Intrigue and Mystery
If you play Final Fantasy VI from beginning to end and go for only the main story, you won’t possibly see everything the game has to offer. There are so many secrets and optional scenes throughout the game that I am still finding new experiences even now. Even if you think you know all about the story and the characters, without exploring around for secrets, you’ll miss a ton.
One of my favorite characters in the game is Shadow. At first, you meet Shadow and his dog Interceptor in the bar in South Figaro, and his aura is as cold as ice. With the right amount of cash, you can purchase his loyalty but he may leave your party at the drop of a hat. Eventually you can get him as a regular character, but his story is as elusive as his name suggests. Only digging deeper will you begin to catch the thread of his past. Let’s just say, you can start by sleeping at random Inns in the game to start catching on to what this mysterious ninja is all about. Even after seeing all his dreams and watching the ending, his story is still a mystery, but some of his connections to other characters can be distinguished and it is quite an amazing back story to discover.
The dreams of Shadow aren’t the only optional secret in the game. The extra content ranges from simple storytelling scenes about Edgar and Sabin’s relationship to the very event that troubled Locke and his lost love. There is a plethora of extra quests that include secret items and enemies. There’s also the gripping side-story about the injured soldier in Mobliz, which I personally became obsessed over sending every one of his love letters, only to find out tragically what happens to him later. In the second half of the game, Cyan gets tangled in this little dilemma while grasping for ways to cope with his own loss. To me, this subtle connection is video game storytelling at its best.
A Score That Came From the Heavens
It’s quite obvious about Final Fantasy fans and their attachment to Nobuo Uematsu. His musical pieces have captivated gamers for many years, and thankfully, we’ll be able to hear his enchanting score once more in The Last Story.
It is to my belief that Nobuo Uematsu was at the pinnacle of his career while writing the music to Final Fantasy VI. Even with the limited sound of the SNES, the soul of his melodies and chords shines through and fills me with wonder, love, despair, curiosity and happiness. At that time in video game history, it was very important to have an impact with what could be made from the limited technology. Today, games have fully-blown orchestration and voice acting, but most of them still don’t hold a candle to the imagination and depth of Uematsu’s pieces during this time.
And now, I shall end this ode to Final Fantasy VI in the same manner that the story completes itself. The 20+ minute medley that plays after defeating Kefka is a masterful piece in video game music, and contains all of the character themes. Enjoy.
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Feel free to talk about your favorite moments in the comments below!
