I seriously didn't write a review for this? Put simply, this is a remake done right. It sticks to the original faithfully while adding to the game play. The redone music doesn't abandon the beats of the original like some remakes do, and for most tracks is even an improvement. I don't miss the snare drum from the original soundtrack, that's for sure.

This game is almost too good to be true for me as a fan of the original. I never expected to see an official localization, much less a full remake.

The voice acting can be grating unless accepting that it's likely quite intentionally over the top. It's faithful SNES era RPG dialog, and spoken aloud there is no saving that without intentional campiness.

They did an amazing job here, taking all the criticism from the Secret of Mana remake and delivering something amazing. It's true it's a pity the multiplayer was abandoned, but at the time they had no way of knowing this remake would be such a success, so they chose refining the game play instead. I think they made the right choice.

Someone made a topic that said describe the game in one word.

I can do that: Bethesda

I also agree with the reviews that say it gets better the more you play. Within the first few hours I was enjoying myself but I thought "this is okay." After the game's systems "clicked" with me I really started enjoying it. Apparently my play time is already 29 hours, and I feel like I've only just begun.

Is the game perfect? No, absolutely not. But it's a solid game and I look forward to playing further. I'll probably edit this review in a few weeks/months after I've spent more time on it.

If I had to choose one thing I think they dropped the ball on most, it's maps. When Oblivion does local maps better, that's a problem in my opinion. The inventory system is also more of a chore than it should be. But overall I'm having a blast.

They continue to do a great job with these ports. The orchestral music is the star of these Pixel Remasters in my opinion, and it remains true with this game as well. Some may have issue with the fact the player levels more quickly in this version, though I still found the final boss to be a massive threat anyway. I did not go out of my way to grind other than picking up things that could be missed to complete all the achievements and exploring each area. Farming for the ultimate equipment absolutely did over-level me to an extreme degree, but the resulting equipment trivializes the game anyway too.

Regarding bugs, they patched the most pressing ones and I did not have any significant issues playing. That said, there's really absolutely no excuse for lack of in-game v-sync settings and apparently the way it scrolls can cause some stuttering. I forced v-sync on in my GPU settings and got used to the remaining quirks immediately, but it would be nice if they fixed that in all the Pixel Remasters.

The soundtrack overall is fantastic, and remains the highlight of these Pixel Remasters for me.

It's a real shame they aren't bringing over the bonus dungeons and other content from some of the other 2D releases, but this is still a fantastic version of the game anyway.

The 3D remake is still fantastic and remains (by design) the hardest version of the game. I recommend both of them, and would have difficulty choosing between them exclusively.

This is the first time I've played through this game. I did not beat it yet when posting this review originally but by then I was confident in saying it's by far my favorite of the first three. That opinion has not changed after completing the game. The first game had an interesting spoiler near and at the end of the game. The second game has a spoiler but it's more an "out of nowhere" type of deal. Final Fantasy II may have more of a focus on character party members, but Final Fantasy III builds its world lore much more than the second game does, which surprised me. It's much more densely packed than either of the first two games as well.

I always used to think Final Fantasy IV was when the series really started coming into the greatness it is known for. Having made it a decent chunk of the way through Final Fantasy III now, I can see this is the game where things really started taking off. The "player character" dialog is really generic as if it's a single person talking, but I think the side characters make up for that.

The job system here is unlike Final Fantasy V's in that you get most of the benefit for most of the jobs immediately, and changing your party around is encouraged. If you find the hidden treasures and reward rooms (which NPCs will tell you about after you complete an arc) the game showers you with loot to experiment with the different classes. It would be a mistake to sell old gear in this game, I think.

As with all of the "pixel remasters" (actually remakes) thus far, the music is amazing.

Without listing spoilers, there were a few moments in this game that gave me the feeling of wonder when an unexpected fact about the world comes around. It's been a long time since I felt that feeling.

Whereas I recommend the first two games for their place in the series' history, I recommend this one as an all around great game, without the more punishing pitfalls of the original that are sometimes listed as complaints. I understand some people like those old school punishing design decisions, but I think overall what they've done with this one makes it an overall better game. I doubt anything in the last few hours will change my mind.