Final Fantasy III: Game Diaries, Part 001
Inspired by Maddi’s TLOU series, I started writing some thoughts as I started FFIII. Here we go, my own set of game diaries!
Starting up Final Fantasy III for the first time ever, I brought a lot of previous knowledge of the series. I’ve played and/or beaten I, II, IV, V, VII, IX, X, XII, XIII, and XV. I’m trying to round out my knowledge of the catalog by getting this game for slow hours of business travel.
I’m playing the DS handheld version, which was remastered in 3D polygons instead of classic 2D sprites. This game introduced the job system. It has since been reimagined in various contexts through later titles in the franchise (and even by other Square Enix series like Bravely Default.)
The game starts when the player character, Luneth, falls into down a hole and into a cavern. Immediately, they are confronted by a trio of goblins. The battle music of the game is already an earworm. (Hope the people around me on my flight don’t get annoyed by my humming.) It’s scaled down to the DS sound-processing chip, but retains that classic Nobuo Uematsu sound. It feels like jumping back in time, especially after recently completing Final Fantasy X and starting XII.
I didn’t realize how much I missed having Final Fantasy games available on handheld devices. I grew up on Game Boy Advance versions of Final Fantasy 1, 2, and 5, and have missed those games since. The ability to jump in and out of play sessions at any time was a huge boon as a kid. Long road trips to beaches and wrestling tournaments melted away to the worlds of Final Fantasy. Even trips to the grocery store were no match for the bright chiptune fanfare melody and the feeling of victory.
The battles in the first cavern are typical first-level fare for NES Final Fantasy games, full of goblins roaming in packs of one to three. Knocking them out in one hit makes me feel powerful right off the bat. While I field the 2–3 HP hits from each goblin, Luneth deals 2–3 times as much damage. The goblins succumb to my dagger, giving me the sense that I’m an experienced adventurer, and not just some kid who stumbled into a cave. I’m excited to remember how it feels to first encounter an opponent that challenges my sense of battle tactics, one that reverses my thinking and makes me scramble to keep my party alive.
One thing I remember from playing the earlier games is that it’s necessary to grind in order to move on to later parts of the game without feeling overwhelmed. It’s a common trope of early JRPG games. I wonder how well the level curve has aged since this game was re-released on DS. I’m expecting something on par with FFX’s grind; it’s not totally necessary if I don’t skip or flee from battles, but still necessary to finish side quests. As FFX was a more linear game in structure and scenario, it’s possible that I run into roadblocks along the way in FFIII. Open world games aren’t my strong suit, but the grind will usually keep me engaged enough to have a “task” should I forget the main story-driven goal.
One last note about this first room of the cave before I dig in deeper: I love that the game gives me enough room to explore, but not enough room to get lost down multiple corridors just yet. I’ve picked up this habit in the Tabletop campaigns that I’ve tried to DM. Give the players a taste for your world, your encounters, and your lore and let them come the rest of the way. The game immediately rewards my diligence for “finding” the right direction by giving me a shield, potion, and a longsword. These two new equippables also gave me a threefold choice to move forward with: dual wielding the dagger and the sword to increase my power (more hits MORE POWER), save the sword for later and equip my shield for more defense (I mean, I’m already one-hitting the goblins), or equip both sword and shield (upgrades for upgrades sake?).
The second floor of the cave provides new enemies, more chests, and a “Wellspring” that refills heal Luneth’s HP and MP. Carbuncle and Blue Wisp are new enemies that introduce defensive and elemental fiends. Blue Wisps also take at least two hits to kill with the dagger, giving me further motivation to add dual wielding capability to my strategy. It’s easy for players to miss the Wellspring if they find the staircase first. By the time I reached the next staircase, I would have had to use one of the potions I found in the dungeon along the way. It would have been a waste of a potion in a game where resource management is a primary task. The Wellsprings are a breath of relief that allow me to save my potions for a more dire situation (like the boss battle I know I’ll hit after that staircase.)
The tone of the music immediately shifts into a menacing bassline as I passed through the stairway door. You walk out to see a platform and the jet black shadows of certain doom. As I walk forward, purple glowing mist envelopes Luneth. The battle music changes, and I know it’s time to encounter the first boss, the Land Turtle. It hits for 8 HP per bite, but I’m dealing a hefty 20 damage with a sword and dagger. Eventually, I realized that Luneth’s health would need me to use a potion to heal eventually. As I entered the item menu, I remembered picking up two Antarctic Winds from the previous floor. I figure, the game put these in those chests for a reason. Once I start healing with a potion, it just becomes a game of catching up. I ready the Antarctic wind and with two hits of a whopping 50 damage each, the Land Turtle fades away.
After the battle, I am met by an ethereal voice. “You have been chosen as the bringer of hope.” The camera pans slowly to the crystal above Luneth, making expert use of the DS’s top screen for maximum cinematic effect. The camera pan reveals that it is indeed the crystal which beckons Luneth to a fate unbeknownst to them. The crystal speaks of the equilibrium of the world, light and darkness, and others who share the same destiny. The crystal leaves Luneth with one mission before the screen fades to white: find the others, and come back to be bestowed with its “last light…[it’s] last hope.”
And with that, a tutorial has been given to me with no more words than necessary, the plot hook has been sunk, and I’ve been commanded with a mission. From the darkness, I fade back, and return to control of the World Map. it signifies the true beginning of the game. A new adventure begins, and with it, a whole world of fantasy awaits me! I can hear the words of the crystal echoing, even as I write this.
“Go forth, brave Warrior of Light! Bring peace everlasting back to the world, and stop the forces of Darkness from their reign of malice. You are the last hope. The only hope.”
I’m streaming Tues/Thurs with Maddi on her Twitch channel.
Go read the first part of her Game Diaries series on Critsumption.
