Final Fantasy III
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Final Fantasy III<tr><td colspan="2" style="font-size: 100%; text-align: center;"> </td></tr>
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| Developer(s) | Square Co., Ltd.
<tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Publisher(s)</th><td>Square Co., Ltd.</td></tr><tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Designer(s)</th><td>Hironobu Sakaguchi |
| Release date(s) | Image:Flag of Japan (bordered).svg April 27, 1990 |
| Genre(s) | Role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo Family Computer, Nintendo DS
<tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Media</th><td>4 megabit cartridge</td></tr><tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Input</th><td>Game controller</td></tr> |
- This article is about the Famicom game, Final Fantasy III. For the Nintendo DS remake, see Final Fantasy III (Nintendo DS). For information regarding the game originally released in North America as Final Fantasy III on the SNES, see Final Fantasy VI.
Final Fantasy III (ファイナルファンタジーIII Fainaru Fantajī Surī?) is a role-playing game developed and published by Square Co., Ltd. in 1990 for the Nintendo Family Computer (Famicom, known internationally as the Nintendo Entertainment System). It was the first Final Fantasy to liberally feature the job-change system, and was one of the largest role-playing games created for Nintendo's console.
The plot of the game involves four orphaned youths who come across a crystal, which grants them a portion of its power, then instructs them to go forth and restore balance to the world. Shocked but heartened, the four inform their adoptive family of their mission and set out to explore and bring back balance to the world.
An enhanced remake of the game, updated with 3D visuals designed to stay true to the original, was released for the Nintendo DS portable game system on August 24, 2006 in Japan and on November 14, 2006 in North America. This remake is the first iteration of the game to be released internationally.<ref>Anoop Gantayat (2004-10-07). Miyamoto Speaks to Final Fantasy Producer. IGN.com. Retrieved on September 3, 2006.</ref> There had been earlier plans to remake the game for Bandai's WonderSwan Color handheld (as had been done with the first two installments and the fourth game), but the game faced several delays and was eventually cancelled after the premature death of the platform.
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[edit] Gameplay
The gameplay of Final Fantasy III combines elements of the first two Final Fantasy games with new features. The turn-based combat system remains in place from the first two games, but hit points are now shown on top of the target when attacked or healed, rather than captioned as in the original versions of the previous two games. Auto-targeting for physical attacks after a friendly or enemy unit is killed is also featured for the first time. Also the first Final Fantasy game never relesed into the US.
The experience point system featured in Final Fantasy makes a return following its absence from Final Fantasy II. A class system is also featured; however, unlike in Final Fantasy I, where the player chooses each character's class alignment at the start of the game, and Final Fantasy II, where there are no specific classes, Final Fantasy III introduces the "job system" for which the series would become famous. Jobs themselves are basically interchangeable classes: In the original version of the game, all four characters start out as "Onion Knights," but before long the player is given the option to have them switch to a variety of other classes. Final Fantasy III is the first game in the series to feature special battle commands such as "Steal" or "Jump," each of which is associated with a particular job ("Steal" being the Thief's speciality, while "Jump" is the Dragoon's forte). It is also the first game in the series to feature summoned creatures and their "Summon" skill.
Several classes were altered (such as additional abilities) in the Nintendo DS version to improve balance.
[edit] Plot and setting
[edit] Setting
Many years ago, on a floating continent hovering high above the surface of an unnamed planet, a technologically advanced civilization sought to harness the power of the four elemental crystals of light. They did not realize that they could not hope to control such fundamental forces of nature. This power of light would have consumed the world itself had the light crystals not had their natural counterparts: the four dark elemental crystals. Disturbed by the sudden interruption of the careful balance of the light and the dark, four warriors were granted the power of the dark crystals in order to recontain the power of the light crystals. These so-called Dark Warriors succeeded in their quest, and restored harmony to the world. But their victory came too late to save the doomed civilization that had foolishly tried to harness the power of the crystals to begin with. Their once-proud culture was reduced to ruin, though their floating continent remained, a reminder of what had come before. And on that very continent, the circle of Gulgans, a race of blind soothsayers and fortune-tellers, predicts that eventually things will come full circle. Just as the power of light can be abused, so too can the power of darkness. And when that occurs, then the crystals of the light will need to call forth their own champions to restore balance to the world....
[edit] Plot
One day, an earthquake opens up a previously hidden cavern in Altar Cave near the village of Ur on the floating continent. Four orphaned youths under the care of Topapa, the village elder, go exploring and come across a crystal of light. The crystal grants them a portion of its power, and instructs them to go forth and restore balance to the world. Not knowing what to make of the crystal's pronouncements, but nonetheless recognizing the importance of its words, the four inform their adoptive family of their mission and set out to explore and bring back balance to the world.
[edit] Characters
Final Fantasy III features four orphans who are raised at the remote village of Ur by the priest, Topapa. When the Wind Crystal sinks to the earth due to an earthquake one day, the four, dressed as Onion Knights, go to investigate. They manage to get lost, but eventually stumble upon the Crystal. The Crystal tells them of Xande's plans to conquer the world using Darkness, which could upset the balance of Light and Dark and lead to detrimental effects. It proceeds to bestow the Legendary Job Classes upon the four. From there on, the four become Warriors of the Light, and leave Ur in their quest. Granted the power of the Light, the Warriors begin to combat the darkness that increasingly consumes the world. As the other Crystals they encounter provide them more Jobs, the four Warriors become a formidable party strong enough to save the world from the darkness.
The remake of the game for the Nintendo DS features a new set of party members, each with new backstories and personalities.
[edit] Development
Final Fantasy III was unofficially translated into English in 1999 by Neill Corlett and Alex W. Jackson. This was the first appearance of moogles and the Fat Chocobo in the series. The "walk around the world on a chocobo and I'll give you a prize" quest was repeated in Final Fantasy V. The names of Dorga and Unne, two key characters in this game, appear in multiple Final Fantasy games including Final Fantasy IX, which contains a sub-quest involving two items named "Doga's Artifact" and "Une's Mirror". A crab-like monster named Uruk-Hai exists in this game; the name, although not the monster itself, is a reference to Tolkien's Middle-earth. Several of the game's songs were used in Chocobo Racing, including the opening theme ("Crystal Cave") and the final battle theme.
[edit] Musical score
Final Fantasy III was scored by Nobuo Uematsu, and it is Uematsu's 21st work of video game music. Final Fantasy III: Yūkyū no Kaze Densetsu, an arranged album by Uematsu featuring vocals by singer Dido, was also released. The score was later arranged by Tsuyoshi Sekito and Keiji Kawamori for the Nintendo DS version as the Final Fantasy III: Original Soundtrack.
[edit] Cancelled WonderSwan Color version
Bandai unveiled their WonderSwan Color handheld system in 2000 and had immediately headed up a deal with Square Co., Ltd. to release enhanced remakes of their first three Final Fantasy titles on the new console.<ref name="IGN">Craig Harris (September 8th, 2000). Final Fantasy Goes WonderSwan Color. IGN.com. Retrieved on 2006-09-03.</ref> Although Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II were both released within a year of the announcement, Final Fantasy III was ultimately delayed from its late 2001 release date, even after Bandai picked up the game's publishing rights.<ref name="Delayed">Joseph Witham (2003). Final Fantasy III Still WonderSwan Bound. RPGamer.com. Retrieved on 2006-09-04.</ref> Although no official cancellation was mentioned by Square, the game's official website was taken down after production of the WonderSwan Color consoles ceased. <ref name="Website">Eve C. (2002). WSC FFIII Vanishes, FFI-II Remake In The Works. RPGFan.com. Retrieved on 2006-09-04.</ref> Instead, a port of Final Fantasy IV was made for the WonderSwan Color. Shortly after Square joined with Enix to form Square Enix in 2003, the company posted assurance that the game's promised remake would not be completely forgotten, and there was speculation that it might find its way to the Sony PlayStation or Nintendo's Game Boy Advance as its predecessors had.<ref name="Remake">Andrew Long, Jesse Kanda (2003). Final Fantasy III Finally On Deck. RPGamer.com. Retrieved on 2006-09-04.</ref><ref name="GBA">Adam Riley (August 5, 2006). Final Fantasy III: Nintendo DS. Cubed3.com. Retrieved on 2006-09-04.</ref> This would finally come in the form of a Nintendo DS release in 2006.
[edit] Nintendo DS version
The remake of Final Fantasy III was already in development when it was decided, after considering the PlayStation 2 and other consoles, to bring the game to the Nintendo DS, a decision that would later be positively reinforced by the commercial success of the Nintendo DS.<ref>Nix (September 24, 2006). TGS 2006: Square on Final Fantasy III. IGN.com. Retrieved on 25 September, 2006.</ref> The Final Fantasy III remake was first announced to be in development on October 7, 2004, but detailed information did not emerge until a year later. Hiromichi Tanaka, one of the main designers of the Nintendo Famicom version, headed the project as both the executive producer and director. His guidance and supervision were needed because the remake was not a mere graphical update as Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II's remakes were, but a total overhaul using the Nintendo DS's 3D capabilities; however, the layout of the dungeons and towns closely matches the original. Along with 3D graphics, a full motion video opening scene has been made for the game, similar to those found in the ports of the 2D Final Fantasy games for the PlayStation. The game also has a mognet system where players can visit other players worlds online and trade items. Developer Matrix Software handled the programming of the game.<ref>“Creator’s Voice” - The Final Fantasy III Interview. zgameBrink.com (August 10, 2006). Retrieved on 27 August, 2006.</ref>
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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