Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters (I, II, III) Review – The Power of Nostalgia

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GAME INFO

Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters

July 28, 2021

Platform PC (steam), iOS, Android
Publisher Square Enix
Developer Square Enix

The first six entries in the Final Fantasy series are still considered some of the best JRPGs ever released, decades after their original launch. Despite some games being quite dated in terms of visuals and gameplay mechanics, these games still hold a dear place in the hearts of fans, who have had the chance to revisit these classics through various ports that have been released on PC in recent years. and consoles have been released. And another chance to relive these classics has now arrived with the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series, a new series that aims to provide players with the most accurate recreation of the first six entries in the series.

Essentially, the first three Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters haven’t changed much from the original NES releases. The first Final Fantasy is a classic turn-based RPG heavily influenced by D&D, with a simple story and many of the themes and gameplay mechanics that have become a staple of the series, such as the importance of the Crystals, the Job system and so forth. Final Fantasy II, on the other hand, is still one of the most unique 2D entries in the series, featuring pre-determined main characters, a classic story of an evil empire striving for world domination, a unique dialogue system, and a more natural growth system. that overrides experience points in favor of a skill system. Final Fantasy III is definitely the best of the three games in terms of gameplay, with an improved task system and a generally challenging experience that forces players to understand the system in order to keep it alive from the game’s many difficult battles. The Pixel Remaster also marks the first time the original NES game will be brought to Western audiences in some form, as the original has never been officially localized.

While the gameplay of Final Fantasy I and II doesn’t feel all that different from the most recent remakes, such as those released on PSP and mobile, the Pixel Remasters include some balancing tweaks that make the experience a little less dated and a little more balanced. Final Fantasy I, for example, has seen the removal of an early EXP farm site, the famous Power Peninsula, while Final Fantasy II now includes meters that tell the player exactly when the weapon skill will increase. The difficulty has also been adjusted, and both games are significantly easier than the original NES releases, especially Final Fantasy I. Final Fantasy III has seen the most balancing tweaks of the three games, but even with them, the experience still manages to be quite challenging, often forcing players to go for an optimal Job setup for certain bosses, such as for the Garuda battle. Thankfully, the final dungeon isn’t as terrible as in the original, thanks to the addition of a Quicksave feature that allows players to save out of combat at any time.

The main selling point of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series is the visual overhaul, one that tries to stay as true to the originals as possible. The first three games succeed with varying degrees of success. The games generally look like Final Fantasy IV and V, although the spell effects are significantly better than what we’ve seen in the SNES games, and so are some of the battle backgrounds. The overworlds, cities and dungeons have that distinct 16-bit feel, but with some nice additions and extra animations, like the dust cloud in the Cavern of the Earth. On the other hand, character sprites look like higher quality versions of the originals, but they pale in comparison to those in the PSP and mobile remakes.

One area where the first three Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters fully perform is the soundtrack. All the classic tracks have been rearranged under the supervision of the series’ composer, Nobuo Uematsu. They all sound great, so good that a few of these rearranged tracks can be considered the definitive rendition of the original song. Some may prefer other versions, but there’s no denying that a lot of care has gone into rearranging these classic soundtracks.

With the visual overhaul following a pretty specific vision and the gameplay tweaks, though welcome, without introducing massive changes, who should buy the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters? It’s hard to say, to be honest. The games still feel and play great despite the dated mechanics, but as far as remasters go they are sort of barebones, without the extra content seen in the PSP and mobile remakes and some extra visual options outside of the modern and classic filter . Some other technical issues, such as the poor fonts, the games not saving display settings and the lack of a V-Sync switch on the PC, and some noticeable stuttering when traveling around the world can also be a bit of a deterrent. The value of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters depends entirely on how the player feels about the originals and what they do with a remaster. If you’re looking for truly modernized versions of these all-time classics, the Pixel Remasters may not be for you. But if nostalgia threatens to overtake you just because you read about it, then the Pixel Remasters could be a worthy purchase if you’re willing to overlook some issues that will hopefully be fixed in the future.

PC versions tested. Review codes provided by the publisher.

7.3

The first three Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters are a somewhat solid remastering effort that could have been so much better with a few tweaks. While the amazing rearranged soundtracks sound great and the balancing tweaks make the three games still feel great to play, the divisive overhauled visuals are reminiscent of the 16-bit entries, technical issues like the lack of a V-Sync switch and display settings that are not saved and lack of additional content found in previous remakes make these remasters a truly worthy purchase, only for those who live and breathe Final Fantasy.

Pros

  • Balancing Adjustments
  • Great rearranged soundtrack
  • Revised 16-bit style visuals…

cons

  • …which are somewhat inferior to those in the PSP and mobile remakes
  • Terrible Fonts
  • Technical issues
  • Lack of options and extra content

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