Understanding Why Final Fantasy VI Worked

In this video, I analyze the story of Final Fantasy VI, and explain why I think the game is still relevant today. Some classic games are the victim of nostalgia goggles, and revisiting them later in life can be a rough experience. However, I found that Final Fantasy VI was not only one that held up, but was actually better than I remembered.

All of my Final Fantasy VI footage was recorded off of the SNES Mini.

Thanks to the following people for their help proofing the script and encouragement:

Eurothug4000

Sole Porpoise

Special thanks to Heavy Eyed to who helped proofing the script, but also helped me set up my new microphone and fixed up some glaring issues with the audio:

Heavy Eyed

Thank you so much to HotCyder for the thumbnail!

Music featured from the Final Fantasy VI soundrack. Tracks used:
Omen
Devil's Lab
Phantom Forest
Strago's Theme
Cyan's Theme
Setzer's Theme
Epitaph
Searching for Friends
Terra's Theme
Celes's Theme
From That Day On
Forever Rachel
Coin Song
Under Martial Law
Kefka's Theme
Ending Theme

Other game clips featured in the video:
Yakuza: Like a Dragon
Persona 5
Earthlock: Festival of Magic
Dark Rose Valkyrie
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana
Blast Corps
Onimusha
Front Mission 4
Mega Man 2
Super Metroid
Afterparty
The Missing: JJ Macfield and the Island of Memories
GRIS
What Remains of Edith Finch
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
Red Dead Redemption 2
Celeste
Final Fantasy VII: Remake
Ghost of Tsushima
The Last of Us Part 2
Death Stranding

Timestamps:
Intro: (0:00)
Nostalgia: (0:50)
Ensemble Representation: (3:02)
Two Anchors: (5:33)
Terra: (6:21)
Celes: (8:44)
Backstories: (13:03)
The Nature of Suffering: (13:49)
How Fiction Resonates: (16:06)
Kefka's Nihilism: (17:50)
A Masterpiece: (19:16)

[darketernal]

The Edgar/Sabin arc was a lot deeper than I realized and even so more than what was gone over in this review.
Being twins, when their father passed away, one of them had to take up the mantle. If Edgar left to pursue his dreams, he would feel guilty knowing Sabin did it for him and vice versa. His solution was a guiltless coin flip, fate would decide who was king and who was free. Except Edgar wanted his brother to pursue his dreams; so he rigged the coin. Sabin went on guilt free all those years never knowing. Edgar was secretly happy his sacrifice gave his twin a life worth living.

[Kazeshini]

My greatest memory of playing this game was playing it with my mom when she was still alive. She died 5 years after the game came out. I recall one day coming back from high school seeing my mom playing FFVI and having difficulty with Sabin's move sets, her not being a fan of fighting games and all. So I mentioned that I could control him if she wished. I plugged in the second controller and anytime it was Sabin's turn, I'd input any moves she wanted me to do. I haven't touched that game in 20 years since her passing. Hope one day I am able to pick it up again to enjoy fond memories once more.

[THEPWERCSMIC]

When you said, “it’s about picking up the pieces of your life after everything falls apart” it really got me. I realized how vital this game was in coping with my own life falling apart. To this day video games are my number one coping skill.

[SilverLightRain]

Strago is a senile elderly man, on the last threads of his life, his granddaughter is the only thing keeping him alive (and his abilities which remain potent even with age). Probably like Shadow, the memories of his daughter lives on with Relm for him. Whereas Locke, Setzer, and Cyan failed, Strago was able to protect his loved one, up 'till the end.

[Thirteen]

Final Fantasy VI taught me to never give up, even if the world is literally going to shit.

[nexalusthegreat]

bruh this is a masterpiece, definitely one of the best ffvi videos out there

[Chadius]

FF6 is about love. Every character tries to find something to care about. Terra eventually finds the love of civilization, Celes learns to love herself. Locke and Cyan learns it's OK to grieve over lost loves. Kefka is incapable of loving. When the heroes declare their reasons to live on, Kefka finally reacts in pain for maybe the first time in the entire game. He doesn't understand it all.
Why keep living? Because the love we discover makes life worth living, even if it's temporary. FF6 is so damn good.

[haftarun]

To this day there's one game where a few seconds of its music or one memory of a piece of its story makes me, a 40 year old man, 13 years old again and crying with emotions inside. Masterpiece is an understatement.

[iyziejane]

This is a great analysis. In most JRPGs we have naive teenaged protagonists being thrust into the middle of grand events that push them to grow into the heroes they are meant to be. The characters of FF6 are more emotionally mature from the start, and this gives the entire game an edge of seriousness. I remember reading in Nintendo Power at the time that the game contained unprecedented adult themes, and looking back it was one of the greatest ever leaps in gaming.

[orboakin]

I've never played a FInal Fantasy game ever in my life since my childhood in Nigeria but this game, I stumbled on this video randomly and now this will be my first Final Fantasy game. I love the themes of hope in despair, perseverance despite failure, unity, and overcoming nihilism. Thanks for such a great video.

[thekeefer]

Loved this game as a kid, still do as an adult in my late 30's, And it still holds a special place in my heart to this day! This is one of a special few that holds the test of time!

[Dacho_Shaki]

I'm still amazed how they managed to fit all of that spectacle enriched with huge cinematic presentation, even for SNES standards, into one SNES cartridge. You can already notice there's something very special about that game. Games are getting bigger in size, but even modern games struggle to match the quality of that one SNES game when it comes to storytelling and world building.

[GoldenJoe]

It is reassuring to see that I am not the only person who has reflected on this game in the covid era. I’ve specifically thought about that scene at 16:15, when the bar owner reminisces about the world of balance.

Like you, my appreciation for this game only grows with age. You simply cannot grasp the characters until you have experienced sufficient trauma. But when you do, they are amazingly inspirational. Their struggles with their personal suffering, and finding meaning in a broken world, are real and relatable.

Ever since I was a kid, I admired the Figaro brothers the most. They are so different, yet they have such an incredible brotherly love. Edgar is wise and selfless - his act of guaranteeing the coin toss and the ease with which he sacrifices the kingdom’s treasure to gain access to the castle taught me a bit about what it means to be a good man and a leader. Sabin is loyal and upbeat - he spends his life away from the castle training so that he could one day return and help his brother. He is the first character you can recruit in the WoR, and his line “Did you think a little thing like the end of the world would do me in?” is the first moment of levity since Thamasa. Sabin doesn’t just try to be strong himself - he uplifts the people around him. Out of all the party members, they have the healthiest psyches, because they accept their burdens and build goals around them. Edgar and Sabin NEVER air what problems they do have to the other party members. They are the most mindful of other peoples’ suffering, and only confide in each other.

I could write an essay about why this game’s story and characters are so amazing, but I’ll stop here. I just wanted to share a bit of what made the game special to me, and to thank you for praising elements that are always overlooked.

[Winspur]

There was so much wisdom and emotional maturity in the story, and I also did not quite appreciate it all at age 12 when it came out.

The ending teaches us that not everything in the world has to be fixed for us to enjoy living in it. Tragically, Shadow cannot cope any more with his loneliness and (it looks to me like, and the variation on his theme music sounds to me like) he kills himself. (His dog, whom I love so much, stays faithful to the end) It is still raining all the time in Zozo, the sea level hasn't gone back down again, who knows if the Moogle species has a future.

And yet people are rebuilding, they have hope again, Kefka's lasers aren't frying anybody anymore.

[HeavyEyed]

I know this video inside out and you know all my positive opinions but I am here to add to the algorithm boost

[halcyo]

My favorite game of all time. I won't necessarily declare it the BEST game of all time, but this could certainly be argued. It's a narrative masterpiece. The aesthetic is unique and exceptional. The musical score IS the best score of all time. For years I dreamed that it could be adapted for film or a series. It still could, but man, I'm too terrified they'd ruin it. During all that time, I'd also dream of a masterful remake of the game. The current FFVII remake has TRULY terrified me that Square Enix could even come close to doing it justice. It's just a piece of magical gaming that I treasure. It deserves respect and adoration. Really enjoyed hearing you talk about your deep analysis of the game.

[holve]

I grew up a Nintendo kid, so I was pretty disconnected from the FF series for many years. Then one day, as a teenager, I decided to play a final fantasy game.

My emulator only had FF6, so I turned it on and started off.

Man, what a banger. I remember playing others after 6 and feeling disappointed. Not because they were bad, but they were just never on THIS level. This game will always have a special place in my heart.

[AdamAragon]

Life continuing to grow through the cracks of suffering. Slow clap. Nicely done.

[matillavequez]

What an absolute masterpiece of video essay. Totally on pair with a masterpiece of a game.

[sweetjohnny]

Personally, I think Strago was supposed to be fleshed out a little more. Realm's mother died, maybe during child birth, and her father went to get smokes and never came back. Strago was left looking after a little girl by himself in his old age. He may have blamed her for her mother's death or he was trying to shelter her from the world and never let her express who she really was. Throughout the course of the game he realizes how blessed he is to have her and that his own daughter, Realm's mother, lives on through her. That gives his "I have my special little granddaughter" a little more weight. He's finally accepted his own daughter's death and is looking forward to watching Realm grow up.