It took me 30+ hours to complete Final Fantasy 2, and now that I'm a couple of hours into FF3 I realize just how tragic the previous adventure's leveling system truly was. My FF3 party levels up when they accumulate enough experience points, and their magic damage is determined by statistics, not by how many times they have been cast in battle. I feel like I have emerged from 30 hours of hard labor within a copper mine, and a fellow rescued prisoner greeted me with ice cold water and brotherhood. I am enjoying Final Fantasy 3 more than I should be because of just how awful FF2 was.
This is the first game that Square ever used their "job system" for. While the job system is better known in installments like FF5, FFX-2 or the Tactics games, it began right here, within FF3. You can switch your job on fly in this game, just like later Final Fantasies, but FF3 lays the groundwork for so much more. If you play FF3 and then return to FF9 for instance, you can see the ability system stealing from this earlier piece of the franchise. I love games that are historically important for the industry, and while largely unplayed and unknown, FF3 has a lot of ideas new to that time.
I have been unable to completely confirm this, but I personally have never seen an earlier game use a specific class that gives you unique options outside of battle. IF you have a thief in your party you can unlock this door.
Ship battles though! The worst idea that you can program into an RPG other than losing HP as you walk (Lunar) is giving you random battles as you sail around the world map. I know that FF4 does away with them so I'm taking comfort in this being the last game that makes this mistake but fuck, it is aggravating.
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