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This is for the most part more difficult than Vanilla. Especially the late game part and don't get me started on the Bonus Dungeon. I mean it's meant to be hard but some encounters are really over the top. (this encounter especially: two big and six small enemies, I don't want to spoil which ones but if you see this setup you gonna have to pray to survive.)

The new map is a good thing and gives a new feel to the game. However, the design is difficult to traverse through, finding new locations or even being able to backtrack where you've been (to stock up on potions, softs, ... stuff), I so wish the world map would work (B + select). Navigation was horrible and some map and dungeon designs were a bit too geometrical for my liking. Nonetheless all in all good work on a new map, in the end I liked it.

The bug when you level up with a certain late game weapon equipped on the Knight should totally get fixed, it's really annoying! (the one where its hit% overflow during level up ending you up with the most inaccurate Knight you could imagine). Makes that particular weapon something you wanna totally neglect and avoid. I learned that the hard way and had to reset, repeat the bonus dungeon and NOT equip that weapon.

As far as I can tell nothing was changed class-wise and stat-wise, but some characters got some really nice new specific weapons which made them more worthwhile (red mage and thief in particular). I liked that - it's always nice to see hacks that buff those classes that come a bit short in vanilla.

Anyway - if you like hard Final Fantasy hack challenges totally go for this hack! If you are hard-headed and have a high frustration tolerance also complete the bonus dungeon.

The new world maps and dungeons should be enough to draw almost anyone in, both were very well done.

The game is definitely a notch or two up in terms of difficulty compared to the original, but nothing some leveling up or a full stock of potions can't fix.

The game started a little bit slow, but after you get the ship and have about half a dozen levels the pace starts to pick up.

A lot of the game still feels a lot like the original, which can be good or bad if you like the nostalgia or would prefer new stuff like gear or enemies, but the game does have its fair share of never seen before stuff too which keeps the game feeling fresh as you progress.

My biggest complaint would be a lack of world map. Navigating in the early and mid game can get really tedious without knowing where you are supposed to go, or how to backtrack to grab something without aimlessly wandering, considering its a completely re-done overworld map.

With that said, I did love the new overworld map, and my favorite part was all of the brand new dungeons. I'm a low-key completion-ist so I felt compelled to explore every nook and cranny and treasure chest (that my supply of healing potions would allow). By the time I got to the last third of the game I was hooked, pace felt great, difficulty felt right on target, and although I have yet to attempt the superboss/end game I really enjoyed the traditional finish.

4/5 stars