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Square deals its final Final Fantasy Advance

But is Final Fantasy VI Advance the greatest of all time?

Square deals its final Final Fantasy Advance

One of the remarkable consequences of enthusiasm for any endeavour or hobby is the more you discover, the more you want to find out. It's a phenomenon perhaps best seen in the myriad of magazines available about seemingly similar subjects. How many glossy monthly car mags or trashy TV listing mags can any fan read? Not being one, I just couldn't tell you.

And it's a similar thing with Square Enix's Final Fantasy series. Most gamers will probably have played at least one game in the series, but if you decided you weren't a role-playing fan, you're not going to be very interested in furthering the experience.

Equally though, the more games you do play, the more likely you are to feel the onset of completist tendencies.

That certainly seems to be the thinking behind Square Enix's reissuing of Final Fantasies IV, V and VI for the GBA. For despite boasting slightly improved graphics, a new translation, a bestiary (so you can see the foes you've defeated), plus a music player, the real intention for their release is to slake the desires of a now obsessive audience who weren't old enough to have played them first time ago.

Which brings us to Final Fantasy VI Advance, the last of the GBA games to be released.

For historians of the series, Final Fantasy VI Advance certainly marks a significant point between the previous simpler games, characterised by their job structures and fixed order battle systems, and future releases, which became known for the depth of their storylines and characters. Some even argue it's the best game in the series.

What is undeniable is the flexibility it brings the player in terms of shaping their game by choosing their own characters. For example, there are 14 characters spread throughout the game, which you can swap in and out in your four-man squad as circumstances allow. Quirky examples include consummate womaniser Edgar and habitual gambler Setzer.

Each has their own special battle skills too; treasure hunter Locke can steal from enemies, while key character Terra has the ability to call Espers, magical spirits who can be summoned to help in battles.

As for the plot, for the first time we're in a steampunk world, in which you're fighting on the side of the Returners against the evil Gestahlian Empire.

As you'd expect with a Final Fantasy game, the twin themes of exploration and random battles remain the main mechanics, but thanks to the huge amount of items, weapons and armour you can collect and equip your group with, plus a magic system which revolves around the Espers (this reissue adds Leviathan, Gilgamesh, Gigantuar, Diablos spirits) and spells (new ones include Flood, Valor, and Gravija) there's plenty to keep you occupied.

Once you've finished the game, you can even take a spin through the Soul Shrine, which is a new environment where you can fight monsters continuously.

Final Fantasy VI Advance has just been released in the US. We'd expect a UK release sometime in the summer.

Jon Jordan
Jon Jordan
A Pocket Gamer co-founder, Jon can turn his hand to anything except hand turning. He is editor-at-large at PG.biz which means he can arrive anywhere in the world, acting like a slightly confused uncle looking for the way out. He likes letters, cameras, imaginary numbers and legumes.