The portable version of the original Final Fantasy VI has just been released and everyone's dying to get a copy of this game. Don't expect groundbreaking graphics, since it's a GameBoy Advance title and a game that's older than some gamers. It's just an aperitif before Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Versus XIII, but if you've played all the FF installments so far, you shouldn't miss this classic. Magic and technology are combined within a fantastic universe, where Espers, the Beasts of Doom are starting to come back to life again. Who's to harness them and save the world? Some of the best cutscenes ever to be featured in a FF game await you and while the battles may not be much, the story is pure gold. Couldn't figure out the game's system? Check out the tips below:

Character Skills
Besides their distinct personalities, each character in FINAL FANTASY VI is also distinguished by a special ability unique for him or her. A few of these are listed below:

Slot (Setzer)
Setzer's Slot attack is a bit of a gamble. When he uses it, the wheels of a slot machine appear and start spinning. The results of the spin determine the nature of the attack.

Leap / Rage (Gau)
When Gau is fighting with the party in the Veldt, he can Leap onto one of the attacking creatures and ride away with it. Gau will reappear in another Veldt encounter with knowledge of the monster's fighting techniques.

Tools (Edgar)
Edgar's mastery of machinery turns out to be a very useful skill. He can use all eight Tools that are found throughout the adventure. Many of them can defeat an entire party of attacking enemies at once.

Blitz (Sabin)
The Blitz techniques that Sabin learns over the course of the adventure each call for a different button-pressing combination. The techniques range from powerful attacks that can damage entire enemy parties to recovery techniques which can heal the player's party.

SwdTech (Cyan)
The master of the sword can lash out at enemies with a series of brilliant strikes. There are eight different techniques in all. The advanced techniques require more preparation time than the others.

Runic (Celes)
Celes has the power of Runic, which when activated, absorbs all spells cast during its duration, preventing enemy magic attacks from hurting party members. All the spells that she absorbs will be converted to Magic Points which will be used to refill her Magic Point reserve.

Hardcore battle with Gilgamesh:



ESPERS
Espers are magical beings from another world who can lend their powers to characters, granting them the ability to cast magic. With almost thirty different espers in the game, each with their own unique powers and abilities, the player is given an almost unlimited number of options with which to customize characters. When a character equips an esper, they earn magic points while fighting battles. When a character earns enough magic points, they gain spells from the equipped esper that can be used at any time. Listed below are a few of the espers available and their spells. The number to the right of the spell description represents the learning rate for that spell. The higher the number, the quicker the spell is learned:

Ramuh
Bolt - Lightning strikes attacking enemies X10
Bolt 2 - Three times as powerful as the first Bolt spell X2
Poison - Damage is gradually dealt to affected enemies X5

Shiva
Ice - Freezing spell is especially effective against reptiles X10
Ice 2 - Three times as powerful as the first Ice spell X5
Rasp- Take Magic Points away from an enemy and give them to the caster X4
Osmoses - Drain Magic Points from an enemy and give them to the caster X4
Cure - Simple recovery spell can heal up to 270 Hit Points of damage X3

Ifrit
Fire - Attack enemies with a blast of heat and flames X10
Fire 2 - Three times as powerful as the first Fire spell X5
Drain - Drain Hit Points from an enemy and give them to the caster X1

Kirin
Cure - Simple recovery spell can heal up to 270 Hit Points of damage X5
Cure 2 - Three times as powerful as the first Cure spell X1
Regen - Restores target's Hit Pints at regular intervals X3
AntDot - Cure characters who have been affected by poison X4
Scan - Examine enemy powers and weaknesses X5

Fenrir
Warp - Allows the party to escape from battles and dungeons X10
X-Zone - Sends enemies into the X-Zone, banishing them forever X5
Stop - Temporarily freeze enemies in time X3

Carbunkle
Reflect - The Reflect spell reflects spells targeting the affected character X5
Haste - Gives targeted character the ability to ready attacks quicker X3
Spell - Creates a defensive barrier against enemy spells X2
Safe - Raises the defensive powers of targeted character X2
Warp - Allows the party to escape from fights and caves X2

Game Bonuses
As a further enhancement to an already excellent game, several hidden features become available after the player finishes FINAL FANTASY VI.

FF Development Room
The art of FINAL FANTASY is among its most distinguishing features. Featuring works by Yoshitaka Amano, and the famed Square CG development team, FINAL FANTASY VI as a working masterpiece to these dedicated artists. By completing the game, two features become available in this bonus section, the Movie Theatre and Museum.

Movie Theatre:
From here, the player will be able to view many of the movie clips developed for FINAL FANTASY VI
Gallery. The gallery is an art gallery that displays many of the original illustrations and CG stills developed for FINAL FANTASY VI.

Yarikomi Jiisan
For those players who have always wondered whether they have the best finishing time or were just curious as to how many steps their characters had taken in the game, the wait is over. This unique feature made just for the PlayStation version of FINAL FANTASY VI will answer these questions and more. Every time the player finishes the game, the following information can be saved for comparison with other players or against personal records.

- Steps taken in the game

- Play time

- Maximum amount of money

- Lowest amount of money

In addition, character usage rates are also recorded, which continually updates each time the player completes the game, letting the player know just how often a particular character was used. Learned spells and techniques are also recorded in this fashion, as are the maximum and minimum attribute values for each character.

Here's a battle with a secret boss. Enjoy:



Secret Rooms
A final addition to the bonus section are the secret rooms which describe in detail many of the features in the game. While one is available right from the start, the rest must wait until after the player finishes the game.

- Bestiary (Features monster descriptions by location)

- Stargo's Lore Bestiary

- Encyclopedia of Espers

- Dragon Head Coliseum list of Items, Opponents and Obtained Items