Author: Ben <benulo@systemli.org>
Tue Sep 7 05:24:01 PM +0430 2021
When I first heard that Square was re-releasing Final Fantasy I-VI in the form of the Pixel Remaster series, I have to admit that I wasn't very excited about it. I had already played all of these games in one form or another, often the original releases through emulation, so while I appreciated that the games were being released again, I didn't think I would want to buy them really. Aside from purchasing FFVII and VIII on Steam a few years ago just to have them on Steam (I already owned the PC versions of these games from when they came out), proably the last Final Fantasy games I bought were the 3D remakes of III and IV on the Nintendo DS. I was actually very pleased with those remakes and hoped they would continue on to do the rest in the series, but it seems like this never happened.
Now, there is one Final Fantasy game that is most dear to my heart, and that is Final Fantasy VI, which I played on the Super Nintendo when I was a kid. To experience that game at the time that I did, back in the 1990's and only being eight or nine years old, it was too magical to describe. The game just exuded this sense of wonder and beauty that I hadn't seen in a game before, with unparalleled art, setting, story, and music. Even today I'm fairly convinced that this game's soundtrack is possibly the best musical score ever written, and it's one of the few games whose graphics aged as well as they have.
I've tried going back to it over the years, but as an adult I find that it just isn't as magical as it was when I was a kid. That's understandable, and video games have advanced a lot in the past three decades. It's hard for me to care about any game much nowadays, so while I do play games sometimes, it's not my preferred form of entertainment anymore it seems.
Even so, I have over the years maintined a plan to replay it some day and finish it once and for all, as I was never able to beat it. (The only Final Fantasy game I ever beat was VII, which I had put many more hours into.) In fact, I wanted to play all the Final Fantasy games to completion at least once in my lifetime. Who knows when that will happen.
Usually when I play VI I go for the original SNES version, since it seems to have held up best even compared to later releases, and it's the one I remember from my childhood. If it ain't broke, why fix it? However, the last attempt was with the GBA ROM because I was lured in by the promise of additional content. I just couldn't stick with it for more than a day or two. After that, I tried the GBA version of FFI and got a bit farther in that, possibly farther than I had ever gotten in that game, and the last time I played that must have been back in the 90's with an NES emulator.
When VI was re-released a couple years ago for Android and PC with a graphical remake, I was almost going to buy it, but I didn't really feel like paying $15 for a game I already had, and the graphics looked worse compared to the original. The new sprites that were redrawn for these (mainly mobile) releases were heavily criticized, and I could see that it just wasn't FFVI like I had remembered it. Even so, I was waiting for it to go on sale just to give it a try. Maybe the new graphics had some merit and it would feel more new/fresh.
All of this was pretty far from my mind until I chanced upon a post online about some FFVI ROM hack, and it made me feel like I should try playing it again. Then I starte reading about all the different versions of the game that have come out over the years, and the differences between them are infuriating because you can't have them all. No matter which one you choose, you're going to be missing something.
So I thought, "OK, I played the SNES version already a bunch of times, and it's known to have issues in its translation." The new translation introduced with the GBA version seems like the best way to go to get a finer appreciation for the story details than I had when I was a kid. It also features the extra content, which seem to be just a couple espers and a couple dungeons. On the downside, it's the version with the worst graphics and sound quality. On the other hand, the Android version has most of the perks (translation, content) probably with better graphics and sound even if the sprites are funny or far removed from the original.
I got to the point where I was going to give the Android version a go, but to my surprise it's not available for sale anymore. I don't know if it's because I'm in the wrong region or something, but it seems Square pulled it from both Steam and Google Play because either people hated that version or (more likely) they don't want it competing with the upcoming Pixel Remaster version.
What was I to do? Go back to the SNES version, which brings nothing new? I guess that's OK if I want to relive my childhood, but delving deeper in the story would require the new translation. Should I try the GBA version again even though it is inferior in quality? There are GBA ROM hacks that improve the graphics and sound. That might be worth it. Then I looked at the Pixel Remaster series, and I was rather tempted by it because I'm sure it will include the latest translation, even though it has already been announced that it would not include the GBA additional content. But do I really need those extra espers and dungeons? Well... I guess if I ever get that into the game again I can play multiple versions of it. Either way, I'd have to start with some version.
Somehow, the Pixel Remaster seemed like the best all-around compromise because you get the most up-to-date graphics, keeping it looking close to the original but somehow adapted to large widescreen displays. You also get good quality music and sound, I'm sure. So I thought, given that I mainly want the new translation, I should give this native port a try on Steam, new content be damned. I can sort that out later some day.
Since I decided to buy it, I logged into Steam and looked at what was available. VI has not been released yet, but of the Pixel Remaster series they've gone up to IV so far. It didn't seem palatable to buy them individual for $15-20, but I noticed the bundle was on sale for $75. I wouldn't normally ever pay that much for a game, but for six games that I must own sooner or later? That's fair. Plus you get the OST's for all of them, which honestly is worth something given how many of these games have outstanding soundtracks.
Even though the Pixel Remaster series has been getting mostly bad press (complaints about sprites, complaints about fonts, complaints about missing extra content), I decied to give it a go. I mean, I was planning to play these games anyway, and they have been reported on ProtonDB to run excellently on Linux. How could I pass that up? I wasn't sure how Proton would handle my gamepad, but I was willing to risk it. I could play them using the keyboard, but that's just not as fun.
After downloading and installing Final Fantasy I, I was pleasantly surprised that everything really did work perfectly out of the box, including my gamepad, whose buttons were miraculously perefectly mapped, and I realized that I was getting the experience that I hoped for. Is it truly perfect? No. There seems to be some V-sync issue that causes slight wobbling when scrolling, but there's probablby some trick to fix that which I haven't figured out yet, and it's tolerable nonetheless. It doesn't really affect key game elements like combat, dialog/cutscenes, or the music.
Once I began playing the game, I began to really appreciate everything the new version offers. There's so many nice updates and improvements to the gameplay compared to the original NES version, and even compared to the GBA version I played previously. (So many, that I can't go over them all in detail.) I became convinced that this is the best release of this particular game so far. What's more, I began to feel unexpectedly emotional, like I really loved this game and was so happy that I get to play the whole series like this in such a high-quality release.
So, is the Pixel Remaster series worth it? I'd say yes. I am totally satisfied with this version of the games. Even though I have only played the first one, I understand the idea of what they've done here. I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything, and it's a good balance of being both new and improved but still retaining the "classic" feel of the originals. If you plan to play the Final Fantasy series, it's hard not to recommend this since you're getting arguably the best releases of the first six games in the series. (Arguably the most important games in the series.)
If you're hesitant because you heard bad things about the Pixel Remasters, I can assure you there's nothing wrong with the graphics (sprites or fonts). The music sounds good, too. So, if you're a purist and don't want anything different from the originals, play the originals with emulators. That's a good option too, but the improvements brought with these new releases contribute to a great overall experience. Especially for I-III, I'd rather not play the originals, although I'm sure they're great. They're probably more difficult too, and may not be so well translated. The improvements to gameplay should not be taken for granted.
You just shouldn't go into it thinking you're getting the "original" games, because these are definitely remakes. Good remakes, but ultimately it will come down to personal preference. I feel this release is going to be best for most people, and hardcore fans are probably going to rather go for original releases, ROM hacks, and the like, or seek out the peculiarities of different versions like the 3D remakes or the Playstation/PSP versions. I for one am happy with the convenience of this bundle, having the complete series on Steam, playing it on Linux with my gamepad, and all that. (I'll probably never lose a save again!)