Final Fantasy III

Click the "Install Game" button to initiate the free file download and get compact download launcher. Locate the executable file in your local folder and begin the launcher to install your desired game.
a game by Square, and Square Enix
Genre: Adventure/RPG
Platforms: DS, PC (2021), SNESSNES
Editor Rating: 8.1/10, based on 14 reviews
User Rating: 7.6/10 - 5 votes
Rate this game:
See also: RPGs, Final Fantasy Series
Final Fantasy III
Final Fantasy III
Final Fantasy III

It's the franchise that gave turn-based combat a rise into the growing world of video games. Final Fantasy III is returning to the fray with a beautiful new remodel, yet the same exciting gameplay that amalgamated the best traits of the first two games in the series. Are you ready to get stuck back into one of the groundbreaking RPGs of our time?

The Final Fantasy franchise is no stranger to remakes or re-releases. It's even arguable that this constant influx of republishing these games is starting to irritate long-time fans of the series. Final Fantasy III, however, is neither. The game is a remodel that overhauls all the visual and mechanical nuisances to give new life to the third installment.

Back in Pixels

Any hardcore Final Fantasy III fans will probably remember the 3D remake back in 2006. This is not that game - it is a remodel of the original classic designed to trigger nostalgia. So if you have any interest in playing this model, you are probably well aware of what the game offers in story and gameplay. We know that it's incredibly rich in both - but we'll focus on whether it's worth playing the remodel.

The most noticeable difference is the visuals. There has been a complete revamp of the graphics, adding rich 2D artwork. It's fair to say that Final Fantasy III looks really good and does stand up as a playable asset even in the modern age.

The audio has also been redone, adding another immersion factor for a soundtrack already epic in stature. The focus here is to get nostalgic players sucked into the unnamed world even further. Your four playable characters never looked so good and so represented on their journey to eradicate the power of darkness.

Mechanically, nothing much has changed. But it never really needed to, did it? Final Fantasy III has always played well in every incarnation. It hones in on its excellent narrative paired with exciting turn-based combat. A few slithers of gameplay have been amended as the job-changing system, UI, and battle automation. It still feels like a complete early Final Fantasy experience.

The Classic Reborn

If you can put the idea aside that it feels like the Final Fantasy franchise is being milked yet again. It's actually worth playing Final Fantasy III. The experience runs rife with nostalgia while representing what was best of early 90s video games. Some could argue that the passion and innovation behind these games set the tone for RPGs of the future. The continuing Pokemon and Golden Sun games come to mind. It's worth playing on that principle alone.

8

Alas, the gameplay is not easy - these games certainly don't hold your hand in the playthrough. It's also hard to imagine anyone unfamiliar with the franchise taking any interest in the game. But any Final Fantasy fan can enjoy this vibrant remodel - and yet another esteemed member of the series.

Pros:

  • Remodel brings vibrant visuals and epic audio to the classic
  • Gameplay tweaks remove some previous frustrations
  • A few new extras make it a collector's item for fans

Cons:

  • Can't shake the idea of a franchise milking
  • Definitely not accessible for new inductees to the franchise

Download Final Fantasy III

DS

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
PC

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
SNES

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
  • Pentium II (or equivalent) 266MHz (500MHz recommended), RAM: 64MB (128MB recommended), DirectX v8.0a or later must be installed

Game Reviews

The Fantasy wasn't Final as you thought. Squaresoft is back with Final Fantasy III, and without a doubt, it's one of the finest fantasies you'll see this year!

A Daring Esper-iment

Many things about this new adventure aren't apparent right off the bat. The story line is in no way connected to the previous Final Fantasy II for the SNES. This new adventure takes place centuries after the War of the Magi, in which beasts of doom called Espers were used as war machines by the ruling classes. Civilization was almost wiped out in that war, and the surviving fragments of the populace began building societies based on technology and machinery, abandoning the ancient ways of magic.

But now an Esper has been discovered, and magic is returning to the world. Many fear that the old ways are returning, and many more are plotting to use it for their own ends. You must guide a group of characters through scores of different lands and put a stop to the evil before it's too late.

The absence of a central character is another interesting aspect of this game. You guide several characters on the quest, and sometimes individually on separate quests. For example, you may play the first part of the game as Terra, then the computer switches to Locke, and you play as him for a while. Thegame doesn't proceed in a linear fashion; instead it follows a freewheeling, all-encompassing style of game play that brings all the party members back together. Nonlinear game play makes the game more like real life and less like a series of coincidences involving one member that affect the outcome of the game.

Skills A-Plenty

Not every battle is a big hack-n- slash sword fight. The battles require a strategic approach that is both fun and daring in its experimentation (most RPGs offer less than half the combat options found here). The characters of course have magic spells, but they also have the special abilities and moves (listed in the boxes below and right).

ProTip: You start the game in Narshe. Take a good look at the town and remember where everything is located.

In addition to these moves, the Espers introduce another innovative aspect of game play. You can equip these magical beings like a weapon, and once you do, you steadily learn all their magic spells. Espers have at least five spells trapped within them. As you earn Magic Points (like Experience Points, after each battle), the Espers slowly release spells and place them at your disposal. Every fighter equipped with at least one Esper at a time.

  • One of the Moogle groups will leam a Dance during battle. Let this group proceed first, and use the Dance on every group of enemies. Dances are unpredictable and do a fair amount of damage.
  • Check the clock in the old man's house when you awaken from the coma.

Pickles and Relics

Besides the usual assortment of weapons and spells, each fighter has two weapon slots to carry Relics, which are items that can greatly enhance (or, if you don't know what you're doing, diminish) a fighter's abilities. Relics include Sprint Shoes that speed up a character, a Wall Ring to bounce shots off you and onto an enemy, and the Black Belt, which enables a player to randomly counterattack when hit.

Fantasy Star

The graphics in Final Fantasy continue the tradition of small, undersized, Japanese-influenced sprites. It would be interesting to see a game that used this engine with full- sized characters. Despite that shortcoming, the graphics are outstanding, with imaginative, well-illustrated enemies and rich, detailed backgrounds. The caves of Mount Kolts stand out in particular.

The music is a treat, even for tone-deaf RPG addicts. It's oppressive when it needs to be, quick and hurried in battles, and light and airy throughout the rest of the game. All the sound effects (including the ominous droning of the Bio Blaster) perfectly match this fantastic romp.

  • Remember where this secret entrance is in case you return to Narshe (and you will).
  • After meeting Edgar, check all areas of Figaro Castle for goodies.
  • Drink from the recovery spring inside the cave to South Figaro, then stay and fight to build up Experience Points.
  • Don't use the Bio Blaster on the Brawlers. It returns Hit Points to their bar.

The menu-based controls are easy and simple, streamlined even further by a feature called Optimum. When you choose it, the fighter is equipped with the best weaponry and armor in his arsenal. You won't have to sort through endless junk to find out what's most effective for your fighter!

Going My Way?

A game this good to look at and this fun to play has more going for it than just better programming. Final Fantasy III definitely adds depth to the superior game play of its predecessors, Final Fantasy II and Secret of Mana, and it actually improves on those games. Characters, plot lines, and multiple-choice scenarios all combine to form one fantastic game!

RPG enthusiasts, pen-and- paper dungeon masters, and hardcore role players will all be thrilled with this new adventure. It's a good thing this Fantasy isn't Final!

The Fire spell is effective against sea creatures.

It's been 16 years since Final Fantasy III first came out for the Famicom the Japanese NES," says FFIII executive producer Hiromichi Tanaka "So this will be a new Final Fantasy to a whole new generation of gamers." Considering that the original version (scope the sidebar for a glimpse at its 8-bit glory) remains the only FFtitle to never have made it stateside, this DS revision will fulfill the dreams of many American gamers yearning to fill the gaps in their FF collections.

Actually, this sought-after remake almost didn't happen on Nintendo's so-hot-right-now portable. "We had started work on a PlayStation 2 version ot FFIII," admits Tanaka "But we changed gears and shifted development to the OS." Doing so allowed the team to take advantage of the DS' unique functionality. "You can actually play the entire game through using just the stylus and touch screen," Tanaka explains. "Vbu can use it to navigate through the menus, to choose items and spells in battle, or to select which group of enemies to attack in a battle." The dual-screen usage isn't quite as creative--the standard map-screen paradigm persists here, and the top display isn't even used during battles. "We limited the game to one screen in battles in order to max out the DS' graphical capabilities on the bottom display," explains Tanaka.

Modernizing FFIII required some major changes. The game's visuals now sport a whimsical, storybook-inspired style similar to that of the Final Fantasy Tactics titles. Plus, nearly all the dungeons and bosses received redesigns to better balance the game's previously erratic difficulty level. The game's job system (see sidebar) also got much-needed tweaks that make all the character classes viable through the endgame. Most importantly, though, the script has been totally rewritten to give the characters more distinctive personalities.

Some things haven't changed, though, like the game's totally old-school magic system. Here (as in the original NES Final Fantasy I), your characters memorize a set number of spells rather than draw upon a pool of Magic Points. "We kept this system because it's one of the things that makes FFIII feel like FFIII," says Tanaka. "Plus, it seems very fresh to gamers who never played the old titles." And although Tanaka also promises some manner of support for the DS Wi-Fi connection, he rules out the ability to play through the single-player adventure with a buddy.

But hey, let's not complain. We're pretty lucky to finally get this long-forgotten gem. It's at once an all-new Final Fantasy and an unearthed relic from an earlier time. "My main goal was to create something that veteran players would still recognize as being FFIII, but to also modernize the game and make it viable among its contemporaries," explains Tanaka. "I feel that we have succeeded with FFIII tor DS."

GET A JOB

Anyone who's ventired through Final Fantasy Vknows just how much its job system added to an otherwise standard role-playing game. FFIII offers a similar setup that lets you choose your party members' professions from a large pool of classes (including Iron Knight, one that's new to this DS version). New skills, spells, and outfits await the adventurous. Of course, this is potentially dangerous for players who want to do everything in an RPG...you're going to be here for a while.

Those on this side of the Pacific can finally roleplay through thisFantasy (the NES original never came out here), which also goes under the 3D knife for its U.S. close-up. If your mom asks what job you want come September, tell her you're applying to be a Black Mage.

People say:

9

Never before have I seen a game with this much depth and detail. Few RPGs can hope to have the emotional draw this has. The graphics and sounds blow away all other RPGs. This is the new standard. The Mode 7 scenes are pretty cool, albert a tittle pixelized. If you've fiver wanted an epic story and lots ot linden things to find. Final Fantasy III is a must. It's almost a 10. It's going to be near impossible to top this...

9

Square can do no wrong with this game! Final Fantasy III is quite possibly the best role-playing game I have ever played! From beginning to end, the game's intricate and involving story line will keep RPG Ians playing this from hours on end With its 24-Megs of muscle. FF III boasts some of the most beautiful graphics and music in any video game. It's gonna be tough to beat this game out for RPG of the year!

9

Forget every other RPG out there. Square has produced a killer RPG that lew companies will ever be able to match. FF III has everything: stunning graphics, incredible music, and so many twists and turns to the plot that you could just this forever, and heck why not? The interface is superb and you really do get involved with the game. Welcome to the new standard of role-playing games, folks.

9

If you don't already get the picture, this is THE RPG to get. If you're a fan of the genre, you'll die for it. If you've never played one it will draw you in. What makes it so special From the movie-like intro to the beautifully woven story it Is as good as it gets! It's nol just all cerebral--there are awesome tunes accompanying the story and the graphics are great. If you don't get the hint... get this game!

Long ago, the War of the Magi left the world a wasteland and magic simply seemed to disappear. About 1,000 years have passed ... iron, gunpowder, and steam engines have been rediscovered. Yet, there are some who would enslave the world by reviving the dreaded magic. Is history about to repeat itself?

Containing 24-Megs, this title really shows what the Super NES can do. Sporting a huge, elaborate quest and an equally incredible soundtrack, improved options, and lots of character animation, this extremely well-balanced RPG goes where no others have!

THE GOOD

Only the sounds, graphics, music, story line, options, technique, strategy and style. That's about it. really.

THE BAD

We're only devoting three pages to this game!?! I could go on and on.

THE UGLY

All the nice, pukey cofors you can make as your font, window, and border cofors. Trippin ...

  • MANUFACTURER - SQUARE
  • DIFFICULTY - MODERATE
  • THEME - RPG
  • NUMBER OF PLAYERS - 1
  • Manufacturer: Square Soft
  • Machine: SSNES

Question: I've been playing this game since October, and here are a few things I've found: One - A combination of Vanish and X-Zone (cast Vanish on your enemies first, then use X-Zone) defeats almost any monster, including many larger enemies and boss creatures. Two - To defeat any undead creature, including the Phantom Train, cast Revivify. Three - Equip both the Offering and Genii glove on a character, especially Cyan, for an incredible eight hit attack! Four - In the Second half of the game, search Narshe until you find an old man who gives you the cursed shield. Equip a character with a ribbon and give them the shield. After 255 battles, it tams into the Paladin Shield. Five - Also in the second half of the game, talk to the man in Narshe's weapon shop. Choose the sword Ragnarok and take it to the arena. If you bet the sword, you fight Didalos, and if you win you get the Illumina, the most powerful weapon in the game. Six - You can buy the Golem shards and the magicite Zoneseek at the auction house in Jidoor. Seven - Go to a diamond-shaped group of trees east and a little north of Narshe during the second half of the game. Walk onto the center tree and you find a cabin. If Sabin is with you, you learn the Bum Rush. I hope these tips will be of help. Keep up the good work, Lucky!

Answer: Great stuff! You slay me, big guy! And a thanks is also due Marty Anderson of Frankfurt, KY, who sent a similar letter which included the Vanish/X-Zone tip. He adds, 'One word of caution. Sometimes if you use this trick on a boss you won't get

Question: Me and my brother have found Shadow's secret past! First of all, you have to wait for Shadow on the floating island so he's alive in the World of Ruin (see our last issue - Lucky). After Shadow joins you at the Colosseum, go to Maranda and fight in the desert below the town. Try to fight a lot of Cactrots because they give you a lot of money and magic points. Once you have a lot of money, I mean loaded, go into the town and sleep in the inn again and again. If Shadow is in your group, every once in a while, you'll dream a piece of Shadow's history.

Answer: Yup, it works, but you don't have to sleep in Maranda. Any old place you can sleep will do just fine, the important thing is to have Shadow in your party. The dreams occur at random, and it might take a while to see all of them, but stick with it. There are exactly four dream sequences, and you might notice that they don't really add up to a complete story. However, sources at Squaresoft confirm that it's supposed to be that way - Shadow is a man of mystery, after all. Assuming that you've kept Shadow alive after the dream about his past. There are four dreams he can have, and they fill you in, just a little, about this moody ninja

  • Manufacturer: SquareSoft
  • Machine: SNES

This enchanting RPG tied with Super Street Fighter II for the highest scoring game ever rated by us! If you like the genre, you're gonna love this game!!!

  • Machine: SNES.
  • Manufacturer: by Square Soft.

Question: How do you find Gogo and Umaro? I just started in the World of Ruin - the destruction of the world can be a bummer! By the way, what happens if you really tick off that bum emperor during dinner?

Answer: Following in the footsteps of Mortal Kombat and every other game to hit the market lately, FFIII also has a couple of 'hidden' characters. Umaro, the sasquatch, can be found in Narshe. Walk through the mines until you find Mog and get him to join you (by the way, directly behind Mog is the moogle charm, which prevents random monsters attacks - a very handy item to have. Stand on the spot just behind where he was standing and press 'A'. There's some kind of invisible chest there). Go to the cliff where you found the esper, walk to the edge, and jump off the cliff. Depending on which point in the game you attempt this, you may have to fight the Ice Dragon on the way there. At the bottom of the cliff is a cave, which you can search through until you find a skull mounted on a stake. Press the 'A' button and you find a magicite, then Umaro shows up. Once you defeat him, Mog makes him join you.

Gogo is on a small island on the northeast comer of the map. Walk around the island until you get attacked by a Zone Eater. Submit to its will and let it engulf your whole party - you wind up being pulled underground to Gogo's cave. It's a rough place, full of nasty enemies and deadly traps, but if you can make it through, Gogo (he, she, or it?) is at the bottom.

As for that pesky Emperor, there's no way to make him angry, he just won't be as giving if you answer the questions wrong. The very least he does is agree to leave South Figaro alone, but, in ascending order of generosity, he may also 1) Withdraw troops from Doma; 2) Give you permission to enter the locked room in the Warehouse; 3) Give you the relic Tintinabar (this recovers HP while you walk - way cool); 4) Give you the Charm Bangle.

Steps:

  1. To find Umaro, first find Mog. He's in the Moogle cave in Narshe. Search the area behind him to find the Moogle Charm.
  2. Next, find the frozen esper and wake it by using Fire spells. Make sure Mog is in your party, walk to the edge of the cliff and jump off.
  3. There's a cave at the bottom of the cliff, and at the bottom you find a carved skull. Take the magicite from out of the skull and Umaro shows up. Beat him in a fair fight, and Mog gets him to join you.
  4. To find Gogo, head for the small island at the North East corner of the map. Land and allow the Zone Eater to engulf your entire party.
  5. You wind up in a spectacularly dangerous cave, but at the bottom, after many tough enemies and deadly traps, is Gogo, a character of indeterminate gender and off-the-wall fighting abilities.
  • Machine: SNES;
  • Manufacturer: Squaresoft

Deep inside me there was a huge, empty hole. For years I tried to fill it with alcohol, dangerous sports, faster and faster cars, loud music, and countless women. Nothing could help me, until Final Fantasy III. Sell the house, sell the kids. Play the game!

Seriously, I'm a big fan of RPG's. I've played 'em all, so when I say that FF 3 is the best RPG I've ever seen, you gotta realize what that means! The screen shots on this page can't begin to give you an idea of how drop-dead gorgeous the graphics are, and they sure can't help you hear the exceptionally fine soundtrack. At 24-megs, this game sets new standards for big, sprawling adventures. There's so much stuff to find, experiment with, and learn to use we could dedicate an entire issue to it.

But Final Fantasy 2 fans know that what really set that game apart was the incredible storyline. Characters argued, fell in love, even sacrificed their lives for each other. And that story doesn't begin to touch what's ' in store for you when you pick up FF 3. I don't want to give anything away, but let's just say that Ff 3 has more than twice as many main characters as FF 2.

The bottom line is simple: if you're only going to buy one SNES game this year, make it Final Fantasy 3 - you're gonna need it to live.

People say:

8

Though not quite 'final,' the latest in the Final Fantasy series is really a good game. Surprisingly, the graphics are really nice, considering that it's on the black and white GameBoy screen. This new adventure has the depth and mystery that made the others so cool. The plot line is convoluted, and it's a lot of fun seeing the story unravel. The interfaces is easy to learn, and makes this cart one of the best GameBoy RPGs around.

8

I really enjoy a good RPG and this is definitely a good buy. It seems that Square can do no wrong with their RPG's, even the portable ones. This game has a very involving story line to keep you interested, pretty decent tunes, and very detailed graphics add up to a real winner. Some of the little quests can be challenging, so be warned. This is one you won't beat in one sitting. I'll be playing FF Legend 3 for a good, long while.

8

Even though I'm not a big role-playing fan, I really like this game. When an RPG comes from Square, you already know it has to be good. Just like any of the FF games, this one has a long and involving story. There are many intriguing characters to interact with along the way. The graphics are not very detailed, but who cares; it's on GB. The best aspect of the game is the story, which makes it hard to put down.

8

It's no secret that I dislike the GameBoy in general, but I happen to like RPG's. The question remains is the game good enough to make me forget the eye strain and green screen? In this case the answer is yes. The story is great and the graphics are good for a GB. If you enjoy running Zelda, this game will keep you busy on those long train trips. I have to admit to liking a GameBoy game.

Things got even better with Final Fantasy III. This game introduced an even more fragmented story line—one in which members split into multiple parties and sought out their individual destinies. Also introduced was the Esper system that enabled players to build up strengths based on the Espers they equip. This development enabled multiple levels of game-play that required more strategy and less hack-and-slash gameplay.

Although FFIII was knocked a point for having the same smallish graphics as its predecessor, it received an almost perfect score—and still remains one of the most fun, innovative, and challenging RPGs to date. Will FFVII dethrone this early game? Only time will tell.

THE FINAL BOSS

When facing Kefka for the last time, you'll need to align your people correctly. Put your spellcasters first, your warriors second, and weaker people in the back. Try Celes, Terra, Mog, and Gogo. Now fire out the Ultimas, and after eight or so, Kefka should dissolve into nothingness.

Final Fantasy 3 is the third Final Fantasy game, developed by Square Co., Ltd. and released in 1990 for Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). The game was recently released for other platforms, such as Nintendo DS (2006, 2007), Wii (2009) and iOS (2011).

The gameplay features elements from the first two Final Fantasy games as well, but brings new features as well. Though it was not featured in the second game, the Experience Points appears again in the third one with a new class system. In the first Final Fantasy game the player had to choose a specific class to put his character in, but in the third version there is no such thing as classes.

The game introduces a Job System, which was one of this game’s main selling points. There are four party members in the game, 23 available jobs and more than 275.000 different party configurations.

The player can pick four Light Warriors who are granted a big power in order to save the world. The characters are joined by other non-playable characters in along the way, but they only offer help on the world map, so they are not able to fight.

In the remake for DS the game features four protagonists with different names and personalities than the ones in the manga series. They have different background stories as well. Luneth is the main character, while Arc is his best friend. On the way they meet Refia and Ingus. Cid and Sara are two supporting characters who help n battles in the DS remake. They can attack monsters and heal.

The NES version features the same graphic system as Final Fantasy I and II, but extends the gameplay with the new Job System. The third game of the series features auto-targeting as well, helping the player when having to battle. The NES version eliminates the games’ text heavy battle presentation (attack, spell names, damage registered, number of hits and other info). The damage is displayed on the enemy sprite after the attack.

The new windows and menus are blue instead of black, as in the first versions. The game also features unique action commands in battle for each character, such as Summon, Throw and Jump.

The third game of the series was very popular and received very good feedback on the internet. No less than 631 users voted the NES version on GameSpot with 8.7 out of 10, which is a very impressive rating for a game released back in 1990. The remake for SNES was rated even better, with 3321 users offering a total average of 9.5, while 11 critics rated the game with 9.4 out of 10, another impressive feedback for this game.

Final Fantasy III is a console role-playing game, that first appeared on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The game was developed and published by Square (now Square Enix) in 1994 as a part of the Final Fantasy series. Released to critical acclaim, the game is regarded as a landmark of the series and of the role-playing genre. The game's story focuses on a group of rebels as they seek to overthrow an imperial dictatorship.

Snapshots and Media

DS Screenshots

PC Screenshots

SNES/Super Nintendo/Super Famicom Screenshots

See Also

Viewing games 1 to 2
Harvest Moon
Since then the series has evolved slowly, with small additions making for a more complete package.