The Final Fantasy games have cemented their place in gaming history by becoming the RPG standard in which other games are judged. There was a time, however, that most of the games did not even make it to North American gamers. In 1994, Square (Not yet Enix) decided that the next game would be created by another team then the creator of the series. The result was Final Fantasy VI, a game that took the series in a new direction.
The World of Balance has existed with three different places holding the most power. Terra Branford is a loyal Imperial solider, trying to acquire Espers for her leader, Emperor Gestahl. The extraction does not go well and Terra discovers that she has been controlled all her adult life. This will put her on the path to meet the The Returners, a group who looks to take down the Empire once and for all.
Final Fantasy VI was the first game of the series not to feature a medieval setting. There is a a lot of steampunk flying around and the world seems to be in the Victorian age. Magic is a rare find, as people do not know how to use it. This shift from the sword and wizard world of previous games was a bit of a shock, but it allowed the game to take on new themes and not be confined by one setting.
The characters all have different personalities, ranging from generals to a thief. These people come in and out of the story, and not all of them will make it to the end. The previous game in the series had done away with choosing classes of characters in favor of controlling fully formed people. The result is sometimes hard to handle as someone might leave your party that you like.
The game will be remembered for one big moment. Halfway through, you and your party lose. The world ends and suddenly you awaken a year later in the World of Ruin. Characters have changed and the world is now made up of islands. This was one of the most shocking moments in video games at this time. It was like playing a new game. This showed that Final Fantasy was not afraid to take risks.
Final Fantasy VI is still considered to be one of the best games of all times, and should be in discussion for best RPG of all time. It was included in the games preloaded for the Super NES Classic Mini. Later games would continue to create new worlds, some in the past, some in the far distant future. The world of Final Fantasy continues to grow, and this game was the first step forward.
