The first masterpiece JRPG (Final Fantasy VI Retrospective)
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- Опубліковано 31 тра 2024
- People who weren’t around back in the day often ask what makes Final Fantasy VI (also known as FF6 and sometimes FF3 US) so good. But the game’s true value cannot be measured in how well the gameplay, story, and music have held up, but rather, how groundbreaking the whole package was in 1994.
In this video, I’ll show you what Final Fantasy VI was like, how it built upon and changed the formula from the previous games, and how it offered more freedom than ever before, but sometimes struggled to balance it against a linear narrative.
This is a love letter to Final Fantasy VI - the first ever masterpiece JRPG.
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🎦 My other Final Fantasy retrospectives:
▶ Final Fantasy I - • The original Final Fan...
▶ Final Fantasy II - • The most important gam...
▶ Final Fantasy III - • Final Fantasy’s last t...
▶ Final Fantasy IV - • The blueprint to Squar...
▶ Final Fantasy V - • The last great adventu...
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Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
01:33 Opening
05:59 Brave new world
09:46 The Magitek tutorial
14:28 16-bit beauties
18:32 Complex storytelling
22:29 A branch in the path
26:56 A new kind of dungeon
31:00 Pixel Perfection
35:25 The invisible job system
40:39 Rage against the machine
45:31 Freedom to get overpowered
50:27 An ensemble cast
55:20 Choose your own adventure
1:00:10 Optional scenes
1:05:30 The paradox of choice
1:09:26 Magicite dreams
1:13:46 A night at the opera
1:19:18 Endless horizons
1:23:31 Inventing “Magitek”
1:29:18 A game for kids
1:34:24 The end of the world
1:39:37 The world after the end
1:43:54 The final battle
1:48:05 Dancing Mad
1:55:11 The price of freedom
1:59:29 Hope
2:05:14 The first masterpiece JRPG - Ігри
Final Fantasy VI was the first time that I experienced a truly epic story in a video game - one filled with engaging characters and memorable emotional beats. It can be hard to remember, but there was really nothing like it on consoles back in 1994. Yes, Final Fantasy II (IV) told an interesting story too - but the text was so simplified and it was hard to feel the emotions of tiny pixel sprites with minimal animation. Final Fantasy VI also took more of a theatrical and exaggerated approach to its story than later games - bringing a mix of humour and drama that later games seemed to forget in favour of more movie-like cutscenes, realism, and action. FF6 will always stand as one of the greatest RPG stories and ultimately sits as my favourite game of all-time.
Final Fantasy IV had a better story. I played them both when they were brand new.
FFIV had great interactions between Cecil, Kain, and Rosa. Other than that, the game was a little more like your standard JRPG game. Final Fantasy V and VI both pushed what IV was doing, but VI just had the benefits of working on two other SNES games and using what they learned to knock it out of the park, both from a technical standpoint and a narrative one. FFV also has some wonderful story bits between characters, and some incredible set pieces as well.
Right?! It wasn't a perfect book, it wasn't a perfect movie, it wasn't a perfect this, or a perfect that. But to your very well-articulated point, as a whole, it felt like a towering, cross- and forward-medium achievement. Watching the ending, I teared up, I missed the bus to school in Tahsis, BC, and I've struggled to feel that (particularly) struck by an (J)RPG ever since.
Amazing video. FF6 was my first contact with the franchise 3 years ago, and instantly became one of my favorite games of all time.
That’s awesome to hear! It’s cool that the game still has that effect on newcomers to the series :)
"Skip soar or disband" boy that brings me back and it might be brought back again very soon
Zurvan’s coming back?
@@Altercate aye but retuned to lv90
We bringing it back
I remember I teared up during the opera scene. Also, when Celes Comits sudoku.
Thing is, I am not even that emotional of a person. Heck I didnt even cry during FFX ending scene when Tidus leaves.
I don't know how to explain it. The game just evokes this emotion in me. Final fantasy VI is one beautiful game.
Now, that I have said what I wanted to say I am gonna order some pizza so I can enjoy watching this video two fold!
That makes me really happy to hear! Hope you enjoyed the video :)
its the music
Clearly your soul atrophied between the release of FF6 and FFX
“Oh my hero…”
Now you the opera scene is starting in you head
Sudoku ? :D She meant to die from math overdose ? I guess you meant seppuku. Good laugh, still.
God, even a retrospective of this game makes me tear up. FFVI was one of the first games to really make me sob uncontrollably. It was one where I had to literally save and turn the game off to process what I had just played through. Cyan's desperate chase after his family on the Phantom Train is burned into my heart. The game is almost as magical as the fantastical setting it portrays, and is one of those games that I always recommend people play.
Thank you for sharing your experience! This game is pretty special :)
Bro when I saw Locke's story and how he caused the problems he's trying to resolve and doing that whole side quest to completion, I don't think I've ever cried harder in a game. Fantastic S tier stuff.
I guess caused is a bad word.. we'll say was blamed for :V
Though the game is an ensemble cast Terra is still a very pivotal part of the story. Even if you just got Celeste setzer and Edgar and beat the game with those three Tarra stops doing what she's doing and comes to lead the party out with her last ounce of strength. And Terra's theme song is throughout the whole game. For instance the opening credits is Terra's theme song, the world map music in the world of balance is Tara's theme song protect the espers also plays Terra's theme and in the ending after Setzer's a song is being played and right before the epilogue. That's why she's the main Character.
This video is one of the greatest things I’ve seen on this platform. To me it watched like a movie. I felt many of the same feelings as when I played the game. It truly took me back. My hat is off to you. Somehow in a retrospective, you have managed to capture the magic of playing the game all over again. I will be having my wife play the game soon. And she will be watching this with me afterwards. I don’t know what else to say other than, thank you for this.
Wow, that is so nice to hear! 😍 I hope your wife enjoys the game. Would love to hear how it turned out afterwards!
Final Fantasy 3 (now FFVI) was my 3rd FF game after FF2 (now FFIV) and FF Mystic Quest.
I’ve never been able to recapture the emotions I felt during my childhood playing these games.
Yep, I know that feeling…
The Opera was big, but what blew me away, was the escape from Magitek Factory! The music, fast paced action, and MODE-7 GRAPHICS (air guitar)
What a retrospective,
FF6 is one of my fav FF games as well as jrpgs.
You've made amazing look at every aspect of this piece of art.
...
Kupo..
...
Wait
Do I look like a waiter ?
Thank you! 😀
Incredible retrospective of my favorite game of all time. Thank you!
The music... the Ending Theme... the decisions and voices in the medley... the way the character arcs are reflected in the decisions Uematsu made... the additional, more confident voice in Coin Song... the blending of Celes, Rachel, and Locke's themes... You could probably do a whole video on the music alone.
Thank you! Yeah, that’s for sure. If I had a more solid foundation in music theory I’d probably attempt it myself 😂
Beautifully written and presented. 6 was my first FF and probably still my favorite. I have no doubt this channel will grow a lot!
Thank you, that's very kind of you :)
Wonderful video! Takes me back to the first time I saw Final Fantasy VI/III in a store window in the US. There was no sound and the game was on an infinite demo loop playing the title screen and intro. I wanted to know so bad what happened next.
Also, of watching the World of Ruin intro at a friend’s apartment on a small black and white tv. When Celes jumped, I thought it was all over, but to my surprise the game kept going!
And, finally, watching the opera scene for the first time, which was really unlike anything I had seen in a game before!
Thanks again!
First game that ever made me actually feel tears, and even like 25+ years on, Locke and Celes is one of those stories that matters quite a bit to me.
Just realizing how much this story influenced the person I am now, and the music is just incredible. It's got so much going for it.
I never played Final Fantasy VI/III on the SNES, because I was never able to find a copy (I live in Mexico, these games were not pupular in 1994). I played on emulator around 1997, and on PS1 a little later, but by then, I had already played VII, which occupies that special place you say VI occupies in you, the one game you will defend for the rest of your life.
Even so, I had a bunch of magazines that covered VI/III, with plenty of pictures, and in my imagination, this game was grand, epic, the biggest game, the biggest world.
I want FF6 and FF9 to be remade so bad bro haha. Great video 🙏
Thank you! :)
How do you think FF6 should be remade, like in the style of the FF7 remake?
@@will_the_don I really enjoyed FF7R's gameplay, but the classical turn-based combat will always be my favorite.
I just want to see FF6's world actualized in 3D; considering how the visuals of the game were great even in 2D.
If Square leans into the cartoony-ness, I think they can even pull off more realistic spins of some scenes (like Sabin finding a way to flip over a train lmao)
its wild to think this came out before 95
The fact that your characters run away from the Phantom Train is honestly such a nice and memorable addition
Firstly, this was beautifully done, and brought back so many memories for me. It's hard to explain to people who didn't get to play them at the time why the old greats were so magical, and yet you've managed to do so really compellingly here. I actually never saw what happened if Cid died on Solitary Island (I was one of those people who was determined that it had to be possible to save him, so any time I saw him die, I slid back the reset button and tried again until it took), and having gone back now to watch that scene, there are still tears in my eyes, all these years later. Thanks for reviving one of my greatest loves in gaming history.
The first time I played the game, I didn't realize you could save Cid... so I'd already saved my game by the time I found out. I was devastated lol.
Thanks for sharing, and thank you for your kind words! It really means a lot to me :)
@@Altercate I didn't know you could save Cid at first either, so I felt that despair along with Celes when I first played it. In fact, I feel like Cid's death just makes the story stronger. Without Celes' leap to her death, you don't have that rise of intensity in the story. Most narratives go for excitement and action - a final battle or a hero's realization of their power - but FFVI did emotional intensity to an incredible level. Every tragedy in the game leads up to Celes' decision to end her life, and for a moment, you feel everything she does. And if you notice, on the cliff there is a dead bird, so a living bird (a white bird associated with peace and love btw) coming to wake up Celes is another symbol of hope.
I personally enjoyed almost every bit of the video. the only part i would say you dropped the ball on was the "Price of freedom" segment. while you went on to talk about what im going to say in minor degree in hope, you have to remember. Kefka won. He is the only FF villain to win. the world of ruin was his painting of despair. Every character was lost to ill feelings and despair. Its not that tension was lost as you gained back each hero, its that you overcame their despair, and their strength and hope was added to your own. The tension for me was gone the moment Kefka won, and I was with Celes on that island. no hope, no thought how to come back. Everything was ruined. but piece by piece, person by person. hope returned.
That’s definitely a cool way to look at it! Thanks for sharing your perspective :)
Where can I find the realistic Celes artwork shown in the video? Looks really really good!
Thanks! It’s actually AI generated art I made for the video using Stable Diffusion, so it’s not available anywhere.
I was wondering the same thing with that first picture of Terra. Nice touch to the video.
Excellent presentation.
One area FFVI doesnt get enough credit in, is the monster design. Especially the larger, more complicated design of Bosses and Mini-Bosses. ATMA is terrifying to imagine seeing in person.
S+ content, absolutely superb.
Thank you so much, that means a lot to me! :)
You know I always wondered about Terras upbringing. They had her since she was an infant. Why did they need to use a slave crown? They could have molded her from childhood.
True, although they had Celes since childhood too and she ended up betraying them when she started to see how rotten the empire was. Maybe the slave crown was the way to go after all 😂
I always wondered about that as well. I have a headcannon that maybe she was put in a home or training facility for child soldiers (where Celes grew up) and maybe the higher ups were too scared of her half Esper nature to properly train her to be a cruel soldier of the empire. Maybe because of that when she was growing up, she wasnt even aware of her powers, and they used the slave crown to draw it out. Idk, just theories
Maybe they used the slave crown after Celes deserted? Kefka just had to say to Gestahl “just think of what would happen if Terra defected!”
I started playing FF6 about a week ago and it's seriously better than most modern jrpgs nowadays. I'm only 22 years old so no nostalgia googles here. My fav jrpg is Chrono Trigger
That’s awesome to hear! What was your first JRPG?
@@Altercate my first jrpg was Dragon Quest 8. I still love that game so much.
Hi man just wanted to tell you i love your videos and id really like sc2 videos too i want to start playing again and it's all because of you you have the best way to explain and teach to me how to play better please do.more sc2 videos and more gaming videos i love your channel man I hope you keep going :)
Thanks so much for your kind words :)
Thank you so much for this video, FF6 is the best Final Fantasy
I would say DQV was an earlier masterpiece but perhaps the two remakes of the game truly elevate it and they came out after ff6. Loving your channel and retrospectives and this one is definitely money!
Yup, it’s just my personal opinion at the end of the day. Thanks for the kind words! :)
Final Fantasy VI was the first game I had an emotional reaction to. Still do. Such a great story!!
Very good video, even though I think there were games prior to FFVI which can be considered JRPG masterpieces (Dragon Quest 3, Final Fantasy IV, Phantasy Star IV etc).
Thank you! For sure, when I say this is the first masterpiece JRPG, it's just my personal opinion. There are definitely other games that deserve that title just as much :)
Joined because of this retrospective
Glad you liked it! :)
Agree almost every aspect in the video except the miss translation. The miss translation should not be praised in my opinion as an eastern game player. This cause some misunderstanding when I discussed this game with my western friends. The game is already a masterpiece on its own, nothing to do with the translation error.
Thanks for commenting! Sorry I didn't see your comment until now. I am very interested to know more. Was there some specific mistranslation that caused misunderstandings between you and your western friends?
I always kinda saw Sabin as more of a Pro-Wrestler. Hes jacked, has a blond mullet, and can do an EPIC PileDriver!! (GBA or PS1 corrected this)....A Pro-Wrestler that can do a Kamehameha for some reason🤘
I love FF6, but the first masterpiece was Dragon Quest 3.
With that out of the way, Imma grab some popcorn and love this video.
👍
We need more VI and IX and IV without the fakeout sacrifices. Final Fantasy VI is still my favorite game to this day. Replaying it for that sweet platinum trophy for PS5.
A game for the ages.
I guess you could say Uematsu was...Dancing Mad composing Kefka's battle theme😎
... I'll see myself out
😂👏
I played so much on the snes version .... i think i knew every thing. Terra was the most powerful character with ultima weapon atma weapon offering and genji glove with quick magic ... she was doing 160k dmg ..... I finish the game with only 3 characters in the world of ruin , seeing every ending video different, I even found how to crash the game and get leo back in the team. Its more a glitch so all your item in your bag were switching , and you could randomly replace a character by Leo. But that was only the sprite and the abilities , all the dialog stay the same. Relm with her sketching abilites was glitching up phoenix cave.... if u sketch with her , all your items change randomly and also mess your character sprite. when the game glitch u have about 40 sec to exit the game and save before u get a black screen that force you to reset to your save. So you have to glitch the game until u get the leo sprite , exit ASAP and save.
They should make a FF6 movie.
No. Absolutely not. There is exactly zero chance it could be done justice as a movie. A television series, on the other hand, could be amazing, if produced by a genuine fan of the game.
One of the best game ever. The remake when? Looooooooooooooollllll 😂😂😂
First masterpiece is a very generous title. Dragon Quest V and Shin Megami Tensei II predate FFVI.
The sprites came before the artwork. You have that backwards.
Aaaaaand he's gone. No more videos.
Kinda sad
Hi! I'm still making videos on my new channel:
ua-cam.com/channels/6D4FlECbW_1KT_Z472LukQ.htmlfeatured
Love FF6 but FFIV is still my favourite
Both great choices :)
03:01 did they just call Mario a slut?
I’d say Dragon Quest 3 was the first masterpiece
a great game yes , but not much on the story tho
The story was fantastic in DQ3 though! The issue here is that the story of DQ3 wasnt spoon fed to the player