Jobs well done

After a three-hour adventure going through the Crystal Tower and World of Darkness, I finished Final Fantasy III DS last night!

I was slightly on my toes when fighting the final boss Cloud of Darkness, since a lose would mean another three hours because FF III only allows for saving on the world field map. But CoD wasn't as tough as I imagined, and I beat her without a problem. Three of my characters also advanced a level after the battle, though it didn't matter anymore at this point. XD

Having finally play the game myself and actually be able to understand the story and conversations (the Famicom version was played together with my brother, and neither of us understood Japanese), I can say III is definitely up there in the top three FF series for me.

The plot, which stays the same as the FC version, is very typical RPG: chosen ones to save the world that's about to be devoured by Void. There's little character development (although I was slightly surprised by the many character deaths), and some of the game mechanics can only be found in old school RPGs. But the meat of the game, the job system, makes it extremely interesting and versatile for ppl of all play styles. With a bit of thinking through and planning, level grind isn't required to win. (read: I'm too lazy to level grind.)

As previously mentioned, the DS version gives the four player characters more background and personality, which makes it easier to get into the story. Each has their own costume for each job, which is a nice touch, but I really miss the iconic 8-bit black mage. How the character looks in particular job costume also partially determined who I pick for the jobs, even if it didn't make the best sense sometimes, as can be seen in the resumes of my characters. XD

Luneth Lv.57 (56 into CoD): Freelancer→Red Mage→Dragoon
- Freelancer lv.18
- Red Mage lv.48
- Dragoon lv.99

Luneth had a pretty smooth career, although it's a shame his face was hidden 90% of the game by the Red Mage hat and the Dragoon mask. Blood lance may not be very powerful compared to a few other lances, but Luneth didn't need much extra healing because of it.

Arc Lv.57 (56 into CoD): Freelancer→White Mage→Scholar→White Mage→Ninja→Devout
- Freelancer lv.13
- White Mage lv.97
- Scholar lv.12
- Ninja lv.47
- Devout lv.57

Arc became the designated healer once I got the first crystal jobs because of his meek personality. He only put on the Scholar hat for the Hein castle segment. When I got the last crystal jobs, the logical choice would be to make him a Devout. But Ingus looked kinda hilarious as a Ninja, so I forced the healer into the Ninja role, only to change him into a Devout during the Ancient Maze.

Refia Lv.57: Freelancer→Red Mage→Thief→Red Mage
- Freelancer lv.12
- Red Mage lv.99
- Thief lv.43
- Viking lv.4

Yes, I have a Red Mage that most ppl ditch after getting the 2nd crystal jobs as a final party member, in the front row whacking away with Excalibur, no less! She kinda stopped casting magic shortly before the last crystal jobs, but I really love the Red Mage costume so I kept her in it.XD I had her as a Thief because of the locked doors in the Goldor mansion, but the low defence made me switch job after getting annihilated numerous times by Garuda. I tried Viking and still didn't work. I changed back to Red Mage and beat Garuda in one try. She was also the only person standing at the end of the Odin battle, and one of two at the end of another boss fight, so her level is one higher than the other three.

Ingus Lv.57 (56 into CoD): Freelancer→Warrior→Knight→Dragoon→Knight→Devout→Knight
- Freelancer lv.12
- Warrior lv.29
- Knight lv.99
- Dragoon lv.7
- Devout lv.41

Ingus was supposedly a knight to start with, so he was the natural Warrior/Knight. I changed him into a Dragoon during the Garuda fiasco and back to Knight afterwards. When I got the last crystal jobs, I really wanted to have a Ninja (not realizing the job was re-balanced for the DS version, so it's no longer the most powerful job), but Arc resembled the FC version of Ninja, so Ingus became a Devout. During the Ancient Maze, the Ninja's low defence (even in the back row) was showing, so I reshuffled jobs and he was back being a Knight again.

The Onion Knight job was changed to Wi-Fi side quest only for the DS version, so I never got to see it since I don't do Wi-Fi on my DS. :(

Play time was about 40 hours, plus the time I spent wrestling with Garuda and one re-match with Bahamut. I definitely recommend FF III DS for any RPG fan! I'd even replay it with different jobs if I didn't have so many other games waiting in queue...