2. Nuts & Milk (Famicom)
3. Commando (Atari 2600)
4. Binary Land (Famicom)
5. Devil World (Famicom)
6. Disney's Aladdin (SNES)
7. Popeye (NES)
8. Super Mario Land (Game Boy)
9. Ys: The Vanished Omens (Sega Master System)
10 Ys II: Ancient Ys Vanished - The Final Chapter (Famicom)
11. Final Fantasy Mystic Quest (SNES)
Final Fantasy Mystic Quest is arguably the first "true" Final Fantasy series spin-off, released in 1992. For reference that's between the fourth and fifth mainline installments. Ostensibly a "streamlined" RPG, this was developed specifically for North Americans, to help them ease their way into the genre. Ya know, cuz RPGs are tough! It's a humorous assertion, really. America, of course, is the birthplace of monstrosities like Wizardry IV and Deathlord. And, yeah I know, Square was certainly thinking of the inaccessibly of certain JRPGs whilst developing this one, but most of those are "hard" only because of the inherent tedium that accompanies grinding and incessant lack of direction. Simply remedy these two issues and one is left with a palatable JRPG. In fact, Square did create that game about two years after this one. It was called Final Fantasy VI.
Viewed through a modern lens, Mystic Quest does come off as a bit awkward. That said, it's completely undeserving of all the negative reception that's been heaped upon it. Though far from a noteworthy classic, this is a fine game regardless.
The storyline has been stripped of all pretension. In fact, it verges very closely to being a self-aware parody of the genre. The hero, canonically known as Benjamin, is tasked with retrieving four magic crystals from the fiends who possess them. An elderly man pops up periodically to vaguely assist Benjamin, before disappearing into a puff of smoke leaving a hapless shrugging hero (best animation in the game). It's a clever little nod to the "wise but useless" sage trope. Allies come and go - there's a max party size of two - though everyone in this motley crew is rather generic and interchangeable. The characters' reasons for leaving Benjamin's side are rather contrived and hilarious; I'm particularly fond of the guy who falls off a bridge.
Wait, what's so "easy" about the game? Well, progression is completely linear. The world map is essentially a location menu screen, in the vein of Ys III. A specific pathway must be taken to complete the game, which is generally apparent. There's no penalty for Game Over, as the option to immediately restart a battle is presented. And treasure chests respawn, so it's theoretically possible to grab 99 heal potions before even leaving the first town. Ben's allies are also pretty buff. Most can take down virtually any standard enemy in a single blow. And there's no equipment management whatsoever. Weapons and armor are automatically equipped, and Ben's buds are fully decked out from the get-go. Some notable mechanical modifications have been made as well. Allies are controlled by AI by default (this sucks, change it in the options menu) and HP is represented by a health bar rather than numerically (this sucks, change it in the options menu).
Combat visuals are somewhat reminiscent of the early SaGa games. Enemies are static portraits, and they face the player as opposed to a side-view. Enemy sprites "devolve" as they take damage, looking more and more beat-up, before expiring. The effect is best seen in boss battles, as so many stock foes can be taken down in a single hit. Most battles are extremely simplistic due to low enemy HP, though the game did make an effort to mix things up. Many foes posses not only elemental weaknesses, but are also best fought with certain weapons. Benjamin can change weapons on the fly, even in the heat of battle. There are also bombs that divvy out less damage per foe but hit everyone; these are especially useful in the middle stretch of the game. There's a pleasant veneer of complexity, but eventually it becomes possible to just spam super-powered spells, which renders every other battle strategy moot.
Speaking of magic, the system here harkens back to the original Final Fantasy. Spells don't deplete MP but "charges" which are separated into the categories of white, black, and wizard magic. Depleted magic charges are restored by seed items, which are extraordinarily plentiful by game's end. Oddly enough, spells are not bought or "learned" but simply obtained by opening specific treasure chests. In fact, there's very little reliance on shops at all.
Dungeon design is where Mystic Quest truly shines. Navigation is handled in a sort of "action-adventure" style, as Benjamin can use weapons to manipulate objects and jump over pitfalls. There are puzzles abound, most of which are solved simply by having the correct weapon handy. Swords can activate switches, bombs blow up walls, axes cut trees, and claws are used as grappling hooks. A clear Link to the Past influence is apparent. Not just in the way weaponry is handled, but in the nuanced design choices well. Some pitfalls are meant to be fallen into in order to progress, and "significant" chests are distinct from their ordinary peers. The JRPG-styled battles are not randomly initiated. Instead, enemies occupy a fixed location represented by icons. Many of these are impassable, due to the narrow hallway-laden design of most dungeons. Enemies won't respawn unless a dungeon is exited and re-entered, so one can use the presence (or lack thereof) of enemy icons as a sort of "breadcrumb trail" navigational tool.
Most dungeons romps are well-designed and entertaining. Environments are purposefully cliché (fire, ice, the final "doom tower," and so on) but aesthetically sound with a fitting assortment of enemies. Though the game possesses a short overall run-time (about twelve hours) most of that is spend dungeon-exploring, and I'd argue there are perhaps two dungeons too many. "The tree" and "the ship" are both tedious crap (especially the tree, which is loaded with mandatory battles) and Mystic Quest would have been better off had these environments been presented as, dare I say, "cutscenes."
Graphics are rather utilitarian. This almost looks like an 8-bit game. Yuki Yasuda's monster designs are varied, though they're a bit kiddie for my tastes and left me missing Yoshitaka Amano dearly. The music, on the other hand, is fantastic. Composed by bassist extraordinaire Ryuji Sasai, the soundtrack has a persistent electro-rock vibe. It assists in creating an invigorating atmosphere, particularly in certain combat-heavy spots where the game would perhaps drag otherwise. This same composer worked on the first two Xak titles, which feature some of the best tunes in all of gaming.
Mystic Quest doesn't set my world on fire. But it does what it set out to do, and does it well. Its brevity is perhaps its biggest asset, and those seeking a quick 'n easy retro JRPG experience should give it a go. It certainly can't hold a candle to titans like Final Fantasy IV and VI but I'd take this over a modern series entry any day.
