That is unless you’re a filthy ROM playing thief. I myself have never delved into the murky waters of emulation, so hearing that Square-Enix was finally giving the rest of the world a taste of their long forbidden fruit was pretty exciting news. When it was later revealed that this taste would actually be in the form of a complete 3D overhaul with a retooled job system and new items, monsters and areas I actually felt my loins tingle. I might have even peed a little.

Facts and Features:

• Finally, the missing chapter in the Final Fantasy series is here for the Americas to enjoy!
  
  
• Outstanding 3D graphics that push the Nintendo DS's hardware to great heights!
  
  
• A great storyline, as usual for the franchise.
  

We finally get final fantasy fwee. I mean three.

Pathetic displays aside, Final Fantasy III is a real gem in the blossoming DS library. Of course buyer beware: Final Fantasy III is old school wrapped in pretty new visuals. Battles are still random. Difficulty is punishing. Grinding is required. If all of this doesn’t scare you away, there’s a pretty solid RPG waiting for you.
The story is typical of the early Final Fantasies. The cast of characters is noticeably thinner than later games in the series, and the story is pretty pedestrian by today’s standards. Like the first Final Fantasy, four heroes of light must save the four elemental crystals and restore balance to a world slowly being covered in darkness. If you’re looking for a compelling story, you’d be better served looking at the three GBA ports.

Where this game really shines is the introduction of a job system for the first time in the series. Jobs or classes are earned as your party restores the light to each elemental crystal. Compared to the original NES, the jobs have become more balanced so that the game can be played with multiple variations instead of a predetermined combination. Whereas before certain bosses might require an entire party of Ninjas, now the game is far more flexible.

Jobs themselves have their own independent level system. Each action a character takes in battle equals one job point. After a set number of job points have been earned your job level will increase. The higher the level the more proficient the character will become in battle and with job specific skills. Job levels also affect the core stats of players. For example, a high level monk will see greater HP bonuses with character level increases. This requires the player to think a little more about which jobs to stick with in order to create effective warriors or magic users. Unlike the job system found in Final Fantasy V, though, skills acquired with one job can never be permanently learned. This means you’ll be constantly managing your inventory of magic and summons between characters that might not be able to use them under their current job. Mastering a job requires a job level of 99, which then unlocks that job’s ultimate weapon. These are usually worth the effort, unless the job class inherently sucks. (We’re looking at you Ranger, now go stand in the corner.)


My dad used to give us that same speech before getting in the car.

The controls are less revolutionary, with the touch screen a mere after thought. This shouldn’t bother most players, because not all games require innovative controls. I’d rather play with the classic d-pad and buttons than be forced into an uncomfortable control scheme to justify putting the game on the DS. Thank you Square-Enix for not “fixing” what wasn’t broken.