Guide Note:

Final Fantasy III DS|Final Fantasy III is a role-playing game for the Nintendo DS and is the only version officially released outside of Japan. This is not to be confused with Final Fantasy III for the SNES released in the U.S. in 1994, which was actually the sixth game in the series.

Fast Facts

1. Developer: Square Enix/Matrix Software
2. Publisher: Square Enix
3. Platform: Nintendo DS
4. Genre: Role-playing
5. Mode: Single player, multiplayer
6. Rating: ESRB: E10+ (Everyone 10 and up)
7. Release Date: November 14, 2006

You follow Luneth, an orphaned boy, who discovers a magical crystal. He's joined by a shy friend named Arc, a blacksmith's daughter named Refia, and a guardsman named Ingus. Together, they set off to discover the secrets of the four elemental crystals hidden around the world, and in turn realize that their quest is far deeper than just learning about the crystals, it's about saving the world.

This is true turn-based combat, not the "active time battle" system of later Final Fantasies. At the beginning of a battle, you give orders to each of your party members; statistics determine the order in which your characters and their opponents act. A combination of weapon attacks, damaging black magic spells, and restorative white magic spells, plus some items and special abilities, are the keys to success. You also have the choice of over 20 jobs from dragoon to mage. These jobs aren't permanent and you can change them whenever you want, although the leveling system can be tedious as the skills you learned from other jobs do not carry over. The actual battle system is different from other Final Fantasy games as well. Your characters gain an increasing number of melee attacks per turn as they gain experience, and you're free to equip weapons in each of their hands.