Upon its release in 1994, Final Fantasy VI received a positive reception from most major gaming publications. GamePro gave it a perfect 5 out of 5 score, while Electronic Gaming Monthly granted a 9 out of 10 in its October issue and named it game of the month over Earthworm Jim and Mortal Kombat II.[10][8] Additionally, Electronic Gaming Monthly later ranked the game ninth in its 1997 list of the 100 greatest console games of all time, and when it was rereleased for the PlayStation, the same magazines rated it 4 out of 5 and 9.5 out of 10, respectively.[60] For their part, Nintendo Power declared the game "the RPG hit of the decade",[61] noting its improved sound and graphics over its predecessors, and the game's broadened thematic scope. Moreover, they suggested that "with so much story and variation of play ... fans may become lost in the world for months at a time".[62] In their 100th issue, they ranked it as the 8th greatest Nintendo game, saying it "had everything you could want–heroes, world-shattering events, magic, mindless evil–plus Interceptor the wonder dog!"[63] 100 issues later, they also ranked it in the top 40 of their "Top 200 games on a Nintendo Platform", suggesting that it might be the "best" Final Fantasy ever.[64]
Today, multimedia news website IGN ranks Final Fantasy VI 56th on their list of the 100 greatest games, as the second highest ranked Final Fantasy title on the list after Final Fantasy IV.[12] IGN described the graphics of the PlayStation rerelease as "beautiful and stunning", reflecting that, at the time of its release, "Final Fantasy III... represented everything an RPG should be", inspiring statistic growth systems that would later influence titles like Wild Arms and Suikoden. Moreover, they praised its gameplay and storyline, claiming that these aspects took "all ... preceding RPG concepts and either came up with something completely new or refined them enough to make them its own", creating an atmosphere in which "[players] won't find it difficult to get past the simplistic graphics or seemingly out-dated gameplay conventions and become involved ..."[12]
The users of the gaming website GameFAQs chose Final Fantasy VI, in its translation as Final Fantasy 3 for the Super Nintendo, as the 10th greatest game of all time in 2005,[65] while readers of the Japanese magazine Famitsu voted it as the 25th best all time in early 2006.[66] RPGamer gave a perfect rating to both the original game and its PlayStation re-release, citing its gameplay as "self-explanatory enough that most any player could pick up the game and customize their characters' equipment", while praising its music as "a 16-bit masterpiece." Alternatively, they describe the game's sound effects as limited and the game itself as lacking in replay value due to having "one ending, one [fundamental] path through the plot, and ... [mandatory] sidequests". Additionally, they regarded the game's English translation as "unremarkable", being "better than some but worse than others", and offered similar comments for its gameplay difficulty. However, they referred to the game's storyline as its "... most unique aspect", citing its large cast of characters, "nearly all of whom receive a great deal of development", and "surprisingly large number of real world issues, the vast majority of which have not been addressed by any RPG before or since, ranging from teen pregnancy to suicide." Overall, RPGamer regarded the game as an "epic masterpiece" and "truly one of the greatest games ever created."[67][68]
The North American rerelease on the PlayStation has sold approximately 364,000 copies.[69]
In 2007, the Game Boy Advance rerelease was named 8th best Game Boy Advance game of all time in IGN's feature reflecting on the Game Boy Advance's long lifespan.[70]
Interactive CG Game
Final Fantasy VI: The Interactive CG Game (also known as the Final Fantasy SGI demo, or Final Fantasy x (not related to the actual 10th game in the Final Fantasy series Final Fantasy X) was a short demonstration produced by Square using characters and settings from Final Fantasy VI. Produced using new Silicon Graphics, Inc. (SGI) Onyx workstations acquired by Square, the demo was Square's first foray into 3D graphics, and many assumed that it was a precursor to a new Final Fantasy title for the Nintendo 64 video game console, which also used SGI hardware.[71] Square, however, had not yet committed to Nintendo's console at the time of the demo's production, and much of the technology demonstrated in the demo was later put to use in the rendering of full motion video sequences for Final Fantasy VII and subsequent games for the PlayStation. The demo itself featured Terra Branford, Locke Cole, and Shadow in a series of battles. The game was controlled largely through mouse gestures: for example, moving the cursor in the shape of a star would summon a dragon to attack.[72]