and fast-paced, with any real narratives or stories about the games being relegated to companion books or cartoons. Thus, those who did want a more story-driven console RPG experience ultimately wound up relying on begging Japanese companies for JRPGs. Over time, there were more and more people learning Japanese, and probably more translators offering to translate the games, plus the rise of translation software probably made the job easier, localization became less of an issue as gamers were exposed to Japanese culture more via the success of some anime in the west, and became less sensitive about religion... and eventually the games just started coming.
Makes sense to me! I remember anime getting a real boost around that time with sailor moon and dragon ball. I also remember how western publishers would remove anything remotely Japanese from package designs and stick some chad design on there instead. See Samurai Showdown or Kendo Rage.
This was one game I always enjoyed renting for a quick weekend play thru! Sure it wasn’t ground breaking but it did have a charm that kept me playing. I think the problem was that the people who would play such games wanted more substance. So when someone asked what game they should play to try an RPG, fans would point to FF4. Sure the NA version was dumbed down but it actually had what Mystic Quest lacked I also like to mention how this game almost feels like it was supposed to be an action RPG. If you took away the turn based battles and battle grounds then turned the areas into something more akin to Zelda I think it might have done better. I only say that because of how the inventory system is laid out. It looks a lot more like a game like Soul Blazer. Simplified but designed to keep the action going. It might have drawn more of a crowd. Well as long as it didn’t turn out like Lagoon, geez! Sorry had to Squeeze that name in there. I’ve played a lot of SNES RPGs and none made me want to toss the game out the window like Lagoon! I’d rather play Mystic Quest!!!
It was a good game for younger kids to dip their toe into the vast murky waters of RPGs. When i was very young I inherited an NES with the original final fantasy and it was so hard for me at that age i stopped playing anything from that genre, until the day my dad rented mystic quest for me while he was at blockbuster. I must’ve been around 9-10 and i enjoyed it so much that i immediately went on to get FF4 and then eventually my all time favorite game ever: finally fantasy 6. I likely wouldn’t have ever tried it without mystic quest.
Mystic Quest was one of the first RPGs I ever played when I was like 7. I remember liking it a lot and it brought me into RPGs as a whole. So I guess mission accomplished?
In that regard I suppose so!
I also played it as a 7 year old, it was dumb enough for me to enjoy, in a time before technology has 7 year olds raised on smart phones and tablets. Especially considering the other RPG my parents bought was 7th Saga. Hard comparison.
@@DanJon-q4m 7th Saga was the anti-Mystic Quest
This was the exact same experience I had with it as well. I honestly think it succeeded in this regard.
I think that I was a little older -- maybe 10 or 11? -- but it was still pretty much my first RPG and it worked well as an introduction for kids.
[Not amazing for adults, though -- our family only received the cartridge because a family friend (an adult) really didn't like it.]
As much shit Mystic Quest gets from people It still holds a special place in my heart. Every few years I come back to it just for the music.
My fave part is the cave where phoebe's uncle or grandpa or whatever he was was in. "Is a vibe" is a real understatement.
@@Ghalion666 I remember this most vividly of anything
@@GaigeG203 The remix album has some amazing rock remixes.
Not the one that goes “Mystic Quest, Mystic Quest” over and over though; you have to drown that part out…
it has the cartoony fun vibes, good graphics that share something with earthbound for enemy damage evolution in battle
@@GaigeG203 the music was the best part😀
The soundtrack to this game went waaaaay harder than it had to. Better than the game itself.😂
It was so badass. Especially that battle theme
I got chills when he went through the OST. Ahhh nostalgia 😂😮
100%. The one thing we all can agree on.
Fun fact: the Life spell is not only a full heal, but a full death. It insta kills most enemies in the game.
The highest cure spell will kill the last boss in 2-3 casts.
Dude I took him out with one!
I had no clue. Exit served the same purpose (but you didn’t get any experience from the enemy).
If I recall properly, all spell had 2 effects. One on enemy and one on playerz
@@theKellyG this is due to an overflow glitch, actually.
One of the greatest 16-bit soundtrack of all time
Agreed!
This statement is ridiculous... not one of... but thee greatest ❤
It had no right being as good as it was for a game this simple and lame.
This game needs more credit. Besides having a great atmosphere, it also did a lot of things right. The story flowed quickly and was upbeat and I liked the quirky characters. I love Chronotrigger, but even that game has tedious and drawn out segments and Mystic Quest is a great pick up and play game that feels quick with lots of cool areas. The enemy sprites showing damage was super cool. I also loved all the status effects to gear and how everything had a cool icon. If you were a young your imagination does a good job adding to and filling in stuff and as a fantasy nerd then this game really sparked the imagination.
Yeah I honestly thought I was going to rate it higher because I loved it as a kid, but after playing it through recently, I just couldn’t. I gave it credit where credit was due, but it wasn’t nearly up to par imo.
SMRPG was the best ACTUAL entry level RPG for the US. I would sure bet a lot that many 90s kids grew up starting with that.
I was well into RPGs by then and even still it was a dream come true for me. Totally was a better intro RPG. Loads of humour, good writing and armour you can friggin take off!
I played this several times back in the SNES era and greatly enjoyed it. I quickly figured out that this game is really on the easy side but that didn't matter to me. Every playthrough was relaxing and the BGM helped with that. I'm glad I watched this video not just for the memories but also because I found out that the final boss can easily be killed by Cure spell! If I knew back then I'd just use that once out of curiosity and never again as I like longish boss fights. Thanks for helping me remember my childhood gaming days!
Happy to help! I started the channel as a way for ME to play and remember these old games and I’m happy to bring folks along for the ride!
Was it an insult? Yep. Can it stand next to Squaresofts other SNES greats? Nope. Hoever is it a blast to play today? Yep. just a great fun little adventure. Simple RPG mechanics with simple Zelda like action functions? Its very unique and a guilty pleasure.
Blast might be a strong word! But it's definitely not NOT fun! I enjoyed it even if a lot of time was spend just pressing 'A'.
That Mystic Quest metal Theme song at the end is a Riff Masterpiece!
Haha thank you! Check out the dedicated video for it ua-cam.com/video/oTua3xG0IK4/v-deo.htmlsi=GueXhJxFhtr6Oh9a
Additional comment: I think what a lot of essayists forget when talking about game history is that the ONLY market for video games in 1992 was young children and teens. There was no adult market. So the approach was nothing like it is today. Mystic Quest didn't come from some racist idea that Westerners were too simple-minded for complex RPGs. The whole concept of video RPGs originated in the West with games like Ultima. Japanese game companies were just trying out different strategies to turn kids onto RPGs because other strategies, like the mass giveaway of Dragon Warrior cartridges through Nintendo Power, hadn't worked.
Funny enough, my first RPG was Dragon Warrior. My mother picked it up for me at a yard sale. The original owner - who had of course presumably gotten it from Nintendo Power - had never even removed the shrink wrap.
Worked for me. Dragon Warrior through Nintendo Power was my first RPG. After that, I got hooked and bought all the other RPGs coming out - DW, FF, Mana, etc.
This just isn't true though. There were many complex CRPGs in the 80s, and imho they were far more complex than Final Fantasy 1. There was a market for rpgs in the west but they were all on computer because console game designers had a skewed perception of the market.
This was my very first RPG and Final Fantasy.
I think it's absolutely responsible for my love of RPGs. If it didn't have FF in it's name, I never would've pressured my mom to buy me FF2 & FF3.
Say what you want about its simplicity, but for a child who knew nothing about proper RPGs or anyone who isn't used to videogames in general, this game is a humble enough place to start.
It'll always have a special place in my life.
I’m reading more and more comments from folks who are saying that this game got them into RPGs, so I guess square was somewhat right! I still feel it could have gotten you into RPGs and kept some features like switching armour, and a better story. Or the marketing could have been better. But oh well!
Omg, I honestly love MQ. You weren’t kidding about how awesome the music was. But tbh when I think about all the numbered entries i get overwhelmed by the size, time commitment and potentially missed items/spell, MQ is easy by design and therefore great for if you don’t want to spend 100+ hours on a game.
I totally get that. It’s the Final Fantasy that fits in the overhead bins. I haven’t played a numbered entry since 12, mostly because it’s so daunting.
I know us in the west sometimes get offended about devs "dumbing" down releases in the NA region but to be honest it's kinda true. The target demographic for NA in the 80s/early 90s was 6-11 year old boys and it was a fact that games of a more simple nature (platformers, puzzle games) fared much better.
I’ll never forget playing it growing up, and there’s a spot where you can actually trap yourself and the only way to get out is to start over unless you hadn’t saved in a while. The enemies changing as they lost health was absolutely the highlight of this game.
A few folks in the comments mentioned getting trapped at some spot. Thankfully never happened to me. And thankfully it’s not a crazy long game…
As a teenager I actually borrowed this game from a friend and played it when I went to my Dads for the weekend. I played on a wooden boxed CRT TV meant for traveling. Good memories!
I rented this game for a weekend when I was twelve years old. Played through the whole thing. It was pretty, mindless fun. I still have fond memories of it.
Twelve is the perfect age to enjoy it imo. I played it when I was 12 and loved it.
Same I rented it from blockbuster and ran thru it fast, didn’t care that it was easy as I played RPGs mostly for the stories.
The dragon claw was dope
Yeah when Tristam gets it, you just wanna be like “screw the elixir, gimme that!”
Great music, puzzle elements, and enemies that showed damage over time. It was unique at that time. The only issue was the story was too short
Yeah the story was short and really could have used some more richness. Ah well!
I still enjoy this game as an adult. Still come back to it for a quick little adventure. Love the fact that when you defeat the boss the town changes. Most RPGS say oh without the crystal the town will become a wasteland, but the town never changes throughout the whole game. Though Pazuzu's Tower and Tree and can go F off.
Yeah that tree level was way too long. The later dungeons are soooo long compared to the earlier ones. And then a surprise dungeon with Mac’s ship.
This game is maximum comfy, also I found it actually quite challenging back in the day because I played really recklessly, it makes the game more fun, I wish all FF games should have a hard mode
I maybe died 2 or 3 times in my playthrough, almost always from the confuse status. Otherwise I completely thrashed this game.
look into the romhacking scene, most ff games have a hard mode mod
I got screwed over in my play through a handful of times by the petrify spell and other unlucky anomalies. I also died on the first boss/enemy like 4 or 5 times because of terrible RNG. Like, you have no real option other than attacking, so if he crits, you’re basically screwed. I was so confused within minutes of starting the game cause I’d heard it was easy, haha. Still a cakewalk tho.
8:40 I have a collection of B.C. on the bookshelf that my mom gave me like 25 years ago, and I have never heard anyone else talk about it ever lol
Hahaha I’m super stoked to read a comment where someone got the reference.
The mystic quest regular battle theme is low key fire though.
I would actually say it’s high key fire. Nothing inconspicuous about it!
I was surprised to hear that fan track at the end of the video, nice work!
It was my 1st final fantasy game that I beat (the original and 2 I didn't understand as a kid). This helped me get into it and get an idea of how to play the games which lead me into playing almost the entire series so far (mainline, haven't played all the spin offs. But beat 1-10, never finished 12, working on 13, 15, and 16).
the most relaxing enemy death sound
I feel like Super Mario RPG was the concept of the entry level RPG done so very right. Simple, lighthearted with plenty of humor, a brisk episodic style pace, and not too difficult. Everything Mystic Quest tried is there and then some. It's highly accessible, but SMRPG is fun and satisfying even for experienced RPG gamers or even on repeat playthroughs. It's really something special.
I agree. FFMQ didn’t do enough to bridge young gamers and RPGs. There was nothing about the front cover that implied “accessible game for kids”. Super Mario RPG was a home run though. And it gave kids a taste of some balls hard combat with Culex behind the door in Monsto Town.
@@motrongames Culex's music so memorable, possibly because the battle takes a literal 60 minutes of time to complete. I also think Cuelex music in Super Mario RPG is from a prior Final Fantasy, but I'm uncertain which.
I like the game. Honestly I like the way it looks and sounds and the way it plays is very simplified but I don't mind. I feel like it could definitely be a good game for maybe a team of people to independently improve and make it more aligned with the rest of the games in the series
My thing is I really just wish they made it funnier or more interesting, because there was no reason not to. Simple I get, but bland, I don’t think there was any excuse.
@@motrongames well if the point was to introduce people into the world of the rest of the Final Fantasy series, I can imagine that making it silly would give a misrepresentation of any follow-up games that they would choose to play. I mean that's the only reason I could see why they wouldn't do that
@@motrongames also I wouldn't mind if Square made a pixel remaster of this to go along with the other ones in the series. With some quality of life updates or difficulty adjustment added of course
@@Antnj81 yeah they should at least include it as bonus content. They certainly should not hide it away. It’s pretty lame that there’s no way to play it now aside from SNES and ROMs
@@motrongames how about this? What if they release this game as a pixel remastered but combo it with Final Fantasy IV the after years as a pixel remaster? I think that would be really great and people would definitely buy that
The lack of English releases for these RPGs was a major factor in me learning Japanese as a student in the early 90s. I played through the Japanese versions of FF5, Romancing Saga 1-3, Front Mission, Seiken Densetsu 3, Bahamut Lagoon, and Rudras. I also played FF8-FF10 and Xenogears in Japanese as I could not wait for the English release. After college I moved to Japan and have been here since.
I never could get into Mystic Quest...
Dude you sound like you’re playing life on hard mode, so yeah Mystic Quest might be a little below your skill level.
Mystic Quest was one of those games that was good for some mindless fun.
That said, it had some unique qualities that made it fun. The Zelda like use of items in dungeon exploration to solve puzzles is really unique for a FF game. Also...the music. The dungeon designs were really good as well. They were long and basically were the exploration of the game.
The dragon claw is really good. Basically a hook shot. I wished they introduced it sooner, or had areas where you could backtrack and use it.
Dude...just a fantastic video. Great content, fantastic editing, hilarious...really well done!!!
Thank you very much! Always great to read feedback like this!
The Dark King cure thing isn’t a glitch per se, but an overflow error.
The Dream Devourer in Chrono Trigger DS has a similar exploit, and that game is tightly designed as all get out.
Love this game, I never understood the shade it received. Great soundtrack, especially toward the end stages
FF USA!?! Epic😂
I’ve been playing FF since the original released and I remember people ragging on Mystic Quest really hard. Sure it was easier than other FF games and clearly aimed at beginners to RPG games, but why is that such a bad thing? It was still a really fun game and I don’t feel that it being only a mild challenge detracted from that at all. I used this and then Lunar to get my cousin into RPGs. I’m sure it helped make many lifelong fans of the genre… even if this particular part of the genre is gone from FF..
I didn’t have any friends that played it, only me, so I didn’t find out that it was disliked until much later. Playing it for this review I was like “ok I get the dislike for it now”. Maybe if they adjusted the graphic style and box design to be more overtly kid friendly, people would have thought of it differently? Who knows!
Not me, I've always liked Mystic Quest a great deal despite having played "harder" RPGs like FF1, FF4, Dragon Warrior 1, & DW3 before that. I just consider it another great RPG I grew up with and enjoyed it for what it was.
Some of those dragon warrior games are inaccessible as hell too!
You know, when I was 12, I begged my mother to come with me to the nearest video game store to pick this up. I think we walked like 3 miles down the streets of LA to find it. When I was 12, it was really amazing. Now that I'm in my 40s... yeah, not so much. But my god that MUSIC! I still have the metal covers of the various battle themes on favorite in my UA-cam library.
Part of me wishes I didn’t touch it recently, to keep the memories, but it was pretty awesome playing it and rediscovering the nostalgia.
I've enjoyed watching Mystic Quest randomizer races. This adds some unique twists where the cchallenge isn't the game itself but a rival gamer trying to race to the Dark King.
Really good video. Quality, contain and visual. Thank you.
Thank you for the view and the compliment!
Great quality video! This channel deserves more.
@@linceed thank you! Always great coming across comments like these!
The enemy sprite animations and battle music themes made this game very memorable in times when we had only little access to JRPGs, i'd say the artist did a well job, but their work deserved better gamedesign, narrative and characterization. Its a tragedy.
Agreed. I highlighted both those things in the video. The enemies are probably the only graphical high point.
FFMQ was my first Final Fantasy game. The music was epic and the fight scenes had me on the edge of my seat trying to beat Pazuzu in his tower, and yes, even dying in the first fight due to a well timed enemy crit. I only had to call Nintendo Power once. lol
This game for me is the equivalent of a cute sin. Plus it's the first RPG I played when I was like 8 years old. So I was a good target audience. Then I discovered FF4 and there I fell even more in love with the franchise. Still, this game has a precious place in my heart and I still like to play a run sometimes. The biggest thing is the music, I love this music from A to Z. Great video btw !
This game literally got me into jrpgs, so I would say it accomplished its mission.
Motron's credit song should be added to a romhack of Final Fantasy Mystic Quest, so that it can be the default battle music.
@@CarletonTorpin hahah you’re fighting a slime with the music blasting thinking “I don’t think this situation in particular warrants this, but ok!”
My dude, this is a criminally underserved channel by the algorithm. Take my sub and I hope many, many more.
Thank you very much! Just grabbing that sub over here, there we go. Cool! Thanks! I work and parent full time so I don’t have as much time as I would like to make these, but great comments like this are what keep me going! On my way to 1000 subs!
Dude, that AI Mystic Quest song at the end is a straight face melter 🤘
I was shocked at how good it was as well. I thought "How did I miss a song like this?!" It's because this is AI, hah... Maybe AI does have some good ideas if they're fed the right way.
Thanks! Turned out so bloody well!
This was the first RPG I ever played, and because of this I bought FFII (aka IV), and because of that game I bought FFIII (aka VI) and Chrono Trigger, and since then I own almost every FF, Tales of, Persona, Dragon Quest, Panzer Dragoon, Xenoblade, Vagrant Story, and on an on. I'm glad my dad bought me this game so long ago, It was my gateway drug into JRPGs.
I wish I would've known about it before playing the numbered games. Playing it was like going backwards. I still played through it though.
I have a soft spot for this game. For me, it was a garbage, oversimplified "popcorn" game.
However, _my_ _mom_ (rest her soul) was not anything close to being classified as "a gamer"... most she ever attempted was maybe some Q*Bert on Atari or wasting a couple hours on NES Pictionary (super simple minigames). Anything else was too complicated. Especially anything action oriented. Even other RPGs were too lore and menu heavy.
But one day, I got home from jr high in time to witness her stepping up the path to the final boss on THIS. She had decided to "try it out" that day after dad and I had left for the day, and the game was simple enough for a woman who acted like if you changed a TV to the wrong input, it might smoke and explode (I wish I were being as hyperbolic as it sounds). It was inviting enough to get her to play it, and enjoy the story and "challenge" and was just immersive enough without being overwhelming.
Basically, I felt kinda proud. And I will always associate this game with that day.
Wow thanks for the really genuine comment! I’m happy this brings back those memories for you. Ultimately my goal with this channel is to bring back memories in folks (even if I do get cranky), so I’m happy to hear if I in any way contributed to that with you!
And side note my dad asked once to show him how to play final fantasy IV but he thought the most dragon was too hard and he kind of just called it at that. Haha
I always thought it was a strange RPG, but I genuinely liked it and considered it a good game.
I just always found the jumping off putting. No idea why.
This was a great video. I got Mystic Quest from a garage sale and I had already beaten FF 1&2, but somehow this games lack of challenge/depth didn't even show for like 8 year old me. Can't believe how underrated you are, about to check out more of your stuff!
Thank you for the kind words! I’m only a year in and I make videos when I have the time so I haven’t been able to churn content out, but I’m slowly building an audience. It’s nice to have a venue to nerd out hard with like minded viewers!
I think hardcore gamers overestimate how big a deal having a challenge is for normal people, how skilled they are and how much frustration they will but up before declaring the game more trouble then its worth. Unfortunately difficulty fanatics dominant the discourse because they spend all their time playing games and talking about them and normal people aren't willing to put up with argo they for suggesting they shouldn't have to prove themselves worthy to play the games they brought and that making hard modes takes time.
I am not a fan of all the hate this game gets I absolutely love this game. When I was a kid I never knew what a RPG game was till I borrowed it from a friend and I fell in love with the genre. I Explored many other RPGs after playing this. It definitely holds a soft spot in my heart.
I think this video really brought out the love for this game. I’m seeing a lot of comments where folks are having fond memories of it. Makes me feel bad for giving it such a low score, but hey, that’s show business baby.
Oh, I forgot. Take my subscription, You need more subs man. Keep doing reviews.
This one has a special place in my heart. It was my gateway drug into RPGs. And the music absolutely slapped.
Dragon Warrior was my first NES RPG. It sparked my love for RPGs that still exist to this day. My all-time favorite RPG for NES was Dragon Warrior III.
Haven’t played 3 and I’m shocked I haven’t because the first Dragon Warrior absolutely was my jam as well. Maybe I’ll give it a shot (although I hear it’s a bit dated by today’s standards).
@@motrongames Absolutely dated, but still a blast. There is a remake coming to Switch soon. I would wait for the updated version.
I actually really liked this, admittedly I was 7ish at the time so it was probably the perfect level as an introduction to RPGs.
One of the first ROMs I downloaded off the internet back in the 2000s (2001/2002) when that was really big and just starting out. Didn't think much of it and always wondered if it was a translated fan project lol boy was I wrong. It was all right for what I was definitely something that you could just throw on and play and not think much about it. ** Quick edit: holy s*** The A.I. made song at the end is f****** phenomenal.
Can you make a video of just the song at the end?
Yup! There have been a few requests so I’ll be uploading it when I’m back home on Sunday!
I've always enjoyed this game even for it's simplicity, but especially for it's awesome music.
Critical consensus in the comments section is that the music is friggin amazing.
This is the most engaging games video from a sub-1000 subs channel I've ever watched by far. Instant sub. Thanks.
Thank you! This video actually just put me over 1000! Super stoked by the feedback!
I would've loved starting this one instead of FFVII. FFVII was awesome and incredible, but it was a bit too advanced to begin with. I think what sucks about MQ is that we got this instead of FFV.
You really need to upload the ending song to your channel. Holy God it's great 👍🏾❤
Not sure if you saw but I uploaded it recently. Enjoy! ua-cam.com/video/oTua3xG0IK4/v-deo.htmlsi=GueXhJxFhtr6Oh9a
@@motrongames really awesome... Thank you
@@motrongames power metal... 🤔 It's all about the fantasy adventure man.
What's the name of that shmup at 0:48 ?
I have a strong nostalgic urge to play this game every decade or so; having first played it in the early 90s when I was 8 or so. Funnily enough I did manage to get briefly stuck sometime around the tower/Spencer's place part, being unable to find the way forward. A suggestion for a SNES game I rarely see mentioned, of which I recall being quite interesting, is "Legend of Time" (localized as "Legend of Gaia" in NA I believe).
Illusion of Gaia! I actually do a review of it on my channel you should check out!
Hey man, just found the channel. I absolutely loved Mystic Quest growing up and thought your review for it was fair and spot on.
Enjoyed the video, will sub.
Thank you kindly! I loved mystic quest growing up too but playing it recently brought me down to earth. Still have the good memories though.
@@motrongames absolutely, it’s one of those “guilty pleasure” sort of games that I know isn’t a “good” game but I love it’s charm and style. Kinda like Dirge of Cerberus or The Bouncer.
Funnily enough, mystic quest didnt JUST get me into Jrpgs, it got me into RPGs in general. I had played wizardry and dragon quest before MQ, but i hadn't the slighteset idea of what to do as a dumb 8 year old. So, Mystic quests dumbing down of the systems really helped
Mystic Quest was the first RPG I beat when I was 6 years old. So Square quite literally made the game for me. Now I am a lifelong Final Fantasy Fan. Mission accomplished I guess? 😂 Thanks, Square Enix!
Yeah a lot more people in the comments are saying this than I expected! Wow glad it worked out!
I was just looking at this game on my shelf. Man does that take me back.
The spinning Q at the beginning hits you right in the brain stem and takes you back.
At the time there were not many JRPGs out there so I remember getting this as soon as I saw it. I do remember it being a bit simplistic
The soundtrack to this game is incredible dude. The battle themes live in my head every day since I was a kid!
@@NeilyWins yeah I gave the audio perfect marks! I don’t think anyone has ever had a valid criticism of it.
I had Dragon Warrior and Dragon Warrior II. I think Mystic Quest was both my first Final Fantasy and first SNES RPG. I have fond memories of it though I do remember it being tedious at times. I recall staying up late one night with a friend playing it. We also played Joe and Mac a lot so thanks for that reference! I'm so old I remember calling a help line because I got stuck on a puzzle in Pazuzu's tower! LOL!
Haha I remember calling the help line. Those jerks did whatever they could to keep you on the line!
Everybody just jumped on the hate train with PB gamer and those other trash reviewers. This game was so creative and concise. And the damaged enemies was so creative. The story was simple gameplay streamlined. A fucking great game with badass music
I just watched a minute and a half of that guys content and I've had enough. I think a lot of folks will trash something because it can be more funny and entertaining, so they end up going hard on stuff that doesn't deserve it. I try to be fair, but I'm not above the occasional hyperbole.
Me and my now dead best friend used to play this game all the time. Didnt matter how many times we replayed it, we loved it. Love you Jake, miss you
Glad you have those memories forever!
Mystic Quest got me into older FF games (all before 7, 8, 9) and is an absolute joy to play, even today, i love the ever changing companions and the interesting ways they fit in the story.
My only real issue i have is that we could not choose our final companion for the final bit
I still like to play it to this day. I love this game, it came out when I was young and I was hooked on it
Mystic quest was one of the first 2 final fantasy games I played back when I was 3-4 yrs old which was over 2 decades at this point. And I loved every second of it. Heck I'd love to see a complete remake of Mystic quest with better graphics, enhanced ost, an expansion of the games story to give us more weapons and armor, side quests, and countless other things that they could do to fill in the gaps and end up pull out a page of Fire Emblem Gaiden's remake from being the black sheep of the franchise to a much beloved title in the franchise even if they don't give game breaking record sales. So long as the remake preforms, and sells well enough I'd be content with myself.
I love this game. I have beat every final fantasy and I still come back to this game, especially with the steam deck
FFMQ was my first contact with RPG and a good game for someone with no idea what was an RPG.
Did you end up playing the other final fantasy games after? Those must have knocked your socks off!
@@motrongames after FFMQ, I jumped directly to FF3 (FF6 JP) and FF7.
Great video!
This OST holds up even today. The doom castle song will be forever in my memory.
Did you also linger in that small area where you get Aero, just so you could hear the music?
@@motrongames Every single time I played. Especially in those times where I didn't had UA-cam to hear the song, I had a save file just right there. And I left the snes with the TV on blasting that song for at least 1 hour.
Another point would be just before any boss or before the End boss.
Is the credit song a real song? If so where can I find
I made it with AI. I didn’t want to use AI for an end credits song, but this ripped so hard. I might do a separate upload of it for folks who are interested.
@@motrongames in all honesty I never would have guessed that it was done that way. After watching this video I spent an hour trying to locate it and was unable. And I went back on the video at least a half a dozen times to re-listen to it. Final fantasy mystic quest does get a lot of negative feedback but I do have fond memories of play the game.
I played this game so much as a kid.
I still have my factory sealed copy of Mystic Quest that I forgot to open as a kid 🤣 I guess it got thrown in a box and forgotten until recently!
Damn! Not a whole lot of those left anymore eh?
Watch square make a mystic quest 2 that is their most robust rpg to date...
Mystic quest was the first Final Fantasy game that I ever played when I was a kid and introduced me to the franchise. I think it’s actually a pretty good game. It is simple but it’s still fun.
Mystic Quest was my second Final Fantasy I played through, after FF2(4). Way back in 1991/92. I’ve always adored it, I still do. I’d enjoy it being released again in some fashion, even if just on mobile. The game just has this charm to it for me, even to this day. I was listening to the Ice Pyramid music today at work just to relax lol.
They should have thrown it in as a bonus in the Pixel Remasters compilation.
It came with a complete walkthrough too
But I did enjoy it for all the reasons you mentioned, and the locations always stuck with me thanks to their fun names
Bone dungeon FTW
first rpg game i beat in one day, but it was worth it for the OST...bangers only
Yeah you definitely could beat this in a day, although that fourth act around Windia can really drag, and Mac’s ship is a dungeon that I didn’t see coming.
Mystic Quest is a lot of fun.
By all means, keep having fun!
FF:MQ will always hold a place in my heart because while I played Dragon Warrior 4 and FF1 with my dad years before, it was the first one I played by myself.
That’s like me and my older brother. He played most of the harder games, so this one was right up my alley.
I was never really into gaming, but Mystic Quest was special. The first game I ever played through on my own, and that moment of accomplishment still sticks with me. MQ will always have a special place in my memories. ♥Much love to Mystic Quest !
After making this video, I’m noticing that far more people love this game than anyone seems to realize. Maybe the fans need to be louder!
The music alone props the game up, that battle theme cannot be denied.
All the battle themes are bangers in this game!
For being made with AI, that end credit song is a real banger! Hot damn!
I know eh?? It’s over, the robots have won!
@@motrongamesis, uh, there anywhere one could find this track?
@@bouncingdynamo3968 I’m gonna make a separate upload with it. There have been a few requests already!
Looking forward to it.
This game has two perfect points for me :
- I learned reading by playing it, because, back ine the 90's in France, there wasn't many games that was translated to french
- it's one of the games that leads me to Heavy Metal music (gosh, those battle themes, especially the boss one : gorgeous !)
Playing FFMQ at 5 years old was the greatest way to enjoy this game : as a kid, it puts every basics of JRPG. Then, you can enjoy Secret of Mana ! And what a blast I had when FF7 came out in 1997 : I was 6 and absolutely not ready for this beast, but it was like heaven !
Yeah I remember learning a LOT about weapons and monsters from the FF games. I don’t think I would know what a halberd or a cockatrice was if not for Final Fantasy II. And yeah, this and Contra were heavy metal gateway games!
It did its job with me. I loved this game when I was 10, and it made me look for more games like it, which got me into rpgs in general.
I still have the copy I played as a kid, got it from my grandmother. It was one of my first RPGs alongside Shining Force.
I never tried the Shining games, but holy hell there are quite a few of them!
My thinking is that the main reason why JRPGs weren't localized back in the day was because most other games had a lot less text and didn't require a translator. Since the stories were so culturally specific they probably figured Western companies would do a better job putting culturally relevant RPGs on consoles, and that they wouldn't need to localize JRPGs for us. The problem is that Western RPGs were far too rooted in D&D culture and were very niche, stat-driven, and didn't translate well to console gaming (they were basically expecting there to be far more Skyrim-like games on console much earlier on, I think). Western companies also didn't really see the potential of video games as a narrative device, and figured the games should be simple and fast-paced, with any real narratives or stories about the games being relegated to companion books or cartoons.
Thus, those who did want a more story-driven console RPG experience ultimately wound up relying on begging Japanese companies for JRPGs. Over time, there were more and more people learning Japanese, and probably more translators offering to translate the games, plus the rise of translation software probably made the job easier, localization became less of an issue as gamers were exposed to Japanese culture more via the success of some anime in the west, and became less sensitive about religion... and eventually the games just started coming.
Makes sense to me! I remember anime getting a real boost around that time with sailor moon and dragon ball. I also remember how western publishers would remove anything remotely Japanese from package designs and stick some chad design on there instead. See Samurai Showdown or Kendo Rage.
This was one game I always enjoyed renting for a quick weekend play thru! Sure it wasn’t ground breaking but it did have a charm that kept me playing. I think the problem was that the people who would play such games wanted more substance. So when someone asked what game they should play to try an RPG, fans would point to FF4. Sure the NA version was dumbed down but it actually had what Mystic Quest lacked
I also like to mention how this game almost feels like it was supposed to be an action RPG. If you took away the turn based battles and battle grounds then turned the areas into something more akin to Zelda I think it might have done better. I only say that because of how the inventory system is laid out. It looks a lot more like a game like Soul Blazer. Simplified but designed to keep the action going. It might have drawn more of a crowd. Well as long as it didn’t turn out like Lagoon, geez! Sorry had to Squeeze that name in there. I’ve played a lot of SNES RPGs and none made me want to toss the game out the window like Lagoon! I’d rather play Mystic Quest!!!
@4:23 If you look at the trees in the background as the big tree is carrying you, there is a hidden message. It says "GO ON KID!!!"
I noticed that! And it’s funny because it makes sense. The trees are alive and are cheering you on!
It was a good game for younger kids to dip their toe into the vast murky waters of RPGs. When i was very young I inherited an NES with the original final fantasy and it was so hard for me at that age i stopped playing anything from that genre, until the day my dad rented mystic quest for me while he was at blockbuster. I must’ve been around 9-10 and i enjoyed it so much that i immediately went on to get FF4 and then eventually my all time favorite game ever: finally fantasy 6. I likely wouldn’t have ever tried it without mystic quest.