Like I showed you last week, the games I love aren’t always AAA titles. Not everyone will agree with me on the greatness of certain games and that’s ok. Some of my favorite games are ones that, while not in most peoples top ten list, are at looked upon with a certain level of fondness. However, sometimes I fall in love that games that are reviled by the gaming community and I have to come to its defense like it’s a disfigured, yet exotic hunchback girl be chased by angry villagers. Oh Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest for the SNES, no one will ever love you like I do.
Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest is a spin-off of the main series. It’s designed to be a simplified version of the standard version of the JRPG formula to serve as an introduction for beginners to the genre. That’s exactly what it is, a simplified version of Final Fantasy. You must save the world from destruction by gathering four crystals that govern different elements while traveling the world with various other warriors and heroes. Sound familiar to anyone, hmmm?
The lush and vibrant world of Mystic Quest
Navigating the world is really simple, once you’re on the overworld map there are several arrows showing you where you can go. Just pick a direction and you’re whished away to your destination. Dungeons and town are navigated in the same fashion as any JRPGs of the time with a few minor exceptions. The developers tacked on some gameplay elements more at home in action-rpgs like jumping, using grappling hooks to cross gaps, and blowing open passageways with bombs. This can sometimes makes dungeons play more like The Legend of Zelda than Final Fantasy but that’s fine, aside from the awkward jumping mechanic these elements work pretty well.
Ok, so the graphics are a kind of bland, but you know what? So's your face!
The battle system is really simple as well, gone are random encounters normally found in console RPGs. Instead the player initiates battles by approaching static enemies in dungeons or entering battlefields on the overworld map. After entering combat there are four choices available, attack, spell, item, and defense. There are no character specific abilities and magic is used by everyone in your party. This makes combat shallow but considering it’s meant for beginners it’s understandable. Experienced players will easily breeze through as most battles end up as a race to find enemy’s weakness and exploit it, like the final boss battle that can be won in a few minutes by casting Cure on him repeatedly.
Giant frogs are dicks too.
I’m not sure why I like this game so much. I’m not obsessed with it like I am with Soul Blazer but it still has the distinction of being one of the few games that I’ve played multiple times. Not only that, but it is also the only Final Fantasy game on that list. I’ve only beaten IV and VII once. I’ve never finished VI or IX. Plus, I hate V, VIII, and X. Having admitted this I can’t shake the feeling that one day I’ll be stabbed in the back, Aeris-style, by a Final Fantasy fan that can’t comprehend how I could possibly enjoy Mystic Quest more than VIII.
You’re beautiful to me Mystic Quest:
The final boss battle, Feature or bug? You be the judge:
I was going embed a music player here to show you some remixes of the game music (I love the battle theme) but the one I normally use said the file was too big. I found another but it auto-played, which is annoying. So any interested people should click here to listen. I don’t think it will matter much though as most of the people to click on this post will be Final Fantasy fans arguing who has to hold me down while the others take turns kicking me in the teeth.
Well that’s it, now that I admitted my love for Mystic Quest and my general indifference towards the rest of the Final Fantasy series as a whole I have angered the Final Fantasy Fanatics. One day they will come for me with their replica gunblades and Masamunes and that’ll be it for me. If they find me floating in a river with a Cait Sith doll crammed down my throat I want you to know that I died bravely, clutching my copy of Mystic Quest like a mother protecting her child. Either that or I died cowering in a corner begging for mercy, my eyes full of tears and pants drenched in urine. Probably the second one, that sounds more like me.
Mystic Quest always confused me because I was young and couldn't figure out where in the canon of Final Fantasy it fit in since it had no number with it. You should definitely post the cover art for the game! Haha I remember it making me want to buy it.
This is quite possibly one of my favorite SNES RPGs aswell. Everything about it, except for the volcana area is amazing. I love the dungeon style, with all the puzzles, and the music is so fucking good. It has a story which is corny but the battles, and music make up for that.
I love how while fighting enemies, their graphics change to show how they are dying. I highly recomend people play this easy, but very enjoyable RPG. 5 WOOPS out of 4!!!
Awesome game is awesome. I've hated most of the FF games myself, but I still enjoy this one. It doesn't take itself seriously, and so the whole light-hearted adventure is much more enjoyable to play through than those ridiculous angsty bullshit "real" FF games.
I remember i bought a SNES arcade stick from a friend when i was like 8 and he threw this game in with it. I thought i was suppossed to use that controller so i played the whole game on that fucking arcade stick lol. I was a dumb kid.
If you've noticed, the people that like this aren't FF fans. I'm not saying it's not ok, but I tried a ROM of it like 5 years ago and hated it. It's not advanced enough for a hardcore RPG fan.
But if you're not a hardcore RPG fan then perhaps it's good. Glad to hear somebody likes it at least.
I'm a huge FF fan. I can simply find the charm in this game, aswell as the more dynamic RPGs. I was probably about 8 when I first played this game, so maybe it's a nostalgia thing, but to say that people who like this aren't FF fans is slightly rude. I've been playing the series from the get go, and other than 4, 6, and 7, this is possibly my favorite.
It is a very basic RPG, and was meant to "introduce" new gamers to the genre, and I think that it does it very well. It's basic, but that is also a part of it's charm. And the soudtrack is fantastic!
Playing it for the first time as an adult will only lead to anger. It can be simplistic almost to the point of insulting your intelligence and any experienced RPG player will have a hard time putting up with it. I used to be a big RPG player but I gave them up a few years ago when I noticed that I was losing interest in them. To give you an idea of what RPG franchises I do like I love the Wild Arms and Lunar series.
I liked this game Shipero..But I loved LUNAR BETTER. Do Lunar next. And Don't listen to Sadistic..any game you gotta read, he hates. He just likes to shoot people in the face!
Shipero, my man, you know I love you. But goddamnit I HATE THIS GAME. Its Final Fantasy for idiots. Which is what it is supposed to be... but still. Its awful. I hated it as a kid because it was too easy, and felt dumbed down.
Also, a pox on you for hating Final Fantasy V, the best one in the series. But, may that pox be lifted after you repent :D
@Tragic Hero & Snaileb
Hmmm, thats a good idea I've been meaning to write about an adventure game and Space Quest does fit the critera to be used for this feature. (Being a lesser known title that doesn't get talked about very often.)
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Hmmm..a simplified Final Fantasy 1? Well if you loved it then I guess your post is valid right?
Nice write up
Mystic Quest always confused me because I was young and couldn't figure out where in the canon of Final Fantasy it fit in since it had no number with it. You should definitely post the cover art for the game! Haha I remember it making me want to buy it.
This is quite possibly one of my favorite SNES RPGs aswell. Everything about it, except for the volcana area is amazing. I love the dungeon style, with all the puzzles, and the music is so fucking good. It has a story which is corny but the battles, and music make up for that.
I love how while fighting enemies, their graphics change to show how they are dying. I highly recomend people play this easy, but very enjoyable RPG. 5 WOOPS out of 4!!!
Wait, this is for real? I thought maybe it was a satire. Wow Shipero.
Also, with the final boss, if you use cure on it, I believe it dies in 1 attack;)
Seriously?
I started playing this when it came out, but also had Breath of Fire 1 or 2 on the SNES around the same time.
. . . seriously? This game was the grocery store Gobots of the Final Fantasy series.
I was talking to someone about this, since I JUST bought it for my SNES. Everyone told me it was terrible.. I thought this blog was a joke.
Guess it's time to try it before I start talking huh?
Awesome game is awesome. I've hated most of the FF games myself, but I still enjoy this one. It doesn't take itself seriously, and so the whole light-hearted adventure is much more enjoyable to play through than those ridiculous angsty bullshit "real" FF games.
I remember i bought a SNES arcade stick from a friend when i was like 8 and he threw this game in with it. I thought i was suppossed to use that controller so i played the whole game on that fucking arcade stick lol. I was a dumb kid.
If you've noticed, the people that like this aren't FF fans. I'm not saying it's not ok, but I tried a ROM of it like 5 years ago and hated it. It's not advanced enough for a hardcore RPG fan.
But if you're not a hardcore RPG fan then perhaps it's good. Glad to hear somebody likes it at least.
EternalDeathSlayer: I play and love SMT games, the most Hardcore of the Hardcore RPG's ever made, and I loved this game too.
@EternalDeathSlayer
I'm a huge FF fan. I can simply find the charm in this game, aswell as the more dynamic RPGs. I was probably about 8 when I first played this game, so maybe it's a nostalgia thing, but to say that people who like this aren't FF fans is slightly rude. I've been playing the series from the get go, and other than 4, 6, and 7, this is possibly my favorite.
It is a very basic RPG, and was meant to "introduce" new gamers to the genre, and I think that it does it very well. It's basic, but that is also a part of it's charm. And the soudtrack is fantastic!
Playing it for the first time as an adult will only lead to anger. It can be simplistic almost to the point of insulting your intelligence and any experienced RPG player will have a hard time putting up with it. I used to be a big RPG player but I gave them up a few years ago when I noticed that I was losing interest in them. To give you an idea of what RPG franchises I do like I love the Wild Arms and Lunar series.
This. Game. Is. Terrible.
That is all.
what bleh said. sorry man.
That game is horrible, shame on you sharpie.
The only reason why I kept playing it was to finish the story.
I liked this game Shipero..But I loved LUNAR BETTER. Do Lunar next. And Don't listen to Sadistic..any game you gotta read, he hates. He just likes to shoot people in the face!
NO! Do Space Quest next!
YES! DO SPACE QUEST!!!
Shipero, my man, you know I love you. But goddamnit I HATE THIS GAME. Its Final Fantasy for idiots. Which is what it is supposed to be... but still. Its awful. I hated it as a kid because it was too easy, and felt dumbed down.
Also, a pox on you for hating Final Fantasy V, the best one in the series. But, may that pox be lifted after you repent :D
@Tragic Hero & Snaileb
Hmmm, thats a good idea I've been meaning to write about an adventure game and Space Quest does fit the critera to be used for this feature. (Being a lesser known title that doesn't get talked about very often.)
I played it as a kid and liked it then... that's all I remember.