Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest (Super Nintendo, 1992)

This often overlooked gem is among one of the best Final Fantasy games I have ever played.

Most FF's have the same formula, but Mystic Quest mixed it up a little. It was a pretty gutsy move for 1992 and a company that didn't have many games out yet. The monsters are visible and can easily be avoided, so you don't face random battles. You are able to real-time weapon change, which means that you can switch between all of your weapons by pressing L or R, and use them to affect the surrounding environment. Your armor is accumulated as a whole and automatically equipped. When you find a treasure chest, you can go back to the world map, re-enter, and the treasure chest will be full again, negating the need for item shops. Every direction you can go is displayed on the world map, meaning you don't spend all that time mucking about trying to find your way to your next destination. When you die, you are asked if you wish to restart the battle, minus anything you might have used before - you'll fight the same monsters, minus the 5 arrows you used against them the first time. You have several different magic levels, and you are alotted a set number of casts per level; once you get Life, for instance, you'll be able to cast any White Magic 30 or so times, and once those are used up you'll have to rest to regain them (no pesky MP ratings). It is also an over-the-shoulder type of battle, so you won't be on the right of the screen with your enemies on the left. You'll have battle tournaments of ten rounds each where you can win prizes for defeating everything. And lastly, you can jump.

If you are looking for something different from the typical RPG, this is a great game for you. I was very impressed with it, and I even enjoyed the music. The "Victory Fanfare" theme of this game is the greatest out of any FF game.

I had never played Final Fantasy until a couple of years ago and I am saddened that I had missed out on it until then! I owned a Super Nintendo when I was little but always played the Mario games and never tried these. I highly recommend you play it and own it but I will warn you it's very addicting!

US RELEASE DATE: October 5, 1992
EUROPEAN RELEASE DATE: "Mystic Quest Legend," 1993
JAPANESE RELEASE DATE: "Final Fantasy USA: Mystic Quest," September 10, 1993

Story (From Wikipedia): "The fictional events of Final Fantasy Mystic Quest take place on a single continent of an unnamed world, which is divided into four distinct regions: Foresta, Aquaria, Fireburg, and Windia. The welfare of each region is determined by the state of one of four shining crystals: earth, water, fire, and wind, respectively.

For centuries the Focus Tower had stood at the heart of the world. It had been a center for trade and knowledge, and the world's people met there to peacefully settle their differences. But on one warm summer day, powerful monsters stormed the Tower, stole the four crystals, and then took off with the magical coins that kept the Tower's doors unlocked. The monsters began consuming the power of the crystals; they grew in strength while the world, conversely, began to decay. An old prophecy tells that at the time the "vile four" steal the power and divide the world behind four doors, a knight will appear to vanquish the darkness. A fifth crystal, the Crystal of Light, ventures out in search of the prophecy's knight."

Essentially, Square set out to make a game for the "Western" nations that would be a simple RPG. One must realize that in 1992 the RPG market had not exploded to the level that it had by the time of the release of "Final Fantasy VII" (1997). Thus, Square wanted to make an RPG that was approachable by gamers of all skill levels. The question is: did they achieve their goal?

The game is set up so that there is essentially no overworld. Players travel from location to location via set paths and, between locations, come across "Battlefields" (that have up to 10 monster fights), where they can accumulate experience. Players can never have more than 2 people in their party (themselves and one other member) and they never can buy new equipment (they only receive "upgrades" as they go along. Spells essentially work like they do in "Final Fantasy" and "Final Fantasy II" where they can be used a set number of times before being depleted. Finally, players can see their opponents while in dungeons, but unlike games such as "Lufia and the Fortress of Doom" and "Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals," these monsters are stationary and do not move.

In the end, this provides for a game that, in my opinion, is too simplistic (even for those who are not hard-core RPG fans).

If you are a collector who wants to own all of the games in the "Final Fantasy"/"Mana" series, this is definitely one to pick up. However, if you are looking for an excellent RPG to pick up and play, this may not be the one for you...I give it a 3/5, or an "average" score.

I bought final fantasy mystic quest for about 10$, and it was totally worth it. the game works completely fine and is very much fun

i have yet to play the game yet as i am still refurbishing my snes but i am happy that i have ffmq and the manual.

It's a great game for the SNES and deserves to be in most collections. It is a must have if you are a hardcore gamer!

Le jeu ne comporte aucun combat aléatoire et le système de localisation fonctionne sous forme de routes prédestinées. Il est jugé par plusieurs comme comportant une histoire fade avec peu de développement des personnages [1], un changement significatif de la part de Square. Le jeu peut être fini en peu de temps comparé à la majorité des jeux de rôle et l'expérience ainsi que les objets sont assez faciles à obtenir, ce qui a entraîné plusieurs joueurs expérimentés à l'appeler « jeu de rôle pour néophyte ».

The continuation of the classic series Final Fantasy carries over to the Snes from the NES. This game along with the Snes console at the time was the best gaming for your buck and could be said even today. With the lack of creativity and story in games today, one only has to look back a couple of years to find true gaming.

Great title on a great console. Also have a look at Final Fnatasy 2 and 3 for the completion of the series on Snes.

This title in the Final Fantasy series has a little different feel to it when compared to some of the newer titles. At first, the differences are a little bothersome, but once I got used to them, it was a pretty great game. I think you'll enjoy this one.

~To be forgotten is worse than death. -Freya, FF9

Mystic Quest has gotten a lot of grief from "hardened" RPG fans. Sure, it's dumbed down, and sure it's a bit easy. But overall, it's still a very enjoyable game.

If you are a true Final Fantasy Fan then you simply can not go without this game!!! It may use old SNES graphics but it has definitely always been on my collectibles list!! The first of what became MANY Video Games for me. The characters are memorable and the fact that certain characters can only use certain weapons makes it more challenging. The dungeon maps were very creative for the time of its release. Not to mention NO OTHER FINAL FANTASY HAS THE SAME BATTLE SYSTEM! I only wish it had been among some of the others that were remade!

I love the final fantasy games. this one is a bit different, but i still love playing it. I played this game at a friend's house and i knew i had to have it.i went on ebay, found the cheapest one available, and bought it.

Never really played this game until recently. But the gameplay was much better than i thought it would be considering its on the SNES. Good music with lots of things to do to keep busy in the game. Very addictive and highly recommended!

Some people consider this a part of the final fansty series and others do not. Regardless this is a must have game for serious gamers who enjoy playing classics. you fight your way thru different areas of the world and collect items to help you. Similar to all RPGs you will spend hours amused and involved in this game.

Definately a great RPG! I love the gameplay and how the storyline flows. Definately worth the buy! I would recommend to anyone and a must have part of the final fantasy series

like it rare game found it in a GAME STORE FOR 40 bills and i won it from this dood fer 6 bills! thats a steal good look homie all the demons will dieeeeeeeee

Great classic Final Fantasy game, loved the music, characters and battle system. I didn't expect it to be as good, being such an old game. It makes me want to get other older Final Fantasy games!

Not what I was looking for, but for a great price, I knew it was something I'd enjoy, thanks a bunch!

great game alot of different weapons to use excellent and using magic spells is fun to use a+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Great classic game, its a must have. i could never find thing game, but i found here on ebay! thanks guys

My son bought this because he likes RPGs. That is what he said when I asked him why he decided to buy it.

this is a great role playing game. i didn't know about this game until my brother brought it home and started playing. i got into it and its a good game and challenge as well. if you like playing final fantasy this is a good game to start with before going to the other final fantasy games as well.

not a very hard game but a good starting point for those new to role playing games. many differant weapons to chosse from along with 3 catagories of spell's with 4 spells in each.

the game is in good condition as if just unpackaged,and plays perfectly every time with no glitches.