Some games are classics for a reason. The Super Nintendo era is widely regarded as a golden age for role-playing games, thanks to beloved titles such as Chrono Trigger, Earthbound, and Final Fantasy 6. The latter arrives on Xbox Game Pass on June 2, and it’s absolutely worth taking for a spin if you’re an RPG fan — or if it’s been decades since you’ve played.
Square Enix’s ambitious adventure was the series’s third and last outing on the SNES, and it tells a story of an eclectic group of heroes out to save the world from the evil and exploitative empire. Unlike most Final Fantasy games before or since, there isn’t one main character: it’s got an ensemble cast of 14 permanent playable characters. Some characters do get a bit more time in the spotlight than others — unsurprisingly, Umaro the yeti is not a big talker — but all of their stories are memorable. There’s the amnesiac super-soldier Terra, the morally conflicted imperial general Celes, the treasure hunter (and definitely not a thief) Locke, and the estranged twin princes of Figaro — just to name a few.
In addition to their unique backstories, each member of FF6’s cast has a unique fighting style, which makes experimenting with various party lineups a whole lotta fun. The gambler Setzer uses a slot machine for his special attacks. Your moogle party member, Mog, has an array of magical dances he can use to dole out damage to enemies and buffs for your party. The playboy Prince Edgar can use tools like chainsaws and drills to attack enemies. His brother Sabin is a martial arts expert, and you’ll have to quickly input a string of Street Fighter 2-style button inputs and to pull off his moves. During one notorious boss fight, Sabin can use these skills to suplex a train. (I won’t spoil why, but believe me when I say the train 100% deserves this hostile treatment.)
FF6 also boasts one of the series’s most memorable villains in the demonic clown Kefka, who basically wants to break stuff and hurt people just for the thrill of it. There’s no sympathetic and nuanced origin story here — the guy’s just a homicidal maniac with a terrifying cackle, and he’s capable of unspeakable evil. Each time you get the chance to pummel him is a moment to savor.
As the last pixel-art installment of the mainline series, FF6 has a unique and memorable Steampunk-inspired aesthetic. The game features clockwork mechas, a castle that burrows under the sand, a town full of murder-hobos where it never stops raining, a fortress shaped like a step pyramid, and an extremely influential opera house sequence. Naturally, because this is an RPG made in the ‘90s, there is also an ominous floating continent.
The game also boasts one of the most engaging — and broken — magic and customization systems in Final Fantasy history. Magicite are magical stones, each associated with a particular esper or summoned creature, like Ramuh or Phoenix. By equipping Magicite and using it in battle, your characters can permanently learn spells, and then change up their Magicite loadout to learn even more. That means every character in the game can potentially learn the strongest damage-dealing and healing spells — your characters aren’t locked into specific job roles. It’s a fun system to play around with, and with a bit of grinding, your party can become massively powerful very quickly.
The Final Fantasy series is known for its incredible music, and FF6 is no slouch in that department, despite being 32 years old. Best of all, since this is the Pixel Remaster version of the game that first released back in 2022, you’ll get a fully rearranged orchestral soundtrack overseen by original composer Nobuo Uematsu.
Compared to today’s RPGs, FF6 isn’t a particularly lengthy game. While there’s a generous amount of optional late-game exploring on offer here, most players will get through the full experience in 30-40 hours. The Pixel Remaster version also includes options to turn off random encounters, speed up battles, and earn increased EXP points, all of which could easily trim a few hours off that runtime.
With a captivating story, memorable cast, and more twists than a bucket of curly fries, Final Fantasy 6 is definitely worth checking out on Xbox Game Pass when it arrives on the service on June 2. If you’re searching for a cozy retro RPG that you can blow through in a weekend or two, look no further.
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