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chuckro1,000 years after the War of the Magi, the Empire is once again seeking the power of magic. But things are slightly different from the version of this story you might remember.
One of those hacks that takes a while to work up steam, as the major things it’s changing are all plot-related, though a bunch of mechanics are tweaked too: Gau doesn’t have to Leap (he just learns Rages automatically), Blitzes are rearranged, Celes gets Jump so Leo can have Runic, some spells and Esper layouts are different, etc. Also, Tools are breakable so you have an incentive to buy lots of them. In a couple of places where you have to choose between items (whether you help the Returners, what version of Ragnarok you take) you automatically get both. And a moogle at the Beginner’s school will give you a Moogle Charm and Moogle Lure (that anyone can equip) so you can choose your encounter rate.
I really appreciate that the hacker DIDN’T decide to crank up the difficulty, as is almost inevitably the case with hacks like these. This is on par with vanilla, perhaps even slightly easier with the various quality-of-life additions.
The first big change is when the party splits, as Edgar follows Sabin (through the Imperial Camp and Phantom Forest) and Terra and Banon go down Semite Falls to the Veldt and pick up Gau. (Banon gets Control instead of Health but remains a guest character.) Locke rescues Celes and also picks up Shadow, and then does the sequence of breaking into Narshe via the caves. After the battle in the mountains, you’re forced to use Edgar and Sabin and see the scene in Figaro Castle, but can change teams afterwards. Setzer gets a new introduction scene at the auction house before you learn about the problems at the Opera.
The WoB plot then stays pretty true (except for changed opera lyrics) until you open the sealed gate: There’s a new sequence of Celes and Leo fighting the Espers who attack Vector. Then Banon is named “Ambassador,” is present for the banquet, and comes with you to Thamasa as a temporary character. Leo (as a permanent character) replaces Locke in most of the Thamasa sequence, and then Banon is empowered by the Esper Yuna but dies fighting Kefka. Leo takes Celes’ scenes with Gestahl and Kefka at the statues (including running in if you didn’t bring him) and you gotta wait for Shadow as normal.
Then most of the segments of the WoR are unchanged except for a few additional lines here and there; the big difference is that Leo is writing letters on Mt. Zozo, and Cyan’s dream is rearranged and is the place where you re-find him. The scene with Gau’s father requires Cyan, features the entire cast, and ends with Cyan and Gau bonding (which gives Gau a Fight command). The Underground Castle requires Leo and Terra, and leads to a scene where Leo recalls meeting Maduin when he was captive in Vector. There’s a new 16th character, the imp Kappa, who you can recruit at the opera house by bringing her the four imp equipment pieces. You can also “recruit” Cid, Seigfried, Mid, Maria and a couple of others to provide services in your airship. And apparently if you uncurse the Paladin Shield and bring it to Banon’s grave, you’ll get the Illumina. (I learned that from the spoiler files; I was not spending hours uncursing the shield in this playthrough.)
The game froze at a black screen after I beat Kefka; I don’t know if that was the hack or my device or some combination of the two, but if the ending sequence changes I wasn’t able to see it.
Overall: This was another person’s “best version” hack of FF6, and I appreciated it on that basis. I appreciate that the difficulty was kept consistent to the original and was entertained by their choice of changes to the plot and mechanics. Not the most amazing hack ever, but solid, and a nice excuse to replay a favorite.
One of those hacks that takes a while to work up steam, as the major things it’s changing are all plot-related, though a bunch of mechanics are tweaked too: Gau doesn’t have to Leap (he just learns Rages automatically), Blitzes are rearranged, Celes gets Jump so Leo can have Runic, some spells and Esper layouts are different, etc. Also, Tools are breakable so you have an incentive to buy lots of them. In a couple of places where you have to choose between items (whether you help the Returners, what version of Ragnarok you take) you automatically get both. And a moogle at the Beginner’s school will give you a Moogle Charm and Moogle Lure (that anyone can equip) so you can choose your encounter rate.
I really appreciate that the hacker DIDN’T decide to crank up the difficulty, as is almost inevitably the case with hacks like these. This is on par with vanilla, perhaps even slightly easier with the various quality-of-life additions.
The first big change is when the party splits, as Edgar follows Sabin (through the Imperial Camp and Phantom Forest) and Terra and Banon go down Semite Falls to the Veldt and pick up Gau. (Banon gets Control instead of Health but remains a guest character.) Locke rescues Celes and also picks up Shadow, and then does the sequence of breaking into Narshe via the caves. After the battle in the mountains, you’re forced to use Edgar and Sabin and see the scene in Figaro Castle, but can change teams afterwards. Setzer gets a new introduction scene at the auction house before you learn about the problems at the Opera.
The WoB plot then stays pretty true (except for changed opera lyrics) until you open the sealed gate: There’s a new sequence of Celes and Leo fighting the Espers who attack Vector. Then Banon is named “Ambassador,” is present for the banquet, and comes with you to Thamasa as a temporary character. Leo (as a permanent character) replaces Locke in most of the Thamasa sequence, and then Banon is empowered by the Esper Yuna but dies fighting Kefka. Leo takes Celes’ scenes with Gestahl and Kefka at the statues (including running in if you didn’t bring him) and you gotta wait for Shadow as normal.
Then most of the segments of the WoR are unchanged except for a few additional lines here and there; the big difference is that Leo is writing letters on Mt. Zozo, and Cyan’s dream is rearranged and is the place where you re-find him. The scene with Gau’s father requires Cyan, features the entire cast, and ends with Cyan and Gau bonding (which gives Gau a Fight command). The Underground Castle requires Leo and Terra, and leads to a scene where Leo recalls meeting Maduin when he was captive in Vector. There’s a new 16th character, the imp Kappa, who you can recruit at the opera house by bringing her the four imp equipment pieces. You can also “recruit” Cid, Seigfried, Mid, Maria and a couple of others to provide services in your airship. And apparently if you uncurse the Paladin Shield and bring it to Banon’s grave, you’ll get the Illumina. (I learned that from the spoiler files; I was not spending hours uncursing the shield in this playthrough.)
The game froze at a black screen after I beat Kefka; I don’t know if that was the hack or my device or some combination of the two, but if the ending sequence changes I wasn’t able to see it.
Overall: This was another person’s “best version” hack of FF6, and I appreciated it on that basis. I appreciate that the difficulty was kept consistent to the original and was entertained by their choice of changes to the plot and mechanics. Not the most amazing hack ever, but solid, and a nice excuse to replay a favorite.
