G4TV

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to pay our last respects to a great system, the Gameboy Advance. While he might have stood in the shadow of two giants, the GBA was one of the first of his kind to connect the new generation with the past they may have missed. Your backlight may fade, but your memory processors will live on. It’s only fitting that a system that bought back some of the greatest games from the 16-bit generation leaves with one of the greatest – Final Fantasy VI Advance.

The Never Ending Story

We begin on a ridge overlooking the frozen settlement of Narshe where a frozen esper, a creature of pure magic, has been rumored to lay dormant in the caves nearby. The emperor orders a squad of soldiers along with Terra, a girl used as a living weapon against the rebels, to investigate said rumor. Deep within the caves, they find the esper. Terra, drawn by an unknown force, touches the frozen beast. A powerful force obliterates the squad and frees Terra from her imprisonment. But this is not her story.

Nor is this the story of Cyan who seeks out revenge against the empire for killing his family, Locke a thief in search of the ultimate treasure, or Edgar, who gave up his freedom for his brother. Final Fantasy VI Advance focuses on the lives and struggles of a group of people rather than a single whiny person.  Characters take their moments in the spotlight before ricocheting to different parts of the globe to intercept other characters in the story.  The interweaving story creates a series of smaller quick adventures that always contribute to the bigger picture.

A La Mode 7

Final Fantasy VI takes a page from the FFIV handbook by keeping the active time battle gauge.  The new twist in the system comes from being able to skip a characters turn to allow coordination with other characters. Unique abilities give each of these 16-bit warriors their own personality beyond the previous dichotomy of magic-user vs. warrior. Add in specialized equipment, relics, and the espers’ magical ability and you get one of the largest customizable casts in Final Fantasy history.

Looking back at Final Fantasy VI Advance is a lot like looking at old middle school pictures – laughable and cringe-worthy. Don’t go looking for full motion video in this version.  You’ll fly over landscapes that look like they came from MS paint. I can’t even describe what Terra wears in battle. The mine cart ride reminds me of every time I put my face against the TV screen. If you can get past the first couple of bites of this relic from the past, you’ll be in for treat you won’t soon forget.

You’ll always be Bum Rush to me.

Where’s the new stuff? The mini games? The new accessories? The ability to Wi-Fi coliseum battles? The fact is that the game doesn’t need it and neither do you. Besides the updated translation and the use of a decent grammar check, the additional tweaks to the game add very little to an already spectacular game. The four new Espers along with three new spells fail to enhance the quality of the game. I like my giant Cactuar. I just don’t need my giant Cactuar.

The new dungeons fail to complement the rest of the areas that fill out Final Fantasy VI Advance. While the promise of new loot is always enticing, designers forget a key feature that resides in every area of the game – story. Every parcel or piece of land revels the character’s motivation or adds a piece of the greater story.

Rule #1 – Always wait for Shadow!

Final Fantasy VI Advance not only set the bar for RPG’s in the 16-bit era, it sets a standard that few games reach in the modern era of gaming. This game won’t win any beauty pageants, but easily makes up with any shortcomings with story and customizations. It’s a shame that more people think of seven when it comes to Final Fantasy instead of six. With new technology leading the way, stories took a simpler step back instead of keeping to keeping to six’s radical roots. Perhaps we would all be better off if our villains wore clown make-up instead of eyeliner.

Article by: Rob Manuel
Video produced by: Michael Benson