Final Fantasy VI
Tags: good versus evil, insanity, tragedy

Plot synopsis:
=== Setting ===
Final Fantasy VI takes place on a large, unnamed world. During the course of the game, its geography and landscape change due to various developments in the game's plot. During the first half of the game, the world is divided into three major continents and referred to as the World of Balance. The northern continent is punctuated by a series of mountain ranges and contains many of the locations accessible to the player. Most of the southern continent has been taken over by the Empire, while the eastern continent is home to a large patch of land called the Veldt where monsters from all over the world can be found. Halfway through the game, the world's geographical layout is altered, resulting in its three large continents splitting into several islands of various size situated around a larger continent at their center. This altered layout of the game's locations is referred to as the World of Ruin.
In contrast to the medieval settings featured in previous Final Fantasy titles, Final Fantasy VI is set in what is now known as a steampunk environment. The structure of society parallels that of the latter half of the 19th century, with opera and the fine arts serving as recurring motifs throughout the game, and a level of technology comparable to that of the Second Industrial Revolution. Railroads and steamships are in use, and a coal mining operation is run in the northern town of Narshe. Additionally, several examples of modern engineering and weaponry (such as a chainsaw and drill) have been developed in the Kingdom of Figaro. However, communication systems have not reached significant levels of development, with letters sent by way of carrier pigeon serving as the most common means of long-distance communication.
A thousand years before the events of the game, three entities known as the Warring Triad initiated a conflict that would come to be called the War of the Magi. This quarrel grew to catastrophic proportions, unleashing magical energy into the world which transformed afflicted humans into espers—magical beings who themselves were used as soldiers in the war. Eventually realizing the horrific calamity wrought by their hands, the Triad returned free will to the espers and sealed their own powers, becoming stone statues. Their only request was that the espers ensure their power remain locked away so it might never be used again. The espers carried their stone gods to a hidden land, sealing both the statues and themselves off from the realm of humans. The concept of magic gradually faded to legend and myth as mankind built a society extolling science and technology. At the game's opening, the most advanced nation is the Empire, a cruel and expanding dictatorship led by Emperor Gestahl and his clownish general Kefka Palazzo. Approximately eighteen years before the events of the game begin, the barrier between the espers' land and the rest of the world weakened. Soon after, Gestahl takes advantage of this and attacks the espers' land, capturing several of them.
Using the espers as a power source, Gestahl initiated a research program to combine magic with machinery and infuse humans with magical powers, the result being a craft known as "Magitek". Kefka became the first experimental prototype of a line of magically empowered soldiers called Magitek Knights, drastically impairing his sanity. Magitek innovations have allowed the Empire to supplement its forces with mechanical infantry, armed with Magitek-powered weaponry. At the opening of the game, the Empire is on the verge of rediscovering the full potential of magic by reopening the gateway to the world of the espers. However, Gestahl's military dominion is opposed by the Returners, a rebel organization seeking to overthrow the Empire and free its territories.
=== Characters ===
Final Fantasy VI features fourteen permanent playable characters, the most of any game in the main series, as well as several secondary characters who are only briefly controlled by the player. The starting character, Terra Branford, is a reserved half-human, half-esper girl who spent most of her life as a slave to the Empire, thanks to a mind-controlling device, and is unfamiliar with love. Other primary characters include Locke Cole, a treasure hunter and rebel sympathizer with a powerful impulse to protect women; Celes Chere, a former general of the Empire, who joined the Returners after being jailed for questioning imperial practices; Edgar Figaro, a consummate womanizer and the king of Figaro, who claims allegiance to the Empire while secretly supplying aid to the Returners; Sabin Rene Figaro, Edgar's brother, who fled the royal court in order to pursue his own path and hone his martial arts skills; Cyan Garamonde, a loyal knight to the kingdom of Doma who lost his family and friends as a result of Kefka poisoning the kingdom's water supply; Setzer Gabbiani, a habitual gambler and thrill seeker and owner of the world's only airship; Shadow, a ninja mercenary, who offers his services to both the Empire and the Returners at various stages throughout the game; Relm Arrowny, a young but tough artistic girl with magical powers; Strago Magus, Relm's elderly grandfather and a Blue Mage; Gau, a feral child surviving since infancy in the harsh wilderness known as the Veldt; Mog, a Moogle from the mines of Narshe; Umaro, a savage but loyal sasquatch also from Narshe, talked into joining the Returners through Mog's persuasion; and Gogo, a mysterious, fully shrouded master of the art of mimicry.
Most of the main characters in the game hold a significant grudge against the Empire and, in particular, Kefka Palazzo, who serves as one of the game's main antagonists along with Emperor Gestahl. The supporting character Ultros serves as a recurring villain and comic relief throughout the game. A handful of Final Fantasy VI characters have reappeared in later games, such as Secret of Evermore. Additionally, Final Fantasy SGI, a short tech demo produced for the Silicon Graphics Onyx workstation, featured polygon-based 3D renderings of Locke, Terra, and Shadow.
=== Story ===
A mind-controlled Terra Branford participates in an Imperial raid on Narshe in search of a recently unearthed frozen esper (later identified as Tritoch; Valigarmanda in the GBA retranslation) found in the city's mines. The esper then kills Terra's controllers and breaks the Imperial control over her, but she is unable to remember anything about her past. Locke Cole, a treasure hunter, promises to protect her until she can regain her memories and helps her escape to the hideout of the Returners, a group of militants opposing the Empire. Along the way, they pass through the Kingdom of Figaro and meet Edgar Roni Figaro, the king, and his estranged brother, Sabin Rene Figaro, who join them. Banon, the leader of the Returners, asks for Terra's help in their struggle against the Empire, and she agrees. Just as the resistance is preparing to return to Narshe to investigate the frozen esper, the Empire attacks South Figaro. Locke heads to the besieged town to slow the Empire's advance, while the rest of the group makes their way via rafting down the nearby Lethe River. However, Sabin is separated from the group after a battle with Ultros, self-proclaimed "octopus royalty" and a recurring antagonist, forcing the various members of the Returners to find their own ways to Narshe in three different scenarios controlled by the player. In Locke's scenario, he must escape the imperial occupied town of South Figaro without detection. Sabin has been swept to a distant continent and must find a way back while Terra, Edgar, and Banon will continue to float down the Lethe River back to Narshe.
Eventually, the original party reunites in Narshe. Locke brings with him Celes Chere, one of the Empire's own generals, whom he saved from execution for defying the Empire's ruthless practices. Sabin brings with him Cyan Garamonde, whose family was killed during the Empire's siege of Doma Castle when Kefka Palazzo ordered the water supply poisoned, and Gau, a feral child he befriended on the Veldt. In Narshe, the Returners prepare to defend the frozen esper from the Empire. After the player successfully thwarts the Imperial invasion, Terra approaches the frozen esper, prompting her to transform into an esper-like form herself. She flies away, confused and horrified by her own transformation.
The Returners set out to search for Terra and eventually trace her to the city of Zozo, though they are still shocked by her apparent existence as an esper. There, they also meet the esper Ramuh, who tells them that if they free various other espers from the Magitek Research Facility in the Empire's capital, Vector, they may find one who can help Terra. Vector is on the southern continent, to which the Empire does not allow maritime access, so the Returners go to the Opera House and recruit Setzer Gabbiani, who is believed to be the owner of the Blackjack, the only airship in the world. They then travel to Vector and attempt to rescue several espers, including Maduin, who is revealed to be Terra's father. However, the espers are already dying from the experiments at Vector, and choose instead to give their lives to transform into magicite—the crystallized remains of the espers' essences that form when they die and allow others to use their powers. The dying espers bestow their magicite upon the Returners. Before the group can then escape, Kefka arrives and causes the Returners, including Locke, to momentarily doubt Celes' loyalty, much to her anguish. However, she provides proof to them of her support by covering for the group while the rest escape. The rest of the group then returns to Zozo, where Terra reacts to the magicite of her father, prompting her to gain knowledge of her past and accept herself as the half-human, half-esper child of Maduin and a human woman.
After reuniting with Terra, the Returners decide that it is time to launch an all-out attack on the Empire, and Banon asks Terra to attempt contacting the espers' land in order to gain their support. Terra succeeds in making contact, and when the espers learn that the others captured by the Empire previously have now perished, they become infuriated and enter the human world, where they destroy much of Vector. When the Returners arrive in the capital, they find Emperor Gestahl claiming to no longer have the will to fight, inviting the Returners to a banquet to negotiate peace. Gestahl asks Terra to deliver a truce to the espers on his behalf, to which she agrees. Accompanied by Locke, Shadow (a ninja mercenary hired by the Empire for the mission), Generals Celes and Leo, the player must then guide Terra to the remote village Thamasa in search of the espers, where they meet Strago Magus and his granddaughter, Relm Arrowny, who also accompany them.
Soon, they find the espers and Terra convinces them to accept a truce with Gestahl. However, during the negotiations, Kefka attacks the espers, killing each of those still alive and capturing the magicite that remains from their essence. Additionally, he kills General Leo, who is appalled by Kefka's dishonorable tactics and attempts to defend the espers. The Returners reunite, now aware that the peace was a ploy for Gestahl to obtain magicite and the stone statue remains of the Warring Triad within the espers' now-unsealed land. Kefka and Gestahl travel through the open gate to the esper world, find the Warring Triad, and prompt the island on which the esper world is located to detach and fly in the sky as an ominous Floating Continent. The Returners attempt to stop them from causing further damage, but despite their efforts, they are unable to prevent Kefka and Gestahl from gaining the power of the statues. Now empowered, Kefka promptly kills Gestahl and moves the statues out of their proper alignment, upsetting the balance of magical power and causing the destruction of most of the surface world. In the disaster, the Returners are separated from one another as Setzer's airship is torn apart.
One year later, Celes awakens from a coma on a deserted island and learns that the world has been devastated by Kefka, who now dominates it as a god-like ruler. Much of the human population has died and plant and animal life are slowly being killed by sickness, punctuating humanity's despair. Celes sets out from the Solitary Island to try to reunite with as many of her friends as she can find. Celes is only required by the game's story to reunite with Edgar and Setzer, who leads them to the Falcon, an airship that belonged to a deceased friend; however, in a series of mostly optional side-quests, the player has the opportunity to gather the entire group, all still alive, as well as new allies Umaro and Gogo. Together, this quantity of Returners launch a new offensive against Kefka's Tower. Inside, the Returners battle their way through Kefka's defenses and destroy the three statues, the source of Kefka's newfound power. When destroying the statues, once the source of all magic, does not cause any noticeable reaction, the party realizes that Kefka has successfully drained the Warring Triad of power and has become the source of all magical power.
Making a final stand against Kefka, the characters destroy him, but since the gods' power had come to reside in him all magicite begins to shatter and Kefka's magically-maintained tower begins to crumble. The Returners make their escape, though if Terra is present, she begins to weaken due to her half-esper heritage. However, before her father's magicite shatters, his spirit informs her that by holding to the human side of herself, she may survive the passing of magic. In the end, the party escapes Kefka's Tower aboard the Falcon. Terra survives, and the group observes the world's communities rejuvenating themselves.

Review: The most powerful moment in the game, in fact, is easily Celes' decision to end it all when the world goes to hell (though the opera scene is truly emotional as well).This game changed gaming.
It's 16-bit graphics often tell more story and emotion than the others can even hope for, and it's got the best villain ever (Kefka is the man).
I played this game for the first time in 1995 (i was thirteen at the time) and i didn't know much about rpg's except for Zelda which is also a very good game.
In the beginning i didn't understand the gameplay and i thought it was boring and almost turned off the snes to never play the game again.Luckily i continued playing and after a couple hours (when you choose between Sabin, Edgar and Locke groups)i realized that it wasn't just another good game, it was like entering in a parallel magical world which you don't want to comeback.
It was so perfect in all the sense of the word, music, story, plot, game play etc etc that i just want to be part of the returners or a soldier of Figaro or something.This is not only the best video game ever, this is better than any movie, book or anything as well.
Now i'm 22 and i still haven't feel this with any other game (including ALL the others final fantasy) and i think i'll never feel it again.There's a gigantic difference between a very good RPG like Chrono Trigger, FFVII, FFVIII, etc and the mighty FINAL FANTASY VI..
You know, the wonderful gameplay isn't this game's best feature.
The game start off, like many Square Soft games (like FF4 and 7,) with the main character doing the dirty work for the evil side.
Final Fantasy VI is one of the best games I have ever played.
Final Fantasy VI is the only video game ever to capture me so completely with its narrative that I've never forgotten it.
Many people have complained that the great amount of characters detracts from the game's success, but really it adds much needed replay value.
You have to understand, I first played this game when I was 11 years old and it was one of the most amazing and emotional things I'd gotten involved with at that age.
Sure, I read books all the time, but video games added the element of interactivity and that made me feel more involved in the story.
I scribbled quotes from the game all over my notebooks and dreamed about being part of the cast of characters.That said, this game is from the SNES days, and if you've played RPGs from that era, you may understand that the standards for writing and translation were significantly lower than they are today.
Everyone fixates on how graphics have changed over time, but I think that the level of writing is a more significant and noticeable difference and I think that if people want to judge a game by fair standards, they have to take that into consideration as well.The music, as many people have said, is one of the strongest points in the game.
If you've played any Final Fantasy game, you have some idea of what to expect.I kind of wish that they could remake this game and help it live up to its potential.
From the moment you power on your SNES or PSX to the moments the final credits crawl across your screen this game will hold you under it's spell for hours at a time.
The quality of this game can be seen in every part of it be it the music, Uematsu Nobue the Character design Yoshitaka Amano or simply the amazing story this game shines above all the rest even through it's age.
Simply put for those who never had a chance to play this masterpiece back in 1994 do yourself a favour and buy the rerelease on the Sony Playstation because if you can enjoy a good movie you can enjoy this game..
Easily the Best Game I Have Played, Better Than Most Films.
Released in the United States as Final Fantasy III originally, this role playing game contains a combination of drama, science fiction, and action into something resembling an independent film noir turned into a video game.The story starts by explaining what has happened in the world up to that point in an intro story, and we are then introduced to three soldiers of the Empire in their mechanical Tek Armor: Vicks and Wedge, two bland troops, and Terra, a brainwashed prodigy.
Since this is a video game, seeing the story progress depends on you being successful in the game, and you can achieve slightly different outcomes depending on your actions.Terra is the center of the game, with Locke, Edgar, Sabin, Celes, and Cyan also as lead characters (did I mention the cast is big?).
Supporting characters include Shadow, Gau, Strago, Relm, Umaro, Gogo, Mog, Setzer, General Leo, Getsahl, and Ultros, with Kefka as the resident villain.I am a big fan of film, television, literature, and video games (I have no life), and am familiar with all four mediums.
I have to say, Final Fantasy III is better than most movies I have seen, and I have seen a lot of good movies.
Easily the best video game of all time, and better than most movies..
The main character in the story, Terra, has to go through many variations of life.
I never played this Final Fantasy chapter as a kid, I only really got into the series after VII and eventually played this one on the Playstation V and VI anthology, so I don't have a particularly nostalgic connection to it, but I certainly found it to be another vast, rich and rewarding RPG that was very well worth the effort of getting into, and was a great world to explore and uncover, especially after you properly unlock magic and learn how to manipulate that stat system so that everyone could be a great fighter or magic user if you so wanted.
There are a lot of them, but you do grow attached to and care for the huge cast of playable characters that include such colourful types as girl who later changes into a flying naked magic goddess, a sketch artist, a wild jungle boy who I found too troublesome to fully utilise, a good old-fashioned mysterious black-garbed ninja assassin who hops in and out of your party whenever he feels like it, a Mog and even a yeti who attacks by hurling the other party members at enemies during battle!
To say there were so many characters, there's a great job done of establishing each of their personalities and motivations for joining in the fight against tyranny, some a little more than others, but it all gives the game a greater depth and level of detail that I really love.
Some don't like to read such excessive text, but if you ask me if that's your attitude then what the heck are you playing a Final Fantasy game for?
That's what's awesome about Monsieur Kefka, amongst the classic villains gallery he's the one that for all intents and purposes, succeeds in bringing about the end of the world...only the story of this game doesn't end there, and after you've located your scattered friends in the crippled world that Kefka has wrought, you scale the labyrinthian tower that he has raised on its ashes and battle the ultimate psycho clown atop a twisted pillar of effigies where he takes the final grandiose form of an angel, which is anything but an angel of mercy!
Definitely one of the best games on the SNES with its gorgeous visuals, sweeping musical score (courtesy of Nobuo Uematsu), engrossing narrative and a memorable cast of ensemble characters (my favorites include Terra, Edgar, his bro Sabin, and Celes), and one of the most unforgettable villains in video game history: Kefka.
The sixth installment in the most famous role-playing game series was another major turning point in the saga for introducing lot darker atmosphere than before.
The story about stopping a powerful empire from using magic for complete world domination is full of toughing twist and turns.Part of the story's charm is colorful cast of charismatic characters who all have well-thought personalities.
This is notably bad for the young magic-casting woman Terra (Just what she was doing all these years before the game starts?) and the empire's insane top general Kefka who now feels somewhat out of place.
It also annoys that the story can't decide between Terra and ex-general Celes who its main character is.Music is just amazing, the atmosphere is perfectly caught with many awesome pieces including the tearfully beautiful world map theme and truly epic Dancing Mad for example.
Game's battle and level up system is interesting and functional despite being little clumsy and offers multiple choices for character building.
There's also a downside in this: it's way too easy to build your characters super killing machines that can destroy the hardest bosses just by touching them.Even though time haven't been friendly to some of its technical solutions Final Fantasy VI can still, even after 15 years, to touch people by its pure magic..
Final Fantasy VI is undoubtedly the best RPG of the time it was released.
This is the best game I have ever played for SNES.
The game is an RPG in a world controlled by an empire, there are strings of rebellion such as the Returners and the characters themselves and they go on fighting the empire until a disaster happens.
The best characters are Shadow the Loner Ninja, Cyan the warrior, Sabin the martial arts expert, and of course Kefka the brutal General.
Rudra no Hihou, much better Super Famicom RPG, in my own opinion) had a lot of characters, but at least they separated each four main characters' scenarios, so they could get full characterization, makign you feel like you were playing a game-within-a-game!
Tina is the insecure heroine whining about how she should love, Lock is a tough boy treasure hunter with a soft spot, Edgar is a flirt, Mash is a macho-wannabe, Cayeene is just a man who lost his family and wants revenge (he whines about this thoughout the whole entire game!), Shadow is a cold hearted loner, Celes is such a whiner, Mog is your happy-go-lucky Mogri, Gau is your run of the mill wild boy, Stragus is a fuss bucket and Relm is such a little snob.
It has been hailed as the greatest Final Fantasy game, the greatest RPG on the SNES, or even the greatest JRPG of all time.
However, I didn't feel any of the same investment or enjoyment while playing Final Fantasy Vi. Though featuring a large cast of characters, few (if any) feel like real people.
The massive end-of-the-world and end-of-magic stakes don't really leave any impact on me because I don't care about the characters.If you're an RPG fan, sure, it's worth playing.
Final Fantasy's swan song on the SNES is a very good game.
It starts out very strong adding many cool features that at the time I had not yet experienced in a role playing game.
It is just at a certain point in the game, it just kind of weakens a bit as the story tails off for a bit and nothing new and inventive really comes into play anymore.
Obviously, I do not think it falters too much as I still give this game a nine as a score.The story has an empire that is trying to gain the powers of magic to rule the world.
Every character in the game can learn all the magic spells as you equip summons (here called Espers) and they help you learn many spells.
The story is strong and features great villains, that is until the second half of the game in a place called the world of ruin where the bad guys just consist of monsters and you do not see Kefka again until you face him in the final battle.So this game is very fun and one of the best role playing games on the SNES.
Final Fantasy III would have done much better as just the story itself.
As with Final Fantasy II, playing was half the fun and enjoyment.
Even though I do admit, though FF6 is better than most Final Fantasy games (which is kinda like chossing from various snakebites), it still is not that good of a game.
It just drove me nuts how the Final Fantasy games try too hard to be emotional, but fail badly.Get yourself out of the FF web and play some actual worthwhile RPGS.
I liked this game but i thought the graphics weren't good, but don't get me wrong it was a cool game until Final Fantasy begun with the 7th for the playstation way back in 1997 and it continued for the playstation until the 9th classic.
Then in 2001 Final Fantasy begun for the PS2, better graphics, new characters, and i new storyline, i think the graphics for the ps2 one is better than the orignals, (Nes, Snes, PSOne).
The best Role Playing Game ever made....
Do u remember playing many games where each character has his/her own musical theme?This game is a musical tour!
There are get many versions of its soundtrack on cd as well.One has really to love music to get into this game as i did & cleverly choose it as the best ff ever.
(also ff4 & 9 are amazing) Only bad point about the music is that it has the very same music for all the field battles & that's annoying considering that over 40% of the game consists on them.This game is literally true to the "role playing" The characters are one of the strongest points in this game, here you get real human beings, not the typical anime hero (cloud in ff7 for example or chrono in chronotrigger, or the dozens of pilots of those hitech robots like mazinger).
One falls in love with all the characters, each one taking important roles in specific parts of the game.Kefka (the main bad guy) having a little lack of background i agree, but he doesn't need it as well.
The only stereotyped character is the ninja (i mean so many ninjas in video games already!).
As well is an amazing character with many secrets that you have to uncover to find his interesting spot in the game.
If i go deep into each character this post would take pages so it's up to you to find out about the rest :)The battle system is neat (tho the best battle system is ff4 since each character was very specific in its use & u could choose 5 at a time!)Has the best music & the best ending i've ever seen in a video game so far.
If you want to get into the world of final fantasy come & play this marvelous piece of art, storytelling & music instead of watching the boring movie :O).
I just love Kefka.I think he is THE BEST CHARACTER in "Final Fantasy VI"!
Every time I play this game,I always want more of Kefka!
Final Fantasy VI (or III in the U.S.) is the most excellent video game I've played (Maybe exceeding above Zelda and Metal Gear).
almost as good as final fantasy 2.
this game is a great game and i could play it anytime but still it is not quite as good as final fantasy 2.
the story is focus's on more then one charecter and that is one good thing about the game.
This is quite simply one of the best RPGs I've ever played.
From the main story, to the game-play, everything shines in FF6, but what everyone remembers really about FF6 is the incredible "acting", evocative scenes, and endearing characters.In my opinion, the characters make this game entirely.
such a throwaway component to the game's overall plot, even still not as significant to the characters themselves.
Whether it was the character arcs or the individual stories, the acting, the character interaction, the game sucked you in and made you care for these little guys.This doesn't really read like a review, but I would have to admit that it isn't.
In the end, what a good dramatic RPG, Film, or Book wants to do is get you to feel real emotion, and to identify with the characters and scenes it presents.
So this is what I would say to someone who hasn't played ff6: Even though its storyline is certainly not the most complex in the world, even though the graphics are decades old, even though there's no voice acting, even though there is no full orchestral score, even though all these things may be true, you will still fall in love with all of the main characters in it and you'll be surprised you did..
Just plainly kinda annoying.I liked playing it though, boy, Square Enix knows how to get ya hooked to a game.
I'm not a huge fan of the Final Fantasy series, but this is a fantastic game.
I wasn't born at the time the game was released but I played it a year ago.
Meh, there are Final Fantasy games that were so much better....
The first have is really well done, but this was the first FF game in my books to have some really, truly annoying one-dimensional characters in it.
Out of all the 14 characters in this game, only Tina, Lock, Celes, Shadow and Edgar are truly developed.
None of the main playable characters die, like they do in the other FF games.
This is the only thing that I found remotely flawless about this game.Overall, FFVI is okay, but it's not the best RPG ever made in my books.
If you want good "Final Fantasy" games, play FFIV, FFV, FFXII or even the FFVII franchise.