'Final Fantasy III' Introduced the Job System Still Being Used Today

Urian B., Tech Times 01 May 2023, 11:05 pm

Since its introduction in 1990, the Final Fantasy III installment of the beloved gaming series helped revolutionize the turn-based JRPG genre. Being the first game of its kind, this iteration introduced the beloved Job-Change system, which was later continued, re-envisioned, and discussed by many of the sequels which followed it.

Bringing Dynamic Customization with the Job-Change System

According to the story by CBR, the Job-Change system debuted in Final Fantasy III, bringing dynamic new customization to the often rigid structure of these games. Players were given access to the initial class jobs; the warrior, the thief, the monk, and multiple forms of mages.

As players progressed through their journey and gathered more crystals, more jobs became available to the party, some of the most beloved being the dragoon, summoner, and thief jobs. The Job-Change system also impacted the way of leveling up, with HP accumulating into a character's abilities depending on what job they change into.

A black mage would gain HP more slowly than a fighter, so changing their job to a Knight would make a melee character with lesser HP. The Job-Change system was one of the most innovative features of the time and allowed for new types of playstyles and strategies.

The introduction of the Job-Change system was continually celebrated throughout the later sequels of Final Fantasy, with Final Fantasy V being one of the few to use a similar system. Fans can check out the official Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster trailer on YouTube.

The Impact of 'Final Fantasy III's' Job-Change System

Final Fantasy X furthered this idea of character customization by introducing the sphere grid. Final Fantasy X-2 brought players the dress spheres, which had the same goal of switching classes on the fly. Without Final Fantasy III, the Job-Change system may never have been a part of the Final Fantasy game experience.

Overall, the developers of Final Fantasy III crafted the perfect game to evoke an emotional response and be remembered as the first installment to include the Job-Change system. Fans can check out the top Final Fantasy games with the best job systems in an article by Game Rant.

This innovative gameplay feature defined the Final Fantasy series as it moved forward, becoming iconic as the ultimate iteration of character customization and paving a path for what turn-based RPGs would become.

The influence of the Job-Change system could be seen in many later Final Fantasy games, such as Final Fantasy V and X, and even later installments like X-2 featured job changes with the addition of dress spheres.

The Job-Change System: A Revolution in the 'Final Fantasy' Series

This original change in the third installment affected the series more than any other changes before or after it. It created an identity for the series when it was just another JRPG in the market.

The Job-Change system has since become a standard for turn-based RPGs. It has established a much more interesting style of play and served as the primary example on which later games in the genre have been based.

This revolutionary system changed the course of the Final Fantasy series forever, and 30 years later, it continues to be seen as a hallmark of the franchise.