It was 1994 when SquareSoft released the Super NES role playing game “Final Fantasy III” in the United States. But times have changed – SquareSoft is now known as Square Enix and what U.S. gamers had always known as “Final Fantasy III” has been unveiled in recent years to actually be “Final Fantasy VI.”

The confusion came about after SquareSoft of America decided to omit entries in the Japanese-developed series because of lengthy translation processes and in order to catch up to Japan’s most current “Final Fantasy” games. Thus, the Japanese “Final Fantasy IV” became “Final Fantasy II” in the United States and “Final Fantasy VI” became “Final Fantasy III,” all in a backward attempt to prevent confusion among gamers. With the eventual releases and re-releases of all the entries in the mega-popular series over the years, it’s good to see the games being given proper treatment.

“Final Fantasy VI Advance” is a Game Boy Advance port of the Super NES classic. It is essentially the same game you remember playing back in the day, with a few improvements and new additions.

The plot in the game revolves around an evil empire taking over the world and the group of rebels that would oppose them. Yes, that old cliche. But it goes much deeper than that. You’ll encounter as many as 14 colorful characters to enlist the aid of in your quest – all with their own back story, set of abilities and signature tunes.

The themes of life, death, love and hope intertwine to deliver some of the most moving moments in video game history – and with a fresh translation, the text is clearer and more emotive than ever.

As the characters travel, battles will occur randomly in a designated “battle screen.” Similar to several other “Final Fantasy” games, gauges for each character will fill over time, allowing them to perform an action when full. This system presents a more urgent feel than the myriad turn-based battle role-playing games of the day.

Characters will net experience for defeating enemies and their power will grow. Each character also has their own unique abilities, such as stealing items or throwing weapons. Magic can also be learned by equipping special stones called “magicite” found throughout the game. Magicite can also be used to summon mystical beasts – known as espers – in the heat of battle, including such series mainstays as Bahamut and Shiva.

Graphics in the game are outdated, but were some of the best the Super NES had to offer. Enemy illustrations are fantastic and characters display emotion well, considering how small a space they occupy on the screen.

The game’s soundtrack consists of more than 60 tracks and remains one of the game’s greatest assets. Incredible and memorable melodies encompass the full spectrum of emotions Purists may be disappointed to hear a slightly different instrumentation in some of the songs from the original, although they are difficult to discern.

Beside the updated translation, this version of “Final Fantasy VI” also offers players four new espers to acquire, access to a music player, an enemy bestiary, a battle marathon, a new dungeon and a quick save feature which allows the player to save anywhere – great for short bursts of play.

The main quest may take you anywhere from 30 to 50 hours to complete, but completing all the side quests may extend your play time by a dozen or more hours.

“Final Fantasy VI” set the standard of RPG excellence when it was released in 1994. It stands the test of time and is a must-play for any RPG fan.