The Final Fantasy series is arguably one of the most recognizable and well-known gaming franchises out there, and they've made some seriously awesome games (FF6 - if you haven't already, go play it.), but they've also made some games that weren't too well received.
Mystic Quest was pretty much intended to be a dumbed down and westerner-friendly RPG to try and widen the appeal to Role Playing Games, which, at the time, we're essentially a niche market.
The gameplay differs from that of other standard RPGs in the sense that the random battles are done away with and replaced with visible enemy sprites - which are stationary - and "Battlefields." The overworld map is still there, but instead of free exploration, you have a grid based (think Super Mario Bros. 3) map with set destinations. Some of these destinations are the aforementioned Battlefields which allow the player to level up the main character "Benjamin" and any, if applicable, of his compatriots. They are essentially a string of battles purely there to grind for experience.
Also, character customization is gone, armor and weapons acquired are essentially permanent, with only the ability to switch which weapon you use in-battle and the various locales on the map.
Clearly, it was a pretty simplified version of a traditional RPG, and for the most part, it was well received, garnering a 7.25/10 from EGM and a 3.725/5 in Nintendo Power, but the mission of bringing the RPG genre to the mainstream wasn't accomplished with the release of Mystic Quest as was hoped, because this feat was of course later accomplished with Final Fantasy 7.
Onto the meat and bones. Mystic Quest's graphics aren't anything to really write home about, and the plot is dead simple - find a handful of crystals that control the elements in order to save the planet, kill this "Dark King" fella' and go home and sleep.
While those are some of the negative points of the game, the music is pretty damn good. It's composed by Ryuji Sasai, who also composed games like Tobal No.1, Bushido Blade 2, and others. While he may not be a big time composer like the obvious Mr. Uematsu, the composing work is very good, with a nice metal influence in pace and in sound. (Listen to the Boss Theme, and the Dark Castle theme, they're amazing.)
Let's also get another thing straight before we continue - I'm a hardcore FF player, although I detest most of the recent ones with a few exceptions, and despite my expectations from an RPG, and the difficulty therein, I was strangely pleased and satisfied with my play through of Mystic Quest. The game is extremely easy, and I mean, pants-on-head-stupid easy, but it was still a lot of fun. Beating the hell out of enemies in the battlefields was repetitive, but rewarding, pummeling bosses while thoroughly enjoying the music, and eventually decimating the Dark King with "Life" because he's undead, therefore I dealt damage to him over the in-game damage cap.
A lot of my friends and acquaintances almost entirely disregard two games in particular from even being considered a Final Fantasy game, and that's Mystic Quest and Final Fantasy 12. I always ask why they don't like Mystic Quest, and I get a lot of the above - it's too easy, too simplistic, not a real RPG, and while they're technically correct, it doesn't necessarily make it a bad game. I think that while it's easy and simple, it's still worth a play through, and the music alone makes it worthwhile, as well as the simple and enjoyable game play.
WayTooManyGames' Oliver Shellding: "Mystic Quest is not a game to dive into with the hopes of an engaging, deep RPG. If you’re looking to experience the classics, please consider almost anything else. I wouldn’t recommend sitting through it and playing it ironically, because that’s a really tired and huge waste of life. But it is a memorable artifact of video game culture for both hubris, disconnect and the inexplicable charm that comes from something that was doomed to fail. It’s got grind to the nines and as much freedom as a single lane rat maze."
Me too. I fire it up on roms every now and then and get stomach wooshes from the nostalgia. the music. so good.
I remember always seeing this for rent at my local mom and pop video store but I never picked it up. I always heard that it was a cool little action orientated spin off of FF
Yes, it is much harder to start a retro collection in 2022 than it was in 2017, but it’s still possible! You’ll see there are still quite a few SNES games that are fun and affordable.
I really enjoyed Commando as a kid and it’s not listed . I bet it’s cheap maybe? Beat all 99 levels just to find out you start all over again .
You must be talking about Captain Commando and no it's not cheap...going for about $130.
Any retro console is still worth buying in 2022 whether a Genesis, NES, SMS, TG16. Some systems command a higher price then others but a SNES is still reasonably priced and worth grabbing you can mod the NA SNES to play Japanese games throw in an Everdrive and you're set. I feel sorry for some of the consoles I see on Ebay that have holes in them, yellowed to death, modified with shitty mods that barely work. The SNES might need a little work great way to learn if yellowed just use peroxide and UV light and it will turn white again. If you have a hobby of repairing older consoles that are listed as untested broken for parts some of the repairs are basic you can save money that way when buying a retro console. I just bought a $20 NES listed as broken on Ebay disable the lock out chip and new 72pin connector and it works.
I imagine restoration work on retro consoles is going to become much more important as the years wear on. Sure, hundreds of thousands of certain consoles were made, but fewer exist every year.
Depends on the console a SNES for sure needs retrobrite the plastic grows brittle and literally falls apart same with the NES. A White Dreamcast also needs retrobrite if I remember right the TG16 needs new capacitors it suffers the same issue as the Game Gear. Most of the old handhelds need new screens since they fail with age my Game Gear had new capacitors put in and a McWill mod done to it. The NES needs the lock out chip disabled when the power light turns on and off maybe throw in a new 72pin as well. Sega Master System has an issue blowing out the 7805 voltage regulator. OG Xbox depending on the board revision needs a clock capacitor removed or it leaks and fries the board. N64 controller needs a new thumbstick Sega Genesis model 2 suffers from the solder around the power supply is prone to cracking hence the system will not power up. Sega CD model 1 the laser dies fast model 2 the rubber feet supporting the drive fail and the model is know to throw the pico fuse so it dies fast as well.
It also depends how you treat the system also I baby my shit. I don't throw it around like a football the systems I see that might need the most help going through the years are the ones that use lasers and discs. I know some systems have problems due to how they were built as well like again certain board revisions of an OG Xbox and the Game Gear. I have bought broken systems and picked them for parts. I actually enjoy fixing older systems it's relaxing and a great way to teach yourself new skills.
Turning 64 this year.....my days playing video games are Now over.... time to move on to Jesus Christ .....I wish all of you Happy New Year . Game on Dudes!!!
It was fun while it lasted.
Arranger Sean Schafianski is pleased to release Final Fantasy Mystic Quest Remastered Soundtrack, an epic tribute celebrating the best part of the classic Squaresoft USA beginner RPG featuring wonderful rock and fantasy tunes by Ryuji Sasai and Yasuhiro Kawakami.
If they didn't change this game from way back when it was on the SNES, I really can't imagine how anyone could give it a 9 out of 10. Mystic Quest is Final Fantasy Lite. You've heard of how FFIV released with an easier difficulty in North America than in Japan? The ease of this game puts that to shame.
But given that this gen is catering to the casuals, I suppose this game is right up there alley. Not saying you're a casual, I just remember this game.
I played this game when I was a kid. One thing I do remember, which the article mentions, is the music. There's one part where there's a rock band playing a show and I remember really digging that song :).
Yeah, I tried to make sure to mention the fact that this game really is Final Fantasy: Diet, but still has some redeeming qualities. It's definitely good for those with time constraints - you can knock it out in a relatively short amount of time. I also tried to evaluate each aspect of the game individually, as well as a whole, so that I could come to as objective as a conclusion as possible, though I must admit, I do have some fond memories of this game, even though I'm more hardcore into jRPG's - Final Fantasy, Persona, etc.
Overall 9 when everything else is below 9? Makes no sense.