The Final Fantasy VI Retrospective

[@JokerDoom]

Time Stamps for this monster of a video Intro - 0:00 2:09 Part I - A Crowded Market 11:00 Part II - Edited for Content 17:02 TV Commercial 18:27 Part III - Balance FF6 Early Analysis - 20:06 21:31 Opening Hour (Narshe/Fígaro) 24:52 Setting & World Building 27:04 South Figaro/Jidoor/Zozo 29:02 Visual Design Characters Intros - 30:18 30:48 Locke 35:40 Edgar & Sabin 42:24 Shadow 45:07 Cyan 50:35 Gau 52:57 Celes 55:39 Setzer 59:41 Mog 1:01:11 Strago & Relm 1:06:14 Terra Game Mechanics 1:16:00 Espers 1:19:24 Multiple Parties 1:22:09 “Job” system 1:30:40 Spellcasting and Other Features 1:33:26 “Difficulty” Presentation and Artistic Direction 1:34:03 Magitech Facility 1:35:22 Overall Presentation & Mode 7 1:37:48 Music Overview 1:42:44 Leitmotif 1:51:24 Opera House & Celes 2:06:06 Star Wars References 2:09:15 Evil Empires & Imperial Japan In-Game Story Analysis 2:23:40 Ghestal’s Empire - Kefka, Leo, Vector, Sealed Gate, Themasa 2:43:20 Floating Continent, Gestahl’s Fate, World’s End 2:56:45 Part IV - Ruin 3:07:51 The New World 3:18:50 Recruiting Old Friends I’ll finish this tonight when I can watch the rest

[@AndrewBluett]

Time stamps are in the description. KZbin's chapter feature is just really finnicky and inconsistent.

[@GMvexed]

And he was never seen again

[@shaunmiller442]

Literally lol

[@Awesmic1]

If your previous videos marked your place as part of the Mount Rushmore of Final Fantasy retrospectives, then after this video, you may have shattered expectations and became Mount Everest.

[@ThwipThwipBoom]

100% agree!

[@forestcampbell8962]

Definitely a great Thanksgiving gift!

[@MegaMato]

And Chrono Trigger will follow. How do you top Everest?

[@Awesmic1]

@@MegaMato Sky's the limit.

[@matthewj7800]

@@MegaMatoMount Fuji 😂 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@bigtimetimmyjim6486]

A retrospective that truly does this masterpiece of a game justice, very well done. 20 years ago, I felt like FF6 was an overlooked game in the franchise, especially when compared to FF7; the only way to really communicate back then with strangers was over IRC chats and message boards, and the FF7 fanfare was always the loudest. Now that we have social media and KZbin, I believe that FF6 is finally getting the respect that it deserves as the true pinnacle of Final Fantasy.

[@gerald216]

I played 7 first but once I finally got around to playing 6 it became my favorite in the series.

[@bigbuffguy9589]

I think at this point, it's mostly accepted that Final Fantasy VI is the better game, though FFVII is also great. I don't think it's that recent of a development. I'd say that's been the prevailing view for at least a decade. You are right that FFVII had the largest contingent of supporters for a while, but I think that was because it was the first Final Fantasy game for many, maybe even the first RPG. Many of those people have played VI now and recognize it for the masterpiece that it is.

[@bigbuffguy9589]

@@gerald216 I think this is a common experience for many gamers, myself included. I played VII first and then probably VIII and IX before I finally played VI, which became my favorite video game of all time. At this point, VII is only my fourth-favorite game in the series behind VI, X and IX in that order. VII is still a great game, though.

[@bigtimetimmyjim6486]

@@bigbuffguy9589 I agree that it isn't a recent development; VI has been firmly entrenched as the better game for awhile among RPG fans, but I still remember the early 2000s on sites such as Game FAQs, where VII completely overshadowed pretty much every other RPG in existence. Part of this was due to SE's poor market research and inability to recognize just how popular games like FF6 and Chrono Trigger were, especially in the west, so they continued to feed more and more FF7 content while being ignorant of this. I also think FF7 is a very good game overall, although I will admit that it took years for me to actually come to this conclusion due to its overhype tainting how I viewed it.

[@nesoukkefka1741]

Truly my simple point of view is every FF has a different flavor to them, people have all different preferences at the end and I come to the conclusion this "best FF" discussion are honnestly kinda futile, they all offer a different experience, and were made with different ambitions and goals, and resonate with different people for different reasons.

[@Cloudrim]

Someone else mentioned this but it's massively appreciated how, like the others in the video series, this isn't simply a laborious beat-for-beat recap of the plot. This is already one of the highest quality retrospective series on this platform, and it's only getting better. Getting ahead of myself but I cannot fucking wait for the FF9 video.

[@hereniho]

Yeah, it's great after seeing so many "analysis" videos basically being very condensed Lets Plays.

[@kelciebasham236]

I can't wait to see them all. I got my notifications on and everything.

[@Avenus112]

It is the finest retrospective on the internet. You cannot prove me wrong.

[@eddy5097]

FF9 fans can suck it

[@EnochBP]

The more I hear about Woosely's workload and insane deadlines, the more I respect and appreciate Woosely's work no matter how quarky it can be. Especially considering the technology at the time.

[@mattb6616]

i don't. i respect woolsey, he tried, but i don't respect his work. it's truly awful.

[@cam9144]

No it's not

[@thecedex]

@@mattb6616 Compare the localization of FFIV and FFVI, FFVI was a massive improvement.

[@lawrenceragnarok1186]

​@@mattb6616as Realm would say, "what a fuddy duddy" lol

[@LunarWingCloud]

​@@mattb6616I'd like to see you manage what Woolsey did with the same circumstances.

[@StarManMatt1]

Currently designing an RPG for the first time, been using this video as background noise, especially since Final Fantasy 6 is my main source of inspiration for my project. I doubt you'll read this, but thanks for giving me something to use while I work, it's a great retrospective!

[@hibanacigam772]

1:12:25 I once heard of a suggestion that Celes and Tina may be named after the 1499 Spanish fictional work "Celestina" which came out during the end of the medieval era and beginning of the Renaissance (or modernity) in Spain, tying in with the game's setting.

[@GoTenDu]

LoL, nunca se me había ocurrido.

[@rdrouynriv]

That seems unlikely? Probably just random western names that seem exotic to Japanese.

[@joshua-we9xr]

Celes's theme during the bridge scene with Locke made me absolutely fall in love with Nobuo as a composer. The whole relationship with she and Locke leading up to that scene... The music starts to build and you're expecting this epic synth string version and it just goes into a light music box rendition... You can FEEL their pain, their love blossoming for one another... It was... Perfect.

[@Chrisondraz]

And it broke the relationship, even if it wasn't for that long. The relationship was temporarily shattered, which was something I had never seen before as a kid in a game. It wasn't just Celes who didn't talk to Locke, but after that, on the ship, when she tries to talk to him, he just leaves without a word to her, leaving Terra to watch her collapse in sorrow. This is one of Terra's introductions to the concept of love, and you can see that she just doesn't know what to do before she runs off after Locke. It was so poignant. This whole game is amazing

[@geovaughan8261]

Looking back on Edgar’s story makes me wonder if he was in some way based on Louis XVI, the last monarch of France. Like Edgar, Louis had a brother who was meant for the throne, but he wound up inheriting it after his brother died. Louis was also intensely interested in mechanics, and locksmithing was a hobby of his, sometimes to the detriment of his kingdom. During the Revolution, Louis had difficulty balancing his allegiances, at times signaling to the commoners that he was with them while also trying to get help from other monarchs to put down the rebellion in France, which eventually cost him his head. Obviously Edgar came out the other end of his rebellion better than Louis did, but the similarities are interesting to consider.

[@EnjoySackLunch]

Yeah but at least Edgar fucks

[@shivamchouhan5077]

Finally after half years of wait, another Retrospective is back!! Final fantasy vi is one of the best game I have ever played.

[@topazlight1586]

For whatever it's worth, Cid's description of what the other survivors did at the cliff in the original SNES localization really reads to me more like Cid himself awkwardly, broken-heartedly dancing around the matter with euphemisms rather than being upfront about it. Everything else about the scenes on the solitary island is so crystal clear about the situation that I find it difficult to believe Woolsey seriously expected Western audiences not to get what was really going out there even with the restrictions foist upon him.

[@Chadius]

As a kid I thought Cid was being sarcastic in a futile attempt to cheer things up. Like it's clear Woosley couldn't mention suicide during 90s Nintendo guidelines.

[@michaeljmeyer3]

This is how I took it as a kid too. Almost making it sarkastically seem like 'the leap of faith' just took the sting out of what people were actually doing. I figured it was toned down, and at the time, had no idea why. I thought it was well done.

[@5had0wThi3f]

Locke isn't some creeper, keeping the corpse of his mom. He kept her body alive, basically comatose.

[@hassledvania]

This dude has the worst takes, his FFV vid is unwatchable

[@bozeia]

I hate to be that guy. But. This is one of the things that depends on which script you're reading. In the original Japanese script the old man from the basement describes Rachel as "remains" and says that they'll be "preserved just like that forever" due to the use of a potion he had on hand. Woolsey's localization flipped this detail into the implication that Rachel was revived but comatose. So in the original English localization, yes, she is meant to be comatose I think. I don't remember if Slattery preserved that detail. Other than that, I do agree. I don't think Locke is a creeper either way. Wanting to bring back a lost loved one is pretty human, the difference being magic _is confirmed to have been a thing_ in Locke's world. He has more reason than we would to believe there actually is a relic out there that can potentially undo death.

[@whotsawert]

so hot

[@mathsalot8099]

Considering that Fenix Down consistently brings back dead PCs over and over, I don't think that looking for a relic to bring back an NPC is creepy at all. And for someone to criticize a fantasy character looking for a relic to bring back the dead seems weird to me. The quest to bring a love back from death is quintessential to the fantasy genre, and it is the main theme of multiple myths throughout history and the world!! To say it's creepy is to denounce literally thousands of years of stories, plays, and poems from multiple cultures on multiple continents.

[@mattschultz4111]

Absolutely amazing video! Tell me you're a historian, an English major and video game in your own words. Thank you for the memories and astonishing video. I'm so happy you were able to include the original music.

[@ypsilonick8738]

I played FFIII and FFIV as a kid, and just recently decided to make a marathon from I to X to see what I miss, and relive some childhood nostalgia. Watching your retrospectives after finishing the games gives me a sense of closure. You manage to offer so many new insights and background knowledge to what I just experienced, and it's an absolute treat. I finished FFVI two weeks ago, and I'm looking forward to this 5 hour journey

[@REVOLVERE]

If retrospective videos for FF6 on KZbin had a final boss, this would be it. Everybody else needs to pack it up and head out 😅

[@HyperDefective]

This man gets the Black Mages cover of Dancing Mad

[@charlesperalta8483]

But kefka was so weak

[@EveryDooDarnDiddlyDay]

Somebody tell the Snorerunner this is how you make an FF6 video

[@frogglen6350]

nah clement did it better

[@olavi_liikanen]

My gosh, this is amazing! I love it! ❤ Thanks for this masterpiece of retrospective!

[@WinterionGameStudios]

Thank you for such a diligent and comprehensive look at the game. You're doing great work here. Keep it up! -Prof. Greenberg

[@hoseinbmr3449]

i am not even an RPG fan , but your final fantasy retrospectives are one of my favorite retrospectives ever i enjoyed this videos so much that now i want to give this series another shot , maybe with this new found respect that i have for this franchise thanks to you , now this genre can click with me this time that shows how amazing your contents are 👍

[@Phunbaba]

A 5 hour long retrospective of my favourite Final Fantasy! I’m only 2 hrs in and I had to stop to comment. Absolutely brilliant so far! Thank you!

[@enzoDVL]

After sitting for this for 5 hours broken up over many days of watching parts at a time, the last 25 seconds of this gave me goosebumps. If there was a way to like this video twice I would. Thanks for doing so much work in honoring one of the best games and epic stories of all time.

[@mikewolfe5829]

So glad you gave "Distant Worlds" a shout-out. I attended a 2010 concert and had a cathartic moment listening to "Aria di Mezzo Carattere," as I was reminded of playing the original SNES version with my Dad helping me. I still have the first two albums saved in my music collection. Great video - the care and detail was amazing.

[@thetwelfthdoctor9892]

I find out about this channel thanks to your FFV Retrospective and I have watched all of them now. You are doing an amazing job and you should be proud of the result.

[@digitaldevilgirl]

I'm so happy we got a conclusion to Sakaguchi's Jump arc. Wonderful video, I learned so much about this game I thought I already knew almost everything about. 6 is my favorite of the mainline series, and Terra is one of my favorite game characters ever, and you did them justice. Really wanna replay the game now 😅

[@Crause88fin]

Brave New World got mentioned: I'm happy enough. Astounding job. Thank you for your hard work!

[@catsoup9870]

4:54:50 I thought that was weird too at first, but Setzer pointing at Roxas before exiting with an affirming look made me think that it test for him lul Great vid btw! I found your channel when looking up Stranger of Paradise dev interviews of all things and man this series must be daunting

[@adamwhite4215]

Great video! When you talked about the theme of the airship in the World of Ruin, it would of been neat that each party member you got back/recruited added an extra instrument to the song as if you're building up hope itself.

[@umbrascitor2079]

That would have been cool, and totally doable considering the way music worked on the SNES. They wouldn't have had to store separate music tracks (which would have taken up a ton of valuable memory). The sound chip wove instrument samples into compositions in real time, so turning instruments on and off would only have required a fairly simple line of code.

[@ES-kw7hq]

It is criminal that this only has 24 likes so far. The amount of work that you have put into this is astounding. Personally, I could have listened to you expound on the history of Japan for hours. If only my old teachers could have captured my attention like you did, I would have gotten an A in all my history lessons.

[@Dark_shikari]

Im obsessed with these, please keep going I can't wait to see you cover the whole series!

[@UnderTheSkin13]

I think my favorite part about these videos is that even after a -thorough- review of the original versions, you still get a comprehensive examination of available ports. That's the cherry on top and it really helps when deciding which version to play.

[@Mikey3DS]

Thank you for making these. You've done an amazing job at helping me relive my favorite games and feel all the same emotions as you talk us through them. You're the best

[@LordTurban]

Fantastic as always! Thanks a lot for your hard work doing these amazing retrospectives! Looking forward for what you have in store for us!

[@Calum_Chrystal]

This video is exceptional. Likely the best video, article or essay I have seen on Final Fantasy 6 anywhere on the internet . Congrats man, you somehow made me love this game even more through your expert analysis

[@kuysification]

Jesus fucking christ, I just watched a five hour you-tube video and was captivated for every minute. Grats!

[@johnle231]

Don’t say the Lords name in vain

[@thomasderosso5625]

@@johnle231 That's not what that means. The sin refers to claiming that you're acting on God's behalf or with His blessing when you're actually doing evil. Killing and saying you're doing it for Him, saying that people should give you money for His sake when you're using it to add to your mansion, etc.

[@johnle231]

@@thomasderosso5625 no. What you’re talking about would be using falsehood, not using Gods name in vain

[@thomasderosso5625]

@@johnle231 You are mistaken.

[@mattschultz4111]

As good i think ff7 was, THIS game beats it in many ways, call it nostalgic, it was so well done with all the small subtle hidden gems. Great call back and amazing recap.

[@odo324]

Fantastic retrospective! Unlike those I've watched in the past, you've included related history in detail! Additionally, you site your sources as you go. Thank you so much for that! This alone must have been a monumental effort to create! Thank you!

[@XavierExel]

Absolutely incredible. I was super excited for this retrospective!- and as expected had to hold back tears of nostalgia lol... Crazy that you alluded to Chrono trigger at the end, seriously can't wait for the next one!!

[@SheepShade]

Thank algorithm this was recommended. I love these in depth retrospectives. Thanks for your hard work. :)

[@introsp3ctive305]

I'm so glad this is finally out!! This is my favorite in the series and one of my all time favorite games. Thank you Andrew for all the work you put in to make these retrospective videos.

[@gmaclean1]

Great content, thank you.

[@hhal3y]

Great job, I really loved your analysis and the way the video is structured

[@guillermoalcala5047]

Again, superb work on these retrospectives. Your retrospective videos for Final Fantasy are easily the best in KZbin in my opinion. VERY excited for the Chrono Trigger retrospective! Thanks for your amazing work and here I'll be waiting for a 10 hours video for Chrono Trigger retrospective haha. Saludos from Monterrey, Mexico!

[@junwhit]

Great job. I'm just in awe of the quality of these retrospectives.

[@studiodsr]

Just wow. This must’ve taken forever to put together. Thank you

[@attaxiaffxi7033]

2:52:56 the result is not the same you can leave shadow behind and you've lost him as a playable character forever if you hop on the Airship

[@leandrabarros3582]

Your work on this series is trully outstanding dude, huge congrats

[@skyedream75]

Thank you so much for this and your other retrospectives of the series you've covered thus far. This was the first of the retrospectives I watched and I then had to immediately go and watch the others you had posted. Absolutely amazing monumental level of work and I can't wait to see the inevitable 7 hour Final Fantasy VII review. (I'M KIDDING--DON'T ACTUALLY FORCE YOURSELF TO DO THAT LONG)

[@shinobix9]

5 HOURS? Dude you're insane. I'm really looking forward to this, thankyou for all your hard work!

[@mattschultz4111]

Two and a half hours in myself.... And yeah it's worth it to play this.

[@offmxds678]

I am 30 hours into this game and almost done, I'll be sure to check it out once i'm done. thank you for making this. Edit: just beat the game, this video and the game are both so beautiful.

[@SteveRudzinski]

Locke's obsession in wanting to protect a loved one and his guilt in failing to do that are like, the things that explicitly make Locke an interesting and likable character. Without those he's a one dimensional nothing I can't imagine someone saying he's a creep or START to not like him because of the things that make him a character at all.

[@JetblackJay]

3:44:55 Wait what interceptor fights for Relm now didn't know that

[@OPLOmega]

I'm blanking on when it happened, but as of posting this comment it's key to note that the Pixel Remasters on Steam have been updated to now match the feature parity with the console versions. In addition to that, the Steam releases have been consistently getting patched to fix bugs or visual glitches like screen tearing. One interesting thing to note is how some games have even had the character sprites touched up to be less overly saturated, this is especially seen when comparing Terra's sprites from launch to now.

[@howldorian]

These retrospectives are phenomenal, thank you for your work!!

[@ericcannon222]

"My life is a chip in your pile. Ante up!" is still one of my favorite lines from anything ever. The BALLS.

[@DinkSmalwood]

Holy hell this video essay was amazingly well researched, structured and presented.

[@armyants01]

You always crush it with these retrospectives! Best videos on youtube, dude! I'm gearing up to run through all the pixel remasters again and already planned out my parties for them... lol. I really appreciate all the details you pack into these and although the videos all have a long run time, they never seem long enough!

[@corrado8955]

Amazing stuff, Andrew. I am an hour in and loving it! One of my top 3 games of all time and your retrospectives are the best.

[@kalandarkclaw8892]

This was amazing. I have watched all of the retrospectives up to this point just waiting patiently for you to reach it and the wait was so worth it. As for many here this was my favorite FF game despite all of its flaws Amazing job you get a standing slow clap my good sir.

[@ItsNep]

Been anticipating this for so long. Your content is incredible. Thanks for all the hard work you put into these.

[@Ashamedofmypast]

Ive been waiting for this eagerly and cannot word my admiration to the standard you continually raise with each subsequent release in this series and this is my personal favourite jrpg.

[@Aqua_Xenossia]

One aspect of Sabin never touched upon too much is that, despite his brawny looks- magic is actually his most important stat if you intend to use his Blitz commands. I don’t know if it intentionally symbolizes something about his character, but I’d like to think it’s intended to invoke a realization that there’s a lot to him than one might think, to subvert your expectations. Or, it serves to contrast with Cyan even further, whereas one leaves his kingdom, the other remains. One fights with slow, patient techniques, the other unleashes in quick succession(and is forced to, such as with Vargas).

[@joselombana8381]

Listening to you talk about my favorite game of all time for five hours has moved me to tears. You my friend have gained a subscriber.

[@rruhland]

One of my favorite games of all time. So glad this is finally out, thanks for all the hard work!

[@DonCactuar]

Oh boy, i just found the FF's retrospectives a couple of weeks ago and i'm diligently devouring them. The quality is astounding. Just went in and supported you on Patreon. Majestic work. PD: for some reasons, the timestamps aren't working on this one.

[@xsuperxtrampx]

Took me 4 days to finish it but well worth the time. Thank you for your retrospective on my FAVORITE Final Fantasy and one of my top ten favorite games ever. I learned a few things along the way and the fanboy in me feels you showed the love this game deserves.

[@Predatornc1]

Took me 3 days to watch it but it was totally worth it. This video was amazing, educational, and entertaining. It gave me a deeper appreciation for most of the characters of the game. I even found myself crying at certain parts, looking back at that moment ingame and appreciating it even more. the quality of your work does not reflect your subscriber count. You should be numbering in the hundreds of thousands I swear.

[@willuigi64]

I've only seen the first of these 6, but once I get around to finishing the games, I'm coming back to watch these masterpieces. Just coming by to drop a like and comment for that sweet algorithm engagement

[@Megatog615]

If you haven't listened to the Ending Suite violin/piano duet from Balance and Ruin, you should. It is incredibly beautiful, especially the part when they get to Shadow's theme.

[@Gaspingindeath]

Fantastic analysis on this, my favorite game of all time. Thank you so much!

[@oman1825]

Been waiting for this, great Retrospective. The longer the better. Excited to see VII

[@caveirainvocada9438]

1:27:30 I remember Gau absolutely CARRYING my last run of the game, because he learned a Rage that could cast something of the same effect as *meteor*.

[@radbuffman3487]

What an AMAZING retrospective! And that post credits scene 😭

[@Rudipu]

The dichotomy between Terra and Celes is so interesting, I never really noticed the parallels between Terra waking up in the first half of the game and Celes waking up in the second half of the game. The contrast in their names being of to earth and sky/heaven is something I never really noted either. I always juggled between Terra and Celes being the main character of the game, but the careful attention to them being foils to one another kind of cements both of them playing major parts to the overall themes and progression of story. I also always associated the Empire with Nazi Germany, but all the close comparisons to the Meiji Restoration from Doma representing the samurai of the Seinan War, Figaro representing Korea, down to the shape of the Southern continent is pretty striking. The attention to detail in this video is amazing, love all the citation to first hand accounts of the developers and the inclusion of their thoughts on certain characters, ideas, and cut content throughout. Learned a lot from it :) This is easily one of the best retrospectives of all time, well done!

[@KisekiFox]

While I don't exactly see in this game what you and others do (A lot feels as simple as the previous games, and I feel like a lot of what is talked about and liked for the characters, such as the opera lyrics, are inferences people make that may or may not be true since the text itself never goes into it.) I can only praise you for another incredible job full of stellar research and production, your love for the games and the series really shines through, and every game in this series imo is worthy of love, and built to be loved by people of different tastes for each one. Thank you so much for your passion and hard work, these have been without a doubt my favorite videos on the series, and each video you release is a true event for me. Cannot wait for the next video, can only imagine the amount of work that's gonna take just for the whole making of segment being the step into 3D and how wild that was haha.

[@KisekiFox]

As someone who slurps up content on this series like candy, I have genuinely learned more from your videos than any other, you somehow manage to have more information, cited with sources, than any other, and you should absolutely feel insanely proud of the work you've done. Genuinely fantastic work.

[@MrZrbrownie]

I'm 30 minutes in and am finally starting up FF6 Pixel Remaster, thanks to you. Can't wait to dully appreciate this monumental effort you've put forth.

[@ramudon2428]

Was this your first time playing ff6?

[@SpikedKirby]

I still cant listen to Terras theme without feeling shivers, and I know most people nowadays say this for everything, but mine are very literal. It can get myself to listen to this unless I'm in the right mood, its very overpowering. I'm amazed of how a song of a videogame can make this happen. I am still unable to replay the game because of this. True tangible testament of how good this game is.

[@lowprofosho]

This might be the best scripted video I’ve ever seen. My favorite game. And I learned so much. Thanks for this!

[@elchit6635]

Just unreal man! So worth the wait! You’ve really outdone yourself! Eagerly awaiting the behemoth that is the ff7 retrospective!

[@SAPProd]

I stumbled upon this on Twitter and knew I had to start at the beginning before watching this one. I grew up with Final Fantasy in America. I was intrigued by the 3 part coverage in Nintendo Power, but when they transitioned to the monthly format with the 4 strategy guides, the Final Fantasy guide had me planning my entire playthrough before I ever touched the game, and when I finally bought it for 10 bucks, I was beyond enraptured, managing two entire playthroughs. I continued on to Final Fantasy 2 (unaware of the regional chronological dissonance) and was blown away by the quantum leap in presentation and storytelling, not at all put off by the linear party progression (I wanted Edge in my party from the moment I saw the Nintendo Power profile, but accepted him as a permanent mainstay once I recruited him). However, I wouldn’t get Final Fantasy 3 until later, having become more focused on fighting and action games. A friend gave me his copy once he completed it and I could not be more mad at myself for putting it off. The Nintendo Power coverage did not do this game justice. In fact, I utilized a third party guide that, while inaccurate at times, did seem to allude to the uncensored events lost in translation. It was in this guide that I learned too late that I had permanently lost Shadow by not waiting for him to rendezvous with us (I took the countdown timer too seriously). I made the decision right then to start over completely. Yes, I erased my save game file and started over. And I did not regret it because the game is just that good. I was happy I did because not only could I reprioritize weapon/relic/magic its loads, but I could also take up other missed events and character moments. I’ve completed at least three playthroughs of this game since the 1990s and would like at least one more. Thank you for your work on these games. Not only does it remind me how much I love these games, I learn new insights and context to their creation and reception. Though FF6 was the height of the series for me, I am looking forward to seeing future entries (I do enjoy and appreciate FF7, FF9, and FF10, and will definitely look forward to all future entries regardless of my feelings for their topics). At 5 hours, this entry kept me wanting more; I believe 10 hours discussing themes, events, and allusions would still not be enough.

[@penta5421]

Leaving this comment here so the video gets recommended to more people by the algorithm. You channel is criminally underrated and needs to be noticed!

[@mattschultz4111]

I also agree, this guy not being hyped up more is criminally underated! He talks my childhood.

[@JohnDoe-uf3lj]

This video deserves so many more views! I definitely see people finding this channel in the future and binging your videos! Can’t wait to see you talk about more FF games that go under the radar like 8 or 12. And I gotta know what went on behind the scenes with 13 and 15. FF7 is next and I figure it’s already well documented, but i think that one is definitely going to draw even more eyes to your channel. Best of luck and thank you for your hard work!

[@dorkiesanman]

You came out of no where with these final fantasy retrospectives. I watched your ff4 video and I honestly didn't expect to see anymore. After I saw that it was you again with ff6, I honestly can't wait to see your videos on 10 and 12! Keep it up!

[@metr0idprime-921]

Great videos, been waiting especially for this one! Thanks for all your work on your great videos!

[@archagenteverlasting1239]

Well-researched and compellingly written and edited. I will say that I'm not sure why there's such a formalist fixation on the idea of quantifying characters with whether or not they have resolved character arcs (I find the discourse a work is engaging in to be more interesting than Campbell's outline being met for each and every member of our ensemble) --but that seems to just be where KZbin literary criticism is right now. Very good work, one of the few KZbinrs I'm still interested in watching.

[@BirdmanPRRT]

Andrew, this is retrospective is an absolute masterpiece. Thank you for the history, and the memories.

[@Mooglepies]

Thanks for this. Well-considered, thorough, and engaging, to the point where a segue into the history of imperial Japan isn't out of place. Growing up in the UK, I never experienced Final Fantasy until 7 - I went back to 6 a lot later on in the early 2000s. It felt staggering even then. Learning about the development and release history and having all of that information in one place is genuinely valuable. This series is obviously a labour of love and I've enjoyed and been educated and entertained by every video so far. Wishing you all the best for the next one, given the sheer amount of stuff to cover.

[@Wardiri]

I was expecting a bit more of runtime than V's retrospective. Maybe like twenty more minutes. You have shattered all expectations and I'm here for the five hours complete.

[@matthagen67]

Finished watching. There are a couple of great retrospectives already available on KZbin, but THIS was something else. An absolutely outstanding video. I'm a die-hard fan of FF6 (together with Chrono Trigger, these are my two favorite games of all time). And even I learned quite a few things during this video. Like, for example, the source of insiration for the Opera House... or It's the first time I'm seeing the Japanese commercial for the game (I was only familiar with the American one with Mog the Palpatine). Also, some of your "interpretations" blew my mind (like the one that Terra's original name Tina might come from Christina, referencing Christ). Oh... and the little "surprise" in the last minute of the video (forshadowing your next project in the Retrospective series) put a huge grin on my face, the reasons for which I mentioned in this very post). Again, thank you for all the hard work you've put into this masterful video 👏

[@johncombs6369]

I cant begin to express how much i appreciate your work. Thanks boss

[@sleepedge8257]

Content like this is what KZbin was made for. Great job dude this is a land mark video you should be proud of.

[@otterbeans]

I believe that dancing mad and the closing track that weaves the 16 character themes together are uematsu's greatest work.

[@osurpless]

The Ending Theme for me, particularly the arrangement of Relm’s Theme.

[@andrewlavigne44]

This made my holiday week! Can't wait to dive in.

[@WeesanTV]

Absolute unit of a video here. Very well done

[@dup0nte48]

Fantastic video. Final Fantasy VI is my all time favorite game, and there were quite a few interesting things I learned from this video. Incredible work.

[@davidwarren6013]

These videos are incredible achievements. Every time I watch them I am given a deeper appreciation of some of my favorite games.

[@kizunadragon9]

Locke is my favorite character and so many people read him wrong. Locke is plagued by guilt. he is torn apart by the guilt that he couldn't save Rachel. So Locke joined the returners , a group that is in open rebellion against the Empire. he did this for a reason and it's not to be heroic. Locks' biggest secret is he is a death seeker. he has too much pride to fall on his own sword so hes hoping he can get himself into something dangerous enough that kills him. I love the last thing Rachel says to him. "I give you your life back, which was taken from you the moment I left it"

[@frankshin401]

@AndyWitmyer Great way to put it i was thinking how is it weird if you could give life back to your wife or someone you love that had it stolen... just crazy how some people think

[@Th3BigBoy]

I don't even like Locke, but I thought that was weird as well. This is an interesting video, though, and I still think he put forth a large amount of effort that is commendable, despite its flaws.

[@humanitiestheproblem]

​@@Th3BigBoy No. We don't give pedo-incels credit, no matter how "hard" they work.

[@Cousin_Uli]

Basically learned to read playing "FF3" back when I was like 4. The first game that i ever played that made me realize they had stories. A really important time in my life.

[@katutaistelija]

Thank you so much for this video. This was such a formative game for me, I’m really glad someone gave it the attention it deserves!

[@soulmustdie3631]

“Ports & Remakes” and “Reception & Legacy” as sections are wild, this FF7 Retrospective is about to be 10 hours long 😭😭

[@Snogard45]

thank you for making such a fantastic video about one of my favorite games of all time, I'm so happy you enjoyed it! it says a lot that I'm proud to hear how much it affected you, as if I had anything to do with it haha. playing FF6 as a kid was one of the first times I saw an entire world in a media... it felt like it awoke my brain to the idea that some color and words on a screen held infinite possibilities, with how real and alive every aspect of the characters and story felt. it's very close to my heart because of this, I hope everyone is able to enjoy it at some point in their lives

[@VeryProfessionalGamer]

I’ve never finished FFVI, so I really appreciated this video. I think you did a good job on splitting your own opinion from objective presentation, which helped when trying to take in the story of the game first and foremost. Thank you for the video! Hope your YT- account takes off, you produce good quality content. Keep at it!