History VideoGame / FinalFantasyVI

The other port, released on the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance, is [[UpdatedRerelease patched up even further]]: It includes [[BonusDungeon a couple new quests]], new gear, new {{Bonus Boss}}es, and four new Espers. It features a new translation which fixed some things (''e.g.'' Ultima Buster's [[MeaninglessMeaningfulWords famously cryptic]] pre-battle speech on the meaning of life) while retaining many of Ted Woolsey's [[AudienceColoringAdaptation now-iconic]] original lines and [[DubNameChange name changes]]. The GBA port also uncensored certain elements...while confusingly censoring others that had been ''un''censored in previous versions. On a technical note, the GBA port fixed numerous bugs (while introducing some brand-new ones) and featured a brighter color palette and remixed music--the last of which [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks remains a source of contention]].

*** In the GBA version, where he was reinstated as a BonusBoss:

* BarrierChangeBoss: Number 024 in the Magitek Research Facility and the Magic Master on the top of Cultists' Tower. Also, Kaiser Dragon, the BonusBoss in the GBA remake.

* BonusBoss:
** The Eight Dragons, Atma / Ultima Buster, and many other bosses from the World of Ruin.
** Intangir is something of a {{Bonus|Boss}} BossInMookClothing, as he's hard to find, completely optional, and tougher than anything else in the World of Balance. It's the same with the Brachosaur in The World of Ruin.

* HPToOne: Several examples, most notably Kefka's (and certain [[BonusBoss Bonus Bosses']]) Fallen One/Heartless Angel.

* SheatheYourSword: A surprisingly valid way to defeat the Magi Master BonusBoss, if you have Reflect status on your party members. Magi Master [[PuzzleBoss changes their elemental weakness]] in response to being damaged by spells you cast, but 'not' when damaged by their own spells being reflected off your party members. Thus, your characters can simply stand there and let spells bounce off them until Magi Master's HP is depleted. [[spoiler: Though they will need take suitable measures against Magi Master's final counterattack.]]

* SadBattleMusic: In one of the battles vs. Ultros, when Relm joins the party, the standard battle theme[[note]]this particular fight uses the traditional FF6 battle music. The first and last fights with Ultros, on the other hand, use the normal boss battle theme, while the fight at the opera house uses a wholly original theme[[/note]] is replaced by her theme.

** On repeated playthroughs only. Others, not so bad. But those like Sabin and Strago? Sabin is holding a building up, preventing it from collapsing. As for Strago, he is seen walking with various cultists, forever like that as he lost his heart, thinking Relm perished during or after the world's destruction. And those who don't know about Gogo's existence even if he is just there? He is in that Zone Eater's dungeon belly until he decides to get out himself or mimic someone and follow them out of the Zone Eater's dungeon belly.

* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: Others deliberately let Cid die, claiming it gives Celes more development ([[ThatOneSidequest and that it's not worth the fishing game]])[[note]]If Cid dies, Celes gives up as well, only to find that her friends may be alive, prompting her to set off on a journey to find them and tying into the hope theme that pervades the second half of the game. If Cid lives, he just tells Celes her friends must be alive and here! Take this raft and have fun[[/note]].

Now, however, the stirrings of war are brewing again. An [[TheEmpire Empire]] in the south seems to have rediscovered the mythological power of "magic" and is building weapons [[{{Magitek}} combining magic and machinery]]. [[LaResistance The Returners]], an underground resistance movement, are fighting against the rising tide but it is a losing battle as the Empire conquers the south and begins to push into the north.

** Quality-of-life adjustments in the Switch and [=PS4=] versions of the Pixel Remaster:

** In the Switch and [=PS4=] versions of the Pixel Remaster, Deathgaze is no longer invisible on the world map, instead appearing as a floating sphere of darkness. He still moves to a random location after fleeing from battle, but finding the exact spot is much easier.
** Random encounters can be disabled, which makes back tracking much easier. There’s also an option to boost the amount of XP and gil earned after battles, which cuts down on grinding.

** The Pixel Remaster's console ports allow you to turn off enemy encounters at any time, which makes Molulu's Charm into this.
** The aforementioned console ports also turn the equipment-removing [=NPC=]s into this, as you can access every party member’s equipment and Espers at any time.

* AudienceMurmurs: When the Opera gets derailed with the unforeseen entry of Ultros, Locke & co.

*** Tornado drops ''everyone'''s HP to critical. As such, it can never kill you by itself, merely making it easy for enemies to finish you off, and by the time you get it, enemies for the most part become immune to it.

** During the climax of the World of Balance, an injured Interceptor comes to Thomas's to get the party to help him find Shadow, and stays behind there to recover. When the group gets to the Floating Continent and finds Shadow there, he won't have Interceptor to help him as he did before. Similarly, [[spoiler:if Shadow dies, Interceptor becomes Relm's guardian, as she is Shadow's daughter.]]

** In the Japanese version Kefka was a [[TheFool laughing idiot]] and practically a [[TheScrappy Scrappy]], while in the English version Ted Woolsey made him deeply hateful and cruel while keeping his sense of humor, which made him even darker than if it had been removed. This change was so beloved in comparison to the original that it impacted his future portrayals globally.

** Several, but the most notable is the Magic Master, who will cast [[TotalPartyKill Ultima]]. Really annoying, since dying sends you back to the ground floor of the Cultists' Tower, which is a ScrappyLevel for many.

** In the Switch and [=PS4=] versions of the Pixel Remaster, Deathgaze is no longer invisible on the world map, instead appearing as a floating sphere of darkness. He still moves to random locations on the world map after fleeing from battle, but finding the exact spot is much easier.

** In the Switch and [=PS4=] versions of the Pixel Remaster, Deathgaze is no longer invisible on the world map, instead appearing as a floating sphere of darkness. He still moves to random locations on the world map after fleeing from battle, but finding him is much easier.

* ChallengeRun: According to [[https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/final-fantasy-vi-switch/ the Nintendo eShop]] and [[https://store.playstation.com/en-us/concept/10002344 the PlayStation Store]], the Switch and [=PS4=] versions of ''Pixel Remaster'' allow you to customize how much experience is earned, including disabling it entirely.

Square Enix re-released the SNES version on the UsefulNotes/VirtualConsole in Japan, Europe and North America, and the [=PlayStation=] port on the [=PlayStation=] Store. A divisive version of the game was released for mobile devices and UsefulNotes/{{Steam}}, but was delisted in 2021. The original version is also one of the twenty-one games included in the SNES Classic Edition, alongside other Square-developed games ''VideoGame/SecretOfMana'' and ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG''. A remastered version in the ''Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster'' series was released on PC and mobile devices in early 2022. 2023 will see the ''Pixel Remaster'' version brought to the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch and UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, with extra quality of life additions and boosters, and an optional remastered soundtrack.

* ChallengeRun: According to [[https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/final-fantasy-vi-switch/ the Nintendo eShop]] and [[https://finalfantasypixelremaster.square-enix-games.com/public/images/ps4.svg the PlayStation Store]], the Switch and [=PS4=] versions of ''Pixel Remaster'' allow you to customize how much experience is earned, including disabling it entirely.

* ChallengeRun: The Switch and [=PS4=] versions of ''Pixel Remaster'' allow you to customize how much experience is earned, including disabling it entirely.

Square Enix re-released the SNES version on the UsefulNotes/VirtualConsole in Japan, Europe and North America, and the [=PlayStation=] port on the [=PlayStation=] Store. A divisive version of the game was released for mobile devices and UsefulNotes/{{Steam}}, but was delisted in 2021. The original version is also one of the twenty-one games included in the SNES Classic Edition, alongside other Square-developed games ''VideoGame/SecretOfMana'' and ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG''. A remastered version in the ''Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster'' series was released on PC and mobile devices in early 2022. 2023 will see the ''Pixel Remaster'' version brought to the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch and UsefulNotes/PlayStation4.

%%* MagicalLand: The Land of the Espers.

%%zce* TouchedByVorlons: First by draining them, then by holding their remains.

%%* AWorldHalfFull: [[spoiler:The state of the planet by the end of the game.]]

%%* AlwaysClose: Played with in Shadow's case and averted in Sabin's.

%%* ApocalypseWow: The creation of the World of Ruin, which also includes an apocalypse montage.

%%* BigBoosHaunt: The Phantom Train in the World of Balance. Later on you have Darill's Tomb, Owzer's Mansion, and Dreamscape.

%%* CoolAirship: Two of them: The Blackjack, and later the Falcon.

%%* CostumePorn: Somewhat evident in-game, but most evident in the Creator/YoshitakaAmano art.

%%* DarkestAfrica: The Veldt with Mobliz at its edge.
* DarkestHour: Upon waking up in the World of Ruin, Celes finds out she's alone on a tiny island with Cid, the world has been ripped apart, plants and animals are dying off, and for all Cid knows no one else is alive out there. Then, depending on the player's actions, [[spoiler:Cid dies]]. Celes falls over the DespairEventHorizon hard here and is DrivenToSuicide.

%%* MageTower: The Cultists' Tower.

%%* ManaDrain: Osmose.

** Atma/Ultima Weapon gives this:

** The Atma/Ultima Weapon grows longer based on your hitpoints. By the end of the game, in the right hands it is easily 20-30 feet long.

** The Eight Dragons, Ultima Buster, and many other bosses from the World of Ruin.

* ClimaxBoss: Ultima Weapon.

** Ultima Weapon gets stronger and stronger attacks as he weakens, and has a lot of HP too. Or you can avoid both problems by using Rasp and Osmose to drain his MP instead, which will also kill him and keeps him stuck in his simplest attack pattern.

'''Gestahl (GBA):''' The world is about to learn...the true meaning of fear...\\
'''Gestahl (SNES):''' There'll be no-one to worship us...

** Atma Weapon/Ultima Buster. Not necessarily the boss itself, but the meaning of its infamous MindScrew pre-battle speech ranges from it believing that the only point to existence [[BloodKnight is to fight]] (hence why it immediately begins attacks after its finished), believing that it [[TheWorldIsNotReady is above humans and that the player characters are unworthy to know]], believing that there [[TheAntiNihilist is no meaning but it choosing to fight the party anyway]] ([[DespairEventHorizon or that there's no meaning to anything period]]), or just being a {{Troll}}.

* DiscOneFinalBoss: The recurring boss character in ''Final Fantasy'', Ultima Weapon ("Atma" in the SNES version), shows up for the very first time to block your path to the Imperials on the Floating Continent. It's oddly-erudite, has six limbs, is covered in some kind of metallic tubing, and exhales blue smoke. According to an [=NPC=] scholar who specializes in ancient weapons, a number of Ultima Weapons were manufactured during the War of the Magi. One is the sword you find in the Cave to the Sealed Gate; the other is a living weapon bred for destruction. You find another one minding its business in Kefka's Tower, and an optional Omega Weapon (named after the superboss in ''VIII'') waits in the GBA's Dragon's Den.

* EnergyBeings: Various monsters, such as the monsters of the FloatingContinent, including Ultima Weapon, which specifically describes itself as "pure energy". In an example of GameplayAndStoryIntegration, if you force these monsters to run out of [[{{Mana}} Magic Points]], they will die. This gimmick is necessary to beat one of the reborn Eight Dragons in the Dragons' Den.

** "My name is Ultima... I am power both ancient and unrivaled... I do not bleed, for I am but strength given form... Feeble creatures of flesh... Your time is nigh!"[[note]]In the SNES version: "My name is Atma...... I am pure energy...and as ancient as the cosmos. Feeble creatures, [[NeverSayDie GO]]!"[[/note]]
** "I am the one known as Ultima... Forged an eternity ago and left here... Forgotten in the mists of time... Long have I pondered what I should do... Long, long have I pondered... But now it seems I have an answer..." [[note]]In the SNES version: "I'm Atma...... Left here since birth... Forgotten in the river of time... I've had an eternity to...ponder the meaning of things... And now I have an answer..."[[/note]]

* LaserBlade: The Ultima Weapon.

** The Ultima Weapon is found about a third of the way through the game. However, its power relies on the maximum HP of the user, so it doesn't start dealing the damage you'd expect from the Ultima Weapon until World 2.

* NewGamePlus: Completely averted in the original [=SNES=] version. The [=PS1=] remake lets you save after the FinalBoss, but only for the purposes of unlocking bonus content. The [=GBA=] remake (and later [=iOS=]/Steam remake) lets you save AND keep the items you manage to steal from the FinalBoss, and opens up the [[BonusDungeon Soul Shrine]].

** There's also Magic Evasion in the SNES and PS versions. Due to a bug, the Physical Evade stat is worthless and instead Magic Evasion determines your ability to dodge both physical ''and'' magical attacks. The right loadout to max out Magic Evasion can render a character almost invincible. The aforementioned bug was fixed in the GBA version, however.

** This works admirably well on the Ultima Weapon, as well, as opposed to the standard "beat him down, let him heal, beat him down again" tactic. Of course, anything claiming to be pure energy is asking for it.

* PlotTwist: The game has one of the biggest and shocking plot twists in an RPG even by modern standards: [[spoiler:Everything the heroes did was in vain; They outright fail to stop the BigBad and the world is destroyed as a result. It's only then that you realize you're only halfway through the game and you follow a completely brand new storyline as the plot shifts from preventing another War of the Magi to PuttingTheBandBackTogether and saving what little remains of a shattered world.]]

** Midway through the game, once you walk on the steps behind Atma/Ultima Weapon and confront Emperor Gestahl and Kefka at the Warring Triad. A return to the airship is right before this and Ultima Weapon, and it's recommended that one make sure they earned everything they can and save, because once the player hits the Triad, [[spoiler:the cutscenes with Kefka overthrowing and killing Gestahl, moving the Triad, and destroying the Floating Continent starts, after which the team HAS to flee; this is followed by the events of Kefka conquering and destroying the World of Balance and transforming it into the World of Ruin, starting the second half of the game and making it impossible to return to any Balance-exclusive area for anything.]]

* ReducedManaCost: The cost-halving Gold Hairpins as usual, and the 1-mp-cost-Ultima-Spam Celestriad.

* VertebrateWithExtraLimbs: Several monsters, most notably Ultima Weapon.

* LuckyTranslation: The BonusBoss Hidon has the same name in both the US and Japanese versions of the game, even though a character calls attention to it living up to its name: in the US version, the character refers to the fact that the monster is elusive and thus spends most of its time in hiding, meaning that you have to solve an elaborate puzzle to reach it, while the Japanese version refers to the word "hidoi", meaning "ugly", which certanly fits the bill.