Had a lot of respectful alternatives suggested in the comments. If anybody wants to elaborate on why they feel games like Earthbound, Ultima or Phantasy Star are greater, please do!

I might be saying something controversial but.. FF VI deserves all the praise FF VII gets.

Kefka lives on in my memory as a true, memorable villain. That mfr was crazy. Period. No existential god is dead or humans are a plague blah, he wanted power, he got power, end of story. Sometimes simplicity is the best option.

I always thought of Terra as the main character of Act 1 of FF6 and Celes being the main character of Act 2 after a certain event happens. I love this game, and how you can view the story through ALL of them equally.

I think even nowadays, this game has one of the best plots ever made for a videogame.

FFVI absolutely changed my life. Before that, I enjoyed games, but they were more of a fun diversion or activity. FFVI showed me the first glimpse of narrative art in games and made me fall in love forever with the medium.

This game was an incredible thing to experience as a young teen in the '90s. It was a sign of the growth of the medium; that games weren't limited to bleeps and bloops and high scores and could tell emotionally resonant, impactful stories, despite the lack of graphical fidelity we take for granted today.

I was a teen of the 90s playing this in the day ... simply spectacular. The twist of ACTUALY failing to "save the world" and being forced to play through the aftermath of it wasn't just indescribable, it was more like _inconceivable._ Stranded on a lone island where _even the random encounters are dying,_ then Cid dies, then Celes... And then there's the music accompanying that moment. Celes's Theme is forever associatd with _this_ moment over any other for me, and it's followed by the gut punch that is "Forever Rachel" (aka. Sad Locke's Theme). I don't remember at what point (or which playthrough) I took Locke to Kohlingen early on, but I was not prepared for the revelation that he failed his girl friend (and how he blamed himself for it) either.

6 is and has always been my favorite game of all time. One of the main reasons is that the bad guy wins. By the time the heroes finally regroup and kill Kefka, he's been a tyrant that's accomplished all his goals, destroyed the planet, and is feared by all. He's bored of it, and the party finally killing him after over a full year of him ruling the remains of the planet is almost an afterthought. People focus on the 'crazy clown' part, but once you realize how the story actually goes, he's unlike any other villain in any game, movie, or book that I'm aware of. 6 was seen as the FF without a 'main' character, but nobody realizes, Kefka is the main character of FF6. You just don't get to play as him.

It had a profound impact on me. The MUSIC was so amazing too. Coupled with everything you mentioned, I was deeply moved many times. From trading at Rachel and Lock’s scene to sitting up and getting excited hearing the boss music against Whelk.

This game is definitely a cornerstone of videogame history. Having played it at 15 when it came out, I can attest, there is no game prior to it that made me FEEL for the characters. And this is coming from someone who, by that time, has played almost all the big NES and SNES games of the time since my childhood. FF6 came at the perfect timing, after Zelda A Link to the Past and Secret of Mana, the 2 games that trained teenager me to delve deep into a game, and it definitely opened my eyes to the fact that games can be life-changing inspiring work of art instead of just pure fun afternoons or nights.

FFVI and Chrono Trigger are my favorite RPGs, but FFVI was first and the nearest and dearest to me. It was definitely the first profound and impactful story I had experienced in a video game at the time. It still holds up today.

Played this game because Mog the Moogle dances. Stayed for the story. And then played more so I can have more of Mog's dancing.

FFVI always gets the immense respect it deserves within the JRPG community but no one else realizes how important it is for basically all modern story telling. This is the reason dark stories are so incredible in modern games. FFVI paved the way for everything we have today. Kefka is the greatest villain of all time because he played his cards close to his chest and he won. He just won. He accomplished his goals and made everything feel pointless and unachievable. Peace unattainable. It is the most impactful moment in gaming for my 39 years of life so far. Kefka is perfection.

I am a French Canadian, I bought that game in my teens, knowing nothing of the English language. I went throught that game, with a English to French dictionnary. This game, in a hard period of my life, was a welcomed adventure that did made me aware that, if I don't learn English, I would miss on so much. The deep story lore of that game is still one of my favorite to this day.

I played FF6 through 12 and 14 in the past like two years and 6 is by far still my favorite. My biggest gripe with the game is that I didnt play it sooner. And Kefka cemented himself as one of my favorite video game villains.

This game was one of the most important things that ever happened to me. The lessons embedded in its story set the stage for my later adoption of existentialism and anarchism. It seeded the understanding in my young mind that _hope_ is what transforms all things, no matter how deep the darkness. The world could become nothing but wastes reigned over by a dark god and yet still it would be right to struggle to overturn the way of things. I have analyzed the plot and the characters and the world numerous times over the years and found new nuances each time I have returned. Also, the soundtrack is a transcendant masterpiece. Uematsu has said it was his magnum opus and I agree with him. It is probably one of the most cohesive, wide-spanning, and heart-wrenching scores ever created. I have never succeeded in conveying the depth and beauty of the game to people in my life. Few understand its foundational importance to my current worldview. Yet without it, I would not be who I am.

Final Fantasy VI was the first game I played that truly gave me escapism, because it immersed me into an entirely other world seamlessly. From my memory, games before that were all beep boop beep and then FFVI blasted me in the face and popped my ears with a story I'd only experienced before in novels. I was 12 when I played it a year after release, and it's my favourite video game of all time for showing me the wonder of RPGs and story-driven games with what feels like real stakes, real loss, and real triumph.

Favorite game ever, IV was also decisive though, my first RPG. I'll always remember the twin's sacrifice, Cecil becoming a paladin, Kain's betrayal, Rydia's deus ex machina as a grown teen. So many memorable tales.

Loss isn't the only theme. It's about having hope in any situation because of love

FFVI is still my favourite game of all time. The story, the music, the characters, the set pieces. All of it was super impactful to my 10 year old brain

FF6 started the Limit Break type move. It was called Desperation.

Okay, Excuse me bro... I've never heard of you, seen anything you have posted on any social media or watched anything you have made... This video is exceptional. FF6 holds a very, VERY dear spot in my heart and for somebody to capture a part of what I felt when playing this game and translate it into a media I can watch is super alien and amazing. What a great video. Thank you for doing this life changing game justice.

You did a fantastic job of not only summarizing the primary and secondary contentions of the game, but explaining why it matters. FF6 is hands apart my favorite installment and whenever I find people who appreciate it as much as I do I feel not only vindicated in my love for the game, that some little weirdo nerd in the 90's playing this on his dad's SNES wasn't just a sucker being sold a fantasy, but that the game I cherish had such an impact on how stories in games are both approached and juxtaposed with others. Beautifully done video Max

FFVI was the very first game I played, and still remains my favorite to this day. And just as you said in the video, particular elements and characters have saved my life. Don't get me wrong, I also adore VII, but there's been this Certain Something that VI had that I just couldn't exactly name. Like, sure, you lose halfway through the game. That's been cited a million times. The Aria scene is super cool, the cast is gigantic but they all get a decent amount of backstory, etc. But I think you finally put it into words, here, why it's impacted my own and so many others' lives. So, thank you. There's so much obvious love and dedication put into this, and I can't thank you enough for doing so for a game that deserves more love- and for us who still adore it to this day.

Soundtrack for FFVI was epic, really gives me all the feels to this day

19:24 also, if i remember correctly, ff6 was the first game to introduce limit breaks, which i always thought were incredibly badass, like the characters through sheer stubborness or desperation manages to push themselves just a little more forward! Nice video as always, Max! 👍 Your content is top quality!

Very happy to see this game being covered. It’s always been my g.o.a.t. and that’ll probably never change. Makes me cry tears of mixed emotions every time.

One thing I would like to add. During the scene that leads up to Celes's "failed attempt", you actually *can* save Cid. I always liked that particular choice because it gave you, the player, agency to effect how Celes reacts to the end of the world and in so doing, can reflect your own state as a player. If you feel like she would be able to overcome that loss, rise up and save the only one still left to her: She can. If you, like her, are too overwhelmed by the end of the world to play that really stupid and honestly annoying minigame then Cid dies and Celes reflects that hopelessness. So many games would *not* have given the player a way to change that outcome.

One other aspect of Final fantasy VI that I believe is important is how much it drew you in emotionally to its world. A prime example of this world be the 'Opera scene' in which celes sings an opera song. OMG that scene was and to this day the only thing (movie, music, or game) that actually made me cry and just feel better.

My first time playing this game was up in a treehouse in the dead of winter in the middle of the woods when I was 14. Me and my friends played the hell out of that and ff7. Nostalgia is hitting me hard dude, thanks for taking time out to play this great game.

I still remember the details of how this game affected me when I played it as a 15-year-old back in 1994, and it's never lost its potency. It is my favorite game of all time! One of my favorite little details about how this game merges story-telling and gameplay involves the revelation of Edgar and Sabin's backstory and the role of "the coin". If you include both characters in your party when setting out from Narshe before the Cataclysm, you will get their backstory about the succession and how Sabin got his freedom. At this point, you will assume it was the luck of the coin-flip that Sabin got his freedom and Edgar ruled, since you learn that the coin used was double-sided later during the opera scene when you recruit Setzer. However, if you don't include them both in your party at this point, you won't see this scene until after the Cataclysm, and at this point, you will have already learned Edgar has a two-sided coin, so their backstory is presented in a whole new context. F'in brilliant -- and this was in 1994!!!!

FF VI, in terms of storytelling, is the best of the series for me. Such a variety of playable characters, and all with an interesting backstory behind them. As a person who fought with depression, I connected the most with Celes and Terra, and that was something new for me, to connect with a videogame character. And, now, after watching this video, I think it’s time for me to defeat Kefka again. I know that the moment I hear the Terra’s theme, one of the most beautiful, yet sad, piece of music I’ve ever heard, I will be, again, lost in this game.

Great analysis. FFVI remains my favorite game story by a landslide. One other thing worth mentioning is that the struggle of the main characters is the REASON that Kefka is such a compelling and perfect villain. His nihilism and insanity perfectly foils they loss and trauma of the heroes.

I think in the end, Kefka allowed himself to be killed. Imagine if he really blasted all the heroes with his judgement ray. This plot was never properly discussed, I feel.

Hands down my favorite entry in the entire Final Fantasy franchise. It was unlike anything else I had played back when it came out on the SNES and it laid the foundation for modern story telling through Video Games as a medium. Just because the villain won and the world ended doesn't mean the adventure is over; find your friends, gear up, level up - Kefka awaits. Stay yellow.

Final fantasy VI (or III as I originally played it on the SNES) did greatly influence how I saw the world around me (I was born in 1978 so I had to be like 16 when it came out in 1994). As an adolescent who had run away from home several times from the age of 14, who as a runaway minor had no relationships with anyone and no connection to anything. I saw part of my life and way of thinking reflected in Kefka. His 'what does love, life, hope, and faith matter when all of that will inevitably end or be destroyed in the end?' philosophy just connected with me and the life I was living and had lived for my short 14 years thus far. Kefka made me fall in love with the villain and identify with and root for the 'bad guy ' of the media to win. My love of Scar, Jafar, Ursula, kuja, Thanos, darksied, green goblin, reverse flash, etc etc etc (insert villain here) is all thanks to Kefka.

The opera scene from this game is my favorite scene in any game ever. Also Celes is my favorite video game character of all time.

I have always considered Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together to be the "Grandfather" of Story Rich Games. Released in 1995, and focusing on dark medieval politics, it tells a much more complex narrative than anything in the SNES era. Telling the story of a 3 way race war and, through it's branching narrative, asking the player "What would you do to save your people from genocide? What lengths would you go to to protect everything you know and love?" While offering some extremely severe options, as well as the severe consequences of those choices. Tactics Ogre's narrative strength is such that it still holds up to today's story rich games, despite being 28 years old. EDIT: Typos

There's a conversation in the World of Ruin that triggers a flashback to the World of Balance - the tranquil town music kicks in + it shows kids playing; everything is still green. It's beautiful and poignant. Truly a gem of a game. :)

Videos like this really make me appreciate gaming more. I was born in 94 and most of the games you mentioned were made when I was a toddler and still in Nigeria. Stories like this are really impactful and makes me want to play it.

I've been following this channel for more than two years now. I had always hoped that Max would cover FFVI - one of my fav FF parts next to IX. Today is a beautiful day!

"Even though the objective answer is IX" MY MAN Edit: I gotta say one of the things that knocks FFIV off as being the biggest jump in storytelling is the existence of FFII. The jump from FFI to FFII in storytelling is *insane*. What FFIV did to shake things up was the emphasis on characters, making them feel very individual, and giving Cecil an honest to god story arc.

Great job on the video. FF6 had a huge impact on me, but so did 4. My brothers and I took turns playing it and we each had our favorite characters. I can't express what we felt when the world got destroyed, it's something you have to experience. The game basically makes you start over in a new world with the sense of wanting to put your party back together. It's like they wanted to give the player a sense of loss and see how they react. Makes the characters and their stories relatable. It is interesting to see how they all dealt with the end of the world differently. Most of them accepted that they couldn't do anything but go on with their lives. If they ever remake it I hope to don't try to change it. Just redo it with modern graphics, but keep the gameplay and stories intact.

I've never played a game since that has made me laugh, cry and sit in quiet, open mouthed terror. And all this from 16 bit characters! Masterful writing

This game was THE game of my youth and I will always love it. It’s actually what I remember showing my parents at the time when they complained about how much time I spent gaming saying it wasn’t a game as much as an interactive movie, then showed them the scene with Cyan on the phantom train to prove my point Also just an addition about who you bring with, with Rachel if you have Celes in addition to Locke, get even more than with just Locke

Mother 1 and 2 Mother 1 is about legacy and the mistakes of your ancestors effecting your life, it’s about stepping up to the plate to wrestle with a mess that you didn’t make, but that only you can solve. It’s also about how love can bridge gaps that make us alien to one another and prevent hurt. Mother 2 is very much more about experience, it’s about growing up in a world that constantly changes and is full of people who will hurt you given the chance. It’s about navigating that environment and making friends anyway. It’s about going out into the world with those friends and building memories together. Some of those experiences will be good and fun and exciting, but some will be horrible beyond anything you’d yet experienced (as you are a child), but with your friends you can survive it and live afterwards. It also has many many fourth-wall breaks that give the player AS The Player an important role in this story.

I've avoided these types of videos cuz I've never finished this masterpiece. It's my favorite game, played deep into it decades ago. It's like I'm saving this for future use

FF6 was the first game period that I ever felt the compulsion to complete without ever putting it down or taking a break from. I literally got the game on a friday and played it the entire weekend and completed it sunday night. very few things have been able to engross me completely, even books. its in the top three of my favorite games of all time. its probably the only RPG that I could complete and then immediately restart to experience the story again.

Having played through FFVI multiple times, I decided one day to share the game with my best friend using the co-op mode. (For those who don't know, you could set two of the four combat party members to be controlled by a second player.) I got to watch him experience all the story beats and character moments I knew and loved, and I was interested in how we differed on favorite characters (mine are Cyan and Terra, his Locke and Celes). When Celes' act of despair (excellent turn of phrase, by the way) happened, he physically lunged at the television as if to catch her. I can't think of any better evidence of a player connecting with a character.

I just recently purchased Silent Hill 2 . I’ve just completed Brookhaven Hospital.It just occurred to me that your intro animation is James in the Mirror . I love it even more now .

On the FF series I see FFIII as the game that cements foundations and FFVI as the cathedral made from honing their craft on two console generations. FFVII was the magnum opus to show off to the world.

One line: "Do you think a minor thing like the end of the world would do me in?" From memory, may not be exact but that one line had a huge impact on me and my life. I've literally been paralyzed twice and both times pulled myself out of it and learned to walk again even when I was told I wouldn't.

FF6, or FF3 when I was growing up, was the first RPG and one of the first games I can remember playing. So you could say it had a profound impact on the way I view games.

Phenomenal vid! I love FF6 and it's great to see it still be relevant today

Final Fantasy VI is so great that when I hear the theme I am transported back to my youth! Oh how I miss those days.

Final Fantasy 6 is the game that truly got me into gaming. Before that I played some games but FF6 is the one that drew me in and had me staying up way passed my bed time knowing I had school the next day.

I would definitely give this crown to Final Fantasy 2/4 (American/Japanese). Yes, the story may not have been as expansive as FF3/6, but it was rich, immersive, and yes I would argue profound. The dark knight who attacks other nations, murders the civilian population of a small town, who then goes on to be a guardian for the only survivor of that town, purifies their own soul, and brings his brother back around to the light...all to defeat hate itself. A game that sprawls across the overworld, underworld, and even the freaking moon...FF2/4 did an amazing job on all points.

I first played this when I was 12. Heard good things about and never play any other final fantasy game. Didn’t really know what to expect. This was the first game I played were I was so into the story and characters. The set pieces, music and Kefka blew my mind. Best game I ever played is final fantasy 6

I just played FF6 for the first time and just beat it tonight. I was one of the guys hoping for an FF9 remake, but honestly, I think 6 deserves it most now. 9 is still good the way it is. 6 could benefit so much from a modern experience. Great game.

FFVI is the first deep story in gaming. You have this correct. Fantastic job explaining why it's so important. Many developers credit it for inspiring them to get into the industry.

FF6 wasn't my first RPG, but it was the first one that really hit me for many of the reasons you touched on. It's one of the few games that I'll replay to this day, and I really enjoy how it continues to have fan support and is something I don't regret recommending to anyone.

For me it’s about how well this game articulates itself as such a classic work, from the art to the music to the characters. Gameplay always felt easy, the world isn’t very big to explore, and the story writing is pretty simple, but it’s definitely a beautiful/classic work of art.

Played as a kid on my uncle's SNES for a bit shortly after it came out. He let me borrow it a while later and I think I killed most of a summer with it. Kefka was unforgettable. The twist where you effectively lose halfway threw the game blew my mind. Also, always get the Yeti. I've forgotten games I've played before, but never FFVI.

Amazing content. I would also argue that this game is the very first that can be considered a work of art. Not only its narrative, themes, and characters, but what Nobuo Uematsu achieved with its score is nothing but breathtaking (and that's a HUGE understatement from my side). Thanks for the great video. "...and have you found your 'joy', in this nearly death world of ours? -Yes."

By the way since you mentioned Ultima and the question of 'when did games start really trying to tell stories'- while I never actually played it myself, my understanding is that Ultima IV was ridiculously innovative in its story telling for the time, especially seeing as it predates even Dragon Quest I. But again, never played it, only read about it.

I always thought of Terra as the main character. Sure as you rightly said all of the characters have a story to be told and an arc of loss and redemption by the end of the game, but I feel that all of the stories and characters either involved Terra in some direct way or were Terra adjacent in some way.

Thank you for creating this video. It's the most meaningful and compelling video I have found examining Final Fantasy 6. You helped me consciously realize why I loved this game so much as a child. I must have been 10 when I started playing it. I would have never thought about the game at that age in the ways you described, but I knew I was feeling every bit of it. And those feelings stuck with me all through 20+ years, and counting. I always thought "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy was the pivotal fantasy influence on me, and even if I can make the argument for it, it appears that FF6 had laid so much groundwork in me regarding the transformative power of the fantasy genre as well as the idealistic belief that we can build bridges between the most perilous divides, the same way the characters so deeply desired to build bridges between themselves and their places in this world after so much loss. Thank you again and more power to your passion, Max Derrat.

I'm currently replaying FFVI for I think the fourth time, in no small part because of this video. Celes in particular has always been one of my favorite characters of any video game, and Kefka my all-time favorite villain.

FFVI remains, to this day, my most favorite game of all time. There have been other great games, some even more well-made and engaging, but the pure nostalgia of playing FFVI cannot be topped, for me, or at least I have yet to find a game that has.

I remember re-playing the android version of FFVI during the lockdown period in 2020. Still addictive as ever.

6 was the first FF game i finished with my mom. It still holds as one of my absolute favorite FF games and i wish they'd do a 3D remake of it like they have with FF7, just because it's a gritty, real story, and more people should play it.

This low key continues to be the best video game content on KZfaq. Keep it up max!

My favorite FF... I remember playing this game in japanese before the US FFIII came out... the Dark Continent... Emperor Gestahl's ambition... Kefka's CHAOS as The Joker. Pure Apathy. Plus the music... ugh... Celes on the island with Cid... whether she nursed him back to health with healthy fish, or her despair if he died... finding Locke's headband and the MUSIC when Setzer revealed his hidden airship WOW. Getting goosebumps just from remembering all this... don't get me started on Terra... the Figaro brothers... even Relm & Stragus... Gau

whoever your editor is they deserve even more money, not for the great job done over all but because of the Legend of Dragoon clip. it's the greatest rpg of the ps1 era and i'll die on that hill.

This is one of your best videos for me Max, just because Final Fantasy VI is on of my favourite games of all time. My most profound moment im videogame history was Kefka's win and the End of the World. The game constructs a meta message that both the characters, and the player, have to learn to leave on and find a new meaning in life even in the worst adversity. It so sad and compelling at the same time, you can't deny how it was life changing for a 12 year old to face this kind of philosophy.

Great breakdown! It's nice seeing these classics still getting the attention and analysis they deserve

6 is one of my fave games ever and I always recommend it to younger/newer final fantasy fans but they usually end up playing 7 cause of the graphics 😭 Also, I would say Terra is the main since you start with her and the story revolves around magic and her abilities. But it's also great that the game gives you the flexibility to get to know all the characters in more detail.

FF6 and Chronologically Trigger remain my favorite games of all time, 29 years later. I was 12 when FF6 came out, and it was jaw dropping. It made me want to become a writer, and I wound up becoming an indie game dev instead. I can also categorically say that 6 saves my life on a couple of key occasions I won’t get into.

I can only speak to my personal experience, but playing FFVI (III as I am in the States and we're silly like that), was a definitive experience for me. It showed me how much story could be told through games and how truth could really be sought for in *interactive* fiction. The original Final Fantasy was the first game I saved up for and bought on my own as a kid, so I was already attached to the story. Getting the SNES and III/VI was an entirely new level to things. It wouldn't be until upgrading the family computer to the point I could play Fallout or playing FFVIII on the Playstation that I'd find someone else's story that would move me to the same extent but because of VI I was already invested in roleplaying in TTRPGs and writing my own stories.

Wing Commander 1992 in the PC space was noteworthy for the game dynamically adjusting the narrative to your performance, making the characters reasonably real, and otherwise setting a relatively high bar for story handling. Ultima Underworld also came out in 1992, and while there were limitations of things like how much could fit on a disk versus in the manual there was stuff that predated those as well.

Both you and Resonant Arc doing FF6 analyses at the same time? Sounds great :D

Finally someone who compared FFVI and Dark Souls! Despite being different in every way, those two are also alike in every way lol. This game... literally saved my life. Jared said it best, "The game asks you, which of these responses to loss, are you?"... And I am a Celes, despite Gogo being my "main" character.

On the lack of a main character, it goes a step further, the story was split into teams who each took 3-5 characters to weave plots between them [usually 2-4 party members and an important NPC] -the Returners: Locke, Edgar, Banon, and Terra. This group is the nucleus around which the narrative revolves, the Quest to figure out Terra's identity, origin and purpose in life. This story trait is borrowed and expanded upon from Cecil Harvey and repeated with Aerith Gainsborogh, Yuna and to lesser extents Rinoa Heartilly and Princess Garnet: The Half-breed chosen one -The Brothers Figaro: Edgar, Sabin, Duncan. An easily miss-able side story,The Figaro tale helps unite a couple other tales together. -The kung-fu western bro-mance: Sabin, Cyan, Shadow, Gau. A monk, A Samurai and a ninja walk into a crazy old man's house and act as surrogate fathers to his feral son. Along the way you uncover their tragic backstories. -Deadbeat Ninja and his dog: Shadow, Strago, Relm, Interceptor: one such tragic backstory is of Clyde "Shadow" Arrowny who abandons his rambunctious daughter with his father in-law as he tries to make ends meet as a professional scumbag. -The Love triangle and a half: Locke, Terra, Celes, Setzer: While trying to make up for failing Rachael [whose story of an excited trip through the mountains, tragic accident and blame shifted on the boyfriend by her parents was re-used for Tifa Lockheart] Locke promises to protect pretty much any woman who says more than 2 lines of dialogue to him... including the prototype for Cloud Strife, Squall Leonheart, and Lightning, the genetically enhanced, magic infused Super-Soldier and ex-imperial goon, Celes Chere. And Setzer thinks Celes is the Opera singer he is stalking, so he abducts her. -The late arrivals/mascots: Mog, Umaro, GoGo. A moogle, an easter-egg from FF5, and a random sasquatch from outta nowhere. Also FF6 and FF7 have kinda the same relationship A Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time do, as in the later is a technological up-grade and story expansion to the former. In the 7 Zelda games you need to beat 3 dungeons to get medallions to get the master sword, to go into an alternate world ruled by Gannon. In this dark world you need to rescue 7 trapped sages to break the seal on Gannon's tower. In the FFs, -Kefka and Sephiroth are both failed [or too successful] prototypes of the Empire's super-soldier program, driven mad either by the experiments [Kefka] or by the truth of their origin [Sephiroth] who attain godlike power and an angelic form to destroy the world. -Celes and Cloud [okay, technically Zack, but Cloud stole his identity] are both 2nd gen super-soldiers who, disgusted with their employer's sociopathy, quit and reluctantly join a terrorist group to rid the world of their former boss. -Terra and Aerith [like Cecil before them] are both demi-god chosen ones raised or created by the Empire to steal unlimited cosmic power. -Mako and Magitek are the same thing on different scales -The Highwind is just a 3-D model of the falcon. -Avalanche and the Returners could be cells of a larger terrorist org like the Resistance from FF2 and FF12.

The story telling is deep, emotional, memorable... Very hard to do for a game from the 90s

All of what you described and more is exactly why I think that 6 needs to get a proper remake. Not only upgrade the graphics (i mean just imagine the opera scene alone), but being able to update parts of the narrative that haven't aged as well. This type of game with deep personal connections between player and characters, and between the characters themselves is something I think we really need more of. Especially keeping the 'no single main character' detail. We need more games where the player isn't made to see themselves/who they control as the only one with true agency.

This game holds kind of a second hand nostalgia for me, it's one of my older brothers favorite games, and it existed in the background of my childhood, I wish I had taken a closer look at it, thank you for sharing your experience

This is my favorite game. I remember the sense of pride I had when I discovered through my own experimentation how to save Cid's life in the beginning of the world of ruin.

This is such a western-centric point of view, Max. There were plenty of RPGs that had depth to them before Final Fantasy VI. I would argue that any version of Dragon Quest V is simply put, a better game.

Loved your take on this game. Makes me wanna go replay it.

You got me fired up to experience VI again, so thanks a lot for this video!

06:05 that’s Kefka walking with the text box talking about ruling the world. Believe it or not but that was subtle 30 years ago.

We owe everything to 7

I would argue that FF4 was the first game to tell a profound story. The redemption of Cecil from a Dark Knight to a Paladin, the betrayal of Kain, the death of Tellah, and the redemption of Golbez. I do think that FF6 has a much better villain in Kefka than FF4 has in Golbez because Golbez gets redeemed at the end and becomes good. This redemption arc prevents Golbez from being a truly epic villian. Kefka, on the other hand, is evil from beginning to end. Not only does he poison women and children, but he ultimately SUCCEEDS in destroying the world and becoming a God. And when you finally face off against Kefka at the end, he appears as a God/Angel, which is ironic because Kefka is the epitome of pure evil. FF7 copied that idea with Sephiroth appearing as a God/Angel in his final form, but in my opinion Kefka did it better. Anyway, while I do think the story of FF6 is profound, it wasn't the first. FF4 was the first.

Since FF6 was the first JRPG I played, it would be the game I would compare all other JRPGs to after that. I remember being so sucked into the story and thought that all JRPGs had the same quality of storytelling. The scene you described with Celes in the world of ruin just reminded me about how at the time, I didn't really think much about that scene but now that I'm older, I realize how profound of a message the game was putting out there. To know that deep stories and ideas in a video game started with FF6 makes me appreciate it all the more as the first JRPG I've played and one of my favorite games of all time.

"Even though the objective answer is IX." Damn right it is. It felt like a return to form you didn't even know you wanted after 7 and 8 and a fond farewell to the classic formula before we moved on. It's a love letter to VI in a lot of ways.

You briefly mention the Ultima games in this video, but I think that they deserve some credit for sophisticated narratives as well -- although the plots themselves tend to be simpler and are limited by technology, there are the seeds of sophisticated ethical systems and narratives in that series from Ultima IV (1985) onwards. By the time of Ultima VII (1992) and Serpent Isle (1993), they were routinely dealing with racism, drug use, slavery, religion, and other "advanced" topics. I think they suffer now for being relatively difficult to play compared to early console games... and probably the mistreatment of the series after EA bought the studio.

I feel like any time IV did something before VI it's just being kinda hand-waved away in this video. Specific example: "IV may have had characters with backstories, but VI REALLY had characters with backstories." - Me facetiously misquoting to make a point about the video Like, I dunno man, I feel like Edward and Tellah are really fleshed out characters. You can just say you like VI better than IV, but if you're talking about the first video game with a grand narrative, and you want to go with a Final Fantasy game, the answer is IV. The answer is obviously IV. You can like VI better, but the IV is clearly the first one to do this.

I want to encourage anyone reading this who experienced the game when they were young to go listen to Coin Song again. Watch it all come flooding back.

Max, FF6 was the most profound game for me in my teen years. It proved to me that video games could be just as immersive as books, and that the future for games could be something very special for storytelling. I bet many people felt the same way about D&D, although I had no friends back then that would play that with me. I think D&D had a lot of influence over the Final Fantasy games. I highly value your Most Profound Video Game Moment videos, and your Ghost in the Shell views. To know you also love FF6 makes me feel like I'm missing out on having a friend like you to talk with in "real life". I suppose this message should do for the moment though. I'm replying to the end of your video when you asked if this game had an effect on us when we played it, and answer what other FF6 videos we would like you to make. Honestly, I'd love to see your thoughts on the ending of the Netflix Ghost in the Shell 3D show, as I think about it daily and want to know what conclusions you come up with. Should you make another on FF6 though, I would like to know how you think FF6 could be retold as a new game today. It's perfect as it was, and I think people should play it. It was limited by the tools of the time, and those limitations being pushed really made it stand out. This game has all the characters and story ready to be retold and enjoyed by a new generation. How could that be accomplished though?