Final Fantasy III - Leo (or FFVI, if we're being real—blame the weird numbering) is one of those SNES RPGs that just sticks with you. You start off with this ragtag group—Terra, Locke, Edgar—and before long, you're knee-deep in political intrigue, ancient magic, and a villain who actually makes you question who's really in the wrong here. Kefka isn't your typical mustache-twirling bad guy; he's just... gleefully awful.

The combat's classic ATB, but what gets me is how each character plays totally differently. Sabin's Blitz inputs feel like a fighting game, Edgar's tools are weirdly satisfying to spam, and good luck not getting attached to Cyan's tragic backstory. The Esper system lets you tweak stats and spells, so you can turn Gau into a magic nuke if you're patient enough to grind those rages.

And that opera scene? Still holds up. The pixel art and Uematsu's soundtrack do most of the heavy lifting, but there's something about the way the story swings between goofy (riding a chocobo through a collapsing mine) and gut-punching (the whole second half). It's a game that doesn't just let you save the world—it makes you earn it.