This was hailed as one of the best Final Fantasy games on the SNES, and some Japanese fans say that it's the best one. I say it's good, but get 7 if you get any. This is another leap from FF4, but a much smaller one this time. The graphics have been improved, as can be seen from the outset and a lot more detail has gone into this game. Also, this is the last of the Final Fantasy games to contain one of my favorite little add-ons, the job system. This is quite simple, but can give you a lot more control than you would first think. In the Game, you can acquire jobs by finding the Elemental Crystals of Fire, Water, Earth and Air. When you find most of these, they shatter in front of your eyes, and the shards contain the souls of long-dead heroes that lend you their powers. There are more jobs than I first thought, and despite your inevitable first opinion, all of the jobs are distinctly different. These jobs include Knight, White Mage, Black Mage and a lot more (see the Jobs section for details on all of the jobs). Each of these jobs can only use specific weapons and armor which can sometimes be quite a pain when your I the weapon shops and you buy all of the new weapons just to find a better job and decide to change. You then get lumbered with changing all of the equipment and probably having to buy more (this has happened to me more than once). Apart from this, it’s a real gem of an idea that I sorely miss from all of the more recent Final Fantasy games.

On to the story now we've got all of that other stuff out of the way. This is the tale of a wandering traveller named Butz (snigger) and his trusty Chocobo 'Boco' who one day are disturbed by a ruddy great big comet coming crashing down to earth. When he goes to investigate, he finds a woman (Leena) being attacked. He helps her, and they decide to stick together. Then they find a man round the corner of the meteor (Galuf) who tells us how he banged his head and can't remember a thing. The three of you team up and take Leena to where she wants to go. On the way, she tells you of the crises facing the planet, and how the crystals are shattering, and so begins the adventure of our three travellers'. And a flippin good one it is too! This really is where they start getting real good, and is a good starting point to the series. This one was never released in England, and I only have the Imported one from Japan, so I don't have a damn clue what anyone is saying! I've got the ROM with an English patch though, and I'm supposing that it is a faithful translation, plus I'm going to get Final Fantasy chronicles when it is released over here in Britain.

Mooglemans Rating - ><