Final Fantasy VI Advance

Final Fantasy VI Advance (GBA, 2006 JP/2007 NA/EU): Enhanced remake of acclaimed 1994 SNES classic developed by Tose. Published by Square Enix in Japan (November 30, 2006), Nintendo internationally—North America February 5, 2007, Europe July 6, 2007. Last Game Boy Advance release in Asia and final Nintendo-published GBA title worldwide.

Title reverted from North American SNES name "Final Fantasy III" to original Final Fantasy VI, unifying series numbering internationally. Complete new English translation by Tom Slattery preserved most character/location names from Ted Woolsey's beloved SNES translation while updating spell/item names to match modern series conventions. Caused confusion in strategy guides due to completely different enemy names. Cleared narrative ambiguities from original while retaining quirky memorable lines. Mature themes expressed more clearly, though scene of Celes being punched by soldier removed entirely.

Graphics subtly enhanced with slightly improved visuals and lighter color palette to compensate for GBA's non-backlit screen. Character portraits added to dialogue boxes for party members and major characters. Music remade from Nobuo Uematsu's legendary original score—widely praised soundtrack including iconic "Opera Scene"—but suffered noticeably lower sound quality due to GBA hardware limitations, with audio degradation varying by track from minor to major. PlayStation version's FMV sequences not included.

Four new espers: Leviathan, Gilgamesh, Cactuar, Diabolos. Three new spells: Flood, Valor, Gravija. Major bugs fixed including infamous Evade Bug (physical evasion stat completely non-functional in SNES version) and Vanish/Doom glitch enabling instant-kill against bosses. Bestiary unlocked after first save, Music Player after game completion. US/European versions introduced new level-reset bug enabling stat maximization exploits (absent from Japanese version).

Two major post-game bonus dungeons exclusive to GBA version: Dragon's Den—accessible before final boss after defeating eight dragons, includes Kaiser Dragon (monster coded but unused in original SNES version) and powerful equipment. Soul Shrine—unlocked post-game after defeating Kaiser Dragon, features 10 consecutive battle sets totaling 128 encounters with breaks between sets; reward is Master's Crown key item (purely cosmetic achievement like FF5's Omega Badge). Both dungeons add substantial replayability but criticized as tedious grinds.

Story follows 14-character ensemble cast—largest playable cast in FF series—through steampunk-fantasy world 1,000 years after War of the Magi. Follows Terra and Returners rebelling against magic-wielding Gestahlian Empire. First FF not directed by series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi; co-directed by Yoshinori Kitase and Hiroyuki Ito, establishing series' cinematic direction later realized in FF7. No job system—each character has unique abilities creating diverse tactical options. Signature feature: multi-party battles requiring player to manage 2-3 groups of four characters simultaneously.

Critical acclaim as one of greatest RPGs ever made. IGN ranked 8th-best GBA game of all time, Official Nintendo Magazine #32 greatest Nintendo game 2009. Widely considered among best Final Fantasy entries alongside FF7/X. Praised for character development, villain Kefka ranked among most memorable RPG antagonists. Japanese sales exceeded 223,000 copies by end of 2006 (one month post-release). Super Famicom original sold 3.48 million copies worldwide. Reviews noted GBA version's inferior audio quality versus SNES but praised bringing definitive portable version of masterpiece with meaningful additions. 26-30 hour playtime plus extensive post-game content.