Where have you been all my life???

Yep, this is another one of the games that originally was Japan-only. In fact, when Square released several of the games for the PS1, it slipped through the American market again. What??? No GBA version either. It took some 13 years from its original release on the Super Famcom in Japan to arrive in America. What did we get? One of the greatest things next to slice bread, that's what.

The game got a 3D makeover with high quality CGI graphics and many new upgrades in the story, gameplay and everything else under the sun. You play as four warriors who have been brought together by chance. As the game goes along, your characters learn about the balance between Light and Darkness. Too much Light in the world and the Darkness must correct the balance. Vice versa for too much Darkness, which is happening in the world during this story. The four main characters are joined by non-playable friends that will lend a hand every-so-often. Each of these non-playable characters have their own seperate story that must be fulfilled to continue the story. The warriors come to a conclusion that there is something in the universe that is constantly off-setting the balance and plan to permamently fix the problen rather than giving it a temporary solution. The team meat the Warriors of Darkness and face off with them. After defeating all four, they enlist their cooperation in the hopes implementing their goals.

Though this is a visually great game with good story, it is perhaps the hardest of the FF franchise. You have to ration out your Phoenix Downs, lack of saving anywhere makes this game difficult on later levels of the game, and the friends that join the team, you mostly forget that they are there unless they decide to show up during the battle. I love the Job system implemented in this game, though you the task for getting the Onion Knight was stupid. The game lacked a bonus stage and you could only access the bestiary from one person in the game rather than the Configure screen as is the case in the GBA games. Once you entered into the Crystal Castle, there were no more save points to access and had to rely on a quick save to hold you place if you had to quit for any reason.

If you are looking for a challenge in difficulty, this is a sure bet. The battles differ depending on which character is assigned which job; the combinations are endless, and every character has their own unique spin to the job's costume (one red mage does not look like the other red mages). If you haven't played this game, you should pick this one up, because who knows when there will be another American release of this game.