E3 06: Final Fantasy VI Advance Preshow Report

With the recent announcement of Final Fantasy VI, the trinity of SNES Final Fantasy games is finally complete on the Game Boy Advance. Just as with Final Fantasy IV Advance, this game will get the full treatment of updated graphics and a handful of other tweaks. Being that Final Fantasy VI (known in the US as Final Fantasy III) is one of the best in the series, the idea of playing it on the go is more than enough to make role-playing fans take note.

Final Fantasy VI follows the story of a young orphan named Terra, who is gifted with the ability to use magic. Although the story revolves somewhat around Terra, there is a huge cast of great characters with complex and compelling side stories to follow, as well. Each character is unique, and each has his or her own motives for taking on the evil empire that is threatening to use its newly discovered magic weapons to destroy the world. The game features one of the best villains in the series--the diabolical Kefka. In addition to the amazing cast of characters, there are not one but two huge worlds to explore, with all kinds of secrets to discover.

From a gameplay standpoint, Final Fantasy VI is standard for the series. You engage enemies in random encounters with up to four characters in your party. You can equip special stones known as magicite to your characters, and as you level up, your characters will learn magic spells based on the magicite they have equipped. You can also summon powerful creatures known as espers using the magicite.

The world of Final Fantasy VI is an interesting mix of fantasy and sci-fi themes. You'll see everything from laser-shooting mechs to airships to yetis to , of course, chocobos. The SNES version of the game felt massive at the time of its release, and it could easily take 60 or more hours to complete. The fact that Square Enix is going to be bringing all of that to the palm of your hand is exciting indeed.

According to Square Enix, this won't be a simple port. It promises to feature updates across the board, the most notable of which being enhancements to the now more than 10-year-old graphics and sound.

Final Fantasy VI Advance is scheduled to be released later this year. Stay tuned to this gamespace as we bring you more updates.