Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster - SNES Era (IV, V, VI) [Review]

The Pixel Remaster consists of some very, very old games and other very old games. I've written about the first half of the collection here, the NES era.

The SNES era, then, are games originally made between 1991 and 1994. In the Pixel Remaster, they mostly retain their original looks, as it is a collection that make every old game “look and feel” a bit like a SNES game, even on the NES Era. Still, let's go:

Final Fantasy IV - Pixel Remaster

Final Fantasy IV reinvents yet again all its systems to something that will stick and even become a formula here onward; this is the first stage of the “RPG to action game pipeline” that was basically spearheaded by the franchise and Square Soft as a whole.

But I digress: FF4 shows the commitment that they had with its setting. All the characters are named and have a proper arc, both with the main cast and the greatly reduced expanded cast. Everything is more tightly put, and even if more linear, cutscene heavy. Again, the main antagonist comes as an afterthought, and the overall story isn't that original – it is more of a character focused narrative.

The graphics (on the Pixel Remaster) are not particularly prettier than 1~3 per se, but the world design is more interesting this time around. While it is not as easy to navigate as FFIII was, there were surprises and new maps as the story progresses. By far the longest game so far, about 22 hours for me, considering most of the side content. This is the first game that feels packed, fuller, more determined.

What debuts here is the ATB system. Each character has a specific agility, and you can see in real time when is your turn and the enemy follows the same structure. It is fast-paced for the player, and very tactical. This game also has a 6 character party formation, requiring lots of micromanaging and timed moments. It is good, and while not really turn based, it is unique and can be challenging.

The fights are amazing when combined with the ATB system. Not all encounters are well-designed, but some are – in moments where it requires you to pay attention to enemy weakness or timing your casts depending on the party member that you have at the moment. Some fights feel like real time puzzles, and those were the best part of the battle system. The leveling was surprisingly well paced, but the final boss again was way stronger than anything behind him.

Final Fantasy IV is the first “action adventure” game of the franchise in my opinion. It kills the true RPG that the previous games were. I didn't have to cast spells on myself to interact with the environment, and the fixed-per-character jobs really don't matter outside battle. And yes, the battle system is stellar, but the world feels a bit theme parky, I could see but not really interact.

This feeling made me like this game as much as 3, maybe a bit more, but not by much. Although I've played IV before in the past, finishing it again as an adult made me realize that it is a bit too safe outside the battle system. Still, a special game, relevant and unique, both when it originally released and now on modern platforms with this collection. Surprisingly revolutionary, but still too old, even if really fun.

7.5/10

Final Fantasy V - Pixel Remaster

At one hand, Final Fantasy V returns the RPG elements that were missing from 4, from the job system to the interactions of skills with the world to progress; and mixes with the somewhat actiony battle system from IV trying to achieve the best of both worlds in its systems

In the other hand, not all that return is good. Actually, it is often worse from when you compared how it was introduced in the series, unfortunately. Everything is a bit less: you have fewer levels of magic to explore, everything is more fragmented, and some jobs clearly were better realized than others.

The dungeons are a bit smaller and the “puzzle bosses” are always too gimmicky. The pacing of the game was good, and there is a challenge to find here that don't really require you to grind much outside of the main scenario. Having to use some specific abilities to traverse the map makes a return here, but it feels artificial and greatly reduced from what 3 did.

Technically speaking, it has a big enemy variety and good amount of side content, although again too much centered on battling, which is worse here, because of the division of spells between all the jobs and the return to a party of 4 characters instead of 6. The game is pretty, the sprites are interesting, reactive, and expressive at least, and their looks are memorable.

The story is a mess, though. It is overly childish, as if wanted to reject the progress that 4 did in this aspect. The main villain is again terrible, worse than before and as forgettable as the one from FF2, and everything that happens with the characters is super predictable and their reactions are sometimes a bit off with stilted text and an over reliance on generic fantasy tropes.

It has some of “the bests so far” of the series, like with its cities, world travel, length and optional content; and some returning RPG elements are fun to see with a more believable world, but the bad story, characters, and antagonist added with the simplification of many returning systems made FF5 a step back.

Either way, relevant: basically the first “nostalgia driven” entry in the franchise. A concept that will repeat, always to a polarizing reception. Unfortunately, I didn't like as much, and really think it is worse than any other pixelated game in the franchise.

5.5/10

Final Fantasy VI - Pixel Remaster

With an unmatched ambiance and a strong cinematic feel, Final Fantasy VI was almost perfection for me and, while I could be a bit biased because FF6 was one of my favorite games growing up, now replaying it as an adult and after the previous entries, I feel that FF here became truly unique, great and iconic – everything before has led to this.

Although less customizable than some previous entries, FF6 made me watch and follow the story of many characters and the way that I played the game actually changed some sequences and moments that I've got.

There are a lot of “missable” scenes that basically creates an “every playthrough can be unique” kind of game. It is no biggie for anyone who's a completionist, as everything is obtainable in one single save. Optional bosses, dungeons, and encounters are so well paced and their rewards often interesting: be it new spells through the Esper System or backstory for the characters and world.

It is one of those games that you can get lost trying to figure out where the next dungeon is to then find yourself in a dinosaur jungle in which a member of your party has a very deep, emotional and funny connection with; those games that respect curiosity and paces the events of the world with the actions of the player.

The battle system is peak actiony tactical fun. Because everything is a bit slower but more punishing, the 4 player active party is balanced and tactical, even if frenetic in some bosses. Everyone can learn different jobs, with rare exceptions, through the Esper System and you can basically make whatever you want build wise with any character.

Complexities have been added: accessories with gameplay-changing attributes made me spend a lot of time seeking rare loot, unique weapons and equipment with special conditions that are a puzzle on their own; well, everything makes it special and everyone will play it in different ways to achieve the same goal. The only problem on these added complexities lies in its dated UI, even if improved on the Pixel Remaster, they're still too clunky and old. While almost every other aspect of this game is as modern as any current 2D RPG. It was a missed opportunity.

The story and cast are superb, and finally the antagonist has a good presence: Kefka is one of the greatest villains of all time because he is constantly with us, he has presence and basically dictates the pace of the game. That by itself is an accomplishment that many newer RPGs forget to do. The overall story is fascinating and unique, and the cinematic value is top-notch on some gorgeous pixelated landscapes.

Although there were simple dungeons in the early game, eventually many of them had nice and interactive puzzles and some of them you even have to manipulate two or more parties to progress and solve puzzles. The amount of assets in this game is really impressive, tons of different tracks including character themes and almost all the cities have different music and sound.

Be it the amazing pixel art, stunning portraits, fantastic music, good battle content with one of the best dungeons and bosses on the series, Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster made me question what is a great game after all. Although it is completely new, new code, new renditions, new engine; it is still faithful to what it was, no voice acting, somewhat intense sense of being lost, a bad UI… Still, when everything is together, it sings, and makes sense.

In the end, I felt like what makes Final Fantasy VI astounding today is the same thing that made it astounding when it originally launched on the SNES, simply being a great story with polished battles, maps, systems and everything well integrated with artistic vision and direction.

Confidently, I can say that Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster is the definitive version of what was the best SNES RPG and probably still one of the best 2D RPGs of all time. Even considering the “missed opportunities” that an overly faithful remake brings – being a bit too safe. And this is a good advertisement for safe: sometimes it isn't needed to change much when the original still holds up that well.

It is my favorite game on the franchise and, in my opinion, the best game on the SNES.

9.5/10