As I started getting into JRPGs in the last few years and began looking around the internet for suggestions, there was one game that consistently kept coming up as one of the all-time greats. I knew that I had to play it one of these days, just to see if it matched up to the almost legendary status that surrounds it.
Since this was my first time playing FF6, I tried to keep my expectations in check as much as I could. Up until this point, I had played a handful of the other FF games, and I was excited to experience this game for the first time. All in all, I feel like FF6 managed to impress me in a number of ways, but there were some aspects that left me wanting more.
I think this game's strongest asset is its writing. The decision to forgo one main character and to instead focus on a larger party was one that, in my opinion, worked really well. I feel like games with large character rosters can often feel overstuffed, and they almost always end up focusing too much on a few characters while leaving others out on the margins. FF6 did a wonderful job of giving most of the cast time to shine and by the end I felt a lot more connected to the party than I thought I would.
The music was another high point for me - the main theme and overworld music have been stuck in my head for days now, which is a testament to just how good the music is. The opera scene in particular was excellent, and I loved the inclusion of recorded English lines for that section of the game.
Where I felt the game was lacking was in its pacing, particularly in the final 1/3 of the game. It seemed like, at a certain point, we were hurdling towards the end/the final boss battle, and it felt like there was more room to flesh out the plot and characters a bit more. While I thought Kefka was a great antagonist, the rapid pace of the final act didn't allow him to really shine as much as I would've liked, although he still ranks as one of the better video game villains in my book.
FF6 is a great game, no doubt about it. I had a similar experience with FF7 where I think I let the reputation and mythos of the game cloud my experience, and I went in with sky high expectations that were impossible to meet. I tried not to do that here with FF6, but I think some of those expectations still managed to slip through the cracks. I really enjoyed my time with it, and I think I'll do another play-through somewhere down the road when I've had some more time to digest it.
Since this was my first time playing FF6, I tried to keep my expectations in check as much as I could. Up until this point, I had played a handful of the other FF games, and I was excited to experience this game for the first time. All in all, I feel like FF6 managed to impress me in a number of ways, but there were some aspects that left me wanting more.
I think this game's strongest asset is its writing. The decision to forgo one main character and to instead focus on a larger party was one that, in my opinion, worked really well. I feel like games with large character rosters can often feel overstuffed, and they almost always end up focusing too much on a few characters while leaving others out on the margins. FF6 did a wonderful job of giving most of the cast time to shine and by the end I felt a lot more connected to the party than I thought I would.
The music was another high point for me - the main theme and overworld music have been stuck in my head for days now, which is a testament to just how good the music is. The opera scene in particular was excellent, and I loved the inclusion of recorded English lines for that section of the game.
Where I felt the game was lacking was in its pacing, particularly in the final 1/3 of the game. It seemed like, at a certain point, we were hurdling towards the end/the final boss battle, and it felt like there was more room to flesh out the plot and characters a bit more. While I thought Kefka was a great antagonist, the rapid pace of the final act didn't allow him to really shine as much as I would've liked, although he still ranks as one of the better video game villains in my book.
FF6 is a great game, no doubt about it. I had a similar experience with FF7 where I think I let the reputation and mythos of the game cloud my experience, and I went in with sky high expectations that were impossible to meet. I tried not to do that here with FF6, but I think some of those expectations still managed to slip through the cracks. I really enjoyed my time with it, and I think I'll do another play-through somewhere down the road when I've had some more time to digest it.
2 Comments
@Penumbra yeah I had something similar happen, I really liked FF7 but didn't find it the masterpiece that a lot of people think it is. I think it's partly due to the fact that I didn't grow up playing these games so I don't have the same nostalgia as a lot of other people, and I'm playing these games for the first time as an adult so I'm more critical of them. But the cast of FF6 is great, I've been meaning to play FF12 as well so you've inspired me to check it out!
Penumbra
1 year ago