Squaresoft
Final Fantasy VI

The year 1994 is a crucial date in the recent history of video games. In December of that year, Sony Computer Entertainment unveiled to the world their latest creation, the PlayStation, which for nearly a decade would dominate the market and was destined to be supplanted only by the arrival of its direct descendant, the PS2. However, in 1994, despite starting to show signs of obsolescence, the one making a strong statement was what I consider the masterpiece of the '90s. Of course, I'm talking about the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, a source of titles that have entered the legend, including Super Mario, Zelda, F-Zero, and, indeed, Final Fantasy, with the sixth chapter being the last to be released for this platform.

"Final Fantasy VI" tells the story of a world that has forgotten Magic and the Espers, which in the past caused immense cataclysms, and is now centered on technology. However, someone is plotting in the shadows, namely Emperor Gesthal and his general Kefka, who, using Terra Brandford, a girl born from the union of a human and an Esper, aim to awaken that ancient and dangerous power. It will be up to a large and varied group of heroes, including Terra herself, to prevent the plans of these two madmen from coming to fruition...

One of the strengths of FFVI is undoubtedly the character system. The first novelty to highlight is that a main protagonist cannot be singled out, as their adventures often unfold on parallel tracks, also due to the large number of playable characters. There are 15 in total, a truly remarkable number that certainly helps to keep the player's interest alive as they strive to develop all the unique abilities of each member, as well as the optimal battle strategy based on the countless possible character combinations. Forming balanced teams and finding the right blend of brute strength and magical support will indeed be crucial to going all the way. But what strikes even more than the number of characters and their powers is the incredible characterization of them. Each is given depth and drama never seen before, their personal stories at times are truly capable of moving us, such as the family tragedy of the samurai Cyan, or the sad and dark past of the ninja Shadow, just to name a couple...

There's little to say about the battle system. It is based on the classic ATB (Active Time Battle), simple and functional, yet it has the merit of making the battles extremely intense. In fact, time never stops during a fight, so while deciding how to attack the enemy, the enemy can inflict damage on you.

Playing it now, 15 years after its release, FFVI still proves to be extremely interesting  and engaging, certainly the best 2D chapter of the saga, but allow me to place it almost on par with sacred monsters like FF7 and FFX. My only regret is discovering the joys of the Final Fantasy saga too late, when my good old SNES, after over a decade of honorable service, had definitively expired. Fortunately, Nintendo wisely decided to re-release this magnificent game in a new version for the Game Boy Advance, which I recommend everyone try; you will not be disappointed.