Final Fantasy Quest - The Best Final Fantasy Game Ever Made (Legit, 100%)

Instead of finishing the repetitive Final Fantasy IV: The After Years or the farcical Final Fantasy V, I opted to play the superior Final Fantasy game. No, not VI, VII or even awkward-laughing X. I mean, of course, Final Fantasy Mystic Quest for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.

Released in the US on October 5, 1992, Final Fantasy Mystic Quest was not at all given to us because the developers thought we sucked at JRPGs and need a basic game to train with. Rather, it is the true pinnacle which all true Final Fantasies strive for.

Mah boi!

It is the epic tale of Benjamin (most likely an orphan) and his quest to save the four elemental crystals. Like any Final Fantasy protagonist is wont to do. To cut out the fussiness of managing 5 players at a time, the player is given no more than 2 characters to control at any time. And unlike a certain other game, the game is not automatically over if the main character gets KO'd!

Ahem.

In all seriousness, FFMQ is at best decent, and at worst mediocre. The preceding year saw the release of Final Fantasy IV with its epic scope and (relative to a lot of other games at the time) intricate plot of friendship, betrayal and battle. Enemies didn't wait for your turn and bosses were tough. Surely the next game in the series would kick everything up to an 11? (Or, at least, a V).

Enter Mystic Quest. Few would consider this a worthy follow up to IV, or any entry in the series, for that matter. Gameplay was oversimplified and almost nothing like that of the "superior" entries in the series. To my knowledge, there hasn't been a remake of it like the other games.

And yet.

Perhaps time has afforded a more balanced perspective. Mystic Quest, despite not being the amazing V, is still worth considering. For instance, you can jump. There's tools that affect the world map, like a claw-shot or axe. Partners can either be automatic or controlled manually. While I won't apologize for the game's deficiencies, it's unfair to vilify the game merely because it's not IV or V.

What were the things I liked? One notable example is the Focus Tower. The game has no over world in the traditional sense, but the Focus Tower serves as a hub for the different areas to which Benjamin goes. Inside, there are several doors. These doors are unlocked as the game progresses. I admit, it was fun to wonder where each door would lead, and then finally unlock it.

One of the first doors seen, but the last unlocked

Another cool feature are the battle sprites of the enemies. Even in the glorious oeuvre that is Final Fantasy VI, very few enemies have more than one battle sprite. Not so in MQ. Almost all enemies have two sprites, one normal and one battle-damaged. Bosses have more, anywhere between 3-4.

Good thing ol' Flamey had a few spare ribs, eh?

Where's Interceptor?

I wouldn't recommend it before V or VI, but if you have the time and are so inclined, go ahead and give Mystic Quest a shot.

I win again again

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Whew! This article had been sitting around unfinished for a while! In the meantime, I tried to get a little further in The After Years, but I'm still stuck before a particular encounter with the Mysterious Girl on the moon. At least I get more time to play as Golbez! And I started into VI and Crisis Core.

But enough rambling, I'm off to play that free demo of Final Fantasy XV!