BlueSmoke - Guide : A History of Final Fantasy - Part III

		Date	: Sept 24th, 2001
		Genre	: RPG
		Developer	: Squaresoft
		Author	: Jin-Ning Tioh

In our last two installments, we introduced Square's humble beginnings, the pioneer of the series - Final Fantasy I, as well as the lesser known part of the series - Final Fantasy II and III. Today, we bring you what is arguably the hey day of the series. It was also the first three games in the series to truly shake up the gaming industry with its stunning sound and graphics - features that would soon become a series highlight. So please join us as we trace one of the series' greatest times in history - Final Fantasy IV, V and VI.

Final Fantasy IV   Released:  30th November 1991 ( Final Fantasy II )  21st August 1991   Systems: Super Famicom Disk System Super Nintendo Entertainment System PlayStation PC Emulators

The Story

The Red Wings, a once honorable and forthcoming military unit who wields powerful majestic airships, is commanded by the kingdom of Baron to obtain by any means necessary, the four magical crystals. Cecil, Dark Knight and leader of the Empire's elite Red Wings, is dismissed from his post when he begins questioning the barbaric nature of these attacks. Confused and amazed at this unorthodox action, he begins questioning even his own loyalty. Meanwhile, monster attacks begin to engulf the world for unknown reasons, while those who know the truth await the arrival of a holy knight, to help bring the truth to the prophecies of old. And so begin the legendary journey of Cecil and his companions. Can Cecil cast away the darkness within his soul in order to find the truth long denied to him and defeat the greatest evil of all?

The Heroes ( Good Guys )

As many fans agree, Final Fantasy IV features some of the most endearing and memorable characters ever to grace an RPG. The character designers flirted with stereotype but never fell completely into her seductive embrace...

Cecil Harvey - Cecil, Dark Knight and leader of the Empire's elite Red Wings, a once honorable and forthcoming military unit who wields powerful majestic airships, is commanded by the kingdom of Baron to return from Mysidia, by any means necessary, four magical crystals. After launching a successful raid upon Mysidia for the Water Crystal, Cecil is surprised and confused when he is dismissed for questioning the king's motives, and he begins questioning his own loyalties. Meanwhile, his best friend, Kain, is made to deliver a package with Cecil to the Village Of Mist. And so begins one man's journey cast away the darkness within his soul and defeat the greatest evil of all...

Cid Pollendina - The jolly old mechanic of the Redwings, Cid enjoys dismantling and modifying airships. He is renowned world wide for his technological achievements, such as the entire Baronian fleet of airships among other breakthroughs. In fact, his creations have been compared with the legendary work of the dwarves. However, he is known to get himself into trouble every once in a while for not following the rules. He also enjoys telling higher ranking officials EXACTLY what he thinks of them. As a result, his daughter is usually required to bail him out. Not exactly your typical jolly old fellow now is he?

Rosa Farrel - Cecil's long time sweetheart, Rosa is a strong willed character as well as an accomplished White Wizard. Rosa worries constantly about Cecil, whether waiting for him to return after combat or trying to understand his resentment towards the King. Unfortunately, she does seem to get herself into trouble quite often, usually ending with Cecil gallivanting to her rescue.

Kain Highwind - Kain, the most prominent Dragoon in all of Baron, grew up alongside his best friend Cecil in the palace. While he was repeatedly urged to take up the ways of darkness, he has chosen to follow in his father footsteps as a Dragoon. Unfortunately, being easily swayed, Kain changes allegiances more often than most people change underwear. Buffeted by forces he can't understand, Kain strives to stay by Cecil's side through thick and thin. In battle however, he's a great addition to your party, with his Jump technique dealing out massive damage to his enemies.

Edge Edward Geraldine - A rebellious ninja prince more interested in scoring than ruling, Edge joins the party when his underground town of Eblan is destroyed. He is determined to slay Rubricant for killing his parents as well as sending his people to a dark underground refuge after the attack. In battle, he is one of the most powerful fighters in the game. Possessing the ability to throw weapons and other items at enemies to inflict considerable damage, it's more than likely that you'll take a liking to him, VERY quickly.

Edward Van Muir - Everyone's favorite spoony bard, Edward is an indefensible doof. The prince of the kingdom of Damcyan, Edward elopes with Tellah's daughter Anna when Tellah refuses the marriage. He joins your party early in the game to conquer the Antilon, after his true love Anna is shot in the heart by Baron archers amid a formidable airship attack on Damcyan's castle. Either than the love story however, Edward's attacks are close to useless. He can hide, sing and use medicine. Singing either charms or silences enemies, while medicine uses a Cure1 Potion and splits it up among everyone. So, as I said, he's useless, but who has the heart to refuse a indefensible doof?

Rydia - A young girl from the Village of Mist, Rydia is quite mature for a 7 year-old. She joins your group as a young and helpless girl who overcomes her fears to become a powerful Caller. Callers are a proud people who retain the ability to summon huge monsters from the Land of Summoned Monsters to aid them in battle. Each Caller has a monster that they can relate with. Unfortunately, when a caller's monster is slayed in battle, the Caller dies too. Rydia's mother was unfortunately, one such person. She died when her Dragon was attacked and killed. One of the few Callers left remaining in the world, Rydia is indispensable to the team with her knowledge of both black and white magic, not to mention her monster.

FuSoYa - An aged Lunarian possessing phenomenal magical prowess, FuSoYa aids you briefly before leaving the party. He is one of the few people who is completely aware of Golbez and Cecil's plans and movements.

Tellah - In hot pursuit of his runaway daughter Anna and her groom, the indefensible doof Edward, Tellah has searched throughout many kingdoms for them. Cecil encounters him in the waterworks of Kaipo, searching. When Cecil meets him, he begs Cecil to help him find them. He suspects that they are in the kingdom of Damcyan. In battle, Tellah is the perfect wizard, being able to cast every white and black spell except for Meteor. Unfortunately, age has worn him down, causing him to forget most of his spells. However, when he uses the skill Remember, he can try casting spells once forgotten. His spells make him incredibly potent.

Yang Fang Leiden - The prince of the kingdom of Fabul, Yang can be found fighting off the undead and bombs atop Mount Hobs, which leads to the kingdom of Fabul. With the majority of Fabul's forces wiped out by Golbez and his minions, Yang will need Cecil's help to defend the oncoming onslaught for the Crystal of Air. In battle, he uses his fists or claws to deal out massive damage.

Palom - Porom's younger brother and Mysidia's most potential Black Wizard, Palom trains with his older sister under the watchful eye of the town elder. Although inseparable from his older sister, he couldn't be more different from her. While his sister is refined and well behaved, Palom is a quite ill-mannered. Basically, he's a smart ass, swearing and constantly cracking jokes, and pretty dirty ones too for a ten year-old. His mischievousness often forces Porom to scold him repeatedly, VERY often. In battle, Palom can use 'Boast', which increases his magical powers. However, this is nothing as when they work together, they are a force to be reckoned with. To use the ability 'Twin', both of them must be ready and able to fight. They then take a LONG time to cast the spell together, but the wait is well worth it. It can go up for a whopping 800+ damage!

Porom - Palom's older sister and Mysidia's most potential White Wizard, Porom trains with her younger brother under the watchful eye of the town elder. Although inseparable from her younger brother, she couldn't be more different from him. While her brother is ill-mannered and restless, she is calm, refined and well behaved. Her brother's mischievousness often forces her to scold him repeatedly, VERY often. In battle, Porom can use 'False Tears', which allows the party to escape from battle. However, this is nothing as when they work together, they are a force to be reckoned with. To use the ability 'Twin', both of them must be ready and able to fight. They then take a LONG time to cast the spell together, but the wait is well worth it. It can go up for a whopping 800+ damage!

The Villains ( Bad Guys )

Similarly to the heroes, the villains of Final Fantasy IV are not merely road blocks to stop you from attaining victory, but have both style and class. So, not surprisingly, many fans of the series agree that Final Fantasy IV's villains are the best ever to be implemented into a game.

Milon - A disgusting, dirty and ugly creature of the undead, Milon serves Golbez as the Fiend Of Earth without question. He is the first of the fiends to challenge Cecil and his friends, atop Mount Ordeal. Since he is an undead, he is weak towards fire.

Kainazzo - This turtle like creature is the Fiend Of Water, Kainazzo. He serves only Golbez. After he impersonates the king of Baron, he leads Cecil and his friends into a trap. Because he is aligned with the forces of water, lightning is his natural weakness.

Valvalis - A beautiful and powerful temptress whose past is all but unknown, Valvalis is the Fiend Of Air. Her power exceeds that of her fellow fiends Kainazzo and Milon, but Kain's jump attack is her main weakness. She resides in the tower of Zot, where she carries out the wishes of her master, Golbez.

Rubicant - Rubicant, the Fiend Of Fire, is the leader of the four fiends, and he is a powerful and worthy opponent. Although he is pure evil, he is ever the true gentleman, even healing your party before doing battle with you. Edge seeks to take revenge on him as he slayed his parents and destroyed his kingdom. Although Rubicant's fighting skills are formidable, he is still a weakling when compared to the evil as ancient as time - Zemus.

Golbez - Tall, dark, brooding, merciless, pace-faring, helmeted, and related by blood to the hero, Golbez is sure to remind gamers of Darth Vader of the evil Empire from Star Wars. But as Golbez puts his evil ways behind him to help your party defeat the ultimate threat to the universe, you can't help but think that sometimes the best archetypes are the ones we know by heart.

Zemus / Zeromus - The cause of the mayhem is an evil as old as time itself - Zemus. A dreaded force sealed away below the surface of the moon, Zemus's true form is revealed when Cecil unleashes the ancient power of the Crystals - A creature with pustulated skin, foul breath, razor-sharp teeth and an awe inspiring musical theme known as Zeromus.

Additional Hints & Tips

Hint #1

In the Japanese copy of Final Fantasy IV, you can find a Secret Programmers Room in the bowels of King Giotto's castle. Here, you can converse with the programmers, fight the designers, meet the musicians, and search the bookshelves for the most exciting item in the entire game : the Porno Book. Use it, and the screen turns red while Calcobrena's music plays...

Hint #2

This secret is so rare and hard to find that many gamers considered it an impossibility when it was first discovered. In a room within the final dungeon, Lunar Subterranean, Level 5, far right, resides the rarest enemy in the game known as the Pink Puff. The odds of meeting a Pink Puff alone are 1 in 64. Once one manages to defeat the Pink Puff, one has a 1 in 64 chance of acquiring the rarest item in the game - The Pink Tail. Take the Pink Tail back to Earth and trade it for the Adamant Armor. Now, even the most powerful attacks the game has to offer will only do 1-2 damage!

Hint #3

As you are aware, the version of Final Fantasy IV that was released in the states is not the same as the Japanese version. Many items, areas and even character skills were hidden to make it easier for gamers in the states. Needless to say, many gamers were upset by this 'dumbing down' of their favorite RPG. But not to worry, all is not lost! The elements can be recovered using a Game Genie and the correct codes. Sacrifice a party member for a greater cause with Last Hope! Summon a Cocatrice to turn opponents to stone! The possibilities are endless.

Historical Facts

Sold as Final Fantasy II in the states, Final Fantasy IV marked a major turning point in the series. It was the first game of the series to make a plot much more than merely a series of strung-together events and quests. The abundant character development and dialogue signified the more cinematic direction that the series would take. It was also the first game to truly shake up the gaming industry with its stunning sound and graphics - features that would soon become a series highlight.

Final Fantasy V   Released:  5th October 1999  6th December 1992   Systems: Super Famicom Disk System PlayStation PC Emulators

The Story

The entire cycle of life in the world is bound by four elemental crystals, each providing their own source of power to mankind, from the wind blowing across lands to water flowing across seas, giving life, to burning hot fires to the very earth itself. The binding force of these beautiful crystals not only gives off this power, but imprisons a much more devastating force away from the world. Unfortunately, an ancient prophecy has come to pass. A sudden wave of meteorites suddenly and without warning rains fire and destruction all over the world, causing the crystals to shatter. The result is the end of the magical forces of the four elements. Worse yet, as the crystals explode one by one, the evil force of X-Death the crystals were made to restrain is released from its years of imprisonment. It is up to the unlikely alliance of an adventurer, a pirate, a wise old man and a princess to find the courage and the strength to face down the trials that they encounter in order to save not one world, but three. Will these unlikely heroes be able to stop X-Death?

The Heroes ( Good Guys )

Final Fantasy V has five main characters, each with their own distinctive personality - Butz, Reina, Faris, Galuf and Krile. Many other characters will help our heroes in their quest to slay the actual evil behind the destruction, such as the ancient turtle sage Gill, who is a rock of stability in the whirlwind of change. The Four Braves Of The Dawn provide support in the second world - Kelga is the reclusive and benevolent werewolf, King Zeza provides military and tactical assistance, and Drogan, Butz's father, watches over the party from above. The King of Bal also fights on the front lines.

Butz - A free spirit, Butz is an adventurer traveling on his chocobo, Boco, and usually allows fate to decide his destiny. But when he finds himself at the site of the meteor shower, he gets more than he bargained for. He will lead the Light Warriors in their attempt to locate the site of the missing crystals.

Reina - The daughter of the King Tycoon, Reina has always lived in the shadow of her father. Her rebellious tendencies lead her to wonder what life is like outside of the castle. But when disaster occurs, Reina leaves with her new found companions Butz and Galuf to search for her father.

Faris - A pirate leader who has spent an entire life time on the high seas, Faris is uncouth and uncultured. Unknown to Butz and Galuf, Faris is actually Reina's sister! When you meet Faris, she will be pretending to be a man in order to command the loyalty of her men. She will join your party to help you find the crystals.

Galuf - A jolly old man even in the face of adversity, Galuf suffers from amnesia when he is found at the site of the meteor crash by Butz. The only thing he can remember is his name, but not much else. He is willing to help the party recover the crystals so as to restore peace and harmony to the world.

Krile - The granddaughter of Galuf, Krile is like him in many ways, being fantastically optimistic and endearing in the face of danger. When Galuf is killed later in the game, Krile will take over his place to help the party save the world from the forces of darkness.

Classes

Many if not all hard-core fans of the series agree that Final Fantasy V features the greatest system ever to be seen in the series - The Job System. Each character can be assigned one of twenty two possible jobs or classes. Choices range from traditional classes such as knights, dragoons, mages and thieves to the more exotic classes such as chemists, dancers, mimes and bards. Each class has certain innate skills and abilities. Ability points earned from battle increase the job's level and earn secondary abilities. Each class can then equip a single earned ability. This flexibility can lead to powerful combinations - A knight can use the ninja's equip two swords ability and then wield a heavy sword in each hand. A monk can use the knight's wear heavy armor skill to become a defensive powerhouse. This level of flexibility and customizability is what has endeared the job system to many players.

Here is a list of the classes and a description of their abilities. Note that all special abilities and attacks are highlighted.

Knight - Equipping heavy and protective armor and wielding a variety of swords known as ' Knight Swords ' which usually excel in their offensive power, the knight is a force to be reckoned with. The knight also uses his protect ability to shield allies from damage when they are low on hit-points. Besides being a offensive power house, the knight also has a strong defensive with the special ability block, which causes him not to receive any damage from enemy attacks at all.

Monk - A martial arts master, his attack power rivals even that of the knight, despite the fact that his only weapons are his limbs. The monk also has several abilities, among them countering enemy attacks with his counter ability and using his kick attack, which deals damage to all enemies. To compensate for his somewhat limited armor, the monk has higher hit-points to absorb more damage.

Thief - The thief has the best agility of all classes, and sometimes his abilities can prove to be lifesavers. Among them is the steal ability. This can prove useful at times as an enemy maybe holding on to a special item, such as powerful weapons and potions. Then there is the hidden passageway ability, which will highlight any secret passageways with white lines. Another ability which could save your mages a beating up from behind is the alertness ability, which will save your party a surprise back attack. Last but not least is the dash ability. While moving around dungeons, castles, towns, and anywhere but outside on the world map, you will run with twice the speed of your normal walk. This is often the only way to get to certain areas - For example, say a door is a good distance from a switch that opens it for a couple of seconds. If you walk there, the door closes before you get there. If you dash, you can go through the door with a couple of seconds to spare. This is only one actual scenario in which the dash command is extremely useful.

Dragoon - Advancing on enemies with special techniques which imitates dragons, the Dragoon often proves to be a great addition to your offensive power. However, although her defense ranks with that of the Knight, her attack power is consistently slightly lower than the Knight. Her jump attack, especially when battling dangerous bosses, more than makes up for such weaknesses though. Not only does it double the damage of a single attack, but it is also the ultimate form of defense, since no attack can reach the Dragoon in the sky. Also, the strength of a jump attack isn't affected by whether a Dragoon is in the front or back row, so if you find yourself consistently jumping in battle, you can put the Dragoon in the back row and half any damage. However, no beneficial things such as potions, healing magic may reach a Dragoon either when jumping.

Ninja - The Ninja sports great agility, and his ambush ability allows the party to be the first to strike in a battle. This can often spell the difference between victory and defeat in difficult battles. The Ninja can also throw various items at enemies, such as ninja stars and magical scrolls. Scrolls have various ninja magic written on them, and throwing them unleashes the magic. Various scrolls include Thunder, Fire and Water. These can affect all enemies on the screen. Also, a ninja's two-handed attack is very potent, especially if the weapons in both hands ability is used in conjunction with a Knight, or Dragoon. Imagine, a Dragoon jumping with two spears. It will cause 4 times the regular damage! The only weakness of the Ninja is his strength, which is consistently lower than the Knight or Dragoon, and his armor limitations.

Samurai - The Samurai is the Knight's equal in terms of offensive and defensive power, only the Samurai is far more likely to unleash super attacks. Super attacks will cause the screen to flash and cause twice the damage of a normal attack to the enemy. The Samurai can also use his catch blows ability to sometimes catch physical blows with his bare hands and reduce the damage done to zero. However, most unique to the Samurai is his powerful money throwing attack. This is probably the strongest attack available, and will inflict extreme damage to every enemy on the screen. It also depletes your money reserves, but sometimes the sacrifice is well worth it. It is safe to expect that it will ease battles with bosses greatly as well as instantly eradicate most monsters. The money sacrifice and power of the attack increases as the thrower's level increases. This attack can get you out of otherwise mortally threatening situations more than once in one, quick, easy, although somewhat expensive step.

Berserker - The Berserker sports the most strength of all the classes. Only the Berserker can wield an axe, which is one of the most potent weapons your party can lay their hands on. On top of all that offensive power however, is his berserk ability. This will double a character's offensive power, but unfortunately, that person will be beyond a player's control, attacking enemies in a raging fury until he or all his enemies are dead. This has its downs however. Characters under the berserk spell are more likely to miss their intended target more than other characters. Special attacks are also wasted on them as they only keep hacking and slashing at an enemy only. Berserkers are automatically gifted with this ability, causing them to always attack their enemies in a frenzy.

Black Mage - An essential addition to any party, the Black Mage is handy to have around whether you're fighting monsters or bosses. Black Mages have the ability to cast all levels of black magic , which range from simple elemental spells to spells that can instantly obliterate enemies. Certain spells can also suck hit-points or magic-points from your enemies and add them to the spell caster. Most of the spells can affect all enemies, although doing so lessens the individual impact of the spell.

White Mage - A virtual pre-requisite to any and all parties is a white magic user. Whether you are traveling in unfamiliar terrain, going through dungeons or even battling powerful foes, a White Mage is a must. His magical powers cover a wide range - From recovering hit-points by healing comrades, curing conditions like poison, confusing enemies and doubling a comrade's defense rates, to casting other protective, preventive, and recovery white magic. Quite possibly the most inept fighter, he cannot even wield knives. As with all other magic spells, the strength of the spell is proportional to the wisdom of the fighter. Thus, a Knight will cast much weaker magic in comparison to a White Mage.

Time Mage - A worthwhile addition to any party, the Time Mage has the ability to cast all time magic spells. Time magic is especially useful when battling unusually powerful bosses or foes. Considering the abundance of both of these, the Time Mage can be very useful to any party. Her magic ranges from speeding up friends, slowing down foes, throwing them into different dimensions, making them grow older and weaker by the minute, dropping heavenly bodies on them, and any number of other mystical and powerful spells.

Summoner - Calling upon powerful entities with his call magic, the Summoner's maximum magic-points grows the fastest of all the classes as call magic takes up a lot of magic-points. Call Magic is very powerful and are great tools to get you out of sticky and potentially lethal situations. Since the sheer power of call magic is most suited for battling bosses, it may be a little wasteful to use it on normal enemies. But if there are magic-point restoring agents available, call magic can make dungeon-roaming and roaming around mindlessly slaughtering hapless enemies for meager sums of experience points much easier. Although most spells for call magic are offense-related, some of them are powerful defensive spells. One calls a golem which totally prevents all physical damage to the entire party. There's also one that casts the magic-reflecting Wall spell on all of the party members. The most powerful spell casts the damage equivalent of the most powerful black magic, Nuke and time magic Meteo combined together on all enemies, just to give you an idea of how powerful the spells can be. A final note: call magic spells are not reflectable, and I doubt if they are weakened by the white magic Shell.

Blue Mage - A very decent physical fighter, the Blue Mage comes close to the ranks of the knight in terms of offensive power. There are innumerable special attacks out there that are launched by monsters, and which can be learned with the Blue Mage's learn ability. After learning them, you can use those abilities in the form of blue magic. Even if you can't have Blue Mage in your party for some reason, it is a very good idea to keep the learn ability on at least two of your fighters, so if an enemy launches a special attack, you have a good chance of learning it. A Blue Mage certainly makes inane level-up battles much more gratifying, and because of this the Blue Mage ranks high in my personal list of favorite classes.

Red Mage - Also a decent physical fighter, the Red Mage has the ability to cast level one to level three black magic as well as white magic. During the beginning portion of the game, when only level one to level three magic are available in stores, it is highly recommended that you turn a good number of your party members into Red Mages. They have very decent fighting skills, can equip mid-class armor and can chant spells up to level three. Once you go further into the game and gain access to higher spells however, the Red Mage starts to become rather obsolete. I recommend that you bring them up to Class Level three, then change classes.

Trainer - A fighter who's strength is heavily dependent on monsters, the Trainer's capture and release attacks center around controlling the enemy to the party's benefit after weakening an enemy to a relatively low level. A Trainer has almost nothing save her monster-handling skills, as she only has a mediocre hit-point and defense rating. In addition, a Trainer's whip doesn't pack much of a punch, although it sometimes stuns enemies. She also doesn't have the wisdom to use magic effectively. However, the Trainer can also take control of an enemy monster with her control attack. This has the obvious benefit of using a monster tactfully against its own party, and also the less explicit benefit of being able to make a monster unleash an otherwise rarely cast blue magic on a particular party member with the learn ability.

Chemist - The Chemist's attacks are virtual life-savers to your party. The drink attack allows a Chemist to drink special medicines which are cheaply and abundantly available. They do great things for you, such as double your current and maximum hit-points for the duration of battle, double your strength for the duration of the battle, double your agility for the duration of the battle, and so on. The heal attack has the effect of a Cure spell without using any magic-points at all. Besides this, the revive attack has the effect of a Life spell on all your party members, also without using any magic-points. On the other hand, his knowledge of medicine ability will double the effect of a potion. For example, a regular character can use a high-potion to restore up to 500 hit-points. When a Chemist uses the knowledge of medicine ability however, he can use it to restore up to 1000 hit-points! As a result, the Chemist is useful when you have very few potions left and want to make the most out of them.

Geomancer - The Geomancer can at times prove to be a useful class, harnessing the forces of nature with his telekinetic powers. Being dependent on the caster's level and the location of the battle, the Geomancer's natural forces attack is rather unique. Less advantageous places are deserts and open fields. Forests provide pretty nice attacks, which mainly center around hailstorms and conveniently sharpened branches impaling the enemy. Other abilities can prove to be life-savers to any party. A fighter with the drop trap ability allows a party to jump back a step without dropping if they happen to step on a floor section that opens up under their feet. A fighter with the damage floor ability also prevents other party members from receiving damage from lava, spiked floors and so on.

Bard - The Bard can prove to be a powerful and effective class with his sing ability. Songs can be collected from people around the world in your travels. Singing songs have powerful effects on both your enemies and friends, ranging from white to time magic, such as Confu ( White Magic ), Freeze ( Time Magic ), Regen ( Time Magic ) and so on... These songs require no magic-points, but the bard does have a decent amount of wisdom, so he is a potential magic user. Attacking with the harp produces numerous effects, but usually it is advisable to stick to singing.

Dancer - One of the only fighters who can equip the most powerful magic defense enhancer, the Dancer's dance attack produces strange effects, like the Drain and Absorb black magic, Confu white magic as well as other unique effects, like momentarily quadrupling the dancer's attack power. Regardless, the Dancer is still a rather useless class in both special attacks and raw fighting talent. I'd use it as something to increase the challenge of the battles it you find them too easy.

Mime - This is one of the most unusual classes in the sense that it does not have the standard fight and item commands. Instead, the Mime uses the mimic attack and has space for three other special attacks / class abilities. The mimic attack imitates the actions of a party member who just finished his / her turn. If someone uses the black magic Nuke, then the Mime will mimic it, and cast Nuke as well, regardless of whether he has the special attack black magic or not. Since the Mime cannot fight or defend itself, nor can he wield powerful weapons without sticking class abilities like wield sword onto him, he is definitely not made for fighting. The mime's three special attack / class ability slots provide a golden opportunity to make them into the most powerful of wizards. You can stick three kinds of magic onto a mime, or stick two magic types and use the third slot for magic-oriented special attacks such as the Red Mage's two spells in a row or the Dragoons dragon sword. A final note though : Unlike the other classes, which are pretty much forced into your hands, the Mime is hidden, and you must look for it. For this reason, many people end up missing it before going to the final boss and suffer longer, more stressful battles. Do everything you can to find this wonderful class before moving on to the bosses' lair.

The Villains ( Bad Guys )

Final Fantasy V features one of the greatest supporting villains of all time - Gilgamesh. Together with Enkidu and his master X-Death, he seeks to bring chaos and destruction to the world.

Gilgamesh - His home base on the Big Bridge, his dramatic musical theme, and the most amazing attack ever to be found in an RPG (the Ultimate Gilgamesh Metamorph), all make Gilgamesh exude coolness from every pixelated pore of his sprite-based body. Gilgamesh and his sidekick, Enkidu, will never fail to both awe and amuse you every time they burst onto the scene.

Enkidu - Being Gilgamesh's sidekick, Enkidu can usually be found next to his partner in destruction - Gilgamesh.

X-Death - Deriving his name from 'exceeding death', X-Death is the evil force that the crystals were made to contain. He was once defeated by the Four Braves Of The Dawn before he was imprisoned. Free once again, he is now once again up to his old antics of bringing doom to the world. His final form is a horrible abhorrent arboreal. All right, no use mincing words - A tree. And let's face it - a tree, even an evil tree, isn't that frightening. However, his ultimate attack is far more terrifying than his appearance - The Mu attack. Instead of fire, ice or other elemental spells, Mu simply brings nothingness and nonexistence to its target. What once was, now isn't. Creepy.

Historical Facts

Gamers in the states have been waiting for Final Fantasy V with bated breath since its Japanese debut in 1992. Originally, Final Fantasy V was said to be released in the states as Final Fantasy III. The project ran into unforeseen difficulties however. Some say that Square thought the game was too complex for American audiences and backed out at the last moment. Others whispered rumors of internal squabbles between Nintendo and Square over the cartridge size. Whatever the reason, Final Fantasy V was canceled for a release in the states, and Final Fantasy VI became Final Fantasy III in the states.

In 1995, Squaresoft resurrected Final Fantasy V as Final Fantasy Extreme. Intended for the hard-core RPG fan, Final Fantasy Extreme was unfortunately, axed during Square's massive restructuring in early 1996. Squaresoft Redmond was shut down, and most of its employees went on to create Crave Entertainment. Meanwhile, Square shifted platform from Nintendo's Super Nintendo Entertainment System to Sony's PlayStation, and founded Square Los Angeles and Square Honolulu. As a result, Final Fantasy Extreme fell to the wayside, a victim of a dying 16-bit era and Square paradigm shift.

All seemed lost for the fans until late 1997, when Final Fantasy V was dragged out into the spotlight once again. Eidos announced that in addition to publishing Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VI in its Platinum Collection, it would also publish Final Fantasy V for the Windows 95 platform. A prominent magazine even ran screenshots of the title with clearly visible english text. However, the project was canned once again for unknown reasons.

Though things seemed hopeless, gamers finally had their wish fulfilled in October 1999 with the release of Final Fantasy Anthology. It included translated versions of Final Fantasy V and Final Fantasy VI for the PlayStation. Unfortunately, the localization was embarrassingly poor. Finally though, fans of the series finally released a patch for the Final Fantasy V ROM that translated the entire game into English. Moreover, the fan translation was superior in every way to the "official" translation. So in short, Square's efforts, though well meaning, were ultimately empty.

Final Fantasy VI   Released:  12th October 1994 ( Final Fantasy III )  2nd April 1994   Systems: Super Famicom Disk System Super Nintendo Entertainment System PlayStation PC Emulators

The Story

A thousand years ago, magic was well-used throughout the world. Unfortunately, a war occurred, decimating most of the world's technology as well as erasing all traces of magic. This war came to be known as the War Of The Magi. Today, technology has made an impressive and remarkable comeback, popping up almost everywhere on the face of civilization. The reigning Empire remains at war with various rebel factions, causing unrest among the general populace. Nonetheless, the world is striving successfully to rebuild itself from the perils of the devastating war.

Unfortunately, Emperor Gesthal has grown power hungry and malicious, lusting for the ancient power of magic. Thus, he has ordered his demented General Kefka to search for this ancient power. Their search has led them to find an Esper, a seemingly vital source of magic. With the finding of the Esper, the empire is now fully poised to take full control of this mysterious power.

Several unlikely warriors, from all walks of life, must now band together and overcome their differences in order to save the world from one who would conquer it, and another who would destroy it.

The Heroes ( Good Guys )

Final Fantasy VI's cast is unique in the sense that there truly is no main character. Some characters are more developed than others, but the player is almost always free to form a party from whomever they desire. In the World of Ruin, the player can bypass the story altogether and go directly to Kefka's Tower as soon as the airship is acquired. This hurry, however, would cause the player to miss out on several dozen fascinating subplots enhancing the characters' backgrounds.

Terra Branford - Daughter of a human and the Esper Maduin, Terra is a unique individual. Being half-human and half-esper, Terra is born with unique abilities of magic. Unfortunately, her unique background has left her struggling in order to understand her emotions and reconcile her inner nature. Worst still, her magical skills have attracted the Emperor's attention, leading to her capture and brainwashing. Following this, she is forced to storm into the mining city Narshe in full Imperial MagiTek Armor. And so begins one girl's quest to rediscover what has been taken from her...

Locke Cole - World's greatest self-proclaimed treasure hunter and thief, Locke is an adventurer and trail-worn traveler at heart. Although being a free spirit, Locke's past is shrouded in a veil of tragedy after losing his Rachel in an unfortunate accident years ago. His skills at appropriating items from unsuspecting enemies will save your party both money and effort.

Edgar Roni Figaro - The young king of Figaro Castle, Edgar secretly supports the Returners while paying only lip service to the Empire. When his castle is stormed by imperial forces, he quickly severs all ties to Emperor Gestahl. His mechanical skills and use of advanced technology become great advantages against the empire. Although deep down inside he loves his twin brother Sabin, all you ever see is the surface squabbling.

Sabin Rene Figaro - King Edgar's twin brother, Sabin has studied the ways of martial arts and now possesses awesome physical skills. After the battle on Mount Kolts, Sabin the Black Belt becomes a valuable member of your party. Although deep down inside he loves his twin brother Edgar, all you ever see is the surface squabbling.

General Celes Chere - This woman's beauty hides her raw strength and powerful abilities. A product of the empire's genetic engineering experiments, the enigmatic Celes is a battle-hardened MagiTek Knight. When you first meet her, she is an Imperial prisoner in the hands of the empire but as it turns out, she was once the general of the Empire's forces.

Shadow - He owes allegiance to no one, and travels around the world selling his skills to the highest bidder. His past as well as his true identity is shrouded in mystery. He is Shadow. Helping your party out, Shadow comes and goes at will. His only trusted companion is his dog, Interceptor.

Cyan Garamonde - A chivalrous and proper knight, Cyan has the courage and strength of a hundred men. A faithful retainer to the King of Doma, Cyan loses his family during the horrible poisoning at Doma. Haunted by the deaths of his family, Cyan vows to avenge them by slaying the man behind the poisoning, General Kefka. Alone, he sets out to take on the empire!

Gau - Draped in monster hides, eyes shining with intelligence. Gau, a youth abandoned on the Veldt years ago to be raised by wild animals and surviving against all odds. He joins your party when you feed him some meat. He'll reward you with a great prize, but he is a useful ally too. Gau's Rage attacks can slash through unsuspecting enemies with amazing force.

Setzer Gabbiani - The world's greatest gambler and sole proprietor of the world's only airship, Setzer's carefree attitude on the outside serves only to hide his tragic past. The loss of his soul mate, Darryl, haunts his now wealthy lifestyle. Being an adventurer and dare devil, Setzer always willing to take a chance on life. Although the flip of a coin can make his most important decisions, eventually he must rely on luck to survive the chance encounters of life.

Strago Magus - Descendents of the Mage Warriors of legend, the villagers of Thamasa all have magical abilities, but the wizard Strago is the mightiest of them. Slightly forgetful at times, he has the uncanny ability to remember enemy attacks. He currently spends his days taking care of his granddaughter, Relm Arrowny.

Relm Arrowny - In the town of Thamasa also resides a young girl with unique powers, wit and talent beyond her years but no figure to call mother and father. Armed with a brush and canvas, Strago's granddaughter Relm practices an unusual brand of magic. She is a force to be reckoned with as in her pictures she captures everything, from forests, water, light and even monsters. Get the idea?

Mog - Most Moogles lead peaceful and undisturbed lives, but when the empire threatens all the land, Mog and his fellow brothers know that it is the time for action. As the only Moogle with the ability to speak due to his great intellect, slam-dancing Mog joins your party to provide you with several useful skills. Kupo!

Umaro - Roaming within the caves of Narshe, Umaro is one of the hidden characters in the game. A Yeti which can't use magic, Umaro does however provide your party with one of the fiercest physical fighters in the game. Although he does not equip himself with armor to protect himself, he wields his weapon of choice - the Bone Club, in your service.

Gogo - Remaining hidden for centuries while waiting for the chance to emerge, your party finds Gogo, an elusive mimic, residing in a very strange place on Triangle Island. Gogo is one of the hidden characters in the game.

The Villains ( Bad Guys )

Final Fantasy V features one of the greatest villains of all time - General Kefka. No matter what the player thinks of him, there's no denying that Kefka is one of the most personality-filled villains in RPG history. It has been said that the audience will hate a good villain, but love a great one. Kefka achieves the greatest honor a villain can receive : he is well liked by the fans.

Emperor Gesthal - Interested in the complete and utter domination of the world, Emperor Gesthal is everything any self-respecting RPG emperor should be. Although he is bland and uninteresting, he does serve his purpose of leading the players from point to point at the beginning of the game.

General Kefka - This fascinating case study is the true image of evil. Before Kefka, villains would be shrouded in mystery - townspeople would whisper hints and rumors of the Dark One's existence, until the Dark One himself would fly into the picture ready to face the hero in combat. Kefka on the other hand, is right on the scene from Act I. His mind is not merely warped, but is seriously bent. He is like a little boy frying ants with a magnifying glass, not only uncaring but also unaware his cruelty has any moral implications. It has been said that the audience will hate a good villain, but love a great one. Kefka achieves the greatest honor a villain can receive : he is well liked.

Additional Hints & Tips

Hint #1

When the Floating Continent begins to self-destruct, don't escape too quickly! Wait until the timer has nearly expired to save. In the World of Ruin, you will find Shadow in the cave on the Veldt, only to lose him. Bet the Striker knife at the Coliseum to fight Shadow and defeat him. After Shadow joins your party, you now have a slight chance of seeing one of his dreams every time you stay at an inn with Shadow in your party. These dreams reveal his hidden past as a train robber, and an even greater secret: Shadow is Relm Arrowny's father.

Historical Facts

As usual, Final Fantasy VI was a massive success in Japan. In the states, Final Fantasy III was the most successful role-playing game to date. Falling somewhere between cult hit and mainstream success, it appealed to both longtime fans of the series and those who had never played an RPG before. It can also be said that Final Fantasy VI was a dramatic change for the series. Issues such as suicide, teenage pregnancy, losing loved ones, and more are all addressed in a mature manner unlike any game ever before. Neither are the characters simply ciphers to be led from one end of the game to another. Instead, they grow and develop, each overcoming his or her own personal demons. Although limited by the space of a cartridge, Square's cinematic aspirations are also clear.

Enjoyed the lesson? Tune in soon for Part IV of "A History Of Final Fantasy" which will be covering the time in which Square's cinematic aspirations became clear - Final Fantasy VII, VIII and IX. So, till next time!