Square Enix hasn’t been shy about porting its most popular franchise to every device imaginable. There are as many versions of the games in its flagship series as there are characters! The most recent port is something special, though. Final Fantasy VI is coming to iOS and Android devices this winter!
Known as Final Fantasy III when it first released in the United States. The game was, in fact, the sixth entry in the franchise (Final Fantasy were Japan-only titles, until they were reissued years later. FFIV was released in the States as Final Fantasy II, and 6 was Final Fantasy III. Ok, you got all that? Let’s move forward).
The game begins with you controlling Terra, a summoner who’s been mind-controlled by the corrupt government. You pilot a mech to destroy an esper under the town of Narshe. Quickly you overcome your mind control and become embroiled in an underground resistance that spans the entire world map.
FF VI features a myriad of sidequests and secret items, and while the story advances in a fairly linear way, you can explore the world map to your heart’s content – especially later in the game when chocobo’s and airships give you increased mobility. It’s this free exploration that’s sadly left Final Fantasy games, ever since FF X did away with the world map.
Final Fantasy VI came later in the Super Nintendo’s lifecycle, and pulled amazing visuals out of the 16 bit console. It really set a foundation that led to the revolutionary cinematic-ness of Final Fantasy VII, using every drop of the Super Nintendo’s power for its visual storytelling. Set pieces like the opera scene (check out the video below) brought cinematic level to the series and to JRPGs that had never been seen before.
Kotaku caught up with Square Enix producer Takashi Tokita at an event today, and he gave some info about the release of FVI for mobile:
“It is basically like a remake of the original VI,” Tokita said as he proudly revealed his surprise at the end of a presentation about the recent smartphone release of FFV and the upcoming mobile release of FFIV: The After Years. “But there have been some enhancements.”
“The battle systems have been altered for the other [mobile remakes] for Final Fantasy and VI will be the same. For instance grinding was an issue and people had to spend a lot of time leveling up. Now on the mobile devices the battle systems have been adjusted so you don’t have to fight as much and can enjoy the game for what it is.” 34P
The graphics, he said, will be refined for cellphones. They’ll still be 2D but sharpened, a la the recent mobile release of V.
[Via: Kotaku]