Not your typical turn-based Final Fantasy, but a great game in its own right
This game is a very unique title to add to the Final Fantasy Series, mainly because it has nearly nothing in common with the rest of the games. While it has amazing graphics and great music like the other games, the story is very interesting and it is meant to be played as a multiplayer game, unlike the other FFs.
The story of the game, if there really is one, is that the world is covered in a deadly gas called miasma. The only things that wards off the miasma are special crystals that are placed in every inhabited place in the game. The crystals power does not last forever however, and must be revitalized by a liquid called myrrh. All the towns send out groups called caravans to find Myrrh trees and bring myrrh back to the village. You are part of a caravan. You'll receive a chalice with a small crystal shard on it the creates a dome that the miasma can't get through. If you wander out of the dome in an enemy area, you'll begin to lose your life energy.
The gameplay is different than other Final Fantasy games because it's an action RPG rather than a turn-based one. You freely walk around all the areas fighting the creatures as they run up to you. It also offers an interesting use of the R button to scroll through magics that can be used. The other obvious unusual aspect of this game is that multiplayer requires GBAs to be used. This is helpful because each player can search through items and armor on their own so the gameplay is quicker. On the negative side though, the game isn't paused while you try to find and use items in you're inventory so saving yourself with rejuvenating foods while being attack from all sides by monsters proves difficult. The only other problem is that areas in the game are visited multiple times which may get repetitive and boring after a while. Each will increase in difficulty every once or twice you go to them, so you won't ever not be challenged.
The music is great and typical of Square games. It uses a lot of flutes and sitar-like instruments to give a somewhat medieval feel to the game. Both introductions to the game have particularly good songs. While there isn't a large amount of variety between the songs, there are plenty of them that give a special feel to the game. You won't ever get tired of this music and may even wish to buy the soundtrack of the game.
The graphics are amazing, as can be expected. Though you don't often get to see everything up close, when you do, everything is perfect. All of the magic combinations are spectacular as they fill the screen with special effects.
After beating this game the first time, you may or may not want to play it again. All the areas are the same and not a lot changes. If you can find a group of people with GBAs to play this game, I recommend it. It was made especially for multiplayer and excels the most in that area. In any case, this game isn't worth passing up.
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