A Defense of Final Fantasy III's Ending

by Tomm Hulett 

The battle has raged for three years now. Some say that the length and amount of characters in the ending sequence of FinalFantasy III make it the best ending. Others claim that the wedding of Cecil and Rosa makes for the perfect finale and should be hailed as nirvana. Those voting for FFIII argued that the others were living in the past. FFII supporters argued that their opponents were satisfied with better graphics and didn't care about substance. I have always favored the ending of Final Fantasy III.

One complaint about the ending sequence of Final Fantasy III was the several minutes of "useless" Mode7 effects. The point of the Mode7 was to give the player something to look at during the credits--instead of FFII's starfield (which is STILL visible during the "The End" screen). If Square had given credits only, everyone would be ragging on their lack of originality.

Take a look at the requirements for a "good" RPG ending. First is closure. Without closure, an RPG seems incomplete. While this might leave room for a sequel; too much open endedness comes off as lazy. In the ending of Final Fantasy II, Cecil and Rosa finally get married and everyone attends: we learn who was resurrected and who stayed dead. More closure comes in the continued resistance of Edge to true love. There are many more characters in the third Final Fantasy game--yet fewer of them have as much closure during the ending sequence. (Except possibly Shadow.) The closure of FFIII, however, comes during the game--like a good story, it doesn't all hit the reader/player at once. FFIII's closure comes as the result of numerous events played out during the game. Much of this closure is recapped immediately before the battle with Kefka, and show the development of the many characters.

During a good ending, the player is also reminded of how far the characters have come. The third Final Fantasy's ending reminded us of many characters' growth. Setzer learns from his lost love. Celes learns to trust, and Locke learns that life is love--not dwelling on its absence. Sabin realizes his responsibility--and Edgar realizes what he owed his people. Happy or sad, these events all bring emotions to the surface. I don't remember many similar events during the ending of Final Fantasy II. The changes in FFIII's cast show more clearly than those of FFII's players.

Originality and variety also shine through in a finale. How many characters become kings in Final Fantasy II? Now, many argue that FF3's lack of "future" scenes cause it to fall. However, seeing the characters only immediatly after the final battle allow the players to use their imagination and create their own scenarios. Fan Fictions have been written on both the future of FFII and III, but while those following II are mostly the same and predictable (though there are a few gems), those that follow III differ greatly. Final Fantasy III allows for more creative thought--and thus a fuller, richer game experience.

For myself and many others, Final Fantasy III's ending was a more satisfying and wonderful experience than that of the second in the series. But whatever your opinion--enjoy the game. Because that's what it's all about.