Very rarely does a newly released game—or anything for that matter—come out and remind me of my childhood. Final Fantasy III D.S. does, however, meet my requirements for a full-on extravaganza of nostalgic delight. I know this is a much older title in its development in storyline and game style, but it was completely remade with the options of today and still retained its classic approach with more polished outcome. I am reminded of “the old days,” when I sat for hours, glued to a fantasy world brought to life with brilliant display.

Keeping it real with such aspects as crystals, airships, black-robed black mages and white mages, extremely hard to find elixirs and an overabundance of weapons that are lesser in point value than the one you acquired hours ago during game play. But I like these things and have grown biased to a classic rpg style that the original Final Fantasy’s revolutionized.

Feeling deprived and left out from not getting to play the critically acclaimed Final Fantasy XII, I turned to my trusty D.S. for some alternative rpg experiences. I needed to fill the void. Lusting after leveling up like my life depended on it, I turned to Final Fantasy III. From its release over a decade ago in Japan to now it has kept fans guessing what it would be like.

Aesthetically pleasing for a handheld system in the ways of graphics, story and game play, it’s among the top of the handheld class of RPG’s. An elaborate yet traditional system of job classes provides endless possibilities and allows you to use your creative mind to figure out which characters will fare best against certain circumstances. I’m a “my main character is always a warrior or knight” kind of guy, but you can’t always rely on physical prowess to ascertain victory. The use of magic is crucial and you will find that MP-providing potions are limited, but there is a plethora of wells and springs to revive your powers for free. You will find out quickly in this title that you must not slack on your leveling up. This, too, reminds me of mindless hours of boosting stats and gaining new moves way before I should have. It just takes time.

Try to keep an open mind to more primitive styles of gaming because this one is a gem—one blended of old and new, almost to merge the minds of younger to older gamers. Final Fantasy III is a treat, not a relic, and I suggest that anyone who is a fan of the genre or especially the series go pick up this hard-to-find title. Just wait till you see the opening movie on that D.S. Enjoy!