Sentences written about this title, gathered by type from the Japanese and English Wikipedia articles (as of 2026-8-30).
It is the last title in the series on that console, the next title, Final Fantasy IV, released in 1991 and written below as FFIV, having come out on the Super Famicom; see also "#Development". At the same time it is the last title in the FF series in which Terada, who had written the scenarios for FFI and FFII, was involved.
It was the last Final Fantasy produced for Nintendo's Family Computer (Famicom) console, and was reportedly one of the largest games released for the platform as it required a 512 KB cartridge, the console's second-highest capacity.
The project was also the last original Final Fantasy to be programmed by Iranian-American programmer Nasir Gebelli, who had worked on the series since the first game.
Some of the technical aspects of handling battle animations, such as with the first completed summon Odin's signature attack, drew from the team's experience with creating scrolling environments in Rad Racer (1987).
The first international release of its original version came as part of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series, initially releasing on Windows and mobile platforms on July 28, 2021.
Bandai unveiled their WonderSwan Color handheld system in 2000 and had immediately headed up a deal with Square to release enhanced remakes of their first three Final Fantasy titles on the new console.
Within its first week on sale, Final Fantasy III reportedly sold 500,000 copies.
Hardcore Gamer Chris Shive praised the game as a welcome refinement of mechanics introduced in the first two Final Fantasy games, but admitted some of its elements would appear archaic to modern players.
A novelization written by Takashi Umemura, which novelised the events of the first three Final Fantasy games, was published in Japan by Square Enix in 2019 and by Yen Press worldwide in 2020.
Sales of the Famicom version came to about 1,400,000 copies in Japan, making it a million seller for Square following the Game Boy title The Final Fantasy Legend.
It also earned a place in the Platinum Hall of Fame in the "Cross Review" feature of the magazine Famitsu, and in the "ROM Cartridge Best 5 by Category" list of the "Game Report Card" in the magazine Family Computer Magazine it placed 4th for music, 3rd for absorption, 4th for originality, and 4th overall, receiving very high ratings.
In the "Game Report Card" reader poll run by the magazine Family Computer Magazine,it scored 26.60 out of 30, as shown below.
Upon its release in Japan, the game sold 1.4 million copies, and saw generally positive reviews, with most of the praise going to its job system.
Within its first week on sale, Final Fantasy III reportedly sold 500,000 copies.
As of March 2003, the original Famicom game had shipped 1.4 million copies in Japan, outselling the domestic releases of the previous two Final Fantasy games.
Among the titles released in 1990, Dragon Quest IV (released in 2) and Final Fantasy III (released in 4) were both major hits for their strong storytelling, and came to be recognised as the 2 great RPGs.
One of the reviewers mentioned the story moved too quickly for comfort, leaving them confused about events, while two others criticized the lack of save points in dungeons.
Hardcore Gamer Chris Shive praised the game as a welcome refinement of mechanics introduced in the first two Final Fantasy games, but admitted some of its elements would appear archaic to modern players.
A remake for the WonderSwan Color was planned but ultimately cancelled, while a 3D remake for the Nintendo DS was released internationally in 2006.
While there were plans for a localization outside Japan, Tanaka said this plan was scrapped so the team could focus on development for the upcoming Super Famicom.
Although the game was never formally cancelled, the official website was taken offline once production of the WonderSwan Color consoles ceased in 2002.
The Famicom version of Final Fantasy IV, which was to have been the true sequel and which is completely different from the present Super Famicom version of Final Fantasy IV, was cancelled during development.
A remake for the WonderSwan Color was planned but ultimately cancelled, while a 3D remake for the Nintendo DS was released internationally in 2006.
Sakaguchi revealed in Family Computer Magazine that Doga's village was a village added at short notice because space became available after the data was compressed.
While there were plans for a localization outside Japan, Tanaka said this plan was scrapped so the team could focus on development for the upcoming Super Famicom.
While there were plans for a localization outside Japan, Tanaka said this plan was scrapped so the team could focus on development for the upcoming Super Famicom.
In 2007, Hiromichi Tanaka explained in an interview that the WonderSwan Color remake had been abandoned because the size and structure of the coding of the original Famicom game was too difficult to recreate on the WonderSwan Color.
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