If you've been following along since I started chronicling the Final Fantasy series, you're already familiar with four heroic Light Warriors and the collapse of a previously massive empire caused by a band of rebels. Assuming you haven't already played Final Fantasy 3, it'll likely come as a surprise that four Light Warriors once again return to the series.

These nameless, altruistic individuals may lack personalities (unless you're counting the DS version), but they make up for it with their ability to change professions as many times as necessary. Unlike the original Final Fantasy, your characters initially begin with no roles. Technically, they're given the unusual title of Onion Knight, but really, they're jack-of-all-trades characters who only later develop job specializations.

Light Warriors...Again?

Final Fantasy 3 begins with its four child-heroes seeking adventure. They stumble upon a cavern by accident after falling in a pit, and their quest begins.

While spelunking ancient catacombs, the soon-to-be Light Warriors stumble upon a Land Turtle who was introduced to the series as a standard enemy in Final Fantasy 2. The humongous turtle soon became an endangered species, however, as the children quickly bested him.

This encounter is quiet interesting -- not only because it serves as the starting point for the Light Warriors' adventure, but also because it reveals important advancements in Final Fantasy's battle system.

Enhancements Viagra Users Could Only Dream Of

In previous Final Fantasys, characters attacked enemies selected during their respective turns. But if a pre-selected target perished before a particular character's turn executed, then the character would strike at thin air instead of automatically targeting another opponent. Final Fantasy 3 changed this, by allowing characters to attack other opponents perfunctorily.

Another unique feature is the addition of numbered damage over the heads of allies and enemies. Previously, damage in Final Fantasy games was relegated to text menus, but Final Fantasy 3 made walls of slow-moving text unnecessary.

But returning to the adventure, once the four youth slew the giant reptile, they discovered an enormous crystal -- which granted them the ability to change jobs and revealed their destiny as Light Warriors who'd bring about the world's salvation.

The Job Search

The jobs they received were a class above modern day minimum wage work. Instead of flipping burgers at McDonalds or scrubbing urinals, Final Fantasy 3's Light Warriors could become Warriors, Monks, White Mages, Black Mages, Red Mages, and Thieves.

After changing classes for the first time, the four youth become indistinguishable from the original Final Fantasy's heroes, but unlike characters in that title, they can switch classes whenever. Their jobs provide unique abilities and attributes that are fully effective after a few battles. All of Final Fantasy 3's characters have the same default statistics, so each class has an equal effect on each character -- assuming they have the same experience.

As the adventure progresses, new jobs become available, but they're obtained differently from promotions in the original Final Fantasy. At certain points in their quest, the heroes gain additional classes through encountering three other large crystals scattered throughout the world.