My dad bought me this game during the Christmas of '94. He asked the man at our local game store "which was the game every kid wants" and I'm sure the clerk wanted to get ride of his overstock and recommended this game lol. Once I played it, I got stuck at the Falls Basin, and I hated it. I remember crying to my dad because I felt so bad for not liking it, and I knew how much it meant for my family to be able to afford something like this. Fast forward 2 years, and my best friend got the internet before any of us, and looked up the puzzle in Falls Basin. Once we beat it, it quickly became my introduction into not only loving Final Fantasy, but RPG's overall. This game has a special place in my heart.
Ayo!! Played this game around '94 as well, and I also got stuck at Falls Basin. The guy we got the game from - a family friend - came over one day and showed me that I could align the platforms in the main area to "jump" across them. After that, I was truly hooked on this game. I still think about a Dragon Claw in real life sometimes. 🥰
@@foxbear60 😂 😂 oh man the Dragon Claw! Same here! The first time you see it with Tristam is such a tease; I remember being so confused as a kid at first why you didn't get it right away 😂
I was BAD with reading as a child. FF Mystic Quest was the first RPG I ever played. My older brother bought it and hated it. Then, he was encouraged by our older sister to let me have a go at it because it "might help his reading comprehension." It worked! My sister is an English teacher now. I still like revisiting this game even after moving on to better entries in the genre. Everybody hates on this game, but it did a lot of good. At least from my perspective. Thank you for this video.
I actually enjoyed Mystic Quest. I remember people referring to this game as "Baby's first Final Fantasy". It's very basic and simplistic, but it's also pretty cool! Plus, the soundtrack is amazing! I really like the boss battle theme and the one from the volcano level. When I played Theatrhythm Curtain Calls on the 3DS, I always had Benjamin in my main party.
I enjoyed it as well. A lot of the stories don't resonate well with me throughout Final Fantasy games, so I tend to gravitate either towards more open ended ones, or ones that I find the system/world enjoyable. 1, Mystic Quest, 7, 10, 12, and Tactics have gotten the most playtime out of me.
I've been running a D&D game using Mystic Quest as the plot basis and having an absolute blast. I was so thrilled to see this video, thank you for making it.
Mystic Quest will always have a place in my heart as the first RPG I've ever 100% completed in under 24 hours (a Blockbuster rental back in middle school and without skipping meals and bathroom breaks) It may have been easy, but it was fun for what it was.
Ha! Me as well. We're showing our age... Rented it from the grocery store and beat it in a weekend. I was fascinated and mystified by FFIV shortly before, and MQ didn't come anywhere close, but I still enjoyed it and the music rocked.
I am one of those initial 300,000 initial sales. I finished the game when it came out and I don't have enough fond memories of it to make me want to play it again.
That is so weird...I was playing Mystic Quest last week! Lol. I was going to finish the last dungeon this week. I'm doing a Completionist run- the areas are not finished until the area is completely cleared of monsters, and all vital chests are obtained. I think MQ deserves a remaster and expansion. It was great! Yes, it's a "baby" Final Fantasy, but sometimes, players just want a taste of an FF. They don't want to devote hours upon hours, grinding and playing an extensive game. Sometimes they just wanna have fun. Sometimes, they want an escape. And, MQ satisfies that with an incredible soundtrack. And, it DID ITS JOB- It introduced people to FF. MQ was my first of the brand. And, MQ innovated SO MANY THINGS. Using speed stats to determine the way actions would be resolved. AI or manual control your party members. Having your targets change visually to give you a good indication of how much HP they've missed. Puzzles using tools. Encounters visible on the map. I mean... it's crazy how many little fingerprints from MQ are in the games that came after it.
Mystic Quest is known for being “Final Fantasy made simple” or whatever, but man if it doesn’t hit my nostalgia nerve harder than a ton of bricks. The music is outstanding too!
@@paulkleihege1509 It's such a shame the composer only made two OSTs. The soundtrack of Treasure Of The Rudras is such an incredibly high note to exit the industry on though.
Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest is a good example of why creators, be it for video games, novels or otherwise, should never try to dumb things down for their audience. Trying to do so just ends up being seen as too simple a story, gameplay that is too simple, etc. EDIT: Fixed a typo.
It kinda cracks me up cuz they were inspired to make this game cuz they didn't sell a million copies of FF4 in NA, a game that they dumbed down because they thought everyone West of Japan was too stupid to appreciate FF despite the fact the first game sold better outside of Japan. How does one reach the conclusion that ended up with the creation of FFMQ? It's mind boggling to me.
It's funny to me how Square Japan was like "yeah we made a watered down RPG for dumb Americans," the Japanese game industry was like "how dare you withhold a Final Fantasy game from us release it now," and when Square did they all turned their nose up at it. My brothers and sisters in Christ, you asked for it.
It’s even more funny when you realize us Americans were playing games like Ultima and Wizardry, so dumbing a RPG down for the US audience didn’t make sense.
@ghosfox1292 That and the irony that JRPGs that followed Dragon Quest were intended to begin with to simplify the concepts from those western RPGs and increase the amount of action. It was a really bad misreading of the situation.
I was honestly excited to play it after not having access to it for over 10 years, and even with all that optimism I was greatly disappointed. I'd like to think my feelings are valid. I did enjoy some of the music and nuance to enemy design, but everything else was a miss for me and is hard to overlook.
I would love to play it at least once. It does sound like it had a lot of interesting things that were video game staples until later on! Also, don't let other people tell you what you can and can't enjoy; you aren't playing a game for their enjoyment, you are playing it for your own! I'm glad you had fun!
I dunno about INCREDIBLY FUN, but as a, like, 9-year-old who had only played FF1 before it, yeah, it was my first RPG that I actually had fun with. I looked back at it later one day, and gosh... It was brainless...
There are so many good ideas in Mystic Quest. Enemy health indicated by changing battle sprites. Very specific and intuitive enemy weaknesses to different weapon types. Dungeon puzzles, tool use, and the general interactivity of the maps. The emotive character sprites would go on to be a big part of the charm of FF5, FF6, and Chrono Trigger. Also, the music is top tier.
I played Mystic Quest as a teen with one of my best friends on his SNES (in the mid to late 2000s). Didn't even know it was a Final Fantasy game until like 10 to 12 years later. I could swear it just said "Mystic Quest" on the cartridge. It was a beautiful little gem of a game.
RPGs don't have to be hard to be fun; they have to be immersive. The story was a bit lackluster, but the vibes were immaculate. I have fond memories of the first time you meet Tristan, the music was so upbeat and heroic.
Mystic Quest was my actual first Final Fantasy, but I actually didn't know it was part of the franchise for a couple years because the super title was so small in comparison to the subtitle. I also tend to refer to it now as "the beginner's Final Fantasy."
I remember shortly after my parents divorced in the 90s, one of my fondest memories was playing FFIV on SNES with them both as they were big fans. I literally learned to read playing along with them. One day at Walmart, I saw FF MQ on sale for $20 and excitedly grabbed it out of the bargain bin and showed Mom. She was briefly intrigued, but looked it over and asked the younger guy at the register about the game and he simply shook his head no. She put the game back. Not long after we saw FFVI and quickly purchased it and thoroughly loved it. However I always wondered what I missed out on, with the cover art burned into my memory. Fast forward to 2006: While browsing Goodwill, I stumbled across MQ for $5. I quickly bought it and was so excited to play it when I got home. I really tried to like it. The visuals were so bland and looked like something made in a primitive RPG Maker, and the design lacked any kind of depth perception (very.. flat). The dialogue and story had all the charm of an episode of Blue's Clues, and if you're into that this is perfect for you. The battle system for whatever reason visually looks more like it would be at home on the NES. I did take note in the multiple sprites for all enemies which is one thing this game had that other FF games rarely had. The music, something I've always loved about FF games.. is good. I can't criticize it much other than the fact that it sounds more like it would be at home on a Mega Man-esque action game. I trudged through the game for hours, thinking that eventually it would be worth it or at the very least I could say I beat it and move on. It was such a chore by that point. This game is not worth the $5 I paid for it and I wish I had never played it. A lot of people would file my comments as just being a hater, but trust me I didn't want to dislike this game and I tried hard to find any reason to continue on.
Enemies reeling and showing their damage through their changed animations is such a no-brain move that I have no idea how it didn't become an industry standard. I suppose it would have been a ton more work for the artists, of course, and there is cartridge space to consider, but still...
I may be one of the very few that enjoyed this game and started my path to rpgs. Sure it was simple, but I enjoyed it so much, that it made me a fan of the genre.
FFMQ was a fun game for what it was, that music slapped so hard though. I would love some more call backs in some other FF media. Give me another charcter named Benjamin having MQ ben's hairstyle. Give me a new XIV job that uses grappling hooks in combat and have the relic weapon be the dragon claw from MQ.
Thank you so much for this developmental history of the game! I tried doing research on it about a year ago and came up with very little information. One of the few pieces I turned up was that the sales data roughly matched the sales data for FFII (SNES) in the states, which told me that mostly the same people who bought FFII bought Mystic Quest, precisely not the audience that Square was swinging for. This was the first Final Fantasy game I played when I was in grade school and absolutely fell in love with it. I've gone on to enjoy the rest of the franchise (6 is my favorite), but Mystic Quest holds a special place in my heart. It's simple, but I don't feel like that's a bad thing. It's precisely what it wants to be and does that very well.
At a time when it was hard being a SNES JRPG fan, I had access to Final Fantasy IV(II) and Mystic Quest, and I loved this game. I still love it, I don't play it because it's deep, to me it's like the comfort food of JRPGS and I play it once a year, every year since the 90s.
Played it when I was in elementary school and absolutly loved it. Made me track down FF2(4) and that truly opened up the rpg floodgate, breath of fire 1/2, lufia 1/2, ff3(6), chrono trigger, secret of mana, evermore, mario rpg... Basically anything that had RPG i had to have... and it all started with Mystic Quest so i think it did exactly what it was supposed to do. Even if it was less then they expected. It made a lifelong fan out of me.
I remember that I noticed damage always seemed to be the same and absolutely losing my shit. I needed me those random variables! To this day I use Tristan's theme as a "someone interesting you'll see again is approaching the party..." for my D&D groups.
As a little kid I was absolutely the target audience for Mystic Quest. I struggled with JRPG mechanics back then; it took years for me just to beat Earthbound's first miniboss Franky because I didn't understand leveling and grinding fights to get stronger. And even with Mystic Quest I struggled with those mechanics and got stuck on the Ice Golem boss for a long time for similar reasons. But playing Mystic Quest was still a great stepping stone for me to try other JRPGs later in my life
I remember wishing I could play this game seeing it at the local video game store, but not enjoying it because I was too young and didn’t understand what I was doing. It’s crazy, because just seeing the box art brought back so many memories.
That summary at the end there about being careful not to assume what consumers want sounds very familiar. I wonder if they'll ever do that again after Mystic Quest? 😂
This game will always have a place in my heart. One of the first rpgs I remember playing and while it might be nostalgia, I still find myself going back to it every few years. Getting that itch.
Mystic Quest was my first introduction to JRPGs even though you can't exactly call it one. I got it in the PAL region, so I had no idea it was a Final Fantasy game due to the title being 'Mystic Quest Legend', nor did I even know about Final Fantasy at the time. I was still renting games for the SNES at the time. This, A Link to the Past and Illusion of Gaia were my three go-to games at that time. This one may be very basic and far from perfect, but it's enjoyable enough to play from time to time. The OST is what makes it stand out. For a throwaway RPG, it seriously has one of the best sound tracks.
I remember when a local EB Games had some cheap SNES cartridges for sale well after the SNES's day in the limelight had passed. Initially, I saw Super Castlevania IV for just $6, and that was obviously a real bargain. Even better, when I went to buy it, I saw Gradius III for a mere $2, so I got that too. Totally worth it. At a later date not long after, I asked what else they had in stock for used SNES games, and they mentioned Final Fantasy II (which is actually Final Fantasy IV of course), and Final Fantasy Mystic Quest, both being priced at $10 each. I decided to buy them both, and once again, they were very much worth it, even FFMQ. It may be very simplistic and "an RPG for beginners", but you can't deny the epic soundtrack it has, especially Doom Castle and all of the battle themes.
You missed some small stuff about the Theatrhythm pop-up -- it's not just "a few tracks", Benjamin himself is one of the cast in Curtain Call, and both music and character returned for All Star Carnival (a JP-only arcade game in the series), and the final game, Final Bar Line (functionally the NA release of All-Star Carnival)
This game taught me how to play RPG's. I had rented Dragon Warrior once, but I was very young, there was no time to figure it out and no instructions. We had gone to a local shop and came home with this game for $29.99 brand new, along with loose carts of Castlevania IV and Ys III. After Mystic Quest, I picked up Final Fantasy II, then III on Christmas 1994. Played and owned every great RPG in the 90's from then on.
Back in 1993, I was so hungry for more RPGs that I didn't really mind that Mystic Quest was so simple. And it is a game that I have replayed regularly over the last 30 years, albeit not nearly as often as my favorite SNES games.
Finally a great video on this game. It might not be the best Final Fantasy, but I think it's really interesting to look back on. Not enough high quality videos for this game, so I'm really happy to see it covered by FFU
im so happy that you have highlighted this game, i live in the uk, and this game was the very first final fantasy game i played here in the uk as a kid, without it i wouldnt have became the final fantasy fan i have become today
Despite being very simple compared to other RPGs that had come out, including FF 1 and 2, Dragon Warrior, and others, I still really enjoyed this game and its story. Baby's First Final Fantasy, it was called at the time😂
FFMQ was the first RPG I ever played and actually understood. Because I didn't have anyone else around me that played those games, everyone else played sports games or DOOM which my parents were staunchly opposed to. I loved this game for its straightforward gameplay because too much open world at that time might've turned me away from RPGs forever.
Thank you for this extensive coverage! Fleshing out MQ's connections (and disconnects) with other games branded as "Final Fantasy." I'd played, and loved, FF, FF"II", and FFL 1 & 2, before learning of Mystic Quest in my copy of The Ogopogo Examiner. I knew MQ wasn't meant to be a "fully-fledged" Final Fantasy, but I still enjoy it for what it is: fun!
Great video! I originally played through it as a kid with my buddy Rob. He wouldn’t stop complaining about how simple and boring it was. He ended up playing through it a number of times afterwards.
SaGa 3/Final Fantasy Legend 3 is underrated. Maybe a little overly ambitious, but I loved it as a kid, especially the time travel elements. SaGa 2 was better, though, in the end. I love that both games got a DS remaster (both are fan translated!) Mystic Quest will always hold a special place in my heart. It truly was my first console RPG. It definitely set me up for taking on both FF4 and FF6. Then I discovered the Ultima series, and then I became truly RPG crazy. 🤪 MQ really feels like a Tinkertoy version of Final Fantasy nowadays, but if you look at it as a literal game for children, it works. Plus, that soundtrack just rules, full stop. We wouldn't even be discussing the game today if not for that music.
I love the simplicity of FFMQ even when put against its maineline counterparts. As simple as the game has a reputation for being, the team at Square Osaka that made it is extremely talented. Rudra no Hihou (Treasure of the Rudras) is one of the most unique RPGs on the Super Famicom and Super Mario RPG speaks for itself.
Much like a lot of other commenters here, this was my entry point into the genre as a kid. And it did its job with gusto - here I am 30 years later! As an adult player sure there are a lot of things to criticise - but there were a few things they were actually really on-point with. Enemies appearing on the field was great, would be used in Lufia and others, and (eventually) even the mainline FF titles. All the little traversal gimmicks were genuinely fun, even in service of an ultimately linear path. Jumping around is just fun. Swinging a big axe and watching a tree disappear? Also fun. They remind of games like Zelda and pokemon were traversal gimmicks are a huge part of the overworld progression.
I asked for this at Xmas ‘92. I was a huge Final Fantasy kid, having played through the original release, FFIV, and the Legend trilogy. While it was simplistic, Mystic Quest scratched that itch at a time when pickings were slim.
I always had a soft spot for Mystic Quest (which I ended up playing after 6 and 4). In spite of its mechanical simplicity and utter brokenness of magic once you could buy MP healing items, it had its own little charms and was a game you could just kind of let loose and play instead of planning ahead and strategy that was often involved in other FF titles as well as most of the best RPGs around at the time.
Mystic Quest was awesome as a kid and it still is now. Yes it's simple, but it's also just plain fun! It has a great soundtrack and I always enjoy playing it. It's not on the same level as the narratives we saw in the other snes era Final Fantasy titles, but I love how I could mostly turn my brain off and just have some fun with a simple game.
Im from the Netherlands, and yeah this was the first true RPG i ever played. I had Mystic Quest GB before and absolutely loved it. It's still one of my favorite games of all time. So of course i had to get the SNES version. But yeah it was completely different from the first mana game. But still i liked and finished it. Then later on after FF7 PC i went back and played lots of the Final Fantasy games via emulation.
One of my favorite games of all time, glad I was able to play it when I was 10 years old. Loved the music, won't ever forget it, especially the Aquaria rendition of the town music theme.
20:21 OH YEAH BBY THEY USED FUCKING HCBAILLY'S LP AS THEIR MYSTIC QUEST FOOTAGE AND IF IT WERENT FOR THEM KEEPING THAT TRANSITION IN I WOULDNT OF NOTICED LMAO
What I learned... Japan really was so arrogant in the 90s that they thought North Americans 'couldn't handle' deep narratives. I'm no Mystic Quest defender but this puts Mystic Quest into more context.
Mystic Quest was what got me into turn based RPG games, so this game will always have a special place in my heart. The game is perfect for people that are new to turned based combat systems because the difficulty is a lot easier compared to most RPG games. I then went on to play other RPG games after I beat this game.
My buddy's brother sold this to me for $1 way back in the SNES days. Back then RPG games were my love. I was a big fan of the Ultima series, Wizardry series, the first Dragonquest, and Final Fantasy. I knew something was off with the Legend series and Adventure way back in the day, but they still had the FF name. Ironically I didn't like FFL 1 & 2, but though 3 was doing it right. As for MQ...I thought it was a good fun time that removed a lot of randomization that most RPGs have.You knew how much damage you would do, so it simplified it but also made planning attacks a lot more fun. I think it suffers from three things: 1. Those that look back now after going through FF or RPG games and expect more out of it. 2. Those that were familiar with RPGs in the day and also expected more out of it on release. 3. Those that didn't know what they were getting into. (FF7 was one of the biggest games ever, and ironically one of the most sold back games ever on the PSX) I think that going into it not expecting a lot but to just have some relaxed fun makes this game good and memorable.
I was one of those western kids they made thr game for and I loved it. I hum the songs to this day. It was a nice spot builder for the release of ff3(6) later in my childhood.
This was my first rpg. It really did serve its purpose. I liked you could maneuver about the world, use multiple weapons and chop down trees and the music. For as bare as it was, it insighted alot of creativity and imagination in me. And it took me two years to find out how to get out of that damn ice pyramid! I would like a sequel, that was more advanced but kept the same feel as the original and a more complex story. And more importantly, similar sound track.
Mystic Quest is the game I have the earliest memories of playing. To this day, it is one of my favorite Final Fantasy games, and I maintain that the protagonist Benjamin is the strongest FF Protag, considering he can beat a Behemoth at his weakest with a normal steel sword, by himself, under the pressure of crumbling terrain.
Great VIDEO! A very close friend wanted to show me this, me being a huge fan of this game I knew I wanted to watch it. I enjoyed throughout the years finding out all the info I could about Mystic Quest, and this is filled to the brim and more with fantastic details. I always disliked it when people would sometimes claim this or that about north americans and early rpg's, but the fact is rpg's in gaming werent popular for the mainstream until FF7. A good lesson to learn is that instead of assuming, give space for great potential and learn from directly. I think that would have helped make it better not only for american gamers, but would have still been a good entry level game but with more complexity. Despite that, I highly enjoyed this game growing up, got it in Christmas of 1992, didnt understand it then, my reading skills werent the best, but years later i loved it. So much potential for characters, ahead of it's time with mechanics like jumping over npc's, weapon switching, and save anywhere, and weapons used outside of combat. The music, oh my the music, I enjoyed Benjamin's little animations XD, and how the monsters showed damage, I know a lot was re worked from the ground up from the saga games but thats cool to me, shows legacy in my opinion and respect. all in all, thank you so much for such a detailed and rich video. This game means a lot to me and many, the music and much more. I hope to see benjamin/zash represented more.
Great Job! This was on of the games that got me into RPGs. I remember renting it and beating it in a weekend because we didn't have a lot of money back then. I really liked the game because it was fast paced and had such a simple story and was fun to play in. It may not be the best but it was special to me. Also the sound track was a banger!
Mystic Quest was the 1st Final Fantasy I played. I still love playing it to this day. Thank you also to Nintendo Magazine for letting us know how to get past Falls Basin.
This was the first RPG I ever played and I still love it. If it weren’t for Mystic Quest, I probably never would have asked for Final Fantasy III (VI) for Christmas, I never would have fallen in love with the series.
Quite interesting indeed. I recall first seeing this game on the shelves and not being aware it was a Final Fantasy game. I just glossed over it completely. By the time I did learn it was an FF, I'd already had the impression it was a bit of a dud. Still, very fun vid to watch! Looking forward to more, as always.
Famitsu: "it feels like a roleplaying game, but there's almost no freedom and no strategy ... so simple, players could probably finish it while mashing random buttons" But enough about ff16
This game has a special place in my heart, because it was FFMQ, Arcana and FF4 that were my first RPGs. Its because of them that i fell in love with the genre, and went on to mod Arcana: Seal of Rimsala.
This was technically my first Final Fantasy game since i got it with my SNES. I fell in love with RPG games due to it. Even though it was basic i still loved it.
Thank you for this video!! I love Final Fantasy Mystic Quest as its the first RPG I ever played and its the game that made me a Final Fantasy fan. When I was 9, my dad took me to rent a Mickey Mouse game called Mickey's Mystical Quest and when we got home and started it up, I looked at my dad and said "I don't think this is a Mickey Mouse game." But we played it anyway and that's how I fell in love with RPGs and Final Fantasy!
I know this game isn’t a favorite for many, but I enjoyed it. Played it about a year ago and really liked it. It’s a simple romp, and that’s what I was in the mood for.
Dad brought this home to me when I was sick with a stomach flu. I was so disappointed at first cause it was nothing like FF4, I remember feeling bad cause of being sick and feeling bad cause I wasn’t enjoying the game in the beginning. Then that music hit on every level/biome/fight and I gave it a chance. I still bust out the SNES to play this once in a blue moon to this day and Daniel Tidwells metal covers of the soundtrack are in my work mix lol. Pizuzzu’s Tower was the first time my brother actually asked ME for help cause I got there first and omg. Hell froze over and pigs flew.
I don’t remember how I ended up with my copy, but I do remember playing the heck out of it. It was an easy game, sure, but I loved a lot about it (especially the music). I still sometimes boot up a rom when I’m nostalgic for it.
Ryuji Sasai was a god tier hire for the music in Mystic Quest. In my opinion the definition of Boss Music had its foundation laid the day Ryuji began writing the music.
You know, I actually enjoy it. My friend had it in the early 90's and we'd go to his place after school and play it. It was fun. I always enjoyed the transformation of the monsters after doing enough damage.
I was 8 when I first played Final Fantasy Mystic Quest and I must commend it for being the right game for me at the right time. I sincerely believe that this accomplished what it set out to do (introduce young players to the RPG genre) and should be considered a success. It served as a gateway to the rest of the series.
Final Fantasy 1 was my first, but I was very young. Final Fantasy 2(US) came out when I was in 5th or 6th grade, and I loved it. Then Mystic Quest came out, and I got it for Christmas one year. I don't think I liked it as much as I liked FF2, but I still really liked it. I still play it on an emulator every now and then, and the nostalgia is still there. Also, the battle music is amazing.
I always remember Beck's answer to a journalist from the early 00s: "Who do you make the music for?" He thinks for a second, "Myself" I did love this game, though... easy to min-max.
i love this video! I was just learning more about RPGs as a little kid, and then saw this game come out. i've been hooked on final fantasy ever since, so i suppose it worked XD the OST is still one of my favourites to this day
I was 9 or 10 years old and was playijg mystic quest and VI simultaneously. I loved the story telling of VI, but i relied on stragety guide to move forward and where to go. Once i lost the guide, i got completely lost on where to find the rest of the team (i just got the airship and cyan) Mystic quest gave me direction and i liked to feedback on what was effective or not, but i loved having 4 players from VI back then. The different stages of damages on bosses from Mystic was awesome too. It told me as a kid im getting closer to defeating them. Mystic Quest was obviously meant to be for a younger audience to expose and show them the world of RPGs, and i can appreciate that. I love both games and each had a different goal it wanted to accomplish. I felt satisfied 100% Mystic Quest as a kid and satisfied when i finally beat kefka on VI
My grandmother loved gaming but she also loved reading. And it was with Mystic Quest that she found her favorite genre of games. It wasn't until Mario RPG that she was totally hooked on RPG games but was a little turned off by Final Fantasy 3 with the overall amount of gaming that could be done in that installment. When she introduced me to RPGs. I was hooked. And though I loved and beat Mario RPG. It was Final Fantasy 7 that truly brought us both back to final fantasy and all RPGs in general. To this day. Her favorite rpg is pokemon and mine is Persona. But our favorite rpg memories started. With Mystic Quest.
![The Downfall of Adel [The Complete Unabridged Timeline of FF8]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/8au15HNfKIE/mqdefault.jpg)
![The Downfall of Adel [The Complete Unabridged Timeline of FF8]](/img/tr.png)
My dad bought me this game during the Christmas of '94. He asked the man at our local game store "which was the game every kid wants" and I'm sure the clerk wanted to get ride of his overstock and recommended this game lol. Once I played it, I got stuck at the Falls Basin, and I hated it. I remember crying to my dad because I felt so bad for not liking it, and I knew how much it meant for my family to be able to afford something like this. Fast forward 2 years, and my best friend got the internet before any of us, and looked up the puzzle in Falls Basin. Once we beat it, it quickly became my introduction into not only loving Final Fantasy, but RPG's overall. This game has a special place in my heart.
Omg I remember my brother getting stuck at basin falls.
I got stuck too hon☺.
Ayo!! Played this game around '94 as well, and I also got stuck at Falls Basin. The guy we got the game from - a family friend - came over one day and showed me that I could align the platforms in the main area to "jump" across them. After that, I was truly hooked on this game. I still think about a Dragon Claw in real life sometimes. 🥰
@@foxbear60 😂 😂 oh man the Dragon Claw! Same here! The first time you see it with Tristam is such a tease; I remember being so confused as a kid at first why you didn't get it right away 😂
I don't believe this story. Jk
I was BAD with reading as a child. FF Mystic Quest was the first RPG I ever played. My older brother bought it and hated it. Then, he was encouraged by our older sister to let me have a go at it because it "might help his reading comprehension." It worked! My sister is an English teacher now. I still like revisiting this game even after moving on to better entries in the genre. Everybody hates on this game, but it did a lot of good. At least from my perspective. Thank you for this video.
I know that this game doesn't have the best reputation, but it is nice seeing videos covering it in a positive light every now and then.
I liked it as a kid...
@@mysticmallachi777I loved it. Have a lot of fond memories playing this game.
@@SDREHXC It absolutely sticks out in my memory, even to this day... The music was the thing that got me as a kid, I think.
It was the first game I ever played all the way through.
I actually enjoyed Mystic Quest. I remember people referring to this game as "Baby's first Final Fantasy". It's very basic and simplistic, but it's also pretty cool! Plus, the soundtrack is amazing! I really like the boss battle theme and the one from the volcano level. When I played Theatrhythm Curtain Calls on the 3DS, I always had Benjamin in my main party.
I'm surprised There isn't a Remaster for Steam or other consoles.
The OST is LEGENDARY
It's a metal album disguised as a video game. Love it.
I enjoyed it as well. A lot of the stories don't resonate well with me throughout Final Fantasy games, so I tend to gravitate either towards more open ended ones, or ones that I find the system/world enjoyable. 1, Mystic Quest, 7, 10, 12, and Tactics have gotten the most playtime out of me.
I've been running a D&D game using Mystic Quest as the plot basis and having an absolute blast. I was so thrilled to see this video, thank you for making it.
I used this game's realm in my Yu-Gi-Oh Charmer's Story, so yeah, it's still good.
Mystic Quest will always have a place in my heart as the first RPG I've ever 100% completed in under 24 hours (a Blockbuster rental back in middle school and without skipping meals and bathroom breaks) It may have been easy, but it was fun for what it was.
My experience exactly lol. I never would have finished the game so quickly if I wasn't enjoying myself the whole time.
Ha! Me as well. We're showing our age... Rented it from the grocery store and beat it in a weekend. I was fascinated and mystified by FFIV shortly before, and MQ didn't come anywhere close, but I still enjoyed it and the music rocked.
FFMQ deserves a pixel remaster. With additional content.
does it?
To me it does
Its generally looked down upon nowadays, so I'm not sure if the market is there for a remaster
@@Konarcoffee I'd say so.
I am one of those initial 300,000 initial sales. I finished the game when it came out and I don't have enough fond memories of it to make me want to play it again.
That is so weird...I was playing Mystic Quest last week! Lol. I was going to finish the last dungeon this week. I'm doing a Completionist run- the areas are not finished until the area is completely cleared of monsters, and all vital chests are obtained.
I think MQ deserves a remaster and expansion. It was great! Yes, it's a "baby" Final Fantasy, but sometimes, players just want a taste of an FF. They don't want to devote hours upon hours, grinding and playing an extensive game. Sometimes they just wanna have fun. Sometimes, they want an escape. And, MQ satisfies that with an incredible soundtrack. And, it DID ITS JOB- It introduced people to FF. MQ was my first of the brand.
And, MQ innovated SO MANY THINGS. Using speed stats to determine the way actions would be resolved. AI or manual control your party members. Having your targets change visually to give you a good indication of how much HP they've missed. Puzzles using tools. Encounters visible on the map. I mean... it's crazy how many little fingerprints from MQ are in the games that came after it.
Mystic Quest is known for being “Final Fantasy made simple” or whatever, but man if it doesn’t hit my nostalgia nerve harder than a ton of bricks. The music is outstanding too!
FFMQ still has one of the best final boss themes.
ALL of the battle music from this game are certified bangers.
@@paulkleihege1509 It's such a shame the composer only made two OSTs. The soundtrack of Treasure Of The Rudras is such an incredibly high note to exit the industry on though.
Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest is a good example of why creators, be it for video games, novels or otherwise, should never try to dumb things down for their audience. Trying to do so just ends up being seen as too simple a story, gameplay that is too simple, etc.
EDIT: Fixed a typo.
It kinda cracks me up cuz they were inspired to make this game cuz they didn't sell a million copies of FF4 in NA, a game that they dumbed down because they thought everyone West of Japan was too stupid to appreciate FF despite the fact the first game sold better outside of Japan. How does one reach the conclusion that ended up with the creation of FFMQ? It's mind boggling to me.
I played this game when I was like 6 years old after I played FF1 ...it helped me to get into later main title Final Fantasy games
Same lol
It's funny to me how Square Japan was like "yeah we made a watered down RPG for dumb Americans," the Japanese game industry was like "how dare you withhold a Final Fantasy game from us release it now," and when Square did they all turned their nose up at it. My brothers and sisters in Christ, you asked for it.
Fwiw I enjoyed this game as a kid. Definitely one of those games you can appreciate if you're not looking for a challenge or a gripping story.
It’s even more funny when you realize us Americans were playing games like Ultima and Wizardry, so dumbing a RPG down for the US audience didn’t make sense.
@ghosfox1292 That and the irony that JRPGs that followed Dragon Quest were intended to begin with to simplify the concepts from those western RPGs and increase the amount of action.
It was a really bad misreading of the situation.
Playing a game with no challenge or story isn't fun for most people
Let’s be fair here. We can say that American audiences were playing Ultima or Wizardry... but American SNES audiences? Perhaps not.
I get so tired of people talking trash about this game. It is incredibly fun and creative
I was honestly excited to play it after not having access to it for over 10 years, and even with all that optimism I was greatly disappointed. I'd like to think my feelings are valid. I did enjoy some of the music and nuance to enemy design, but everything else was a miss for me and is hard to overlook.
Yo mama's incredibly fun and creative!
I would love to play it at least once. It does sound like it had a lot of interesting things that were video game staples until later on! Also, don't let other people tell you what you can and can't enjoy; you aren't playing a game for their enjoyment, you are playing it for your own! I'm glad you had fun!
@@cinema_roll6296 Second that
I dunno about INCREDIBLY FUN, but as a, like, 9-year-old who had only played FF1 before it, yeah, it was my first RPG that I actually had fun with.
I looked back at it later one day, and gosh... It was brainless...
There are so many good ideas in Mystic Quest. Enemy health indicated by changing battle sprites. Very specific and intuitive enemy weaknesses to different weapon types. Dungeon puzzles, tool use, and the general interactivity of the maps. The emotive character sprites would go on to be a big part of the charm of FF5, FF6, and Chrono Trigger.
Also, the music is top tier.
The Benshrug™ will forever be iconic. The emoting sprites are a huge part of the game's charm.
I played Mystic Quest as a teen with one of my best friends on his SNES (in the mid to late 2000s). Didn't even know it was a Final Fantasy game until like 10 to 12 years later. I could swear it just said "Mystic Quest" on the cartridge. It was a beautiful little gem of a game.
Depends what region. It was only mystic quest in Europe.
It wasn’t only mystic quest in Europe - it was mystic quest legend
RPGs don't have to be hard to be fun; they have to be immersive. The story was a bit lackluster, but the vibes were immaculate. I have fond memories of the first time you meet Tristan, the music was so upbeat and heroic.
truly a labor of love
thank you so much for your high quality content. keep up the good work.
wish you well
Mystic Quest was my actual first Final Fantasy, but I actually didn't know it was part of the franchise for a couple years because the super title was so small in comparison to the subtitle.
I also tend to refer to it now as "the beginner's Final Fantasy."
mystic quest was my first jrpg. it was love at first sight to the genre. here in germany turnbased rpg games for consoles were rare
This was my first Final Fantasy as a child and I adored it. I never was able to beat it, but it started the love of the main series for me and RPGs.
I remember shortly after my parents divorced in the 90s, one of my fondest memories was playing FFIV on SNES with them both as they were big fans. I literally learned to read playing along with them.
One day at Walmart, I saw FF MQ on sale for $20 and excitedly grabbed it out of the bargain bin and showed Mom. She was briefly intrigued, but looked it over and asked the younger guy at the register about the game and he simply shook his head no. She put the game back. Not long after we saw FFVI and quickly purchased it and thoroughly loved it. However I always wondered what I missed out on, with the cover art burned into my memory.
Fast forward to 2006: While browsing Goodwill, I stumbled across MQ for $5. I quickly bought it and was so excited to play it when I got home.
I really tried to like it. The visuals were so bland and looked like something made in a primitive RPG Maker, and the design lacked any kind of depth perception (very.. flat).
The dialogue and story had all the charm of an episode of Blue's Clues, and if you're into that this is perfect for you.
The battle system for whatever reason visually looks more like it would be at home on the NES. I did take note in the multiple sprites for all enemies which is one thing this game had that other FF games rarely had.
The music, something I've always loved about FF games.. is good. I can't criticize it much other than the fact that it sounds more like it would be at home on a Mega Man-esque action game.
I trudged through the game for hours, thinking that eventually it would be worth it or at the very least I could say I beat it and move on. It was such a chore by that point.
This game is not worth the $5 I paid for it and I wish I had never played it.
A lot of people would file my comments as just being a hater, but trust me I didn't want to dislike this game and I tried hard to find any reason to continue on.
This game had the best battle sprites ever I dont understand why no one's copied this yet even to this day
Enemies reeling and showing their damage through their changed animations is such a no-brain move that I have no idea how it didn't become an industry standard. I suppose it would have been a ton more work for the artists, of course, and there is cartridge space to consider, but still...
@@HighPriestFuneral I'm sure that's the main reason, each enemy sprite would need 2-3 different forms. About triple the work output.
Loved this game as a kid. Not being able to break the game is what drove me to break all my future RPGs.
I may be one of the very few that enjoyed this game and started my path to rpgs. Sure it was simple, but I enjoyed it so much, that it made me a fan of the genre.
FFMQ was a fun game for what it was, that music slapped so hard though. I would love some more call backs in some other FF media. Give me another charcter named Benjamin having MQ ben's hairstyle. Give me a new XIV job that uses grappling hooks in combat and have the relic weapon be the dragon claw from MQ.
Thank you so much for this developmental history of the game! I tried doing research on it about a year ago and came up with very little information. One of the few pieces I turned up was that the sales data roughly matched the sales data for FFII (SNES) in the states, which told me that mostly the same people who bought FFII bought Mystic Quest, precisely not the audience that Square was swinging for.
This was the first Final Fantasy game I played when I was in grade school and absolutely fell in love with it. I've gone on to enjoy the rest of the franchise (6 is my favorite), but Mystic Quest holds a special place in my heart. It's simple, but I don't feel like that's a bad thing. It's precisely what it wants to be and does that very well.
At a time when it was hard being a SNES JRPG fan, I had access to Final Fantasy IV(II) and Mystic Quest, and I loved this game. I still love it, I don't play it because it's deep, to me it's like the comfort food of JRPGS and I play it once a year, every year since the 90s.
One thing I loved about this game and wish it had become a feature of future FF games was the damage was visible on bosses as the fight went on.
John Oeth is such an amazing guitarist, I love listening to his FF guitar compilations!
Played it when I was in elementary school and absolutly loved it. Made me track down FF2(4) and that truly opened up the rpg floodgate, breath of fire 1/2, lufia 1/2, ff3(6), chrono trigger, secret of mana, evermore, mario rpg... Basically anything that had RPG i had to have... and it all started with Mystic Quest so i think it did exactly what it was supposed to do. Even if it was less then they expected. It made a lifelong fan out of me.
I remember that I noticed damage always seemed to be the same and absolutely losing my shit. I needed me those random variables! To this day I use Tristan's theme as a "someone interesting you'll see again is approaching the party..." for my D&D groups.
As a little kid I was absolutely the target audience for Mystic Quest. I struggled with JRPG mechanics back then; it took years for me just to beat Earthbound's first miniboss Franky because I didn't understand leveling and grinding fights to get stronger. And even with Mystic Quest I struggled with those mechanics and got stuck on the Ice Golem boss for a long time for similar reasons. But playing Mystic Quest was still a great stepping stone for me to try other JRPGs later in my life
Same with me, it's perfect for beginners.
I remember wishing I could play this game seeing it at the local video game store, but not enjoying it because I was too young and didn’t understand what I was doing. It’s crazy, because just seeing the box art brought back so many memories.
That summary at the end there about being careful not to assume what consumers want sounds very familiar. I wonder if they'll ever do that again after Mystic Quest? 😂
I love Mystic Quest so much. I also love all the romhacks and fangames!
Great video! You do such a great job covering the history of the series!
This game will always have a place in my heart. One of the first rpgs I remember playing and while it might be nostalgia, I still find myself going back to it every few years. Getting that itch.
Mystic Quest was my first introduction to JRPGs even though you can't exactly call it one.
I got it in the PAL region, so I had no idea it was a Final Fantasy game due to the title being 'Mystic Quest Legend', nor did I even know about Final Fantasy at the time.
I was still renting games for the SNES at the time.
This, A Link to the Past and Illusion of Gaia were my three go-to games at that time.
This one may be very basic and far from perfect, but it's enjoyable enough to play from time to time.
The OST is what makes it stand out.
For a throwaway RPG, it seriously has one of the best sound tracks.
I remember when a local EB Games had some cheap SNES cartridges for sale well after the SNES's day in the limelight had passed. Initially, I saw Super Castlevania IV for just $6, and that was obviously a real bargain. Even better, when I went to buy it, I saw Gradius III for a mere $2, so I got that too. Totally worth it.
At a later date not long after, I asked what else they had in stock for used SNES games, and they mentioned Final Fantasy II (which is actually Final Fantasy IV of course), and Final Fantasy Mystic Quest, both being priced at $10 each. I decided to buy them both, and once again, they were very much worth it, even FFMQ. It may be very simplistic and "an RPG for beginners", but you can't deny the epic soundtrack it has, especially Doom Castle and all of the battle themes.
You missed some small stuff about the Theatrhythm pop-up -- it's not just "a few tracks", Benjamin himself is one of the cast in Curtain Call, and both music and character returned for All Star Carnival (a JP-only arcade game in the series), and the final game, Final Bar Line (functionally the NA release of All-Star Carnival)
This game taught me how to play RPG's. I had rented Dragon Warrior once, but I was very young, there was no time to figure it out and no instructions. We had gone to a local shop and came home with this game for $29.99 brand new, along with loose carts of Castlevania IV and Ys III. After Mystic Quest, I picked up Final Fantasy II, then III on Christmas 1994. Played and owned every great RPG in the 90's from then on.
Phantasy Star III is also a good game.
Back in 1993, I was so hungry for more RPGs that I didn't really mind that Mystic Quest was so simple. And it is a game that I have replayed regularly over the last 30 years, albeit not nearly as often as my favorite SNES games.
Finally a great video on this game. It might not be the best Final Fantasy, but I think it's really interesting to look back on. Not enough high quality videos for this game, so I'm really happy to see it covered by FFU
only thing i want to know about this game is what kind of drugs the composer was taking while cooking up that soundtrack
Really great ones, apparently!
im so happy that you have highlighted this game, i live in the uk, and this game was the very first final fantasy game i played here in the uk as a kid, without it i wouldnt have became the final fantasy fan i have become today
How could the region that came up with dungeons and dragons possibly be able to comprehend final fantasy 5?
Despite being very simple compared to other RPGs that had come out, including FF 1 and 2, Dragon Warrior, and others, I still really enjoyed this game and its story. Baby's First Final Fantasy, it was called at the time😂
I never played Mystic Quest but playing the music on Theatrhythm sold me to give it a shot.
FFMQ was the first RPG I ever played and actually understood. Because I didn't have anyone else around me that played those games, everyone else played sports games or DOOM which my parents were staunchly opposed to. I loved this game for its straightforward gameplay because too much open world at that time might've turned me away from RPGs forever.
Great game my first ff the soundtrack is godly
Seriously it goes so hard
@@wabicajoThe boss theme is such a freaking ear worm
Thank you for this extensive coverage! Fleshing out MQ's connections (and disconnects) with other games branded as "Final Fantasy."
I'd played, and loved, FF, FF"II", and FFL 1 & 2, before learning of Mystic Quest in my copy of The Ogopogo Examiner. I knew MQ wasn't meant to be a "fully-fledged" Final Fantasy, but I still enjoy it for what it is: fun!
Mystic Quest was my favorite Christmas Gift from my dad.
Great video! I originally played through it as a kid with my buddy Rob. He wouldn’t stop complaining about how simple and boring it was. He ended up playing through it a number of times afterwards.
Literally my first RPG I've ever beaten at the age if 7, which laid the groundwork for many, many (many) more to come!
Mystic Quest is beast
and that's how we got one of the most kick-ass ost on the snes
Mystic Quest was my first Final Fantasy, and the music has been tattooed into my brain ever since. Love it.
SaGa 3/Final Fantasy Legend 3 is underrated. Maybe a little overly ambitious, but I loved it as a kid, especially the time travel elements. SaGa 2 was better, though, in the end. I love that both games got a DS remaster (both are fan translated!)
Mystic Quest will always hold a special place in my heart. It truly was my first console RPG. It definitely set me up for taking on both FF4 and FF6. Then I discovered the Ultima series, and then I became truly RPG crazy. 🤪
MQ really feels like a Tinkertoy version of Final Fantasy nowadays, but if you look at it as a literal game for children, it works. Plus, that soundtrack just rules, full stop. We wouldn't even be discussing the game today if not for that music.
I love the simplicity of FFMQ even when put against its maineline counterparts. As simple as the game has a reputation for being, the team at Square Osaka that made it is extremely talented. Rudra no Hihou (Treasure of the Rudras) is one of the most unique RPGs on the Super Famicom and Super Mario RPG speaks for itself.
Much like a lot of other commenters here, this was my entry point into the genre as a kid. And it did its job with gusto - here I am 30 years later!
As an adult player sure there are a lot of things to criticise - but there were a few things they were actually really on-point with.
Enemies appearing on the field was great, would be used in Lufia and others, and (eventually) even the mainline FF titles. All the little traversal gimmicks were genuinely fun, even in service of an ultimately linear path. Jumping around is just fun. Swinging a big axe and watching a tree disappear? Also fun.
They remind of games like Zelda and pokemon were traversal gimmicks are a huge part of the overworld progression.
I played the hell out of this with a friend, and that was after i had played ffiv and others
I asked for this at Xmas ‘92. I was a huge Final Fantasy kid, having played through the original release, FFIV, and the Legend trilogy. While it was simplistic, Mystic Quest scratched that itch at a time when pickings were slim.
Im from France and this game was my introduction to jrpg. I loved it.
I always had a soft spot for Mystic Quest (which I ended up playing after 6 and 4). In spite of its mechanical simplicity and utter brokenness of magic once you could buy MP healing items, it had its own little charms and was a game you could just kind of let loose and play instead of planning ahead and strategy that was often involved in other FF titles as well as most of the best RPGs around at the time.
Mystic Quest was awesome as a kid and it still is now. Yes it's simple, but it's also just plain fun! It has a great soundtrack and I always enjoy playing it. It's not on the same level as the narratives we saw in the other snes era Final Fantasy titles, but I love how I could mostly turn my brain off and just have some fun with a simple game.
Im from the Netherlands, and yeah this was the first true RPG i ever played. I had Mystic Quest GB before and absolutely loved it. It's still one of my favorite games of all time. So of course i had to get the SNES version. But yeah it was completely different from the first mana game. But still i liked and finished it. Then later on after FF7 PC i went back and played lots of the Final Fantasy games via emulation.
One of my favorite games of all time, glad I was able to play it when I was 10 years old. Loved the music, won't ever forget it, especially the Aquaria rendition of the town music theme.
20:21 OH YEAH BBY THEY USED FUCKING HCBAILLY'S LP AS THEIR MYSTIC QUEST FOOTAGE AND IF IT WERENT FOR THEM KEEPING THAT TRANSITION IN I WOULDNT OF NOTICED LMAO
3:35 over 30 years later and they’re still saying the same thing about the FF releases
Square’s releases have never ever met their expectations.. the biggest difference is that 30 years ago they actually made quality games
What I learned... Japan really was so arrogant in the 90s that they thought North Americans 'couldn't handle' deep narratives. I'm no Mystic Quest defender but this puts Mystic Quest into more context.
I wonder if "Stupid American" became their motto for this era...
Mystic Quest was what got me into turn based RPG games, so this game will always have a special place in my heart. The game is perfect for people that are new to turned based combat systems because the difficulty is a lot easier compared to most RPG games. I then went on to play other RPG games after I beat this game.
My buddy's brother sold this to me for $1 way back in the SNES days. Back then RPG games were my love. I was a big fan of the Ultima series, Wizardry series, the first Dragonquest, and Final Fantasy. I knew something was off with the Legend series and Adventure way back in the day, but they still had the FF name. Ironically I didn't like FFL 1 & 2, but though 3 was doing it right.
As for MQ...I thought it was a good fun time that removed a lot of randomization that most RPGs have.You knew how much damage you would do, so it simplified it but also made planning attacks a lot more fun. I think it suffers from three things:
1. Those that look back now after going through FF or RPG games and expect more out of it.
2. Those that were familiar with RPGs in the day and also expected more out of it on release.
3. Those that didn't know what they were getting into. (FF7 was one of the biggest games ever, and ironically one of the most sold back games ever on the PSX)
I think that going into it not expecting a lot but to just have some relaxed fun makes this game good and memorable.
I am a massive Mystic Quest fan and am currently replaying through it. Looking forward to sitting down and watching this video later.
I was one of those western kids they made thr game for and I loved it. I hum the songs to this day. It was a nice spot builder for the release of ff3(6) later in my childhood.
This game was so simple yet so much fun. I still go through it every couple of years.
This was my first rpg. It really did serve its purpose. I liked you could maneuver about the world, use multiple weapons and chop down trees and the music. For as bare as it was, it insighted alot of creativity and imagination in me.
And it took me two years to find out how to get out of that damn ice pyramid!
I would like a sequel, that was more advanced but kept the same feel as the original and a more complex story. And more importantly, similar sound track.
Mystic Quest is the game I have the earliest memories of playing. To this day, it is one of my favorite Final Fantasy games, and I maintain that the protagonist Benjamin is the strongest FF Protag, considering he can beat a Behemoth at his weakest with a normal steel sword, by himself, under the pressure of crumbling terrain.
Great VIDEO! A very close friend wanted to show me this, me being a huge fan of this game I knew I wanted to watch it. I enjoyed throughout the years finding out all the info I could about Mystic Quest, and this is filled to the brim and more with fantastic details. I always disliked it when people would sometimes claim this or that about north americans and early rpg's, but the fact is rpg's in gaming werent popular for the mainstream until FF7. A good lesson to learn is that instead of assuming, give space for great potential and learn from directly. I think that would have helped make it better not only for american gamers, but would have still been a good entry level game but with more complexity. Despite that, I highly enjoyed this game growing up, got it in Christmas of 1992, didnt understand it then, my reading skills werent the best, but years later i loved it.
So much potential for characters, ahead of it's time with mechanics like jumping over npc's, weapon switching, and save anywhere, and weapons used outside of combat. The music, oh my the music, I enjoyed Benjamin's little animations XD, and how the monsters showed damage, I know a lot was re worked from the ground up from the saga games but thats cool to me, shows legacy in my opinion and respect.
all in all, thank you so much for such a detailed and rich video. This game means a lot to me and many, the music and much more. I hope to see benjamin/zash represented more.
Great Job! This was on of the games that got me into RPGs. I remember renting it and beating it in a weekend because we didn't have a lot of money back then. I really liked the game because it was fast paced and had such a simple story and was fun to play in. It may not be the best but it was special to me. Also the sound track was a banger!
Mystic Quest was the 1st Final Fantasy I played.
I still love playing it to this day.
Thank you also to Nintendo Magazine for letting us know how to get past Falls Basin.
The MQ soundtrack was FIRE!🔥 Daniel Tidwell did a metal tribute album that is amazing.
This was the first RPG I ever played and I still love it. If it weren’t for Mystic Quest, I probably never would have asked for Final Fantasy III (VI) for Christmas, I never would have fallen in love with the series.
Quite interesting indeed. I recall first seeing this game on the shelves and not being aware it was a Final Fantasy game. I just glossed over it completely. By the time I did learn it was an FF, I'd already had the impression it was a bit of a dud. Still, very fun vid to watch! Looking forward to more, as always.
I’m one of those who got this game on the SNES as a kid and from there actually wanted to play more RPGs
We exist! There are literally dozens of us!!
Famitsu: "it feels like a roleplaying game, but there's almost no freedom and no strategy ... so simple, players could probably finish it while mashing random buttons"
But enough about ff16
or just holding down the attack button like in 15 lol
Final Fantasy 13 literally let the game play itself, lol.
@@Rotkreuz No joke! I put down the controller once to run to the bathroom. Came back to the victory screen 🤣
This game has a special place in my heart, because it was FFMQ, Arcana and FF4 that were my first RPGs. Its because of them that i fell in love with the genre, and went on to mod Arcana: Seal of Rimsala.
This was technically my first Final Fantasy game since i got it with my SNES. I fell in love with RPG games due to it. Even though it was basic i still loved it.
Thank you for this video!! I love Final Fantasy Mystic Quest as its the first RPG I ever played and its the game that made me a Final Fantasy fan. When I was 9, my dad took me to rent a Mickey Mouse game called Mickey's Mystical Quest and when we got home and started it up, I looked at my dad and said "I don't think this is a Mickey Mouse game." But we played it anyway and that's how I fell in love with RPGs and Final Fantasy!
I know this game isn’t a favorite for many, but I enjoyed it. Played it about a year ago and really liked it. It’s a simple romp, and that’s what I was in the mood for.
Dad brought this home to me when I was sick with a stomach flu. I was so disappointed at first cause it was nothing like FF4, I remember feeling bad cause of being sick and feeling bad cause I wasn’t enjoying the game in the beginning. Then that music hit on every level/biome/fight and I gave it a chance.
I still bust out the SNES to play this once in a blue moon to this day and Daniel Tidwells metal covers of the soundtrack are in my work mix lol.
Pizuzzu’s Tower was the first time my brother actually asked ME for help cause I got there first and omg. Hell froze over and pigs flew.
I don’t remember how I ended up with my copy, but I do remember playing the heck out of it. It was an easy game, sure, but I loved a lot about it (especially the music). I still sometimes boot up a rom when I’m nostalgic for it.
Ryuji Sasai was a god tier hire for the music in Mystic Quest.
In my opinion the definition of Boss Music had its foundation laid the day Ryuji began writing the music.
You know, I actually enjoy it. My friend had it in the early 90's and we'd go to his place after school and play it. It was fun. I always enjoyed the transformation of the monsters after doing enough damage.
I was 8 when I first played Final Fantasy Mystic Quest and I must commend it for being the right game for me at the right time. I sincerely believe that this accomplished what it set out to do (introduce young players to the RPG genre) and should be considered a success. It served as a gateway to the rest of the series.
Final Fantasy 1 was my first, but I was very young. Final Fantasy 2(US) came out when I was in 5th or 6th grade, and I loved it. Then Mystic Quest came out, and I got it for Christmas one year. I don't think I liked it as much as I liked FF2, but I still really liked it. I still play it on an emulator every now and then, and the nostalgia is still there. Also, the battle music is amazing.
This game was a stepping stone for many.
I always remember Beck's answer to a journalist from the early 00s: "Who do you make the music for?"
He thinks for a second, "Myself"
I did love this game, though... easy to min-max.
Shout outs to "Mystic Quest" (the one released on Gameboy with that exact name in the UK) for being the first video game to hit me in the feels. 🖤
i love this video! I was just learning more about RPGs as a little kid, and then saw this game come out. i've been hooked on final fantasy ever since, so i suppose it worked XD
the OST is still one of my favourites to this day
I was 9 or 10 years old and was playijg mystic quest and VI simultaneously.
I loved the story telling of VI, but i relied on stragety guide to move forward and where to go. Once i lost the guide, i got completely lost on where to find the rest of the team (i just got the airship and cyan)
Mystic quest gave me direction and i liked to feedback on what was effective or not, but i loved having 4 players from VI back then. The different stages of damages on bosses from Mystic was awesome too. It told me as a kid im getting closer to defeating them.
Mystic Quest was obviously meant to be for a younger audience to expose and show them the world of RPGs, and i can appreciate that.
I love both games and each had a different goal it wanted to accomplish. I felt satisfied 100% Mystic Quest as a kid and satisfied when i finally beat kefka on VI
My grandmother loved gaming but she also loved reading. And it was with Mystic Quest that she found her favorite genre of games. It wasn't until Mario RPG that she was totally hooked on RPG games but was a little turned off by Final Fantasy 3 with the overall amount of gaming that could be done in that installment. When she introduced me to RPGs. I was hooked. And though I loved and beat Mario RPG. It was Final Fantasy 7 that truly brought us both back to final fantasy and all RPGs in general. To this day. Her favorite rpg is pokemon and mine is Persona. But our favorite rpg memories started. With Mystic Quest.