I remember enjoying most characters\' unique mechanics, with a few unfortunate and notable exceptions. I also remember enjoying the unique aesthetics of the game that informed most Final Fantasy titles going forward, and represented something of a departure at the time. Most games had some ruined precursor civilization of advanced technology, but to my knowledge this was the first game to really lean into the Magitek/Dungeon Punk thingummy as an holistic part of the setting.
I do remember the occasional weird gimmicky area that seemed out of place with the more serious, realistic tone of the rest of the game, mostly the city of thieves where everyone\'s a liar.
I also remember getting totally stuck trying to get to what I know from extratextual sources is a fakeout final boss on the Floating Continent. I never figured out how to get to the end, so I never got to see the world blow up and Celes have to put the band back together. Props for making both leads girls though.
I guess I appreciate its scope and ambition, even if I couldn\'t finish it myself. I also think I remember the Continent being too hardcore for me, but really hating feeling like I had to grind on the Veldt to make Gau less useless? Could just be my stubborn communist self wanting to keep everyone\'s levels as close to equal as possible though.
I didn't have too much trouble finding my way to Atma/Ultima Weapon, even if it took me a few tries to defeat him. For me, the tricky part was figuring out how to ensure that Shadow gets on the airship.
I divided the characters into a few types- the really useful ones(which I used most often and taught my best spells), the ones I thought were good as supporting members, and the ones that are basically useless, and Gau firmly fell into the latter category. I think I left Gau behind in the final dungeon, since if you get everyone, you'll have 14 people (13 if Shadow dies) to fill 12 slots.
I could never get over the change from a party of characters with personalities to a singular avatar representing the entire party during cutscenes. Some of its humor was weird and seemed to contradict the dark tone this game was trying to cultivate (Ultros was the most notable example but there were other situations as well). As a person that likes playing parties that have the most relevance to the plot during certain events, the fact that characters became homogenized due to the magic system was off-putting and I disliked the extra busywork of trying get new characters to the same level with the optimal spells, just so I could get a feel for what they could do. I feel if the developers were more honest with themselves that this game wasn't an ensemble, (only three characters remain consistently relevant to the plot) I feel they could have accomplished more with a much smaller cast.
As it stands, FF 6 is average to me, but I feel its weaknesses shouldn't be exempted because of its age. Its an example of a game that is way too ambitious for its limitations and as a result falls apart in its latter half. Games like Earthbound and Chrono Trigger came around the same time with a better vision of what they wanted from their plot and were better games as a result. I appreciate that you acknowledge the flaws of the game and I do feel that the scope of the plot is genuinely captivating, its just that the flaws, to me, keep the game from being good let alone great.
(My first comment was way too long. This feels more on point.)
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One of my favorite Final Fantasies, despite its flaws
Final Fantasy VI(or III, if you played it on the SNES) is the last of the classic Final Fantasies besides IX, which is a throwback to older games.
The plot is relatively simplistic by modern standards, and features many common RPG tropes, such as La Résistance fighting The Empire, and the protagonist having a mysterious past and hidden potential, but it's surprisingly engaging and has many memorable moments. It's also surprisingly well-paced, starting off strong and keeping you hooked.
While the graphics may not be much to look at from a modern perspective, they're among the best a SNES RPG has to offer, and aged much better than VII's 3D graphics did. The soundtrack is also impressive and holds up well years later.
The gameplay is classic RPG fare, and the basics should be familiar to players who have played an RPG on the SNES or NES, but it has some nice twists. Each character has a unique ability with varying uses and varying degrees of practicality. You can also equip Espers on characters to teach them magic, allow them to summon the Esper in battle or gain various perks when leveling up. The combat isn't especially difficult for the series, but the bosses have various unique mechanics, and demand that you approach them with the right strategy.
From a story perspective, the characters are rather interesting, but woefully underutilized. A few hours into the game, when you gain the ability to choose your own party, the characters generally stop expressing themselves unless the plot requires them to be there. For example, when you infiltrate the Empire, Locke and Celes must be in your party, but the other two members you choose don't really say anything special.
In a related problem, many of the party members are largely irrelevant to the plot apart from the time when they're first recruited, as well as brief sidequests toward the end of the game. In addition to this, there aren't many opportunities for characters to interact with each other, like in Fire Emblem's supports or the Tales series' skits, which is a shame, since there was potential for some fascinating conversations.
In all fairness, there are benefits to this kind of story structure. It's nice to be able to have the freedom to choose your team for most of the game. Much of the latter half consists of sidequests to pursue as you prepare for the final dungeon, and you're free to choose which ones to pursue, as well as in what order.
While the game has some flaws, such as its underdeveloped characters, as well as other limitations for the games of the time, it's still a classic RPG that's well worth playing today.