Product ReviewsFinal Fantasy: Mystic Quest (Super Nintendo Entertainment System, 1992)

Final Fantasy Lite

This is Final Fantasy Lite. Diet Final Fantasy. Final Fantasy Zero. Basically, it's an entry level JRPG, made specifically for a demographic that was not experienced in the mechanics of Final Fantasy titles. Before Final Fantasy VII popularized the JRPG genre in the western world, most western gamers were not familiar with the style of game play. In order to improve sales of future Final Fantasy titles in the U.S., this game was developed to familiarize the concept with western gamers, and to that effect, it does the job well. It's certainly not as compelling as the main titles in the franchise, and the gameplay is more basic, but it's a polished game which is reasonably enjoyable. Its success inspired a Japanese release of the game titled "Final Fantasy U.S.A.". Highly recommended for collectors.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: gamecrazy1950

It's a turn based RPG!

It's not the best Final Fantasy you've ever played.
It's not the best turn-based RPG you've ever played.

It's the simplest most lighthearted RPG you've ever played!
Yes i have a bit of Nostalgia for that game, but it's good fun!
I've done it 100% once on the original battery. And when i recieved the replacement battery to maintain my SNES cartridges, i done it 100% a second time. All in the same month!

I love it!Read full review...

Memories last a lifetime.

There was a little sticker residue on the label but, I simply wiped it away with my thumb. Overall, great price for the product. Game works perfectly, it's just how I remember it from when it was first released.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: let.pda.afylbv

A simple, fun old school game that's worth playing for any 16 bit fan.

I've been a long time fan of Final Fantasy, and this was the one from the 16 bit days i was missing. While lackluster compared to the main series, this spin off has it's own charm and own merits. It's simply a fun and easy play.

The graphics are what you'd expect from an early 90s game. The overworld looks similar to Final Fantasy 2/4 on SNES, but the enemy sprites during battles are very colorful and detailed for the time. The boss especially are great to look at, especially as the sprite changes to reflect damage taken. The battles themselves are easy to deal with, as your partner can be controlled automatically.

The story is where this game loses most die hard rpg fans, as it's incredibly dull compared to other Final Fantasy titles. However, I found it to be a charming reminder of the days when a game's story was only explained in the manual.

All in all I liked this game, if only for it's nostalgia. If you grew up with SNES and missed it or are younger and just dig classic games I recommend checking out.Read full review...

Not much of a "Quest"...

US RELEASE DATE: October 5, 1992
EUROPEAN RELEASE DATE: "Mystic Quest Legend," 1993
JAPANESE RELEASE DATE: "Final Fantasy USA: Mystic Quest," September 10, 1993

Story (From Wikipedia): "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. A fifth crystal, the Crystal of Light, ventures out in search of the prophecy's knight."

Essentially, Square set out to make a game for the "Western" nations that would be a simple RPG. One must realize that in 1992 the RPG market had not exploded to the level that it had by the time of the release of "Final Fantasy VII" (1997). Thus, Square wanted to make an RPG that was approachable by gamers of all skill levels. The question is: did they achieve their goal?

The game is set up so that there is essentially no overworld. Players travel from location to location via set paths and, between locations, come across "Battlefields" (that have up to 10 monster fights), where they can accumulate experience. Players can never have more than 2 people in their party (themselves and one other member) and they never can buy new equipment (they only receive "upgrades" as they go along. Spells essentially work like they do in "Final Fantasy" and "Final Fantasy II" where they can be used a set number of times before being depleted. Finally, players can see their opponents while in dungeons, but unlike games such as "Lufia and the Fortress of Doom" and "Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals," these monsters are stationary and do not move.

In the end, this provides for a game that, in my opinion, is too simplistic (even for those who are not hard-core RPG fans).

If you are a collector who wants to own all of the games in the "Final Fantasy"/"Mana" series, this is definitely one to pick up. However, if you are looking for an excellent RPG to pick up and play, this may not be the one for you...I give it a 3/5, or an "average" score.Read full review...

Not as bad as people make it out to be.

The focus of the game is to introduce newcomers to the RPG genre. The game was never intended to replace the more detailed games in the Final Fantasy series. The game is simple and doesn’t get the player too bogged down into every single small facet of gameplay. If you’ve never played an RPG before than this is the game to start with since most casual gamers might get overwhelmed with the other RPG games that force the player to make dozens of decisions every turn. Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: touandia

Great Game..

This is still one of the best final fantasy games out there.. Keep in mind, this actually qualifies as a childrens game.. Square wanted to market FF to kids and this is what they came up with.. Its still a really solid game..Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: homer400

The "junior" Final Fantasy

I'm a big fan of Final Fantasy games, and had played this one before - but it had been a number of years, so it was fun to do it again.

This game is really good for "beginner" role-playing game type video gamers, it has nice graphics and good hints so that play even without the accompanying booklets is possible.

If your a "big time" role-player, you might find it a bit boring. But I enjoy the fighting format (sometimes referred to as "turn-based" - where your character and the enemy take turns "throwing blows" and the hand-eye coordination required for fighter-type video games is not necessary), and find this version of Final Fantasy just as fun as the others.Read full review...

Really happy with purchase.

Great fun game for RPG starters. I bought this for my kid as an intro into the genre.

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: lootlooterz

just what I was looking for!

I had the game but nothing else, this completes my set thank you, everything thing was true to your pics.

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: joditee