Final Fantasy Mystic Quest - Retro Review
In the early 90’s a young SpiderShan was enthralled playing the NES classic game, Final Fantasy. Having already played Dragon Warrior countless times through, I was eager for a similar game in that genre. When I got Final Fantasy it instantly allowed me to go on new quests filled with monsters, magic spells and weapons, and more turn-based combat than I knew what to do with. I managed to get my hands on the Gameboy exclusive Final Fantasy Legend games (SaGa in Japan) and drained many AA batteries working my way through them as well. When I finally got a Super Nintendo for Christmas of ‘92 I learned from copies of Nintendo Power that Final Fantasy II (IV in Japan) was available and it looked awesome. I begged, I pleaded, I did every possible chore around the house I could think of so that my parents would buy it for me. My memories of the specific events have grown hazy over the years, but eventually I received my gift, most likely for the following Christmas or birthday. “Here is that game you’ve been wanting,” I was told as I eagerly opened it up. Except, it wasn’t Final Fantasy II, it was Final Fantasy Mystic Quest, a spin off of the series that had been released in 1992 in North America. Its more recent release and cheaper price point had made it easier for my parents to buy for me. I’m sure I was a little disappointed at the time, but with the infrequency of new games coming my way I did the only thing I could…I played it…a lot. And, you know what? I remember really liking it. I played it through several times until I bought my own copy of Final Fantasy III (VI in Japan) in 1994. Final Fantasy III would go on to become my favorite RPG of all time, and eventually Final Fantasy Mystic Quest was set aside and not played again for many years. Until I decided to replay it on Twitch over the last few months that is. The game itself has been touted as “baby’s first RPG” over the years and considered to be a lesser, more forgettable RPG by many. I was looking forward to seeing if it still held up in my mostly positive, but possibly nostalgia clouded memory.
Development
I won’t get too much into the development of the game, but I think there are a few points worth mentioning here. The Japanese developers of the Final Fantasy games, Square, were trying to figure out why the games didn’t seem to really capture the Western market at the time the way they did in Japan. Final Fantasy Mystic Quest was born out of the effort to create a RPG with the Western market in mind. The thought was that by towning down the difficulty a new audience might be drawn to the genre. To that end, they took many of the assets being used for Final Fantasy Legend 3 and gave them a bit of SNES color, simplified gear and weapon pickups, removed random encounters, and added in some action elements (such as the ability to jump and interact with the environment using your weapons) Unfortunately, the game didn’t exactly climb the charts and it would be several more years before Square’s Final Fantasy VII would really grow the American RPG audience.
Story
The story in Final Fantasy Mystic Quest is that of your standard unlikely Hero of Prophecy going on a quest to save the world by restoring light to the four crystals. Along the way he meets up with various companion characters who come and go throughout the narrative of the story (you never have more than one character companion at a time). It’s about as basic of a story as you’ll find within the Final Fantasy series rivaling that of the original Final Fantasy. The story isn’t going to knock anyone’s socks off, but it serves its purpose. It leads the player from the start of the game to the end with no surprises or game changing revelations, especially by today’s standards. At times it will leave you scratching your head when trying to figure out character motives or why certain plot points happen at all. Multiple times it seemed as if a character would say or do something with no rhyme or reason, simply because a random plot point needed to occur or the game decided it was time to switch your companion characters. It doesn’t ruin the story by any stretch of the imagination, but as an adult I noticed it a lot more.
Gameplay
As I noted above, the development team really tried to change up the formula from other Final Fantasy and RPGs of the time. The overworld map is a connection of paths between destinations similar to games like Super Mario World. Random battles are replaced with optional “battlefield” icons that the player can travel to in the overworld and participate in a series of ten battles. Clearing out a battlefield gives the player an extra reward such as gold or a new spell. In the game's various dungeons the player will encounter enemy sprites standing stationary often blocking your path. Battles will not occur until a player interacts with the enemy sprite. Battles are turn-based where the player is given the choice to fight, run, or change the command of your companion (from computer control to human control). Fighting monsters gives you the choice to attack with a physical weapon, cast a spell, use an item, or defend. Your character has the option of using any of the weapons you have (sword, ax, grappling hook, claws, or explosives) and can be switched within battle. Different enemies will have different weaknesses, either to a specific weapon or to a spell. Winning battles gives you experience (towards leveling up) and gold (to buy items). As the characters damage an enemy the monster sprites will change indicating the damage they have received. Fighting a skeleton, for example, will show battle damage by losing bones or a hydra-type monster will lose heads as the fight goes on. It’s a nice touch and something I wish was more common even in more modern games.
Character development and customization is minimal. You gain strength, defense, speed, hit points, and magic points at level ups. These do exactly like what you would expect with increased speed allowing you to act first in battles. All the game's weapons, armor, and spells are either given to you by NPCs, found by clearing out battlefields, or discovered in red chests. Upgraded versions of your weapons or armor are automatically equipped on your character and you are not able to alter your companions weapons or armor. Gold is used to buy consumable items such as healing potions or to heal up in an inn.
If you lose a battle you are never penalized and sent back to your last save (unless you choose to) but instead you are given the option to retry the battle with the same stats and items that you started with your first try. You can retry battles as many times as you like, and you will need to redo battles. This game is extremely RNG dependent in determining battle outcomes. It wasn’t uncommon for my character and their companion to “miss” an attack two or three turns in a row, while a monster might get a critical hit and K.O. them. Even within the tutorial first fight of the game (you know the one that you can’t lose in most games) you can miss repeatedly while the enemy crits you and knocks you out, requiring you to replay the battle several times until the RNG gods provide you with better “luck.” You will also get hit by status effects…a lot. I lost track of the number of times that I went into what should have been an easy fight only to have the RNG decide that the monsters would strike first and petrify both of my characters (an instant “game over”) or put them to sleep before I even got the chance to attack back. Armor upgrades give you status and element protection later in the game, but since your companions can’t upgrade their gear you will spend plenty of time healing them from poison, blindness, confusion, sleep, and petrification. Thankfully, you can continue to replay an encounter until the RNG goes in your favor and that same battle that was so difficult, suddenly becomes quite a bit easier. This did lead to some minor frustration but nothing too rage inducing as none of the battles are overly long once you figure out a monster’s weakness.
Where this game stands out is the simple but interesting way that you use your weapons to solve puzzles and explore within the towns, dungeons, and other locations of the game. Swords can push buttons to open doors, axes can cut down trees, claws allow you to climb certain walls, and the grappling hook can pull you across gaps, and explosives can break open doors or pathways that are blocked. Your player can also jump across small gaps or across pillars. None of the puzzles are overly complicated and shouldn’t leave the player spending too much time getting frustrated. The dungeons aren’t overly large but if you struggle with a sense of direction (like me) and wander around in circles you may want to look up a map as there are no in-game maps (which was common for RPGs of that era). More than once while streaming the game I found myself wandering around looking for my way out until I decided to pull up a map online. To be fair, this probably says more about my ability to talk and play games at the same time than it does about the game design itself though.
Music
I can’t end this retro review without mentioning the music in the game first. The music in Final Fantasy Mystic Quest is some of the best developed on the Super Nintendo. Composed by Ryuji Sasai and Yasuhiro Kawakami, the music tracks have a more western rock vibe than other games in the Final Fantasy series in that. Even if you never play the game, listening to the OST will absolutely be worth your time!
Verdict
Final Fantasy Mystic Quest will rarely be referenced as a person’s favorite RPG or even as their favorite game in the series. Its heavy RNG dependency in battles, generic characters and plot, and lack of customization options for the playable characters make it hard to recommend when strictly compared to other games of the era such as Final Fantasy 3 or Chrono Trigger. However, there is also something to say about its charm and simplicity. The removal of random encounters and complex menus does make it a good entry point for gamers not accustomed to the genre or those who just want to sample a RPG from the SNES era. The shorter game length also makes the game appealing for those looking for a quick RPG experience without the need to commit 80+ hours into the game. Overall, the game is worth a playthrough if you like RPGs from the 16 bit era of gaming. There may be some small frustrations along the way, but nothing that really makes the game deserving of some of the dislike or dismissal it receives from some circles. Its biggest sin is simply that it isn’t Final Fantasy 3 or Chrono Trigger, probably the two most decorated RPGs of the era, but I believe that there is absolutely still room for a game like Mystic Quest. It’s a lot easier and cheaper to pick up these days than those other games and it receives a hearty retro recommendation from me!
