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Evolution can be slow. Just take a look at how long it took the Final Fantasy series to crawl out of the primordial ooze of turn-based combat and stand upright. Final Fantasy III is a throwback to the Pre-Cambrian days when boss battles were brutal, stories were under-developed and game manuals were required reading. And despite all these potential drawbacks, Final Fantasy III isn't the outdated slog one might expect. A fresh coat of pixels and a few technological updates help morph a dated game into an ideal portable adventure.

Party of Four

The forces of dark and light have more issues than K-Fed and Britney. In Final Fantasy III a quartet of warriors have been called to restore balance to a world thrown into chaos by evil. What does a world skewed towards shadow look like? It's kinda like the old world except monsters jump out of nowhere and attack you about every hundred steps. Towns are populated by tons of whiny villagers who liked things better the way they were. And, with the game's new-fangled 3D look, everyone looks like a Precious Moments figurine whose nose has been stolen. Where the original incarnation of the game cast the tale with four anonymous adventurers, this update gives the characters a bit more back story and visual detail. The game's opening is brand new – portraying Luneth, Arc, Refia, and Ingus in the kind of realistic animation that Square-Enix is known for. Cosplayers, this is the part where you'll want to be taking notes.

Farming For Fun and Profit

Final Fantasy III plays like pretty much every other game in the series. Your party goes toe-to-toe with monsters that they encounter as the move through the world. When it's go-time you call the shots, one potion, sword stroke or fire spell at a time. The ability to learn and build-up new jobs, keeps the journey fresh. But it also puts hours on the clock. Your party will need continual strengthening to face the super-powered bossed they encounter. Quite often this means retracing your steps to gain levels and collect vital items. The fact that you can save pretty much anywhere makes the experience slightly more humane. Sitting on the couch, this kind of retro questing would get old faster than Borat impersonations. But the Zen simplicity of this classic mechanic meshes nicely with on-the go gaming.

Darwin Was Wrong

The touchscreen goes virtually unused in Final Fantasy III, but this is no loss. It only takes a button or two to play this kind of game. Instead, the game uses the dual screens to add gravitas to certain scenes. A giant crystal will loom above, while your party looks up from below. Sometimes a disembodied voice will speak to you in text from the top screen. They're simple stylistic flourishes that make use the unique Nintendo DS hardware in meaningful and subtle ways. There's also an in-game mail system that lets you send letters to in-game characters, but also drop notes to friends nearby or connected to the Internet.

There's no real ground-breaking going on here. That's not what a remake like this is about. Final Fantasy III is the gaming equivalent of comfort food. It tells a tale of crystals and chocobo we've heard a dozen times before, it delivers old school challenge and does its job with the kind of confidence that comes with 20 years of experience. Sometimes a little devolution is just what the white mage ordered.

Article by: Gus Mastrapa
Video produced by: Tim Jennings