Final Fantasy 6: The End of the World is Not The End of Everything · 1:19am Mar 2nd, 2019

I know that I'm a day or two late, but I was so focused and committed to this game during Final Fantasy February, and let's just say that this game gives you a lot to sink your teeth into in terms of new content. But now, even though I'm past the February season, I think you guys are really gonna like hearing what I have to say about this game.

This flipping game, that gave rise to one of the world's most evil characters ever conceived and makes every other villain in the world seem like a kid-friendly caricature in comparison.

So, let's get into this. It's Final Fantasy 6, bois and gurls!

Story:
In Final Fantasy 6's world, magic is dead. There is no more magic anymore. Not since the War of the Magi 1000 years ago that drove the world to the brink of collapse. Because of this, everyone has had to resort to metalworking and industrialising absolutely everything in order to stay afloat in this new world. From this new world, the Empire of Vector is ransacking the world and driving their heels into everything, as you do.

Emperor Gestahl, his advisor Kefka, and the Empire sit atop the world's only Magitek machines, devices capable of replicating magic through advanced mechanical means. And at the center of this Magitek, a girl named Terra Branford, robbed of all conscious thought thanks to a crown planted on her head. She leads the charge against Narshe, a town in the mountains that holds an Esper, a mythical creature capable of magical feats. The attack goes through unmatched, but when Terra comes into contact with the Esper, she's freed of the crown's powers and awakens without memory. The first man she meets, Locke, a renowned treasure hunter and thief decides to help her out of the city, and offers her a chance to partner with the Returners, a group of rebels fighting back against the Empire and all their wrongdoings.

As Terra pushes forward and helps the Returners in their quest, it's discovered that she is half-Esper, thanks to her parents. Maduin, an Esper father; and Madonna, a human mother. But at the age of 2, she was kidnapped by Emperor Gestahl and raised by the Empire. Now, with a drive to fight, she will fight. The Empire robbed her of her lineage and now she is determined to give the Returners one last push to achieve their dreams. But will it all pay off, or will the world crumble under the Empire's dominion?

So yeah. Finally breaking off of the fantasy elements a bit a diving into the mechanised elements that the modern series is known for. Honestly, I kinda like how they dipped the world into this new setting, with the fact that magic is essentially dead thanks to the War of the Magi. But how will the game fare now that Magic is gone?

Gameplay:

We've done this five times already, so you know the rules by now. Let's talk about everything new instead.

Because Magic is dead, the characters you meet in this game now all have their own special abilities and traits, such as Locke being able to steal, Edgar using mechanised tools to get the edge in combat, Cyan's Sword Techniques that change depending on how long you hold the charge for, Relm's Sketch and Control powers allowing you to hijack monsters in the game and utilise their powers against them, and even Sabin, whose' Blitz Techniques I ended up using the most because of how UTTERLY CHAOTIC THAT THEY WERE WHEN EXECUTED PROPERLY. Every character is unique in this game, and not to mention, there's a hefty amount of them to boot. At least 15 from my knowledge of the game. So feel free to mix and match depending on who you like the most.

Now, there's a new addition to this game in the form of Espers, magical creatures that were driven to the edge of extinction courtesy of the War of the Magi. But later in the game, courtesy of the Magicite that forms when Espers die, there's a way for every character in the game to learn Magic from scratch. First, by finding the Magicite and equipping it to the characters and then going into a heck of a lot of battles with them, grinding out Magic Points. It's similar to the AP system in Final Fantasy 5 but with no levels for each Esper and with a fixed amount of minimum AP to earn before that Esper is fully mastered. No more than 100 Magic Points for every Esper.

Because of this new system, there's no need for jobs, and every character can learn every spell from every class and type. White Magic, Black Magic, even status magic. But that's not the only thing that these Espers are good for. With each Esper equipped, they also come with a Summon attack, with each one completely different from each other. There's Ramuh, Shiva, Ifrit, Leviathan, Golem, Bahamut, all the classics from the old games. And then there are newcomers like Ragnarok, Alexander, Phoenix, and many more. That, and there are some Espers that will grant you bonus stats when you level up, such as more vigor, stamina, HP and MP, whatever you see at the bottom of the detailed list, that's what bonuses you'll get from levelling up your character.

But each Esper can only be equipped to one character, so if you wanna change up, you'll need to unequip the Esper from the character who's using it and give it to the new on via a menu. Keep that in mind as you go along the game, as when you change parties and forget to unequip your Espers, you're gonna have to go back and fix that issue if you want any new spells or perks for levelling up. A fairly balanced system overall and one that adds diversity to the game as a whole. I really enjoyed using this system and experimenting with all of the different Espers on show here. Not to mention, it was just fun to use magic in a world where magic is considered a thing of the past.

Another thing I want to bring up is the addition of Relics. You find them throughout the game and cap equip a maximum of two per character, with each one providing different benefits. Added speed, permanent spells being cast throughout the battle, health recovery from world travel and in-battle, EXP boosting relics (because YES!), even relics that can change up the characters' commands and drastically change up how they fight as a whole. There's a heck of a lot of relics in the game and it might be worth it to grab as many as you can just to see what benefits that you can get out of them. And, in many cases, they've saved my rear from encounters that would've otherwise been the end of me.

Further, the game decides to add something unique to its' plot, in the form of diverting storylines and groups. There's only one case of diverting stories where there are three paths to choose from, which is kinda sad, but I also understand because it's a fairly new mechanic to cope with. And the group system where you can have up to three groups for certain dungeons in the game that require you to have multiple groups in order to progress. This is a feature that I didn't get the first time playing this, but learned to cope with as the game went on. Plus, it gave me more excuses to use everyone instead of throwing them to the dogs or leaving them behind.

Now, there is something else that I want to talk about. Because of the excess amount of characters in the game, you actually have free reign over who gets to play the plot once you board Setzer's Airship(s). Simply speak to the characters as they meander about the decks and they'll allow you to switch it up. But keep in mind that they don't all level up at the same pace so they might be a few levels under the team you're currently using. It's a risk to take, especially if you're going into new dungeons and places to advance the story and the lowered stats could make them a liability in these kind of cases, but at the same time, it's best to cover as many bases as possible for stats and magic, especially when you get to the second half of the game. Unlike Final Fantasy 4, you can actually choose to switch Terra out of battle and keep her out of battle, even though she's the main character of the game itself and the girl who ends up in the Dissidia series for being the main character. It's much more freeform and imaginative and I enjoyed this feature.

Which is a lot considering Cecil and his crew in Final Fantasy 4 with how they play the game of die but then turn out to be not dead and continue on like nothing ever happened. Jesus, guys, you couldn't have been more trollish if you tried.

Especially you, Palom and Porom...

Presentation:

We are finally back to Final Fantasy goodness. No bit-crushed music or blocky elements to be seen here, ladies and gentlemen. Instead, everything seems to be very wavy and lively, with subtle things as clouds and birds drifting by as you go through the world and see what there is to see. Same can be said for the character sprites and enemy sprites. Loved seeing all the different designs on full display once again.

In terms of combat, the speed and pace goes back to FF4 in a way, with how everything just seems to flow at that magical 60 FPS style with barely any lag or buffering to it whatsoever. Not a frame-rate-snob personally, but I do love seeing some 60 FPS in my games. Is gud. That, and this game brought me back into the Active Battle System, considering that I didn't use it in 5 because of how I felt it wouldn't have worked with how that game felt. So that meant that battles were more frenetic and I loved them for being more frenetic and fast-paced. It just felt right to fight like that.

Now, music wise? This game's got some pretty unique and driving themes to it, mostly to do with combat. The Decisive Battle and The Fierce Battle especially being my favourites in terms of in-game combat. And some of the character and village themes? Again, pretty unique compositions and arrangements. One of my favourites was for Setzer and his ship. The jolliness I felt whenever I went inside and looked around? That's a feeling I don't get very often from airships in this series. Even the Final Boss had some amazing music to it, but we'll get to that in time, my friends.

They also brought in some new features to play around with, such as an Auction House in Jidoor to get your hands on some special loot and gear, and an Arena at the top-left corner of the World of Ruin where you can wager an item for the chance of getting a better one. I didn't use these excessively, but it was nice to see them there and for you to actually do stuff in them, no matter how far into the game you get. But there are some good items that you can get from the Arena and Auction House, so it might be a good idea to give them a look-see if that's what you're into.

As for the worlds to explore, well, this game has the same kind of rules that Final Fantasy 5 has, wherein one world will completely consume all the others in the endgame. WIth how Bartz and Galuf's Worlds were merged into the Fused World in that game, here, the default starting world is the World of Balance, but as the game goes on and Kefka does Kefka things, the world eventually ends up being torn asunder to a heavy degree, thus becoming the World of Ruin. A post-apocalyptic world where Kefka is the unquestioned lord and master of it, sitting atop his tower with the Light of Judgement at his command.

Now, who is this Kefka I keep speaking about, well, for those of you who don't know, Kefka is THIS:

Now, words do not describe this man, but I will explain him anyways, so I'm sorry if I butcher how dark this man's deeds were. But personality wise, he's basically a combination of Batman's The Joker, Sans the Skeleton's nihilism, and magic. And those three make an abhorrent person, let me tell you...

*Firstly, when General Leo's back was turned, he poisoned the waters of Doma JUST to listen to and enjoy the screams of the people as they suffered from his tainted liquids.

*Then, he was abusing and experimenting on Espers via torture, draining them of all their powers and letting them die with little remorse or regard for their wellbeing because of the Magitek drive that Emperor Gestahl had.

*When it seemed like the Returners were finally winning, he attacked the Espers, stole their Magicite, and pumped himself full of magical power, smiting down any further Espers who dared to challenge him so he could take their power as well.

*Further, he conspired with Emperor Gestahl to perform a bluff mercy summit just so that they could awaken the Floating Continent to kickstart the next phase of his diabolical plan.

*Then, when it seemed like the Emperor was winning, he purposely moved three mystical statues out of their alignment, causing the end of the world and the death of his own Emperor, again, showing absolutely zero disregard for him or for anyone else.

*Finally, in this new world, he sits atop a tower of his own making with the Light of Judgement at his beck and call. Here, he can destroy absolutely anything he wants, wherever in the world he wants whenever in the world he wants with no-one being able to scale his tower to stop him.

And you know what really sells this man for being pure evil?

HE LOVED EVERY SINGLE SECOND OF IT.

The other Final Fantasy villains just did what they did because of what they did. Garland became Chaos because of you, Emperor Mateus governed the worlds because he was an Emperor of a tyrant empire and had to set an example, Cloud of Darkness was.... well, darkness, Golbez was under Zemus's control and did all of his bidding because of his hate for the human world, and even Exdeath in Final Fantasy 5 wanted to recreate the fused world to take control of the Void and rule unquestioned. But none of them laughed, enjoyed, and had FUN with their evil deeds like Kefka did. When someone like that shows that he enjoyed his sadistic, twisted, and destructive ways, there's no saving them from anything. It's this kind of mentality that puts Kefka within the greatest villains, if not THE greatest villain of all time, purely because there is no point in sparing this man. He will never stop, so you must never stop.

Speaking of which...

FINAL BATTLE:

In the World of Ruin, everyone has been separated and lost hope. Celes, the only one who still wants to fight, goes off and through the world to rally her friends back. Through many trials and tribulations, the gang (or at least most of it) is brought together. Old faces who survived the cataclysm, as well as a few new ones to boot. With a full group at your back, the time comes to storm Kefka's Tower and put an end to him once and for all. The Clown King of Chaos, the Jester of Genocide, the God of Ruin, he will meet his end by Terra and her friends' hands. But here's the kicker. All the friend-rallying? It's all OPTIONAL. You could right there and right now storm Kefka's Tower from the get-go once you get the Airship back. But then again, it requires three groups and up to 12 people for a smooth run so... yeah. Best to get everyone back together as soon as you can and raid the place when the time is right.

The three groups battle through Ultima Weapon once more and climb the tower, clashing with the three statues that brought about the world's end. These are known as the Warring Triad, and depending on how you split up the groups, these are either really easy or a pain in the butt, seeing as how they fight whoever you dictate to each lane in the tower, as it were. So think carefully about who should take on who as you climb. But after you beat them, that's the FINAL SAVE POINT IN THE GAME. Once you step forward into Kefka's apex, there's no turning back. It's victory, or oblivion.

Once you make it to Kefka, he reveals his whole nihilistic nature, in the fact that there is no point in fighting for anything when you know it's going to die or be destroyed. The others challenge his belief and he responds with his heightened and transcended magical powers. He'll destroy the world over and over and over again until there's nothing left, just to prove that he's right and that hope is meaningless for everything. But even as everything is falling apart, the others will still continue to fight.

Now, here's the interesting part. As the fight begins, you'll need to order your characters from 1 to 12. The reason that being is that when they get KO'd, they'll be swapped out with the other characters, so as to have a constant stream of combat as the fight progresses. So if a whole team gets wiped and you still have some allies left, keep on fighting until the bitter end. No need to worry about game-overing if 4 of your 12 go down. But if they ALL die, then you die for real. That's all she wrote, guys and gals.

Kefka's boss actually has four different phases to it, with each one drastically changing up the fight as a whole. Every single phase, his attacks are different and he has multiple attackable parts, all of which need to be beaten in each phase in order to progress the fight more and more. And when each phase changes out, that's when your KO'd characters will be swapped out as well. As well as the form changing with each passing phase, the music changes, progressively transforming as the boss does, kinda like a modern-day Bayonetta theme with how the intensity, speed, tempo, and even instruments and vocals change as the battle goes on. Now, this I can REALLY appreciate, as it's this kinda musical imagination and freedom that makes a track stand out much more for me in multiple different ways. For those curious about the name, it's called "Dancing Mad." You're welcome.

The first three phases are kinda easy to manage once you know what's going on and how to handle them, but it's when you get to the final phase and Kefka reveals his ultimate form that things really start to get out of hand.

See, this is Kefka in the first three phases of the fight:

And this is his final, ultimate form:

In this last form, his TRUE power comes onto full display, with the first attack being Heartless Angel. This will drop EVERYONE's HP to 1 and cannot be avoided, so make sure that you take that into account. Not to mention, he can cut off any barriers you're using by means of Dispel, and his Havoc Wing attack EXECUTES players by impaling them if they're not strong enough to withstand it. He can then chain an attack called Forsaken into Ultima, and that can REALLY hurt like a moon crashing against your face. Sure, healing is a benefit here, but his attacks are devastating to the point where, if he chains them properly, your team will all crumble before you even get the chance to heal.

But then, his final attack, Goner, is pretty much a death sentence to anyone who isn't prepared. First, he lets off his trademark laugh, and then everything goes to hell as you're deluged with unbridled magical power. I was lucky enough to have characters on my team who could withstand and even be healed by this attack because of what they were wearing, but the others? They were wiped off of the face of existence with this attack. It's a horrid one.

With all that said and done, I was able to kill Kefka in the greatest way imaginable and one that only the poster girl herself could pull off. Esper Forme Terra utilising Ultima right after he let off Goner and everyone else had fallen around her, dealing 9999+ damage and ending the battle. A true clash of powers unbridled and one that I think would look really cool in an HD remaster, fan movie, or even a real-life movie. A fantastic way to end a fantastic villain in a fantastic game. A long and arduous final boss that tests your attrition and stamina, but a majestic one nonetheless.

As Kefka fades from existence, magic and the Esper species completely go extinct, his tower begins to crumble at the seams, and everyone makes a mad dash out as the credits roll and they all fly off, towards the future that they make with their own hands. No more magic. No more Kefka. No more Empire. The world is free. What the people do is all up to them alone. As for Terra, her Esper powers fade away once and for all, and she is now full-human. With the past behind them, everyone says their farewells and blazes their own trails for the future ahead. What that might be, none of them know...

So... Yeah. Wow. I can see why many of the Final Fantasy fans in the series call this their favourite game of all time. The pure weight of the story, the emotions that run rampant, the utter diabolical and sinful nature of Kefka, and just everything about it really do make this game stand out as a masterpiece in every sense of the word, if not without a little bit of challenge and toil at the same time. But that's really to be expected with JRPGs like this. They're not entirely easy and do have some moments where it wants you to tear your hair out. I didn't find many of those moments, however, and I just loved this game for what it was through and through.

The combat system and how streamlined and evolved its' become astounded me. Everything seemed much more fresh and natural than it had any right to be, especially as the games changed with every new entry. This is one of the easiest to grasp and most diverse combat systems I think I've ever seen, with every move making the difference between victory and defeat. Not many games can do that these days; not even Kingdom Hearts for as amazing as that is as a series has those moments where you need the right move at the right time. It seems to be like if you've got the moves down pat, then nothing more needs to be said or done. But here? Whatever you do is vital in every scenario; with one mistake signalling havoc. Once you learn to control that, you have a combat system that's rewarding while at the same time being hard for those who lost control.

If you want to start the Final Fantasy series off right, go with 6. This game is welcoming to newcomers while also having a sting of brutality for veterans of the series like myself. There's nothing more I can say about this game other than this is pure art and majesty right here and now, everyone. Give it a try for yourself and you'll see why...

Next time on Final Fantasy Fable:

The poster boy of the franchise as a whole...