Final Fantasy III

Final Fantasy III

Overview & History

Released by Square in 1990 for the Japanese Famicom, Final Fantasy III marks a monumental turning point in JRPG history. Trapped as an 8-bit exclusive for decades while its successors leaped to the Super Famicom, this masterpiece was finally brought to modern audiences via 3D remakes, but the original Famicom version remains a triumph of hardware utilization. The storyline begins with four orphan youths falling into a subterranean cave opening near Ur, where they discover the Wind Crystal. Charged with restoring balance to a world threatened by the Void, the party boards the invincible airship Nautilus and later the Enterprise, traversing floating continents and subterranean depths to thwart the nefarious wizard Xande and the Cloud of Darkness.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

Square perfected the quintessential franchise formula by introducing the legendary Job System. Unlike the fixed classes of the original game, Final Fantasy III allows players to dynamically switch character roles on the fly using Capacity Points earned in battle. Characters like Luneth, Arc, Refia, and Ingus can transition from novice Freelancers into Monks pummeling foes with bare fists, White Mages casting life-saving Curaja spells, Thieves pilfering rare items, or Summoners calling forth apocalyptic entities like Bahamut. Turn-based combat is complemented by a unique front/back row tactical placement system to mitigate physical damage. Notably, dungeons feature grueling stretches without save points, culminating in multi-stage boss fights that demand absolute mastery of class synergies and item management.

Keyboard Controls

• Arrow Keys / D-Pad: Move
• Action Keys: Attack / Jump
• Enter: Start / Pause