Why does this exist?

This game did not need to be made. 

Final Fantasy Mystic Quest got mixed reviews upon release. Retrospective "reviews," mostly from randos on Reddit, though, remember it fondly. This is common in the realm of niche RPGs, so that's not newsworthy. Square marketed it as "a simplified role-playing game... designed for the entry-level player." So it's babies' first RPG, set in a Final Fantasy world, developed by Square, beloved by fans, and I finally played it after 100 games in the genre under my belt. And I agree with the reviewers. 

Mystic Quest was released in 1992. Final Fantasy IV came out a year before this, even in the North American market. A game designed to be a gateway drug to the genre was released after a game that already filled that role. I love FFIV, but it's linear as all get out. And it's better! I'll ask again: why does Final Fantasy Mystic Quest exist! 

The plot is the most tertiary thing I've ever experienced. The world is being corrupted, and some random dude has to save it because of some ancient, unexplained prophecy. He just so happens to come across all the relevant mcguffin locations and saves the world. Who is Benjamin? Or the friends he made who were eager to join him? I dunno, but they didn't suck too bad. Unlike the bosses. It's rare I have to reward a 0 in boss points, but here we are. Apparently, the story is quasi time travel? 3/10

A beginner friendly RPG is as boring as you'd expect to play. Gear is automatically equipped, Magic is overpowered, and recovery items are cheap and plentiful. You get money, but you don't need it. If you lose a battle, you can retry at full health, and the game tells you (after the fact) if an enemy is strong or weak to an elemental magic. You can also have your second character in auto mode and let the well designed AI control them. Magic is categorized into three categories, each with its own spell charges. Experience is also not pointless. It takes so long to level up that battles, especially late game, feel like a waste. Generally speaking, explore the dungeons and fight everything once, and you'll be overpowered at the end. I had my fast forward button down most of the game, as it's just so dull. Even exploring the world is bad. It's straight lines, more akin to Mario World 5/10

The sound is the most conventional thing about the game. It sounds good enough, fits the action and downtime vibes, and is just pretty good. All the towns use the same melody, and there are no sad songs, so the variety isn't here. It also keeps them from being memorable. 7/10

The graphics make me think this is a budget title. Square's weird Hail Mary probably was... It's better than Secret of the Stars, but FFIV looked better. There are so few mobs, but so many pallet swaps, too. 6/10

The charm is fittingly mediocre. NPCs are fun, but there are no side quests, exploration is the name of the game, and the writing, while simple, has its cute moments. The standout is the world. It's small, focused around a tower, but saving each village looks rewarding. Making elderly people in a grey wasteland young and vibrant again was neat. As for game length, it's so boring that I wish it ended sooner. 6/10

Throw them into a barrel, Yahtzee them out, and we get a game I'll never yearn to play again. 27/50

Final Fantasy Mystic Quest is overly simple. I know Japanese video game companies thought Americans were stupid, but this really shows how dumb they thought we were. 

This was also the last game in my NA released SNES quest. I'll talk about them as a whole later...