Editing Final Fantasy Mystic Quest (section)

==Gameplay==
===Exploration===
Like previous games in the series, ''Final Fantasy Mystic Quest'' is presented in a top-down perspective, 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.<ref name="options"/> 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.<ref name="controls"/> The game 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. ''Mystic Quest'' does away with save points; players can save their progress at any time during exploration.<ref name="save"/>

===Battle system===
[[Image:Ffmq battlescreen.png|thumb|right|Benjamin and Tristam facing enemies on the battle screen]]
''Final Fantasy Mystic Quest'' eliminates the system of [[random encounter|random enemy encounters]], a trademark of the main series. Instead, battles are represented in dungeons as stationary enemy [[sprite (computer graphics)|sprite]]s, 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 (computing)|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 [[Game artificial intelligence|computer-controlled]] ally. If players choose to battle, they are presented with a submenu of four more options: physically attack the enemy, cast a spell, use a curative item (such as a Cure potion), or defend.<ref name="combat"/> The game's battle system relies on [[Recurring elements in the Final Fantasy series#Battle systems|conditional turn-based combat]], where the characters and enemies cycle through rounds in battling each other, with the first action of the turn awarded to the fastest character. Enemy sprites are always far larger than player sprites in battle, despite appearing further away from the game camera. Some animals attack by physically crushing the players.

Character health is represented by an incremental [[Health (game mechanism)#Life bar|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 [[Attribute (role-playing games)|statistics]]) for vitality, attacking power, defensive capabilities, speed, magical prowess, accuracy, and evasion. Character statistics are driven by [[experience point]]s (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.<ref name="combat"/>

===Customization===
[[Image:Ffmq grapple2.png|thumb|right|The hero uses a [[grappling hook]] on a stationary pre-set loop in order to cross a gap.]]
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.<ref name="gameplay"/>

[[Final Fantasy magic|Magic]] in ''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 point]]s 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 proportional to a character's experience level; the higher the character's level, the more powerful the Fire spell, for example. The spell catalog in ''Mystic Quest'' is limited compared to most other ''Final Fantasy'' games.<ref name="gameplay"/> Items in the game are analogous to the spells. Notably, the Heal spell and potion act as a cure-all for [[status effect|status ailments]], eliminating the need for unique status recovery items.<ref name="gameplay"/> Similarly, the Cure spell and potion each restore 25% of player's maximum hit points regardless of level, so there is no need for a range of potion or spell strengths.