text: final fantasy mystic quest final fantasy mystic quest , released as mystic quest legend in pal regions and as final fantasy usa : mystic quest ( , fainaru fantajī yū esu kuesuto ) in japan , is a role - playing video game for the super nintendo entertainment system . the game was released as a spin - off to square 's popular final fantasy series of video games . final fantasy mystic quest was first released in north america in 1992 and marketed as a " simplified role - playing game ... designed for the entry - level player " in an attempt to broaden the genre 's appeal . the game 's presentation and battle system is broadly similar to that of the main series , but it differed in its inclusion of action - adventure game elements . final fantasy mystic quest was the first final fantasy game to be released in europe . in the game , the player controls a youth named benjamin in his quest to save the world . his goal is to reclaim a set of stolen crystals that determine the state of the world 's four elemental powers . the gameplay takes a departure from the main series in a variety of ways . many series staples are eliminated , such as random battles , save points , manual equipment , and the party system . the game received middling reviews and sales in north america and japan , citing its simplified gameplay and lack of depth in the game 's story . over time , the game has kept the reputation for being a " beginner 's final fantasy " and has been praised for its music . gameplay exploration like previous games in the series , final fantasy mystic quest is presented in a top - down perspective ( or bird 's eye view ) , with players directly navigating the main character around the world to interact with objects and people . the game features a unique way of traveling the world map . unlike past final fantasy games , players cannot freely roam the world map . instead , they travel along set paths from one " icon " ( pictorial image on the world map ) to the next . some routes are blocked off ( restriction is indicated by a gray arrow ) , but become accessible when the player succeeds in a specific task , such as completing a dungeon . once its path is open , the player can enter an icon ; the game 's plot and action takes place within these icons , which include towns , dungeons , and battlefields . the game is characterized by featuring action - adventure game elements ; besides jumping , players can use weapons outside of battle , which play an active role in exploration . players can chop down trees with an axe , detonate bombs to open sealed doorways , or use a grappling hook to clear wide gaps . the game also has more puzzles than earlier final fantasy games . in the falls basin , for example , players must move pillars of ice across the ground level in such a fashion that they can be used as platforms to jump across on the second level . final fantasy mystic quest also does away with save points ; players can save their progress at any time during exploration . battle system final fantasy mystic quest eliminates the system of random enemy encounters , a trademark of the main series . instead , battles are represented in dungeons as stationary enemy sprites , and the player is given the option of approaching the enemy and engaging a battle . once engaged in battle , the player is thrust into the battle screen , which presents a window - based menu with three commands to choose from : battle , run , or control . running from battle transports the player back to the field screen , while choosing " control " toggles between the ally 's battle mode , where the player can manually control the main character 's ally or opt for a computer - controlled ally . if players choose to battle , they are presented with a of four more options : physically attack the enemy , cast a spell , use a curative item ( such as a cure potion ) , or defend . the game 's battle system relies on conditional turn - based combat , where the characters and enemies cycle through " rounds " in battling each other , with the most turns awarded to the fastest character . character health is represented by an incremental life bar , although the player may choose to have it displayed in numerical fractions as in most role - playing games . if all character life bars reach zero , the game is over , but the player is given the option of continuing and restarting the battle . if the player chooses this option , however , the main character 's attack power may suffer temporarily as a penalty . a character 's performance in battle is determined by numerical figures ( called statistics ) for vitality , attacking power , defensive capabilities , speed , magical prowess , accuracy , and evasion . character statistics are driven by experience points ( exp ) gained from winning battles , which accumulate until players achieve milestones known as " experience levels . " besides awarding experience points , battling enemies also earns the player gold pieces ( gp ) , which can be used to buy weapons , armor , and curative items . in the absence of random enemy encounters , battlefields are scattered across the world map . players are immediately thrust into a battle when entering a battlefield , and must win ten enemy battles to " clean out " the battlefield . once a battlefield is cleaned out , players are awarded either a large amount of experience , a large amount of gp , a piece of armor , or a magic spell . customization unlike all other final fantasy games , players cannot manually equip characters with armor . instead , newly acquired armor replaces the main character 's current equipment , or upgrades a current version of a weapon , e.g. obtaining the knight sword will replace the steel sword . using the l and r buttons allows the user to cycle through the weapons that have been collected so far . benjamin uses four types of weapons : swords , axes , bombs , and claws . although the weapons share a similar function in battle , all have different purposes when exploring the field map . the dragon claw , for example , doubles as a grappling hook . the weapon arsenal in final fantasy mystic quest is considerably smaller than most role - playing games . magic in final fantasy mystic quest is not learned by designated spellcasters through experience . instead , the main character acquires magic spells through treasure chests or as a reward for clearing out battlefields . the system of spellcasting is similar to that of the original final fantasy ; rather than using magic points to draw upon for supplying magic , spells are used according to a set number for their type , i.e. , white magic , black magic , or wizard magic . the allotted number for each type increases as a character levels up . a spell 's effectiveness is also proportional to a character 's experience level . the higher the character 's level , the more powerful the cure spell , for example . the spell catalog in final fantasy mystic quest is limited compared to most other final fantasy games . items in the game are analogous to the spells : their potency increases as the character levels up . in addition , the heal potion acts as a cure - all for status ailments , eliminating the need for status recovery items . plot setting the fictional events of final fantasy mystic quest take place on a single continent of an unnamed world , which is divided into four distinct regions : foresta , aquaria , fireburg , and windia . the welfare of each region is determined by the state of one of four shining crystals : earth , water , fire , and wind , respectively . for centuries the focus tower had stood at the heart of the world . it had been a center for trade and knowledge , and the world 's people met there to peacefully settle their differences . but on one warm summer day , powerful monsters stormed the tower , stole the four crystals , and then took off with the magical coins that kept the tower 's doors unlocked . the monsters began consuming the power of the crystals ; they grew in strength while the world began to decay . an old prophecy tells that at the time the " vile four " steal the power and divide the world behind four doors , a knight will appear to vanquish the darkness . story the game opens with an adventurous youth named benjamin climbing the hill of destiny . while exploring , his village is destroyed in an earthquake . as benjamin is climbing the hill , he meets a mysterious old man who charges benjamin with fulfilling the knight 's prophecy . although initially in disbelief , benjamin accepts the role and the old man shows him the focus tower ( supposedly the center of the world ) . after defeating a monster at the top of the hill , benjamin follows the old man to the level forest , where he is tasked with recovering the crystal of earth . proceeding to foresta , he meets with an axe - wielding girl named kaeli , who agrees to help benjamin if he can help her rid the level forest of monsters . kaeli is ambushed and poisoned in the process , and her mother informs benjamin of the elixir and where it can be found . benjamin 's search for elixir to heal kaeli brings him to bone dungeon , where he 's aided by a treasure hunter named tristam in succeeding dual purposes : not only does benjamin get elixir from tristam to heal kaeli , but he defeats one of the four vile evils , rex , to free the crystal of earth and in turn restore life to the dying village of foresta . tristam leaves and benjamin heals kaeli . benjamin is then told that aquaria is in danger , and is in need of help . he is told ( by the old man and various others ) that he should see spencer . he is also told that a girl named phoebe can help him as well . after proceeding through the first stage of the focus tower , and arriving in the province of aquaria , benjamin locates phoebe , and learns that spencer is trapped underground by thick ice floes . phoebe needs the " wakewater , " which is said to be able to help free aquaria . benjamin and phoebe head to the ( aptly named ) cave and defeat a monster to obtain the libra crest . using this crest to enter the libra temple , they find that the source of the " wakewater " has dried up . finding the old man in the back of the libra temple , they find that he holds the only bag ( water skin , actually ) of wakewater , and to use it on the plant in the center of town . back in aquaria , they find that the wakewater doesn 't work , and reviving the crystal is the only thing that will save the town and spencer . they head off for the ice pyramid and defeat the second of the vile evils , the ice golem . the ice crystal is saved , and benjamin and phoebe head back to aquaria . they find the town is now like foresta ( after the crystal is revived there ) and spencer is back and digging his tunnel to save captain mac ( kaeli 's father ) . upon leaving , spencer hands the venus key to benjamin , and tells him to head for fireburg . benjamin arrives in the focus tower to find the old man again , who tells him to find reuben , and disappears . benjamin then heads for fireburg , and finds reuben . reuben joins when benjamin promises to help free reuben 's dad , arion . upon finding tristam in the inn ( who gives benjamin the multi - key ) , they find the coward who left arion in the mine in a locked house . he teaches benjamin how to throw the bombs and says that it will free arion . benjamin and reuben then proceed to the mine and free arion . arion tells some tales of how the fire crystal has gone berserk , and reuben goes off with benjamin to the volcano to stop the vile evil from stealing the crystal 's power . after defeating the hydra , benjamin and reuben find the fire crystal returning to power . they decide to head to windia , and reuben is ambushed by monsters and falls off the rope bridge . tristam comes along and helps benjamin cross the bridge , but they are stymied by a tree who won 't talk to them . tristam says that there is a gal in foresta who can talk to tree spirits , and the two drop in on aquaria where kaeli was trying to find spencer . benjamin and tristam go down into the tunnel and find spencer , who tells tristam of a great treasure . they leave , and phoebe plants a bomb that collapses a tunnel spencer was building . she leaves to tell spencer what happened , and benjamin takes kaeli to the alive forest to talk to the dormant tree spirit . he tells them that he will take them to windia if they kill the monsters dwelling within him . they do , and he takes them to windia . upon arriving in windia , benjamin and kaeli find otto , whose daughter was caught in pazuzu 's tower when the winds from nearby mount gale knocked out his rainbow road . the only way the road works is when there is no wind , so benjamin and kaeli proceed to mount gale and stop the wind by defeating a powerful monster at the top . after returning to windia , otto powers up the rainbow road and the two adventurers proceed to pazuzu 's tower . after giving chase , they corner pazuzu and defeat the fourth vile evil and restore the wind crystal . norma is reunited with otto , and kaeli stays to take care of her . reuben shows up and after a series of long events captain mac is rescued . reuben falls down because of the injury sustained on the rope bridge , and phoebe joins benjamin instead . the old man tells benjamin an ominous addendum to the prophecy : " the one behind the four is darker than the night , and rises midst the land . " it becomes known that the dark king is the true source of evil . benjamin thus sails to doom castle to confront the dark king , who threatens to enslave benjamin along with the rest of mankind . the dark king claims that he wrote and spread the prophecy benjamin had followed throughout his quest . once the dark king is defeated , the old man congratulates benjamin and reveals that he is the fifth crystal , the crystal of light in the guise of a human . at the end of the game , benjamin is seen still craving adventure , and he borrows the ship from captain mac as his friends gather to wish him off . while sailing , tristam makes a surprise appearance . development although designed by one of square 's development teams in japan , final fantasy mystic quest was specifically geared for the u.s. market . at the time , console role - playing games were not a major genre in north america ; square thus attempted to broaden the genre 's appeal through final fantasy mystic quest . square had already released several final fantasy spinoffs in north america , including the first three titles in the saga series as final fantasy legend , and the first mana series game as final fantasy adventure , and wished to further break into the popular american consciousness . square 's executives cited the alleged difficulty of rpgs as the reason americans shied away from them , and eased the difficulty level by tweaking various aspects of the main series ' gameplay . the american release of final fantasy iv was altered to make the game simpler , for example . mystic quest was to take this one step further , and the japanese developers worked with the american offices to make sure the game was accessible to children . mystic quest was developed in a graphic and gameplay style similar to final fantasy legend iii ( part of the aforementioned saga series ) . the gameplay shares numerous similarities with that title , featuring a very similar battle system , graphical interface , and dungeon system . even the " jump " feature from final fantasy legend iii has been reproduced , and almost all of the icons - from caves to the enemy sprites - are a color - upgraded version of final fantasy legend iii 's character set . besides allowing for computer - controlled allies , the game did away with random battles , complicated storylines , and text - based menus . to appeal to the perceived tastes of north american audiences , which gravitated towards fast - paced games , square included action - adventure game elements ; players could now brandish weapons outside of battle , jump , use a grappling hook , and set bombs to open new paths . north american translator ted woolsey explained that " the action / adventure players ... are larger in numbers and the demographic is different . they tend to be younger and like the idea of jumping straight into the action with a sword in their hands ; it 's an empowerment issue - you get to go out there , start whacking things and it feels good ! with the more traditional rpgs , it takes a good 15 or 20 hours of playing before you 're finally hooked . " woolsey stated that mystic quest was one of the easiest games he had to translate , due to the game 's small size . because the game was marketed towards a younger demographic , the game sold for us $ 39 . 99 . mystic quest also came with an official strategy guide that helped inexperienced and new rpg players complete it . release after its u.s. debut , final fantasy mystic quest was released in japan under the title final fantasy usa : mystic quest . the european release of the game was released in english , german and french , and had the title changed to mystic quest legend to avoid confusion with final fantasy adventure , which had been released in europe as mystic quest . final fantasy mystic quest was first unveiled in june at the 1992 summer consumer electronics show in chicago , where it was a popular venue , and the game was later presented in more detail in the fall 1992 issue of the examiner . audio final fantasy mystic quest 's soundtrack was composed by ryuji sasai and yasuhiro kawakami . it was one of the first games in the final fantasy series not to be composed by regular series composer nobuo uematsu , after final fantasy adventure ( known in japan as final fantasy gaiden ) and the final fantasy legend games ( only called final fantasy games in north america ) . the album was first released on one compact disc by ntt publishing on september 10 , 1993 . rom capacity limits and hardware limitations made the composition process difficult . after the game was completed , sasai recorded two remixes on his days off for the game 's album , and personally played the guitar parts . “ mountain range of whirlwinds ” was built off of sasai 's liking of the sound of the french horn , and its ability to go the length of the song and convey a sense of mountains . the track " last castle " was written in a short time , and was used to create imagery of a field , but its length left very little space for the " battle 3 " reception according to square 's publicity department , final fantasy mystic quest sold a total of 800 , 000 units , with roughly half of these sold in japan . on its original north american release , it scored a 3 . 725 / 5 in the november 1992 issue of nintendo power , a 29 / 40 in electronic gaming monthly , and 86 % in electronic games . the game did not generate much excitement in either america or japan , although it is thought to have appealed to younger fans . the game ultimately failed in its bid to bring mainstream north american popularity to console rpgs ( a feat that wouldn 't be accomplished until final fantasy vii five years later ) , and simultaneously alienated fans of the series anticipating another epic following final fantasy iv . it has also been described as " final fantasy with an identity crisis " due to the inherent flaw of creating a game that didn 't appeal to the masses or the hard - core gaming audience . years later , reviewers have not looked favorably on mystic quest , including kotaku calling it the " worst final fantasy " , and games radar calling it a " franchise embarrassment for its enemies that stand still and wait for players to attack . ign rated the wii virtual console release a 6 . 0 , or " okay " , citing an extremely repetitive and simple battle system , and very little character development . 1up.com rated the game a " not worth it ! " , calling " handholding " and " insubstantial " . it was , however , praised for its music , including 1up.com praising its " sweet sampled metal guitar licks " , and listed the final boss battle music as one of the must download songs for the final fantasy music game theatrhythm final fantasy . it was also praised by games radar for its music , mentioning the boss battle in their " game music of the day " column , and also mentioning the rest of the game music as smooth and easy listening . on april 1 , 2006 , gamespot included mystic quest in an april 's fools list entitled " top 10 final fantasy games " , which mostly consisted of spin - offs from the main series and unrelated games . mystic quest was " praised " for being easy and having simplistic graphics and plot . in october 2010 , the game was released on nintendo 's virtual console . famitsu has also reported that square was preparing the game for release on the android mobile platform in 2012 . the main character benjamin and two songs appear in the rhythm game theatrhythm final fantasy : curtain call .