Final Fantasy Mystic Quest
Encyclopedia
Final Fantasy Mystic Quest, released as Mystic Quest Legend in PAL regions and as in Japan, is a role-playing
video game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System
. The game was released as a spin-off to Square
's popular Final Fantasy
series of video games. Final Fantasy Mystic Quest was first released in North America in 1992
and marketed as a "simplified role-playing game...designed for the entry-level player" in an attempt to broaden the genre's appeal. The game's presentation and battle system is broadly similar to that of the main series, but it differed in its inclusion of action-adventure game
elements. Along with Final Fantasy Adventure
, Final Fantasy Mystic Quest was the first Final Fantasy game to be released in Europe.
In the game, the player controls a youth named Benjamin in his quest to save the world. His goal is to reclaim a set of stolen crystals that determine the state of the world's four elemental powers.
The gameplay takes a departure from the main series in a variety of ways. Many series staples are eliminated, such as random battles, save points, manual equipment, and the party system.
elements; besides jumping, players can use weapons outside of battle, which play an active role in exploration. Players can chop down trees with an axe, detonate bombs to open sealed doorways, or use a grappling hook
to clear wide gaps. The game also has more puzzles than earlier Final Fantasy games. In the Falls Basin, for example, players must move pillars of ice across the ground level in such a fashion that they can be used as platforms to jump across on the second level. Final Fantasy Mystic Quest also does away with save points; players can save their progress at any time during exploration.
Final Fantasy Mystic Quest eliminates the system of random enemy encounters
, a trademark of the main series. Instead, battles are represented in dungeons as stationary enemy sprite
s, and the player is given the option of approaching the enemy and engaging a battle. Once engaged in battle, the player is thrust into the battle screen, which presents a window
-based menu with three commands to choose from: battle, run, or control. Running from battle transports the player back to the field screen, while choosing "control" toggles between the ally's battle mode, where the player can manually control the main character's ally or opt for a computer-controlled
ally. If players choose to battle, they are presented with a submenu of four more options: physically attack the enemy, cast a spell, use a curative item (such as a Cure potion), or defend. The game's battle system relies on conditional turn-based combat, where the characters and enemies cycle through "rounds" in battling each other, with the most turns awarded to the fastest character. Character health is represented by an incremental life bar, although the player may choose to have it displayed in numerical fractions as in most role-playing games. If all character life bars reach zero, the game is over, but the player is given the option of continuing and restarting the battle. If the player chooses this option, however, the main character's attack power suffers as a penalty. A character's performance in battle is determined by numerical figures (called statistics
) for vitality, attacking power, defensive capabilities, speed, magical prowess, accuracy, and evasion. Character statistics are driven by experience point
s (EXP) gained from winning battles, which accumulate until players achieve milestones known as "experience levels." Besides awarding experience points, battling enemies also earns the player Gold Pieces (GP), which can be used to buy weapons, armor, and curative items. In the absence of random enemy encounters, battlefields are scattered across the world map. Players are immediately thrust into a battle when entering a battlefield, and must win ten enemy battles to "clean out" the battlefield. Once a battlefield is cleaned out, players are awarded either a large amount of experience, a large amount of GP, a piece of armor, or a magic spell.
Unlike all other Final Fantasy games, players cannot manually equip characters with armor. Instead, newly acquired armor replaces the main character's current equipment, or upgrades a current version of a weapon, e.g. obtaining the knight sword will replace the steel sword. Using the L and R buttons allow the user to cycle through the weapons that have been collected so far. Benjamin uses four types of weapons: swords, axes, bombs, and claws. Although the weapons share a similar function in battle, all have different purposes when exploring the field map. The Dragon Claw, for example, doubles as a grappling hook
. The weapon arsenal in Final Fantasy Mystic Quest is considerably smaller than most role-playing games.
Magic in Final Fantasy Mystic Quest is not learned by designated spellcasters through experience. Instead, the main character acquires magic spells through treasure chests or as a reward for clearing out battlefields. The system of spellcasting is similar to that of the original Final Fantasy; rather than using magic point
s to draw upon for supplying magic, spells are used according to a set number for their type, i.e., white magic, black magic, or wizard magic. The allotted number for each type increases as a character levels up. A spell's effectiveness is also proportional to a character's experience level. The higher the character's level, the more powerful the Cure spell, for example. The spell catalog in Final Fantasy Mystic Quest is limited compared to most other Final Fantasy games. Items in the game are analogous to the spells: their potency increases as the character levels up. The Heal potion acts as a cure-all for status ailment
, eliminating the need for status recovery items.
Under the guidance of the old man and with the help of allies met along the way, Benjamin frees the remaining three regions of the world and their respective crystals: Aquaria, which is blanketed in snow and ice; Fireburg, a region plagued by recurring earthquakes; and Windia, a land beset by intense windstorms. Upon the reclamation of the fourth crystal, however, Benjamin discovers an ominous addendum to the prophecy: "the one behind the four is darker than the night, and rises midst the land." It becomes known that the Dark King is the true source of evil. Benjamin thus sails to Doom Castle to confront the Dark King, who threatens to enslave Benjamin along with the rest of mankind. The Dark King claims that he wrote and spread the prophecy Benjamin had followed throughout his quest. Once the Dark King is defeated, the old man congratulates Benjamin and reveals that he is the Crystal of Light in the guise of a human. At the end of the game, Benjamin is seen still craving adventure, and he borrows a ship from Captain Mac as his friends gather to wish him off. While sailing, Tristam makes a surprise appearance, stating that he couldn't ignore the prospect of such adventure.
It was developed with a similar graphical style and gameplay as Final Fantasy Legend III
(part of the SaGa series of games). The gameplay shares numerous similarities with that title, featuring a very similar battle system and graphical interface. Even the "jump" feature from Final Fantasy Legend III has been reproduced faithfully, and almost all of the icons - from caves to the enemy sprites - are a color-upgraded version of Final Fantasy Legend IIIs character set. Besides allowing for computer-controlled allies, the game did away with random battles, complicated storylines, text-based menus, and so on. To appeal to the perceived tastes of North American audiences, which gravitated towards fast-paced games, Square included action-adventure game
elements; players could now brandish weapons outside of battle, jump, and so on. Ted Woolsey
explained that "The action/adventure players...are larger in numbers and the demographic is different. They tend to be younger and like the idea of jumping straight into the action with a sword in their hands; it's an empowerment issue - you get to go out there, start whacking things and it feels good! With the more traditional RPGs, it takes a good 15 or 20 hours of playing before you're finally hooked." Because the game was marketed towards a younger demographic, the game sold for the price of US$
39.99. This game also came with an Official Strategy Guide that helped inexperienced and new RPG players complete it.
, which released in Europe as Mystic Quest. Final Fantasy Mystic Quest was first unveiled in June at the 1992 Summer Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago
, where it was a popular venue, and the game was later presented in more detail in the Fall 1992 issue of the Ogopogo Examiner.
and Yasuhiro Kawakami
. The album was first released on one Compact Disc
by NTT Publishing on September 10, 1993.
, and a 7.25/10 in Electronic Gaming Monthly
. The game ultimately failed in its bid to bring mainstream popularity to console RPGs (a feat that wouldn't be accomplished until Final Fantasy VII
five years later), and simultaneously alienated fans of the series anticipating another epic following Final Fantasy IV
. It has also been described as "Final Fantasy with an identity crisis" due to the inherent flaw of creating a game that didn't appeal to the masses or the hard-core gaming audience.
On April 1, 2006, GameSpot
included Mystic Quest in an April's Fools list entitled "Top 10 Final Fantasy Games", which mostly consisted of spin-off
s from the main series and unrelated games. Mystic Quest was "praised" for being easy and having simplistic graphics and plot.
Role-playing video game
Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
video game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
. The game was released as a spin-off to Square
Square (company)
was a Japanese video game company founded in September 1983 by Masafumi Miyamoto. It merged with Enix in 2003 and became part of Square Enix...
's popular Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy
is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and is developed and owned by Square Enix . The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science-fantasy role-playing video games , but includes motion pictures, anime, printed media, and other merchandise...
series of video games. Final Fantasy Mystic Quest was first released in North America in 1992
1992 in video gaming
-Events:-Notable releases:* Gremlin Graphics releases Zool, Amiga's answer to Mario and Sonic. It goes on to become the best selling Commodore Amiga game, boosting the already popular computer to be the leading gaming machine in Europe....
and marketed as a "simplified role-playing game...designed for the entry-level player" in an attempt to broaden the genre's appeal. The game's presentation and battle system is broadly similar to that of the main series, but it differed in its inclusion of action-adventure game
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
elements. Along with Final Fantasy Adventure
Final Fantasy Adventure
Final Fantasy Adventure, known as Mystic Quest in Europe and as in Japan, is a Final Fantasy spinoff and the first game in the Mana series. Published by Square in 1991 on the original Game Boy, it later saw a North American re-release by Sunsoft in April 1998...
, Final Fantasy Mystic Quest was the first Final Fantasy game to be released in Europe.
In the game, the player controls a youth named Benjamin in his quest to save the world. His goal is to reclaim a set of stolen crystals that determine the state of the world's four elemental powers.
The gameplay takes a departure from the main series in a variety of ways. Many series staples are eliminated, such as random battles, save points, manual equipment, and the party system.
Exploration
Like previous games in the series, Final Fantasy Mystic Quest is presented in a top-down perspective (or bird's eye view), with players directly navigating the main character around the world to interact with objects and people. The game features a unique way of traveling the world map. Unlike past Final Fantasy games, players cannot freely roam the world map. Instead, they travel along set paths from one "icon" (pictorial image on the world map) to the next. Some routes are blocked off (restriction is indicated by a gray arrow), but become accessible when the player succeeds in a specific task, such as completing a dungeon. Once its path is open, the player can enter an icon; the game's plot and action takes place within these icons, which include towns, dungeons, and battlefields. The game is characterized by featuring action-adventure gameAction-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
elements; besides jumping, players can use weapons outside of battle, which play an active role in exploration. Players can chop down trees with an axe, detonate bombs to open sealed doorways, or use a grappling hook
Grappling hook
A grappling hook is an anchor with multiple hooks , attached to a rope; it is thrown, dropped, sunk, projected, or fastened directly by hand to where at least one hook may catch and hold. Generally, grappling hooks are used to temporarily secure one end of a rope. They may also be used to dredge...
to clear wide gaps. The game also has more puzzles than earlier Final Fantasy games. In the Falls Basin, for example, players must move pillars of ice across the ground level in such a fashion that they can be used as platforms to jump across on the second level. Final Fantasy Mystic Quest also does away with save points; players can save their progress at any time during exploration.
Battle system
Random encounter
A random encounter is a feature commonly used in various role-playing games whereby encounters with non-player character enemies or other dangers occur sporadically and at random...
, a trademark of the main series. Instead, battles are represented in dungeons as stationary enemy sprite
Sprite (computer graphics)
In computer graphics, a sprite is a two-dimensional image or animation that is integrated into a larger scene...
s, and the player is given the option of approaching the enemy and engaging a battle. Once engaged in battle, the player is thrust into the battle screen, which presents a window
Window (computing)
In computing, a window is a visual area containing some kind of user interface. It usually has a rectangular shape that can overlap with the area of other windows...
-based menu with three commands to choose from: battle, run, or control. Running from battle transports the player back to the field screen, while choosing "control" toggles between the ally's battle mode, where the player can manually control the main character's ally or opt for a computer-controlled
Game artificial intelligence
Game artificial intelligence refers to techniques used in computer and video games to produce the illusion of intelligence in the behavior of non-player characters . The techniques used typically draw upon existing methods from the field of artificial intelligence...
ally. If players choose to battle, they are presented with a submenu of four more options: physically attack the enemy, cast a spell, use a curative item (such as a Cure potion), or defend. The game's battle system relies on conditional turn-based combat, where the characters and enemies cycle through "rounds" in battling each other, with the most turns awarded to the fastest character. Character health is represented by an incremental life bar, although the player may choose to have it displayed in numerical fractions as in most role-playing games. If all character life bars reach zero, the game is over, but the player is given the option of continuing and restarting the battle. If the player chooses this option, however, the main character's attack power suffers as a penalty. A character's performance in battle is determined by numerical figures (called statistics
Attribute (role-playing games)
An attribute is a piece of data that describes to what extent a fictional character in a role-playing game possesses a specific natural, in-born characteristic common to all characters in the game. That piece of data is usually an abstract number or, in some cases, a set of dice...
) for vitality, attacking power, defensive capabilities, speed, magical prowess, accuracy, and evasion. Character statistics are driven by experience point
Experience point
An experience point is a unit of measurement used in many role-playing games and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's progression through the game...
s (EXP) gained from winning battles, which accumulate until players achieve milestones known as "experience levels." Besides awarding experience points, battling enemies also earns the player Gold Pieces (GP), which can be used to buy weapons, armor, and curative items. In the absence of random enemy encounters, battlefields are scattered across the world map. Players are immediately thrust into a battle when entering a battlefield, and must win ten enemy battles to "clean out" the battlefield. Once a battlefield is cleaned out, players are awarded either a large amount of experience, a large amount of GP, a piece of armor, or a magic spell.
Customization
Grappling hook
A grappling hook is an anchor with multiple hooks , attached to a rope; it is thrown, dropped, sunk, projected, or fastened directly by hand to where at least one hook may catch and hold. Generally, grappling hooks are used to temporarily secure one end of a rope. They may also be used to dredge...
. The weapon arsenal in Final Fantasy Mystic Quest is considerably smaller than most role-playing games.
Magic in Final Fantasy Mystic Quest is not learned by designated spellcasters through experience. Instead, the main character acquires magic spells through treasure chests or as a reward for clearing out battlefields. The system of spellcasting is similar to that of the original Final Fantasy; rather than using magic point
Magic point
Magic points are units of magical power that are used in many role-playing, computer role-playing and similar games as an expendable resource that is needed to pay for magic spells and other abilities, such as special attacks...
s to draw upon for supplying magic, spells are used according to a set number for their type, i.e., white magic, black magic, or wizard magic. The allotted number for each type increases as a character levels up. A spell's effectiveness is also proportional to a character's experience level. The higher the character's level, the more powerful the Cure spell, for example. The spell catalog in Final Fantasy Mystic Quest is limited compared to most other Final Fantasy games. Items in the game are analogous to the spells: their potency increases as the character levels up. The Heal potion acts as a cure-all for status ailment
Status effect
In role-playing games, a status effect is a temporary modification to a game character’s original set of stats that usually comes into play when special powers and abilities are used, often during combat. It appears in numerous computer and video games of many genres, most commonly in role-playing...
, eliminating the need for status recovery items.
Setting
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.Story
The game opens with an adventurous youth named Benjamin climbing the Hill of Destiny. While exploring, his village is destroyed in an earthquake. As he escapes the danger of the crumbling mountain, he is approached by a mysterious old man, who charges Benjamin with fulfilling the knight's prophecy. Although initially in disbelief, Benjamin accepts the role. To learn more about his task, Benjamin follows the old man to the Level Forest, where he is told that the Crystal of Earth must be recovered. With the help of an axe-wielding girl named Kaeli, Benjamin battles through the Level Forest, although Kaeli is ambushed and poisoned in the process. Benjamin's search for Elixir to heal Kaeli brings him to Bone Dungeon, where he's aided by a treasure hunter named Tristam in succeeding dual purposes: not only does Benjamin get Elixir from Tristam to heal Kaeli, but he defeats one of the four Vile Evils, Flamerous Rex, to free the Crystal of Earth and in turn restore life to the dying village of Foresta.Under the guidance of the old man and with the help of allies met along the way, Benjamin frees the remaining three regions of the world and their respective crystals: Aquaria, which is blanketed in snow and ice; Fireburg, a region plagued by recurring earthquakes; and Windia, a land beset by intense windstorms. Upon the reclamation of the fourth crystal, however, Benjamin discovers an ominous addendum to the prophecy: "the one behind the four is darker than the night, and rises midst the land." It becomes known that the Dark King is the true source of evil. Benjamin thus sails to Doom Castle to confront the Dark King, who threatens to enslave Benjamin along with the rest of mankind. The Dark King claims that he wrote and spread the prophecy Benjamin had followed throughout his quest. Once the Dark King is defeated, the old man congratulates Benjamin and reveals that he is the Crystal of Light in the guise of a human. At the end of the game, Benjamin is seen still craving adventure, and he borrows a ship from Captain Mac as his friends gather to wish him off. While sailing, Tristam makes a surprise appearance, stating that he couldn't ignore the prospect of such adventure.
Development
Although designed by one of Square's development teams in Japan, Final Fantasy Mystic Quest was specifically geared for the U.S. market. At the time, console role-playing games were not a major genre in North America; Square thus attempted to broaden its appeal through Final Fantasy Mystic Quest. Square's executives cited the alleged difficulty of RPGs as the reason Americans shied away from them, and eased the difficulty level by tweaking various aspects of the main series' gameplay.It was developed with a similar graphical style and gameplay as Final Fantasy Legend III
Final Fantasy Legend III
Final Fantasy Legend III, originally released in Japan as , is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square Co. for the Game Boy handheld system as the third game of their SaGa series. Initially released for Japanese audiences in December 1991, the game was made available in North...
(part of the SaGa series of games). The gameplay shares numerous similarities with that title, featuring a very similar battle system and graphical interface. Even the "jump" feature from Final Fantasy Legend III has been reproduced faithfully, and almost all of the icons - from caves to the enemy sprites - are a color-upgraded version of Final Fantasy Legend IIIs character set. Besides allowing for computer-controlled allies, the game did away with random battles, complicated storylines, text-based menus, and so on. To appeal to the perceived tastes of North American audiences, which gravitated towards fast-paced games, Square included action-adventure game
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
elements; players could now brandish weapons outside of battle, jump, and so on. Ted Woolsey
Ted Woolsey
Ted Woolsey is an American video game translator and producer. He had the primary role in the North American production and localization of Square's role-playing games during the SNES era between 1991 and 1996.-Square:...
explained that "The action/adventure players...are larger in numbers and the demographic is different. They tend to be younger and like the idea of jumping straight into the action with a sword in their hands; it's an empowerment issue - you get to go out there, start whacking things and it feels good! With the more traditional RPGs, it takes a good 15 or 20 hours of playing before you're finally hooked." Because the game was marketed towards a younger demographic, the game sold for the price of US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
39.99. This game also came with an Official Strategy Guide that helped inexperienced and new RPG players complete it.
Release
After its U.S. debut, Final Fantasy Mystic Quest released in Japan under the title Final Fantasy USA: Mystic Quest. The European release of the game was titled Mystic Quest Legend to avoid confusion with Final Fantasy AdventureFinal Fantasy Adventure
Final Fantasy Adventure, known as Mystic Quest in Europe and as in Japan, is a Final Fantasy spinoff and the first game in the Mana series. Published by Square in 1991 on the original Game Boy, it later saw a North American re-release by Sunsoft in April 1998...
, which released in Europe as Mystic Quest. Final Fantasy Mystic Quest was first unveiled in June at the 1992 Summer Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, where it was a popular venue, and the game was later presented in more detail in the Fall 1992 issue of the Ogopogo Examiner.
Audio
The game's soundtrack is composed by Ryuji SasaiRyuji Sasai
is a Japanese former video game composer and bass guitarist. He is best known for his work on Xak, Final Fantasy Legend III and Final Fantasy Mystic Quest. Sasai is noted for his rock style. His musical career came about when he was 15 years old and he formed a band...
and Yasuhiro Kawakami
Yasuhiro Kawakami
is a Japanese video game composer and sound programmer who was employed at Square from 1991 to 1999. He created music for three games and was the sound programmer for Rudra no Hihō...
. The album was first released on one Compact Disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
by NTT Publishing on September 10, 1993.
Reception
On its release, it scored a 3.725/5 in the November 1992 issue of Nintendo PowerNintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
, and a 7.25/10 in Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly is a bimonthly American video game magazine. It has been published by EGM Media, LLC. since relaunching in April of 2010. Its previous run, which ended in January 2009, was published by Ziff Davis...
. The game ultimately failed in its bid to bring mainstream popularity to console RPGs (a feat that wouldn't be accomplished until Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VII
is a role-playing video game developed by Square and published by Sony Computer Entertainment as the seventh installment in the Final Fantasy series. It was originally released in 1997 for the Sony PlayStation and was re-released in 1998 for Microsoft Windows-based personal computers and in 2009...
five years later), and simultaneously alienated fans of the series anticipating another epic following Final Fantasy IV
Final Fantasy IV
is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square in 1991 as a part of the Final Fantasy series. The game was originally released for the Super Famicom in Japan and has since then been rereleased for many other platforms with varying modifications. An enhanced remake with 3D graphics...
. It has also been described as "Final Fantasy with an identity crisis" due to the inherent flaw of creating a game that didn't appeal to the masses or the hard-core gaming audience.
On April 1, 2006, GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
included Mystic Quest in an April's Fools list entitled "Top 10 Final Fantasy Games", which mostly consisted of spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
s from the main series and unrelated games. Mystic Quest was "praised" for being easy and having simplistic graphics and plot.
External links
- Final Fantasy Mystic Quest at RPGamerRPGamerRPGamer is a media and news website dedicated to covering computer and video game RPGs. Its coverage includes North American game news, European game news, Asian game news, gaming industry news, game reviews, game previews, hands-on game impressions, gaming conventions, game merchandise, release...
- Final Fantasy Wiki