The Chaos Shrine: [17/1000] Final Fantasy 3 Pixel Remaster

Platform: Switch, Xbox, PC, PS4, Mobile

Release date: July 28, 2021

Developer: Square Enix

Publisher: Square Enix

Genre: RPG

Battle System: Turn Based

Difficulty: Normal

Setting: Fantasy

It seems to be the first time FF3 got properly released overseas (not counting 3D remake) and it's a shame that we haven't been able to play this game up until now, unless you find a famicom rom and translation patch.

Here you play as four kids who wandered inside the cave near their village. Inside they find a crystal which gave them it's power and task of restoring balance to the world.

This is also first FF where you get multiple airships with different abilities: one is used to break the rock, other is very fast and can dive underwater and last one is HUGE which can be used to fly over small mountain ranges. Huge airship (called Invincible) also can be used as a base to restore hp/mp, buy supplies and use fat chocobo. Oh and it's also first time fat chocobos and moogles appeared in series.

Battles here play same as first two games. Leveling from FF2 was switched back to "earn exp - gain levels". Mana was changed back from MP to charges like in FF1. Main gimmick in Final Fantasy 3 is first appearance of job system: you can freely switch characters jobs at any time (outside of battles of course). You start with Warrior, Monk, Red mage, White mage and Black mage and unlock more as you progress. After battles, along with exp and gil, you also earn jp which increases your job level. Magic here works better than in previous games too: you buy spells and equip them like weapons and armor which allows you experiment with job compositions more.

For me it was one of the first jrpgs I've beaten back in the day when I got internet and learned about emulation and this game felt huge. Traveling through floating continent felt like an epic journey but when I left it and got to the mainland I was stunned. It was less then a half of a game! Playing it now, it didn't felt that long (other then very very very long final dungeon) but still it was a great journey. Maybe it was a biggest jrpg of it's time. I'm also a big fan of job system which got even better in FF5. As I said earlier last dungeon is very long with almost no option to restore strength and while pixel remaster has quick saves, original - don't! That means you had to go through more then 3 hour dungeon with tons of hard bosses without dying and once to get to World of Darkness you can't even leave. Interacting with dark crystals in World of Darkness fully restores you but I don't remember if it was a thing in famicom version. I like long final dungeons but it's just exhausting. Still it's an epic final dungeon. But exhausting. But epic.

Overall Final Fantasy 3 is one of my favorite games in FF series and pixel remaster is the best way to play it as of now. Highly recommend.

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