Final Fantasy III

Final Fantasy III is a role-playing game and the third main entry in the Final Fantasy series. Square developed and published the original for the Family Computer in Japan on April 27, 1990. Square Enix and Matrix Software later rebuilt it as a full 3D remake for the Nintendo DS, released in 2006, and Square Enix brought that remake to Steam on May 27, 2014, after further ports to other platforms. The original Famicom version did not see an official release outside Japan until the Pixel Remaster edition arrived on July 28, 2021, which is a separate version from the 3D remake.

The story takes place in a world kept in balance by four elemental crystals. Long ago, an ancient civilization built on floating continents overused the power of light, which drew out the Cloud of Darkness, an entity that seeks to return everything to nothingness. In the present, darkness is spreading again. After an earthquake opens a hidden cavern near the village of Ur on the Floating Continent, four orphans meet the dying Wind Crystal, which names them Warriors of Light. Their journey takes them to the flooded surface world and eventually into conflict with Xande, a student of the Magus Noah who wants to escape mortality.

The party travels on foot, by chocobo, by boat and later by airship, visiting towns to rest at inns, talk to residents and buy gear with gil. Random encounters lead to turn-based battles in which each member can attack, defend, use a special action or use an item. At the heart of the game is the job system: characters begin as Onion Knights and can switch to roles such as Warrior, Monk, Black Mage, White Mage, Ninja, Dragoon and Summoner. Each job has its own abilities and determines which weapons and equipment a character can use, and job changes are paid for with capacity points earned after battles.

The 3D remake added an expanded story and a CGI opening while keeping the core gameplay, and its characters and jobs were redesigned by Akihiko Yoshida. The Steam release includes 3D visuals and story sequences, quick access to the monster bestiary and other records, updated Job Mastery Card designs, upgraded PC graphics, and Steam Trading Cards and Achievements. A later update added a new interface, improved gamepad support, a full-screen option, a Gallery Mode with artwork and the soundtrack, an auto-battle mode that runs at double speed, and additional language options.

Hironobu Sakaguchi directed the original, with Hiromichi Tanaka and Kazuhiko Aoki as designers, Kenji Terada as writer, Nobuo Uematsu as composer and Nasir Gebelli as programmer. Yoshitaka Amano designed the monsters and summons, Koichi Ishii designed the characters and jobs, and Kazuko Shibuya handled the in-game sprites. The Famicom release shipped 1.4 million copies in Japan by March 2003, and Japanese reviewers singled out its job system for praise. The game introduced recurring series elements such as the job system, summoned monsters and the Moogle, and the Onion Knight and the Cloud of Darkness later appeared in Dissidia Final Fantasy.