RPG Fanatic: Final Fantasy Mystic Quest Video Game Review (SNES)

[OroCrimson]

PS I've taken notice I've been watching your videos all day.

You sir, you have a new fan.

[OroCrimson]

Wow, Mystic Quest was the first Final Fantasy game I ever played. (with the exception of a demo of 7 and 8)

Guess what? I played it when I was 8 years old.

I liked it =D

And I was illiterate about Final Fantasy back then so I named my character Cloud. :)

[jfreedan]

@OroCrimson I'm glad you're enjoying the videos :) make sure you check out my newer channel, where all the new stuff is. Link is on the main channel page, TheRPGFanatic is user name. Or just search "Rpg(ology)", another of my shows. You'll probably enjoy it.

[TobyEllisSongwriter]

its just great, end of! :)

[PhilosopherGaming]

Dear me, I heard the comment that about mystic quest being well known but crap and I nearly exploded! lol It was an great game, hardly the best in the final fantasy series but not bad, if my reviews were to have out of ten scores it'd get a 7 i think :)

[Bweep09]

Awesome review. I played this as a kid and a teen, always loved it. Never quite knew what the hate was about. It's very charming and fun. Also, Pazuzu rocks. Plus this game has one hell of a last boss. I remmeber being so amazed lol. Cool stuff, man.

[jfreedan]

@Bweep09 Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!

[Cyrusnagisa]

my First FF game was FFIV but I still liked MQ alot, infact I just scored me a cart about a week ago, can not wait to play it again

[psychodanzer]

awesome job man, I used to constantly play this game back in the 90s. I just saw your video on the Willow game and I was also created in the 80s and you are right, all the cool stuff that we know were created in the 80s :)

[jfreedan]

@psychodanzer Thanks! And yes, all the great stuff was made in the 80s ^^

[ashslaa]

Yeah this was my very first RPG turn baised game, and even to this day my fav'

[SuperNugget99]

this is a little gem and one of my favourite ff games.

[DellamorteDellamore0]

I grew up on this game, back then I wasn't aware of its "flaws" I just loved it.

[WolfenFoust]

This was my first RPG! woo 90's kids.

[mak7070]

are you gonna do maple story? considering how populor it is?

[jfreedan]

@mak7070 Eventually. At the moment I don't plan to do another MMORPG right now

[Tenken89]

Mystic Quest was my first RPG when i was really young i thought it was awesome. When i figured out people hated it so much i was like wtf??

[link4201]

that talking sword idea was stupid

[OzNinja81]

thank you so much for this review. im 16 and am trying to get more into rpgs but i struggle with retro games in general (probaly a product of the easier games of my generation). this deffiently looks like game for me the guy whos starting out in a genre overwhelmed with all the complexity of most final fantasy games. im gonna download this on the wiis vc and see if i can play through it. thanks again.

[jfreedan]

@OzNinja81 No problem! I'm glad you enjoyed the review

[Jumppig2]

8:22 i seen too many hentais to see where that going

[beethoven8977]

I thought this was a good game. I liked the battle system. The music was awesome. I liked the puzzles. This was just a very good game.

[dragonslayerED30]

its a bit different from all the other FF's but it was ok,I finished it....how about secret of mana? thats my number one favorate rpg.

[TheD3r1k]

i didn't know this game was so hated. as one of the first FF games i played, it was awesome.

i forgot about it until i happen to see this video, but it reminded how much fun i had playing it.

[weirdieded]

Totally under rated game. Sure its not exactly the typical final fantasy but how is that a bad thing?? its a side game!! otherwise it would be a numbered version

[IAmTheSecretOfMana]

I played this game when I was younger, and still play it now. It's a pretty sweet RPG, and the music is EPIC!

[heymrk]

Just beat this game for the first time today. I hated it. It had nothing to do with a story, because I've played weaker. It's just so much more tedious than a lot of other RPGs.

[Gameboypromax24]

Thanks a bunch! I was unsure about buying this game from a used game store nearby, but now I think I might buy it because it looks pretty awesome!!

[SuperRoGE14]

earth bound any fun

[AsAmIaM84]

@SuperRoGE14 Absolutely

[joesph2020]

wish they do an update to this game i loved it.

[rickythekid]

cool.... this was the first FF game i played too.

[nicodemous52]

EASY!?! ARE YOU KIDDING! But I did love it so...

[mikethered123]

'Bout time someone reviewed the positives about this game other than 'It gives me warm, fuzzy nostaglic feelings.'  Thanks.

[MrLego812]

Mystic Quest was my most favorite final fantasy

[cyberhoodlum]

Huh, this sounds like my kind of RPG. I typically like RPGs to be easy to play, and I really hate random battles and having absolutely no clue as to where to go next. I hope I don't hurt your feelings with this, but I actually hate the Esper system in Final Fantasy 6. It requires too much grinding to give all of your characters a decent arsenal of spells.

[jfreedan]

@cyberhoodlum It doesn't hurt my feelings that you disliked the Esper system in FF6; it does have some problem areas in its design, such as how the stat bonuses work. Everyone has their own taste in games. Besides I didn't design the system :p

[HiryuGouki]

@cyberhoodlum I have to disagree...The Esper System allowed to give more characters more spells twice as fast, ESPECIALLY when using the Espers in a very strategic manner. I taught Shadow Invis in about a half an hour due to the growth rate of the Esper I equipped him with.

[cyberhoodlum]

@HiryuGouki That's cool that the game allows you to do that, but as far as my preferences go, I just don't like RPGs that require the player to decide which character can use what spells. I prefer RPGs like Chrono Trigger and Super Mario RPG that already give each character their own spell list without me having to worry about it.

[Doomdude50]

@cyberhoodlum I think you would also like earthbound as well

[cyberhoodlum]

@Doomdude50 I've played Earthbound. It's awesome.

[camilowish]

This was my first computer RPG ever, and it got me hooked on computer RPG's. Just like you, after I played this I played FF IV, VI, VII, VIII, IX, and the ones that came out as remakes on the Gameboy Advance, plus Chrono trigger, Legend of Zelda - A link to the past, Lufia I & II, Breath of fire, Legend of mana, Terranigma, Legend of Gaia, Secret of Evermore, and specially (my favorite right next to Chrono Trigger), Mario RPG.

[Ffynn]

@camilowish Legend of Mana? Dude.... Have you not played Secret of Mana?

[tjf588]

Well, I'm 20 points away from Platinum Club Nintendo status for this year, and I have just enough points and enough time to get Cave Story and a SNES game for their post-play surveys (10 points each).

...And dammit, I'mma get FFMQ. It's just never gonna be released on anything but the Virtual Console, and after hearing its soundtrack some time ago, I feel like going through it, no matter how easy (or bland?) it may be.

[tjf588]

@tjf588 Besides, I just might be surprised, or at least freshly encounter, something in it that I haven't been briefed on by you, or SMPS.Net's Pitchfork, or anything else. Lookin' forward to this teething toy!

[tjf588]

@tjf588 ...Ah, guess I'll be using my GameCube controller (forgot about all of the SNES's buttons). Good thing for cable extensions!

[aeromalzi]

This game made me into the gamer I am today. Awesome childhood memories.

[Tsukiyomaru0]

You wanna be the AVGN? Just Kidding, I love when people take reviewing to that creative level.

[RpgExposition]

Final Fantasy IV is awesome. =D

[Saraphie]

Glad to see there are others out there who liked this game as much as I did. I don't think there is anything wrong with it. Sure now that I'm older I wish there was a little more content but I still like it because it was and still is a fun game. =)

[Rodlikespants]

my first rpg was FF6 on the snes and I loved it more than anything. Then the next time I went to the rental store and they only had mystic quest. It was so bad in comparison it gave me nightmares, no exaggeration

[ErinKay8814]

Very nice, informative review!

[Vykerie]

I just had such a nostalgiagasm when I found out what this game was called I played it when I was ~7 and never knew the name ♥

[zaccds]

I loved this game years ago, it sucks my copy was stolen by my sister's drug addict boy friend. Your review makes me want to down load it off the VC and enjoy it again.

[GermanZ5]

Ah the music in this game, such a pleasure to listen to, if they put it in a extremely hard RPG, it would have been the best game ever

[GHZealot]

I played this game as I kid too. I could not understand why people hated it so much once I got older. I really loved the game and have fond memories of it. It was really simple, but I was a kid and I kinda needed that simplicity.

[TheSilverPhoenix100]

ill never get how people can hate on this game yet a game like FF 13 gets a pass this game at least has a functioning combat system and not a system that has the computer do everything for you.

[countD8852]

@SasquatchHolocaust

I have one. It's a good blu ray player: not so good for gaming though: thank the great old ones for the Xbox360!

[countD8852]

I never beat it but a good chunk of my childhood was spent on Mystic Quest. I loved that game and am actively seeking it out now as I try to rebuild my old NES & SNES collection. Ah, the smell of nostalgia...

[OnThatPowder]

nice vid, maybe ill try this 1

[Phlipster08]

I don't get how people hated this. Especially at the time. Turd burglars.

[MegaShadowrunner]

Will there be a new episode soon?

[Fantasist197]

FUCK YOU GUMBY! XD

[xMatinho]

great review man!

[PlatinumGeist]

Seeing this game brings back fond memories. If I never played this, I probably wouldn't have played any RPGs. It's interesting to hear that people dislike this game so much. I can't help but wonder if the people who complain about the ease of this game are those "hardcore" RPG gamers who've never beaten an RPG without a strategy guide. It seems silly to take FFMQ seriously.

[SiulRex]

new drinking game! each time he emphasizes this game is for kids, you take a swig

[RedMegaXIII]

its not bad its just simple GROWWWN!!!!!!!!!!!!

[anto8905]

CHEAT! >=D 8:14 use cure on the dark king and u win >:)

[jbonkerz]

Mystic Quest was also my first Final Fantasy when I was a kid, and I thought it was terrible. Then I played FF IV that got me hooked on RPGs like all of the ones you mentioned at the start of the video.

[HarriHaffi]

Maybe the reson people don't think it has any final fantasy elements is because most of what we to day call final fantasy elements didn't really exist at the time the game came out...

Hmm... Seeing it as a kids game does put the game in a diffrent light...but it's not a great kids game! because some kids games are so good that even adults can enjoy them. still the game did at least bring one kid into playing more rpgs and considering it was jfreedan we all own the game a thanks.

MVHH

[clrplstc]

I think that this game is not so bad. Lots of fights and little story. Pretty good for what it is. Although if you spend enough time, you can get so many free health and magic potions, you'll never run out.

[bobsagetPower2]

I can't get into games as much as when I was a kid playing snes.

[edsoliz]

I played Mystic Quest back in the day as well, and remember the ads I saw for it (in comic books at least) touted it as a 'first RPG' for people that were new to them.

[GameGroundz]

Video good review! I loved this game so light and fun something alot of next gen rpgs need to take note...

[LynnJynh9315]

This may be a dumb question, but why do you always refer to RPGs appearing on consoles as "computer RPGs"?? Generally speaking, is that a completely different genre??

[jfreedan]

@LynnJynh9315 Because the label "RPGs" should be reserved for tabletop RPGs, which came first. Computer RPGs are a different genre. Check out my "History of JRPGs" video for more information on the different subgenres of computer rpgs.

[LynnJynh9315]

@jfreedan Already have. I still didn't quite understand the usage. I get that console-style "light" RPGs are descended from computer-style RPGs which are in turn descended from table-top RPGs. But if the game does not appear on the PC, you still consider it a computer RPG??

[jfreedan]

@LynnJynh9315 Yes. Again, Gaming consoles are a computer. A lot of the hardware is the same you find in personal computers. The difference is that gaming consoles are only designed to play games. For example, as I pointed out in this review, the processor of the SNES is a modified version of the CPU used in Apple IIc computers.

[LynnJynh9315]

@jfreedan That's great... but most people are idiots. Your intention is to educate, but your use of the term "computer RPGs" to describe consoles games is confusing and counterproductive. I say this only because I'm sick of everyone calling Zelda an RPG and agree with your views (except I consider Mass Effect to be an RPG since it has a statistical character growth system). Point being, I find it hard to recommend your videos due to this.

[jfreedan]

@LynnJynh9315 The only way to combat ignorance is with facts. Do a Google search for "Computer Roleplaying Game". This is not a word I invented; it is the second oldest term (the oldest being 'roleplaying simulation, as used to market games like Wizardry and Ultima') most commonly used name for the genre. It's used by Gamasutra, which is an industry magazine for game designers. It's used by Swords & Circuitry: A Designer's Guide to Computer Role-Playing Games, written by game designers.

[jfreedan]

@LynnJynh9315 Also, a console system is a computer. It's a computer that only plays certain videogames but it is a computer nonetheless. It's just not a Personal Computer (PC).

[MoonIMover]

@LynnJynh9315 What he just said--also to differentiate them from traditional RPG's played with dice and paper. I am speaking for other people now!

[BurntHighMe]

Great review. I still have my original copy of this game and still play it every few months, even though it no longer saves properly so it's basically a fire it out in one sitting sort of thing. Good times...

[LeoDarkSide]

I actually played this on an Emulator a few years back and really enjoyed it! Sure it felt like an up-converted NES game, but it was fun!

[FractalDistortion]

This is actually a good game. I knew going into playing the game that it was meant as an ENTRY LEVEL RPG. Key term being ENTRY LEVEL. This was after I played games like Dragon Warrior I, II, Final Fantasy I, and II (IV).

[ChaosDirge]

Interesting review... it could be a coincidence... but does this review have anything to do with our debate? Because it seems to have alot to do with it. Great review.

[koisanjie]

I remember calling Toys R Us to ask if they had Mystic Quest because I was going to buy it, but when I got there, I saw Final Fantasy II (American Version) on the shelf and bought that instead. I did eventually end up getting mystic quest when the price dropped.

[VergilsRespite]

I like your new intro. I wonder also, if anyone saw that it says " entry level role-playing game " on the box? So if you don't know your Chocobos from your Moogles, I'd think to steer clear, huh?

[TBoneTony]

Looking at it as an overall picture, Final Fantasy Mystic Quest is more like a console RPG for beginners.

Perhaps because the game had the Final Fantasy name, most fans would have got the wrong idea about what this game was about. Expecting a game with an epic story with well detailed character development was something that Mystic Quest was not really about.

But to bring in new audiences and help people get to know what console RPGs were about, that is what Mystic Quest was about.

[TBoneTony]

My first ever RPG experience came with Skies of Arcadia, the Dreamcast game that was ported onto the Gamecube.

Before that, I only ever heard of how Final Fantasy 7 was awesome, but because I never had a PS and only had n64, and considering the fact that I was an Australian who never knew of any RPGs until FF7 came out....and I was only able to afford Nintendo consoles at the time....you can perhaps understand why I was a late bloomer into the world of RPGs.

[EdwardElric555]

Why is exploring over rated? Is there a way to make is fun and if so do know any good examples of fun exploration.

[jfreedan]

@EdwardElric555 It's over-rated in a game with a linear narrative; it doesn't matter where you go, you have to go to certain locations in a precise order. That's why, for a simple game like Dragon Quest 1, the world map is much too big.

[bananamusician]

Great review. It's not a top title but it has a lot of good stuff going on and I enjoyed playing it. As you say a lot of people complain about it not being like a Final Fantasy game and to be honest I think that the gameplay doesn't really scream out Final Fantasy to me even though story and other things draws from the Final Fantasy series. Not that it's necessarily a bad thing but some people just gotta hate the black sheep of the series, for whatever reason.

[VampireKiller95]

I like this game and I will admit it is really easy.

[MegaShadowrunner]

Very nice! Love Final Fantasy

[xxcrysad3000xx]

Pazuzu! Ah, Exorcist flashbacks.

[Shintai123]

I played this game when I was younger, but I actually favored the original Breath of Fire over it, Good review though man, I might go ahead and give this game a go when i get the chance.

[lcook3]

I remember when I was 8 wondering if they ever made a sequel to this game. Guess they never did.

[davidzxx]

the game was ok in my point of view, My parents played it and I watched, they didn't played much but I liked it anyways, because you were able to jump around and use tools.

[hcubeentertainment]

I'll be honest that when I began watching this video. Final Fantasy Mystic Quest is one of those games that people either say they really like or really hate.

[MadWritter]

I like it myself.

[Ioshyriku903]

I wish this was my first RPG instead of phantasy star 4(wich as awesome as it was hard for me as the first time palying an RPG)

[cherubicwindigo]

Talking Sword FTW!

[Zaignx]

What people never read on the cover box art of Final fantasy Mystic quest, is that it says "beginner rpg" or something along those lines. As you've already said, this isn't a game thats supposed to be appealing to adults. Other then that, i can't say more cause i lost my SNES as a child and i never finished it. /sad

[laughingfurry]

@DiminixZor

I've actually started playing it a few weeks back on Virtual Console. It's not so bad. Very simple, but it is a pretty fun game.