What makes Final Fantasy XI truly unique is the story. Not that it is extraordinary or something special; it just is so simple and deals with so many issues that the sophistication which is required to address all these things is truly spectacular. Unlike other RPG games, the story does not focus on any one person but actually features a cast of more than a dozen characters. All these characters receive equal attention throughout the game and develop over its course.

For a game released in mid 90's, the game has a good character driven story and many more features that are worth admiration. The plot is not original but what is different is the way the story is delivered. The setting is a world, destroyed about 1000 years ago during a legendary war which involved magic. The after result of the war was a loss of magic, which forced people to develop technology in order to replace magic. Emperor Gestahl decides that reviving magic is essential to become the ultimate power. A group of rebels names The Returners set out to save the world and end the empire.

The game play is standard as the battles still utilize the Active Time Battle system which was followed by Final Fantasy IV. There are a little too many battles which can get tedious, but the special powers given to each character does make combat slightly more involved than just pressing the attach button again and again. The artwork is spectacular and highlights the visual presentation brilliantly. Each character is emotive with a few pseudo 3D touches. The detailing is great whether it is the scenery or the characters themselves. The enemy sprites are hand drawn but still manage to look great.

Musically, the game is a real delight. There is an eclectic mix of sombre melodies along with some truly unique thundering tribal beats. The music for the opera scene has been specially created though the hardware of Game Boy Advance doesn't do real justice to the music. The music has been rearranged, so sounds different. Each track is classic and delivers great quality music appreciated by all the fans. It's got magnificent melodies and hymns and the sound effects make some good additions. This is quite obvious during battles where the sword attacks sounds different from punch hits. That is the level of detailing which is truly remarkable. It adds a certain kind of realism in to the fighting scenes where the music makes a more powerful sound if the attack more vigorous.

For spell casting, an effort has been put in providing specific sound for each spell type which is quite good. Even with covered eyes, you have a good chance to guess which spell is being used. Ice spells make a crackling sound. Fire spells provide a more boom-type sound. For the surroundings: doors sounds like actual wood, when climbing a ladder or rope there's this "twitch" sound, water makes a splash sound, your buggy has a "broom" sound and there are many other sounds worth noticing. Not all the sounds are always realistic, but those which are realistic are enough to give life to the game.

All in all, this is a game is a must have for any Final Fantasy fan and has many interesting scenes which have been added later on and which are exclusive to Final Fantasy VI. 

What makes Final Fantasy XI truly unique is the story. Not that it is extraordinary or something special; it just is so simple and deals with so many issues that the sophistication which is required to address all these things is truly spectacular. Unlike other RPG games, the story does not focus on any one person but actually features a cast of more than a dozen characters. All these characters receive equal attention throughout the game and develop over its course.

For a game released in mid 90's, the game has a good character driven story and many more features that are worth admiration. The plot is not original but what is different is the way the story is delivered. The setting is a world, destroyed about 1000 years ago during a legendary war which involved magic. The after result of the war was a loss of magic, which forced people to develop technology in order to replace magic. Emperor Gestahl decides that reviving magic is essential to become the ultimate power. A group of rebels names The Returners set out to save the world and end the empire.

The game play is standard as the battles still utilize the Active Time Battle system which was followed by Final Fantasy IV. There are a little too many battles which can get tedious, but the special powers given to each character does make combat slightly more involved than just pressing the attach button again and again. The artwork is spectacular and highlights the visual presentation brilliantly. Each character is emotive with a few pseudo 3D touches. The detailing is great whether it is the scenery or the characters themselves. The enemy sprites are hand drawn but still manage to look great.

Musically, the game is a real delight. There is an eclectic mix of sombre melodies along with some truly unique thundering tribal beats. The music for the opera scene has been specially created though the hardware of Game Boy Advance doesn't do real justice to the music. The music has been rearranged, so sounds different. Each track is classic and delivers great quality music appreciated by all the fans. It's got magnificent melodies and hymns and the sound effects make some good additions. This is quite obvious during battles where the sword attacks sounds different from punch hits. That is the level of detailing which is truly remarkable. It adds a certain kind of realism in to the fighting scenes where the music makes a more powerful sound if the attack more vigorous.

For spell casting, an effort has been put in providing specific sound for each spell type which is quite good. Even with covered eyes, you have a good chance to guess which spell is being used. Ice spells make a crackling sound. Fire spells provide a more boom-type sound. For the surroundings: doors sounds like actual wood, when climbing a ladder or rope there's this "twitch" sound, water makes a splash sound, your buggy has a "broom" sound and there are many other sounds worth noticing. Not all the sounds are always realistic, but those which are realistic are enough to give life to the game.

All in all, this is a game is a must have for any Final Fantasy fan and has many interesting scenes which have been added later on and which are exclusive to Final Fantasy VI.