Final Fantasy III iPhone Review

Once known as the Final Fantasy that never came to America, Final Fantasy III is now available for all. A port of a 2006 Nintendo DS remake, it's fair to say this former Famicom adventure has never looked better. But while Square did a much better job updating the look of Final Fantasy III than the previous two chapters on iOS, the game play is still firmly rooted in yesteryear. And that will be a deciding factor for many gamers, especially those that noted the $15.99 price in the App Store with genuine surprise.

Final Fantasy III follows four orphans from the village of Ur that find themselves at the center of a millennium-old battle between the forces of light and dark on a floating continent. Yes, this is most certainly a Square game, as the trope of unlikely hero takes center stage. However, the redesigned characters in this remake definitely inject more personality into the story. The adventure is lengthy, as the heroes discover a world beyond their home and awaken powers within themselves.

That last part is one of Final Fantasy III's strengths. This is the birth of the job system in the Final Fantasy universe. Heroes must funnel their talents into different class categories, each with unique gear and skills. Any hero can try out any job, which allows every gamer to tackle Final Fantasy III different from the next. This particular remake, though, shuffles the job system to make it more balanced than the original, so now there is reason for try jobs beyond the badass ninja or warrior. The red mage and evoker, though, still remain at the top of the heap as the go-to job to get things done via powerful magic spells and monster summons in combat.

What doesn't change, though, is the basic rhythm of combat – and this is where Final Fantasy III shows its age despite the new look. Turn-based battles are as plodding as ever. I understand, on a technical level, why this wasn't changed, but that doesn't make them necessarily fun. At least the touch controls make tapping through battles fairly easy, such as the ability to now just poke the monster you want to target, rather than pick through a menu.

In the overworld, Final Fantasy III offers a virtual stick for movement that is far superior to the virtual controls of Square original Final fantasy iOS remakes. You can also use touch controls to zoom in on your surroundings and solve puzzles, looking for sparkling objects and items that indicate something of importance. This zoom works well enough, but I'm not going to fib. There were times I had to consult our walkthrough to figure out exactly where I was supposed to "look."

Naturally, I can't end this without discussing the price: $15.99. That's not cheap for an iPhone game – especially as Square jockeys for attention with the likes of Tiny Wings and Angry Birds, each 99-cent wonders. But consider what you're getting. This is a huge adventure that will last you many, many hours. Plus, it's about half of the price of the 2006 Nintendo DS version. So, if you are a Final Fantasy nut, there's likely little question over making the download. But if you aren't sure if you'd like an old-school role-playing game (straight outta 1990), that price may give you real pause.

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