There's a case that can be made that Final Fantasy VI might arguably be the single greatest narrative experience that any Nintendo console would ever come to know, but all these years later, even with the 16-bit visual style, this game doesn't only hold up very well, it's easy enough to see why this game is the gold standard for many JRPGs that have come since.
Among many things that this game has, it has what may be one of my favourite stories that any video game would ever come to know - one that feels beautifully fleshed out, and finds a reason to make every side quest worth looking into, but the fact that there's always something rewarding to be found with every new moment in Final Fantasy VI is a feeling that many games that have come since cannot replicate. As you keep playing, it's easy to find yourself getting all the more attached to its characters - aided by the game's challenge of making sure that you don't simply stick by one set of fighters to continuously grind up.
But I think that what made this game's narrative hold up beautifully is the way that its setting feels so lived in, like it were one where we found ourselves a part of. In a sense, the game's narrative being driven by the concept of magic granting oneself a sense of power would perfectly apply when looking at how in reality, there's always that drive for power everywhere we are - yet we never think explicitly about what it means to have too much of that. For this reason alone, it makes Kefka the perfect villain, because he embodies the purest of all evils, but also for the reason that he's only one force who only cares about growing stronger without consequence.
While my heart still admittedly belongs to Final Fantasy VII, you can't really argue about Final Fantasy VI's influence either. This is just everything I could want from any game, from the perfect set of characters, fun combat, and the music (some of Nobuo Uematsu's very best work too), there's not a thing about this game I would change because it's just too perfect as is.
Among many things that this game has, it has what may be one of my favourite stories that any video game would ever come to know - one that feels beautifully fleshed out, and finds a reason to make every side quest worth looking into, but the fact that there's always something rewarding to be found with every new moment in Final Fantasy VI is a feeling that many games that have come since cannot replicate. As you keep playing, it's easy to find yourself getting all the more attached to its characters - aided by the game's challenge of making sure that you don't simply stick by one set of fighters to continuously grind up.
But I think that what made this game's narrative hold up beautifully is the way that its setting feels so lived in, like it were one where we found ourselves a part of. In a sense, the game's narrative being driven by the concept of magic granting oneself a sense of power would perfectly apply when looking at how in reality, there's always that drive for power everywhere we are - yet we never think explicitly about what it means to have too much of that. For this reason alone, it makes Kefka the perfect villain, because he embodies the purest of all evils, but also for the reason that he's only one force who only cares about growing stronger without consequence.
While my heart still admittedly belongs to Final Fantasy VII, you can't really argue about Final Fantasy VI's influence either. This is just everything I could want from any game, from the perfect set of characters, fun combat, and the music (some of Nobuo Uematsu's very best work too), there's not a thing about this game I would change because it's just too perfect as is.