Final Fantasy Mystic Quest
A simplified Final Fantasy spin-off for entry-level players.
Final Fantasy Mystic Quest, known as Mystic Quest Legend in PAL regions, is a 1992 spin-off role-playing game from Square for the Super Nintendo. Square marketed it as a simplified RPG for beginners to attract new players to the genre. It was also the first Final Fantasy title released in Europe.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Square
- Publisher
- JP/NA
- Square
- PAL
- Nintendo
- Director
- Kouzi Ide
- Writer
- Chihiro Fujioka
- Yoshihiko Maekawa
- Ted Woolsey
- Composer
- Ryuji Sasai; Yasuhiro Kawakami
- Series
- Final Fantasy
- Platforms
- Super NES
- Released
- October 1992 (NA)
- September 10, 1993 (JP)
- October 1993 (EU)
Facts from the source article.
Plot
The game takes place on a single continent divided into four regions: Foresta, Aquaria, Fireburg, and Windia, each tied to a crystal of earth, water, fire, or wind. The Focus Tower, once a center of trade and knowledge, was stormed by monsters who stole the four crystals and the magical coins that unlocked the tower's doors. The monsters consumed the crystals' power, causing the world to decay. A prophecy foretold that a knight would appear to vanquish the darkness when the vile four stole the power. The story begins with Benjamin climbing the Hill of Destiny after his village is destroyed by an earthquake. He meets an old man who charges him with fulfilling the prophecy. After defeating a monster on the hill, Benjamin follows the old man to the Level Forest to recover the Crystal of Earth. In Foresta, he meets Kaeli, who agrees to help if he clears the forest of monsters. Kaeli is poisoned, and Benjamin retrieves an Elixir from the treasure hunter Tristam in Bone Dungeon. He defeats Flamerous Rex, one of the four Vile Evils, freeing the Crystal of Earth and restoring life to Foresta.
Development
Final Fantasy Mystic Quest was developed by one of Square's Japanese teams but was specifically geared for the U.S. market. At the time, console role-playing games were not a major genre in North America, and Square attempted to broaden the genre's appeal through this title. Square had already released several Final Fantasy spin-offs in North America, including the first three SaGa titles as Final Fantasy Legend and the first Mana game as Final Fantasy Adventure. Square's executives cited the alleged difficulty of role-playing games as the reason Americans avoided them, so they eased the difficulty by tweaking aspects of the main series' gameplay. The American release of Final Fantasy IV had already been altered to be simpler, and Mystic Quest took this further. The Japanese developers worked with American offices to ensure the game was accessible to children. The game was developed in a graphic and gameplay style similar to Final Fantasy Legend III, sharing a similar battle system, graphical interface, and dungeon system. The jump feature and many icons, from caves to enemy sprites, were color-upgraded versions of Final Fantasy Legend III's assets. The game eliminated random battles, complicated storylines, and text-based menus, and included action-adventure elements like brandishing weapons outside battle, jumping, using a grappling hook, and setting bombs. North American translator Ted Woolsey noted that action-adventure players were larger in number and younger, and that Mystic Quest was one of the easiest games he translated due to its small size. The game sold for US$39.99.
Reception
According to Square's publicity department, Final Fantasy Mystic Quest sold 800,000 units, roughly half in Japan. The game did not generate much excitement in America or Japan, though it is thought to have appealed to younger fans. It failed to bring mainstream North American popularity to console RPGs and alienated fans anticipating another epic following Final Fantasy IV. Electronic Games described it as 'Final Fantasy with an identity crisis' for not appealing to the masses or hard-core audiences. Later reviews remained largely negative. Kotaku called it 'The Worst Final Fantasy' after its Wii Virtual Console release, and GamesRadar called it a 'franchise embarrassment' for enemies that stand still. IGN rated the Virtual Console release a 6.0, citing repetitive battle systems and little character development. 1UP.com rated it 'Not Worth It!', calling it 'handholding' and 'insubstantial'. The music was praised, with 1UP.com noting 'sweet sampled metal guitar licks' and listing the final boss battle music as a must-download for Theatrhythm Final Fantasy. GamesRadar praised the boss battle music in their 'Game Music of the Day' column. The game was released on Nintendo's Virtual Console in October 2010. Famitsu reported Square was preparing an Android release in 2012. In 2018, Complex ranked it 66th on 'The Best Super Nintendo Games of All Time', liking its simplicity and music. Benjamin and several songs appeared in Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call and Theatrhythm Final Bar Line.
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