Final Fantasy III Member Review for the DS

Final Fantasy is a franchise everybody knows and most likely loves. We've seen remakes of nearly every game before 7 (not counting Dirge of Cerebus). Multiple ones of IV especially but finally we get to see III, the one that hasn't seen America for a long time.

The Story is as original as it can be, in it's time atleast. A story of heroic youngsters battling the forces of darkness, saving the world from total destruction. Before, original. Now, not so much. But it still works. Somewhat.

The graphics are the high point of the game. When started up, the player is treated to one hell of a cutscene. Stunning animation, too good for words. And remember that this is the DS, so it isn't PSP quality but it does push the hardware to it's limits. The ingame graphics are polygonial but 3D nontheless and they still look good. The battle animations can get a tad choppy from time to time and when on the overworld, the game tends to lag a bit, it's not that noticible but it's just a bit of an annoyance.

The Sound is very Final Fantasy like, orchaestra music, stunning, amazing. You should know what to expect. The ingame fighting sounds aren't as good as the music but are still better than nothing.

The gameplay is where it separates the casual from the....not casual. It's hardcore in a sense. Without the proper leveling, the game will kick your ass. Monsters will not hesitate to lay the beat down on you and you can only do so much. With only a few options, like attack, magic, item etc., it is a true remake and stays to it's old-school roots. It's brutal, can be frustrating but if you know what to expect, then it wouldn't be too annoying and more fun. The job system, revolutionary in it's time is still well appreciated. Being able to choose from 20 different jobs is immensely fun and it separates it from alot of the other games in the series. The fighting can get a bit tedious but I for one enjoyed it, even after fighting the same enemies while trying to get through a dungeon.

Replay value depends on weather you love the game enough to replay it or just content with what you saw on your first playthrough. The game will take a while to beat, well over 30 hours. An ungodly amount of time longer if you want every single item. The side quests provide some replay value as well as the Moogle Net (needed to get that final class) where both can net you some amazing end-game items.

Overall, this game is a straight up old school RPG, so know what you're getting into. They were more harder before and still are now, even though the story isn't up to par with the other FF games later in the series. Don't get it just because it's pretty, get it because it's one of the greatest RPGs for the DS (is that saying much?).