Final Fantasy III
Encyclopedia
is a role-playing video game
developed and published by Square
in for the Family Computer
as the third installment in the Final Fantasy
series. It is the first numbered Final Fantasy game to feature the job-change system.
The story revolves around four orphaned youths drawn to a crystal of light. The crystal grants them some 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 families of their mission and set out to explore and bring back balance to the world.
The game was released in Japan on April 27, 1990. It had never been released outside of Japan until a remake was released on the Nintendo DS
on August 24, 2006. At that time, it was the only Final Fantasy game not previously released in North America or Europe. There had been earlier plans to remake the game for Bandai
's WonderSwan Color handheld, as had been done with the first, second, and fourth installments of the series, but the game faced several delays and was eventually canceled after the premature cancellation of the platform. The Nintendo DS version of the game was positively received internationally, selling over one million copies in Japan. The Famicom version of the game was released on the Wii
Virtual Console service in Japan on July 21, 2009. An iOS port of the Nintendo DS remake was released on March 24, 2011.
combat system remains in place from the first two games, but hit points are now shown above the target following attacks or healing actions, rather than captioned as in the previous two games. Auto-targeting for physical attacks after a friendly or enemy unit is killed is also featured for the first time. Unlike subsequent games in the series, magical attacks are not auto-targeted in the same fashion.
The experience point
system featured in Final Fantasy
makes a return following its absence from Final Fantasy II
. The character class system featured in the first game in the franchise also reappears, with some modifications. Whereas in the original game the player chooses each character's class alignment at the start of the game, Final Fantasy III introduces the "job system" for which the series would later become famous. Jobs are presented as interchangeable classes: in the Famicom version of the game, all four characters begin as "Onion Knights", with a variety of additional jobs becoming available as the game progresses. Any playable character has access to every currently available job. Switching jobs consumes "capacity points" which are awarded to the entire party following every battle, much like gil. Different weapons, armor and accessories, and magic spells are utilized by each job. A character's level of proficiency at a particular job increases the longer the character remains with that job. Higher job levels increase the battle statistics of the character and reduce the cost in capacity points to switch to that job.
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" is the Thief's specialty, while "Jump" is the Dragoon's forte). Certain jobs also feature innate, non-battle abilities, such as the Thief's ability to open passages that would otherwise require a special key item. It is also the first game in the series to feature summoned creatures which are called with the "Summon" skill.
crystals of light. They did not realize that they could not 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 light and dark, four warriors were granted the power of the dark crystals to recapture 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. Their culture was reduced to ruin, though their floating continent remained. On that continent, the circle of Gulgans, a race of blind soothsayers
and fortune-tellers, predicted that these events will ultimately repeat.
), backstories, personalities and names:
who symbolizes courage, an adventurous orphan boy raised in the village of Ur;
who symbolizes kindness, Luneth's childhood best friend and a timid yet intelligent young man;
who symbolizes affection, a girl raised in the village of Kazus who tires of her father's blacksmith training and often runs away from home; and
who symbolizes determination, a loyal soldier serving the King of Sasune, with a (mutual) soft spot for the princess Sara.
Though is the one they have to stop for the most of the game, he is eventually revealed to be merely a pawn of the , a malevolent and vicious deity who wishes to push the world into a state of chaos and destruction by upsetting the balance between light and darkness, allowing the Void to consume the world. Appearing in a female-like form, she refers to herself in first-person plurals because her two tentacles have minds of their own. Although she initially defeats the Warriors of the Light, they are resurrected with Unei and Doga's help, and, with help from the Dark Warriors, they defeat the Cloud of Darkness.
outside the area in which they were brought up to bring back balance to the world.
Their adventures bring them to discover that there lies a whole world beyond the boundaries of the floating continent upon which they were living. In the world below, they discover that a warlock named Xande, one of three apprentices to the legendary Archmage Noah, is trying to possess the crystals of light to bring forth chaos and disorder. The four warriors eventually arrive at the Crystal Tower where they discover that the Cloud of Darkness is the source of the recent events. The Cloud attempts to bring back a similar situation as the Flood of Light a millennia earlier so that the world is pulled into the void. The warriors from the light traverse into the domain of the dark crystals to free the imprisoned dark warriors and defeat the Cloud of Darkness, thereby restoring the crystals and balance to the world. In the DS remake, there are also several "side quests" that can be completed.
, designer Hiromichi Tanaka
, character designer Yoshitaka Amano
, scenario writer Kenji Terada
, and music composer Nobuo Uematsu
returned from the two previous Final Fantasy games to contribute to the development of Final Fantasy III. As with the previous two installments of the series, Final Fantasy III was programmed for the Famicom by Nasir Gebelli
. It was the last original Final Fantasy title worked on by Gebelli. Midway through the development of the game, Gebelli was forced to return to Sacramento, California
from Japan due to an expired work visa. The rest of the development staff followed him to Sacramento with needed materials and equipment and finished production of the game there. The finished game was one of the largest ever produced for the Famicom. Like many console role-playing games of the era, Final Fantasy III is noted for its difficulty.
Square developed and released Final Fantasy III during the same period that Nintendo released its 16-bit Super Famicom
console, intended as the successor to the original 8-bit Famicom. Designer Hiromichi Tanaka said that the original game was never released outside of Japan because Square was focused on developing for Nintendo's new console.
was eventually released for the WonderSwan Color, Square remained silent regarding Final Fantasy III. Although the game was never formally cancelled, the official website was taken offline once production of the WonderSwan Color consoles ceased in .
In 2007, Hiromichi Tanaka explained in an interview that the WonderSwan Color remake had been abandoned because the size and structure of the coding of the original Famicom game was too difficult to recreate on the WonderSwan Color:
to form Square Enix in , 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 Sony
's PlayStation
or Nintendo's Game Boy Advance
as its predecessors had. Square Enix considered porting the game to the PlayStation 2
, but was eventually convinced by Nintendo to develop the title for their new handheld system, the Nintendo DS
, a decision that would later be positively reinforced by the commercial success of the Nintendo DS. The Final Fantasy III remake was first announced to be in development on October 24, 2004, but detailed information did not emerge until a year later. Hiromichi Tanaka 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. Along with 3D graphics, a full motion video
opening scene was produced for the game, similar to those found in the ports of the 2D Final Fantasy games for the PlayStation. Developer Matrix Software handled the programming of the game.
The remake was produced by Tomoya Asano and co-developed by Square Enix and Matrix Software. In addition, Ryosuke Aiba (Final Fantasy XI
) was the art director
. Akihiko Yoshida
(Final Fantasy XII
) redesigned the original characters for use in 3D, and designed the looks of the new playable characters. The formerly generic and nameless party characters were replaced with more concrete characters with new personalities and background stories, and additional scenes were added to develop their individuality; however, the main storyline was not altered significantly. Along with these four, additional characters (called "sub-characters") also join the party temporarily, like in the original. Unlike the original, however, these characters may randomly participate in battle.
Final Fantasy III for the Nintendo DS features overhauls to the job system, including the rebalancing of the classes, the addition of new abilities, a new "Freelancer" class that replaces "Onion Knight" as the default job at the beginning of the game (Onion Knight is retained as a secret class), new events, a new crystal and dungeon, and the removal of capacity points. Unlike the original Famicom version, most of the jobs remain useful for the entire game. The ultimate jobs—the Ninja and the Sage—and some of the lesser-used jobs like the Geomancer were redesigned to have the same level of abilities as the Warrior. Also new are special job-specific items available only if a character has fully mastered a certain job.
In place of capacity points, each character incurs a small temporary penalty for switching jobs. This penalty decreases the character's statistics for the next 0 to 10 battles. This period is called a "Job Transition Phase" and its length is based on how similar the new job is to the old job, and how proficient the character already is at the new job.
The remake takes advantage of the Wi-Fi feature of the Nintendo DS in the form of a Mail/Mognet system similar to Final Fantasy IX
. Various moogles in the game allow the player to send mail to others. Players are also able to send mail to various characters in the game as well as to other players. Side quests can also be unlocked using this system, such as the quest to unlock the Onion Knight. An interruption-save option is also available that lets the player turn off the DS and continue when turning it back on. Like in the original, there is no way to make permanent saves while inside a dungeon.
A port of the remake for iOS was released on March 24, 2011. In which the game-play and graphics where improved sound was also remastered But the Mail/Mognet to other players was removed. And the "Onion Knight" was found in another quest.
and is his 21st video game score. Final Fantasy III: Yūkyū no Kaze Densetsu, an arranged album by Uematsu featuring vocals by Dido, a Japanese vocal duo of Michiaki Kato and Shizuru Ohtaka, was also issued shortly following the release of the Famicom game in 1990. A soundtrack album of the original game score followed a year later.
Selected tracks the game were featured in various Final Fantasy arranged music compilation albums, including Final Fantasy: Pray and Final Fantasy: Love Will Grow (with lyrical renditions performed by singer Risa Ohki
), and the second and third albums from Uematsu's progressive metal
group, The Black Mages
. Several tracks from the game were subsequently remixed and featured in later Square or Square Enix titles, including Chocobo Racing
and Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon
.
The score was arranged for the Nintendo DS remake by Tsuyoshi Sekito
and Keiji Kawamori, working under Uematsu's supervision. This score was released on compact disc under the title Final Fantasy III: Original Soundtrack. A remix of "This is the Final Battle" by The Black Mages, as well as a techno
version of "Eternal Wind" by muZik, appeared on the DS game's soundtrack, released in Japan on 2006-09-20.
. It was influential in the development of the magic system and job systems of Final Fantasy XI
. In 2006, readers of the Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu
voted the original Final Fantasy III the eighth-best video game of all-time. As of March 31, 2003, the game had shipped 1.4 million copies in Japan.
The remake's reception has been mostly positive with high sales and fair reviews from video game critics. IGN
notes that "interest in FFIII should come as no surprise given...the popularity of the DS". The game sold 500,000 units within the first week in Japan, beating Square Enix's original prediction that they would only sell 350,000. As of August 6, 2007, the game has sold 990,000 units in Japan and 460,000 units in North America. As of August 8, 2008, it has sold 480,000 units in Europe. Figurines of the characters from the game have been created.
Reviews of the DS remake of Final Fantasy III have been mostly positive, with the game holding an aggregate score of 77% on GameRankings. 1UP.com
described the gameplay as "an RPG for dedicated RPG enthusiasts", and noted that while the job system had been heavily improved over the original title, it still felt at times "very limiting". The review however stated that it was important to remember Final Fantasy III as "a slice of history and a missing piece of a blockbuster series", citing that "hardcore RPG players" may enjoy the title more than other Final Fantasy games and calling it "one of the best portable RPGs to date". GameSpy
stated enjoyment hinged "entirely on your desire to play a game with decidedly archaic game mechanics that may seem primitive and uninviting" compared to other recent Square Enix titles, noting the game as "quite challenging" and adding "Some people live for this stuff, but others may be annoyed at the game's often unfriendly nature."
GameTrailers
noted that while the plot was simple and the party members generic, the game's scenarios were "top notch". It additionally noted that while players should expect to have to do some level grinding, the game offers "lots of little areas to explore." IGN
described the game as one that may be "amazingly frustrating for the now mainstream Final Fantasy fan", and noted that while at the time the unique concept of the job class was one that "simply blew gamers' minds", comparing it to Final Fantasy XII
license board system was "literally no contest". The review additionally argued that the remake hampered the game, citing that battles that would take "mere seconds to scroll through" to now be "lengthened to nearly a minute". Another complaint was in the game's presentation on the Nintendo DS, noting that the handheld's top screen was inactive for "75% of the game", and that even displaying only artwork on the screen during those periods would have been a preferable outcome. However IGN described the game as "graphically phenomenal and is set to a simply beautiful musical score", and that the transition from 2D to 3D was "a good call".
's Famicom gaming magazine, published , a manga
serialization
of Final Fantasy III illustrated by Yu Kinutani. Based on the original story by Kenji Terada
, the manga chronicles the events that take place throughout the course of the game. It was subsequently collected into three tankōbon
under Kadokawa Shoten's Dragon Comics imprint: Legend of the Eternal Wind 1, from Final Fantasy III, Legend of the Eternal Wind 2, from Final Fantasy III, and Legend of the Eternal Wind 3, from Final Fantasy III.
The Onion Knight (seemingly based on both Luneth and the unnamed lead character of the Famicom version, with an alternate costume based on Luneth) and the Cloud of Darkness are the respective hero and villainess representing Final Fantasy III in Dissidia: Final Fantasy
, where they are voiced by Jun Fukuyama
and Masako Ikeda
respectively in the Japanese version, and by Aaron Spann and Laura Bailey
, respectively, in English. In the game, the Onion Knight is a child prodigy sort who accompanies Terra Branford in their search for their crystals. But from getting his after battling the Cloud of Darkness, he learns to feel from his heart as he and Cloud Strife
help Terra get her crystal from Kefka Palazzo
.
The Cloud of Darkness is referenced in Ivalice
-set titles Final Fantasy XII
, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
and Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift
as a summonable entity (known as an "Esper" in the first, a "Totema" in the second and a "Scion" in the third) by the name of Famfrit, also known as "the Darkening Cloud".
Role-playing video game
Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
developed and published by Square
Square Co.
was a Japanese video game company founded in September 1983 by Masafumi Miyamoto. It merged with Enix in 2003 and became part of Square Enix...
in for the Family Computer
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
as the third installment in the Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy
is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and is developed and owned by Square Enix . The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science-fantasy role-playing video games , but includes motion pictures, anime, printed media, and other merchandise...
series. It is the first numbered Final Fantasy game to feature the job-change system.
The story revolves around four orphaned youths drawn to a crystal of light. The crystal grants them some 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 families of their mission and set out to explore and bring back balance to the world.
The game was released in Japan on April 27, 1990. It had never been released outside of Japan until a remake was released on the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
on August 24, 2006. At that time, it was the only Final Fantasy game not previously released in North America or Europe. There had been earlier plans to remake the game for Bandai
Bandai
is a Japanese toy making and video game company, as well as the producer of a large number of plastic model kits. It is the world's third-largest producer of toys . Some ex-Bandai group companies produce anime and tokusatsu programs...
's WonderSwan Color handheld, as had been done with the first, second, and fourth installments of the series, but the game faced several delays and was eventually canceled after the premature cancellation of the platform. The Nintendo DS version of the game was positively received internationally, selling over one million copies in Japan. The Famicom version of the game was released on the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
Virtual Console service in Japan on July 21, 2009. An iOS port of the Nintendo DS remake was released on March 24, 2011.
Gameplay
The gameplay of Final Fantasy III combines elements of the first two Final Fantasy games with new features. The turn-basedTurn-based strategy
A turn-based strategy game is a strategy game where players take turns when playing...
combat system remains in place from the first two games, but hit points are now shown above the target following attacks or healing actions, rather than captioned as in the previous two games. Auto-targeting for physical attacks after a friendly or enemy unit is killed is also featured for the first time. Unlike subsequent games in the series, magical attacks are not auto-targeted in the same fashion.
The experience point
Experience point
An experience point is a unit of measurement used in many role-playing games and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's progression through the game...
system featured in Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy (video game)
is a fantasy role-playing video game created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, developed and first published in Japan by Square in 1987. It is the first game in Square's Final Fantasy series...
makes a return following its absence from Final Fantasy II
Final Fantasy II
is a fantasy role-playing video game developed and published by Square in 1988 for the Family Computer as the second installment of the Final Fantasy series. The game has received numerous enhanced remakes for the WonderSwan Color, the Sony PlayStation, Japanese mobile phones, the Game Boy...
. The character class system featured in the first game in the franchise also reappears, with some modifications. Whereas in the original game the player chooses each character's class alignment at the start of the game, Final Fantasy III introduces the "job system" for which the series would later become famous. Jobs are presented as interchangeable classes: in the Famicom version of the game, all four characters begin as "Onion Knights", with a variety of additional jobs becoming available as the game progresses. Any playable character has access to every currently available job. Switching jobs consumes "capacity points" which are awarded to the entire party following every battle, much like gil. Different weapons, armor and accessories, and magic spells are utilized by each job. A character's level of proficiency at a particular job increases the longer the character remains with that job. Higher job levels increase the battle statistics of the character and reduce the cost in capacity points to switch to that job.
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" is the Thief's specialty, while "Jump" is the Dragoon's forte). Certain jobs also feature innate, non-battle abilities, such as the Thief's ability to open passages that would otherwise require a special key item. It is also the first game in the series to feature summoned creatures which are called with the "Summon" skill.
Setting
One thousand years before the events in the game, 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 elementalClassical element
Many philosophies and worldviews have a set of classical elements believed to reflect the simplest essential parts and principles of which anything consists or upon which the constitution and fundamental powers of anything are based. Most frequently, classical elements refer to ancient beliefs...
crystals of light. They did not realize that they could not 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 light and dark, four warriors were granted the power of the dark crystals to recapture 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. Their culture was reduced to ruin, though their floating continent remained. On that continent, the circle of Gulgans, a race of blind soothsayers
Haruspex
In Roman and Etruscan religious practice, a haruspex was a man trained to practice a form of divination called haruspicy, hepatoscopy or hepatomancy. Haruspicy is the inspection of the entrails of sacrificed animals, especially the livers of sacrificed sheep and poultry...
and fortune-tellers, predicted that these events will ultimately repeat.
Characters
Final Fantasy III focuses around four orphans from the remote village of Ur, each of them starting off as Freelancers. The Nintendo DS version of the game individualized the party members, giving them unique appearances (designed by Akihiko YoshidaAkihiko Yoshida
is a Japanese video game designer working for Square Enix. Yoshida was born in 1967 and joined Square Co. in 1995, before the company merged with Enix. He is well known for his work on the Final Fantasy series...
), backstories, personalities and names:
who symbolizes courage, an adventurous orphan boy raised in the village of Ur;
who symbolizes kindness, Luneth's childhood best friend and a timid yet intelligent young man;
who symbolizes affection, a girl raised in the village of Kazus who tires of her father's blacksmith training and often runs away from home; and
who symbolizes determination, a loyal soldier serving the King of Sasune, with a (mutual) soft spot for the princess Sara.
Though is the one they have to stop for the most of the game, he is eventually revealed to be merely a pawn of the , a malevolent and vicious deity who wishes to push the world into a state of chaos and destruction by upsetting the balance between light and darkness, allowing the Void to consume the world. Appearing in a female-like form, she refers to herself in first-person plurals because her two tentacles have minds of their own. Although she initially defeats the Warriors of the Light, they are resurrected with Unei and Doga's help, and, with help from the Dark Warriors, they defeat the Cloud of Darkness.
Story
An earthquake opens up a previously hidden cavern in Altar Cave near the village of Ur on the floating continent. Four young orphans under the care of Topapa, the village elder, explore the earthquake's impact 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 an overworldOverworld
An overworld is, in a broad sense, an area within a video game that interconnects all its levels or locations. They are mostly common in role-playing games, though this does not exclude other video game genres....
outside the area in which they were brought up to bring back balance to the world.
Their adventures bring them to discover that there lies a whole world beyond the boundaries of the floating continent upon which they were living. In the world below, they discover that a warlock named Xande, one of three apprentices to the legendary Archmage Noah, is trying to possess the crystals of light to bring forth chaos and disorder. The four warriors eventually arrive at the Crystal Tower where they discover that the Cloud of Darkness is the source of the recent events. The Cloud attempts to bring back a similar situation as the Flood of Light a millennia earlier so that the world is pulled into the void. The warriors from the light traverse into the domain of the dark crystals to free the imprisoned dark warriors and defeat the Cloud of Darkness, thereby restoring the crystals and balance to the world. In the DS remake, there are also several "side quests" that can be completed.
Development
Director and story writer Hironobu SakaguchiHironobu Sakaguchi
is a Japanese game designer, game director and game producer. He is world famous as the creator of the Final Fantasy series, and has had a long career in gaming with over 100 million units of video games sold worldwide...
, designer Hiromichi Tanaka
Hiromichi Tanaka
is a Japanese video game developer, game producer, game director and game designer. He is currently Senior Vice President of Software Development at Square Enix and the head of Square Enix's Product Development Division-3. He is best known as the former lead developer of Final Fantasy XI, Square's...
, character designer Yoshitaka Amano
Yoshitaka Amano
is a Japanese artist. He began his career as an animator and has become known for his illustrations for the anime Vampire Hunter D and for his character designs, image illustrations and title logo designs for the Final Fantasy video game series developed by Square Enix . His influences include...
, scenario writer Kenji Terada
Kenji Terada
is a Japanese scenario writer, anime director, series organizer and novelist. He is probably best known for writing the first three games of the Final Fantasy series, his work on Batman: Dark Tomorrow, and as the series organizer and main script writer for the Kimagure Orange Road series...
, and music composer Nobuo Uematsu
Nobuo Uematsu
is a Japanese video game composer, best known for scoring the majority of titles in the Final Fantasy series. He is considered as one of the most famous and respected composers in the video game community...
returned from the two previous Final Fantasy games to contribute to the development of Final Fantasy III. As with the previous two installments of the series, Final Fantasy III was programmed for the Famicom by Nasir Gebelli
Nasir Gebelli
Nasir Gebelli is an Iranian-American programmer and video game developer. Gebelli co-founded Sirius Software, created his own company Gebelli Software, and worked for Square .-Sirius Software:...
. It was the last original Final Fantasy title worked on by Gebelli. Midway through the development of the game, Gebelli was forced to return to Sacramento, California
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
from Japan due to an expired work visa. The rest of the development staff followed him to Sacramento with needed materials and equipment and finished production of the game there. The finished game was one of the largest ever produced for the Famicom. Like many console role-playing games of the era, Final Fantasy III is noted for its difficulty.
Square developed and released Final Fantasy III during the same period that Nintendo released its 16-bit Super Famicom
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
console, intended as the successor to the original 8-bit Famicom. Designer Hiromichi Tanaka said that the original game was never released outside of Japan because Square was focused on developing for Nintendo's new console.
Cancelled WonderSwan Color remake
Bandai unveiled their WonderSwan Color handheld system in and had immediately headed up a deal with Square Co. to release enhanced remakes of their first three Final Fantasy titles on the new console. 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 release date, even after Bandai picked up the game's publishing rights. While a port of Final Fantasy IVFinal Fantasy IV
is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square in 1991 as a part of the Final Fantasy series. The game was originally released for the Super Famicom in Japan and has since then been rereleased for many other platforms with varying modifications. An enhanced remake with 3D graphics...
was eventually released for the WonderSwan Color, Square remained silent regarding Final Fantasy III. Although the game was never formally cancelled, the official website was taken offline once production of the WonderSwan Color consoles ceased in .
In 2007, Hiromichi Tanaka explained in an interview that the WonderSwan Color remake had been abandoned because the size and structure of the coding of the original Famicom game was too difficult to recreate on the WonderSwan Color:
Nintendo DS and iOS remake
Following the failure of the effort to remake the game for the WonderSwan Color, and Square's merger with former competitor EnixEnix
The was a Japanese company that produced video games, anime and manga. The company was founded by Yasuhiro Fukushima on September 22, 1975 as and renamed Enix in 1982...
to form Square Enix in , 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 Sony
Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. is a major video game company specializing in a variety of areas in the video game industry, and is a wholly owned subsidiary and part of the Consumer Products & Services Group of Sony...
's PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
or Nintendo's Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
as its predecessors had. Square Enix considered porting the game to the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, but was eventually convinced by Nintendo to develop the title for their new handheld system, the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
, a decision that would later be positively reinforced by the commercial success of the Nintendo DS. The Final Fantasy III remake was first announced to be in development on October 24, 2004, but detailed information did not emerge until a year later. Hiromichi Tanaka 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
Final Fantasy (video game)
is a fantasy role-playing video game created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, developed and first published in Japan by Square in 1987. It is the first game in Square's Final Fantasy series...
and Final Fantasy II
Final Fantasy II
is a fantasy role-playing video game developed and published by Square in 1988 for the Family Computer as the second installment of the Final Fantasy series. The game has received numerous enhanced remakes for the WonderSwan Color, the Sony PlayStation, Japanese mobile phones, the Game Boy...
s remakes were, but a total overhaul using the Nintendo DS's 3D
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
capabilities. Along with 3D graphics, a full motion video
Full motion video
Full motion video based games are video games that rely upon pre-recorded TV-quality movie or animation rather than sprites, vectors, or 3D models to display action in the game. In the early 1990s a diverse set of games utilized this format...
opening scene was produced for the game, similar to those found in the ports of the 2D Final Fantasy games for the PlayStation. Developer Matrix Software handled the programming of the game.
The remake was produced by Tomoya Asano and co-developed by Square Enix and Matrix Software. In addition, Ryosuke Aiba (Final Fantasy XI
Final Fantasy XI
, also known as Final Fantasy XI Online, is a MMORPG developed and published by Square as part of the Final Fantasy series. It was released in Japan on Sony's PlayStation 2 on May 16, 2002, and was released for Microsoft's Windows-based personal computers in November 2002...
) was the art director
Art director
The art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games....
. Akihiko Yoshida
Akihiko Yoshida
is a Japanese video game designer working for Square Enix. Yoshida was born in 1967 and joined Square Co. in 1995, before the company merged with Enix. He is well known for his work on the Final Fantasy series...
(Final Fantasy XII
Final Fantasy XII
is a console role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 2. Released in 2006, it is the twelfth title in the Final Fantasy series and the last in the series to be released exclusively on the PlayStation platform...
) redesigned the original characters for use in 3D, and designed the looks of the new playable characters. The formerly generic and nameless party characters were replaced with more concrete characters with new personalities and background stories, and additional scenes were added to develop their individuality; however, the main storyline was not altered significantly. Along with these four, additional characters (called "sub-characters") also join the party temporarily, like in the original. Unlike the original, however, these characters may randomly participate in battle.
Final Fantasy III for the Nintendo DS features overhauls to the job system, including the rebalancing of the classes, the addition of new abilities, a new "Freelancer" class that replaces "Onion Knight" as the default job at the beginning of the game (Onion Knight is retained as a secret class), new events, a new crystal and dungeon, and the removal of capacity points. Unlike the original Famicom version, most of the jobs remain useful for the entire game. The ultimate jobs—the Ninja and the Sage—and some of the lesser-used jobs like the Geomancer were redesigned to have the same level of abilities as the Warrior. Also new are special job-specific items available only if a character has fully mastered a certain job.
In place of capacity points, each character incurs a small temporary penalty for switching jobs. This penalty decreases the character's statistics for the next 0 to 10 battles. This period is called a "Job Transition Phase" and its length is based on how similar the new job is to the old job, and how proficient the character already is at the new job.
The remake takes advantage of the Wi-Fi feature of the Nintendo DS in the form of a Mail/Mognet system similar to Final Fantasy IX
Final Fantasy IX
is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation video game console. It is the ninth title in the Final Fantasy series. The game introduced new features to the series like the 'Active Time Event', 'Mognet' and a unique equipment and skill system.Final Fantasy IXs...
. Various moogles in the game allow the player to send mail to others. Players are also able to send mail to various characters in the game as well as to other players. Side quests can also be unlocked using this system, such as the quest to unlock the Onion Knight. An interruption-save option is also available that lets the player turn off the DS and continue when turning it back on. Like in the original, there is no way to make permanent saves while inside a dungeon.
A port of the remake for iOS was released on March 24, 2011. In which the game-play and graphics where improved sound was also remastered But the Mail/Mognet to other players was removed. And the "Onion Knight" was found in another quest.
Music
Final Fantasy III was composed by Nobuo UematsuNobuo Uematsu
is a Japanese video game composer, best known for scoring the majority of titles in the Final Fantasy series. He is considered as one of the most famous and respected composers in the video game community...
and is his 21st video game score. Final Fantasy III: Yūkyū no Kaze Densetsu, an arranged album by Uematsu featuring vocals by Dido, a Japanese vocal duo of Michiaki Kato and Shizuru Ohtaka, was also issued shortly following the release of the Famicom game in 1990. A soundtrack album of the original game score followed a year later.
Selected tracks the game were featured in various Final Fantasy arranged music compilation albums, including Final Fantasy: Pray and Final Fantasy: Love Will Grow (with lyrical renditions performed by singer Risa Ohki
Risa Ohki
is a Japanese vocalist, most famously featured on Final Fantasy: Pray and Final Fantasy: Love Will Grow albums. She sings in at least five languages: Japanese , English, French, Brazilian Portuguese, and Italian .She also sang an image song for Sailor Uranus from Sailor Moon, which was called...
), and the second and third albums from Uematsu's progressive metal
Progressive metal
Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal originating in the United Kingdom and North America in the late 1980s...
group, The Black Mages
The Black Mages
The Black Mages were a Japanese instrumental rock band formed in 2002 by Nobuo Uematsu, Kenichiro Fukui and Tsuyoshi Sekito - three composers for Square Enix. The band arranged Uematsu's Final Fantasy video game series-based compositions in a rock style often similar to progressive metal, achieved...
. Several tracks from the game were subsequently remixed and featured in later Square or Square Enix titles, including Chocobo Racing
Chocobo Racing
Chocobo Racing, known in Japan as is a racing game for the PlayStation game console. The game was developed by Square Co., creators of the Final Fantasy series of video games. The game was first released in Japan in March 1999...
and Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon
Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon
, is a role-playing video game published by Square Enix for the Wii. It is an installment in the Chocobo series that focuses on Chocobo and a Cid character.-Gameplay:...
.
The score was arranged for the Nintendo DS remake by Tsuyoshi Sekito
Tsuyoshi Sekito
is a Japanese video game composer, arranger, and musician who has been employed at Square Enix since 1995. As a composer, he is best known for scoring the video games Brave Fencer Musashi and The Last Remnant...
and Keiji Kawamori, working under Uematsu's supervision. This score was released on compact disc under the title Final Fantasy III: Original Soundtrack. A remix of "This is the Final Battle" by The Black Mages, as well as a techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
version of "Eternal Wind" by muZik, appeared on the DS game's soundtrack, released in Japan on 2006-09-20.
Reception
The Famicom version Final Fantasy III was thought to be typical of RPGs of its day, with a high degree of difficulty requiring a significant amount of grindingGrind (gaming)
Grinding is a term used in video gaming to describe the process of engaging in repetitive and/or boring tasks not pertaining to the story line of the game...
. It was influential in the development of the magic system and job systems of Final Fantasy XI
Final Fantasy XI
, also known as Final Fantasy XI Online, is a MMORPG developed and published by Square as part of the Final Fantasy series. It was released in Japan on Sony's PlayStation 2 on May 16, 2002, and was released for Microsoft's Windows-based personal computers in November 2002...
. In 2006, readers of the Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu
Famitsu
is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Enterbrain, Inc. and Tokuma. Currently, there are five Famitsū magazines: Shūkan Famitsū, Famitsū PS3 + PSP, Famitsū Xbox 360, Famitsū Wii+DS, and Famitsū Wave DVD...
voted the original Final Fantasy III the eighth-best video game of all-time. As of March 31, 2003, the game had shipped 1.4 million copies in Japan.
The remake's reception has been mostly positive with high sales and fair reviews from video game critics. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
notes that "interest in FFIII should come as no surprise given...the popularity of the DS". The game sold 500,000 units within the first week in Japan, beating Square Enix's original prediction that they would only sell 350,000. As of August 6, 2007, the game has sold 990,000 units in Japan and 460,000 units in North America. As of August 8, 2008, it has sold 480,000 units in Europe. Figurines of the characters from the game have been created.
Reviews of the DS remake of Final Fantasy III have been mostly positive, with the game holding an aggregate score of 77% on GameRankings. 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
described the gameplay as "an RPG for dedicated RPG enthusiasts", and noted that while the job system had been heavily improved over the original title, it still felt at times "very limiting". The review however stated that it was important to remember Final Fantasy III as "a slice of history and a missing piece of a blockbuster series", citing that "hardcore RPG players" may enjoy the title more than other Final Fantasy games and calling it "one of the best portable RPGs to date". GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
stated enjoyment hinged "entirely on your desire to play a game with decidedly archaic game mechanics that may seem primitive and uninviting" compared to other recent Square Enix titles, noting the game as "quite challenging" and adding "Some people live for this stuff, but others may be annoyed at the game's often unfriendly nature."
GameTrailers
GameTrailers
GameTrailers is a media website that specializes in video game related content. It provides free access to original programming , game trailers and recorded game play. Along with standard definition , many of the video clips are offered in a higher resolution .Users can upload videos, create...
noted that while the plot was simple and the party members generic, the game's scenarios were "top notch". It additionally noted that while players should expect to have to do some level grinding, the game offers "lots of little areas to explore." IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
described the game as one that may be "amazingly frustrating for the now mainstream Final Fantasy fan", and noted that while at the time the unique concept of the job class was one that "simply blew gamers' minds", comparing it to Final Fantasy XII
Final Fantasy XII
is a console role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 2. Released in 2006, it is the twelfth title in the Final Fantasy series and the last in the series to be released exclusively on the PlayStation platform...
license board system was "literally no contest". The review additionally argued that the remake hampered the game, citing that battles that would take "mere seconds to scroll through" to now be "lengthened to nearly a minute". Another complaint was in the game's presentation on the Nintendo DS, noting that the handheld's top screen was inactive for "75% of the game", and that even displaying only artwork on the screen during those periods would have been a preferable outcome. However IGN described the game as "graphically phenomenal and is set to a simply beautiful musical score", and that the transition from 2D to 3D was "a good call".
Legacy
From 1991 to 1992, Kadokawa ShotenKadokawa Shoten
is a well-known Japanese publishing company based in Tokyo, Japan. Kadokawa has published both manga novels and magazines, such as Newtype magazine...
's Famicom gaming magazine, published , a manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
serialization
Serialization
In computer science, in the context of data storage and transmission, serialization is the process of converting a data structure or object state into a format that can be stored and "resurrected" later in the same or another computer environment...
of Final Fantasy III illustrated by Yu Kinutani. Based on the original story by Kenji Terada
Kenji Terada
is a Japanese scenario writer, anime director, series organizer and novelist. He is probably best known for writing the first three games of the Final Fantasy series, his work on Batman: Dark Tomorrow, and as the series organizer and main script writer for the Kimagure Orange Road series...
, the manga chronicles the events that take place throughout the course of the game. It was subsequently collected into three tankōbon
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
under Kadokawa Shoten's Dragon Comics imprint: Legend of the Eternal Wind 1, from Final Fantasy III, Legend of the Eternal Wind 2, from Final Fantasy III, and Legend of the Eternal Wind 3, from Final Fantasy III.
The Onion Knight (seemingly based on both Luneth and the unnamed lead character of the Famicom version, with an alternate costume based on Luneth) and the Cloud of Darkness are the respective hero and villainess representing Final Fantasy III in Dissidia: Final Fantasy
Dissidia: Final Fantasy
is an action RPG/fighting game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation Portable as part of the campaign of the Final Fantasy series 20th anniversary. Information on the game was first released during the "Square Enix Party" event of May 2008...
, where they are voiced by Jun Fukuyama
Jun Fukuyama
is a voice actor. He was previously represented by Aoni Production and Production Baobab, and is now represented by . In 2007, he won the first Seiyu Awards for the best actor in leading role as Lelouch Lamperouge in Code Geass...
and Masako Ikeda
Masako Ikeda
is a Japanese voice actress most known for the roles of Reika "Ochoufujin" Ryuuzaki in Ace wo Nerae, Nodoka Saotome in Ranma 1/2, Maetel in Galaxy Express 999 and Michiko in Harmagedon...
respectively in the Japanese version, and by Aaron Spann and Laura Bailey
Laura Bailey (voice actress)
Laura Dawn Bailey is an American actress, voice actress, Singer, Line Producer and ADR Director. She has provided voices for a number of English language versions of Japanese anime films, television series, as well as video games...
, respectively, in English. In the game, the Onion Knight is a child prodigy sort who accompanies Terra Branford in their search for their crystals. But from getting his after battling the Cloud of Darkness, he learns to feel from his heart as he and Cloud Strife
Cloud Strife
is a fictional character and the main protagonist in Square's role-playing game Final Fantasy VII and several of its sequels and spin-offs. His original design was created by Final Fantasy VII character designer Tetsuya Nomura...
help Terra get her crystal from Kefka Palazzo
Kefka Palazzo
is a character in the Final Fantasy series of video games. Originally designed by Yoshitaka Amano, he appears in Final Fantasy VI as a clown-like, nihilistic psychopath who acts as the game's main antagonist...
.
The Cloud of Darkness is referenced in Ivalice
Ivalice
is a fictional location in the Final Fantasy XII, Final Fantasy Tactics, and Vagrant Story universe. The world was conceived by Yasumi Matsuno when he joined Square Co. in 1995, and has since been expanded upon by several games, with more yet due with the Ivalice Alliance series...
-set titles Final Fantasy XII
Final Fantasy XII
is a console role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 2. Released in 2006, it is the twelfth title in the Final Fantasy series and the last in the series to be released exclusively on the PlayStation platform...
, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
is a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance. A spin-off of the popular Final Fantasy series, the game shares several traits with 1997's Final Fantasy Tactics, although it is not a direct sequel. The player assembles a clan of characters, and...
and Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift
Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift
is a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix for the Nintendo DS handheld game console.Grimoire of the Rift is the sequel to Final Fantasy Tactics Advance as well as an iteration in the Ivalice Alliance.- Gameplay :...
as a summonable entity (known as an "Esper" in the first, a "Totema" in the second and a "Scion" in the third) by the name of Famfrit, also known as "the Darkening Cloud".